Automatic gain control (AGC)-based grouping of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources for sidelink positioning

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a processing device may obtain J signal strength measurements associated with J sidelink user equipments (UEs), respectively, obtained by an anchor UE during a peer-to-peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure. The processing device may transmit K configuration settings to K respective groups of the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned an automatic gain control (AGC) resource and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicates scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, where: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

Description

Background Art 1. Technical Field

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

[0002] 2. Description of Related Technologies

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

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

[0005] In addition, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of 5G, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies are being implemented to support autonomous driving applications, such as wireless communications between vehicles, between vehicles and roadside infrastructure, between vehicles and pedestrians, and so on. 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 operating a processing device includes: obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery process or a previous sidelink positioning process; and sending K configuration settings to K corresponding groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0008] In one aspect, a method of operating a sidelink user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a configuration setting indicating scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and sending one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at a starting position of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0009] In one aspect, a processing device includes: a 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: obtain J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; and send, via the at least one transceiver, K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0010] In one aspect, a sidelink user equipment (UE) includes: a 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: receive a configuration setting via the at least one transceiver, the configuration setting indicating scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and send one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via the at least one transceiver using one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0011] In one aspect, a processing device includes: a component for obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; and a component for sending K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0012] In one aspect, a sidelink user equipment (UE) includes: a component for receiving a configuration setting indicating a scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and a component for sending one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to: obtain J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; and send K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0014] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sidelink user equipment, cause the sidelink user equipment to: receive a configuration setting indicating a scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and send one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one of the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0015] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] 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.

[0017] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0019] 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.

[0020] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Various interesting scenarios for sidelink-only positioning or joint Uu and sidelink positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0021] FIG. 5A illustrates an example call flow for Mode A discovery, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, and FIG. 5B illustrates an example call flow for Mode B discovery, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6A and Figure 6B is a diagram of example sidelink slot structures with and without feedback resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example sidelink positioning scenario in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, wherein an anchor UE is configured to assist multiple sidelink UEs.

[0024] Figure 8 is an example of a method for Figure 7 Illustration of an example side link resource arrangement for the scenario depicted in .

[0025] Figure 9A 、 Figure 9B and Figure 9C is an example of a method for Figure 7 Illustration of additional example side link resource arrangements for the scenario depicted in .

[0026] Figure 10 Example methods of operating a processing device according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0027] Figure 11 Example methods of operating a sidelink UE according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided below in the description and related drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid making the relevant details of the present disclosure difficult to understand.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be viewed as being fully embodied within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. 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."

[0032] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE), "vehicle UE" (V-UE), "pedestrian UE" (P-UE), and "base station" are not intended to be dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a vehicle onboard computer, a vehicle navigation device, a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an asset locating device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as a "mobile device," "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof.

[0033] A V-UE is a type of UE and can be any in-vehicle wireless communication device, such as a navigation system, warning system, head-up display (HUD), onboard computer, in-vehicle infotainment system, automated driving system (ADS), advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), etc. Alternatively, a V-UE can be a portable wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer, etc.) carried by the driver of a vehicle or a passenger in the vehicle. The term "V-UE" can refer to either the in-vehicle wireless communication device or the vehicle itself, depending on the context. A P-UE is a type of UE and can be a portable wireless communication device carried by a pedestrian (i.e., a user not driving or riding in the vehicle). Generally speaking, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0034] 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 a UL / reverse or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0035] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmitting from a base station or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0036] In some implementations of supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access for the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit a reference RF signal to the UE for measurement 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 RF signals to the UE) and / or as a positioning measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring RF signals from the UE).

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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 102 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 both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0039] 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, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or external to the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be integrated with the base stations 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location server 172 via another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intermediate nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0040] 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 EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0041] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) that distinguishes cells operating 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 it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area (eg, a sector) of a base station, so long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0042] Although 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 called a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0043] 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).

[0044] 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.

[0045] The small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' using LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network 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.

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a mmW base station 180 that can operate in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short ranges. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. In addition, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0047] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To change the directionality of an RF signal while transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that form RF beams that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0048] The transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived based on information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0049] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signals received from that direction.

[0050] The transmit beam and receive beam can be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit beam or receive beam) used for the second reference signal can be derived based on information about the first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, the UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from the base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0051] 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.

[0052] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5GNR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “below 6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, although different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0053] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz–24.25 GHz). The frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus can effectively extend the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation to more than 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz–71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz–114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz–300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0054] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specified, 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 specified, 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 be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specified, 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 be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may include mid-band frequencies.

[0055] In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are generally UE-specific, those UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell 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 a carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0056] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies 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 result in a doubled data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0057] 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 a signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, the SVs 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that the UEs 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., a UE 104) to determine its position on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit a signal that is a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code marked with a set number of chips. While typically located in the SVs 112, the transmitters can sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UEs 104 can include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive the signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from the SVs 112.

[0058] 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), among others. 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.

[0059] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately provides access to entities external to the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. Thus, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112, instead of or in addition to communication signals from terrestrial base station 102.

[0060] In particular, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of NR, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications, such as wireless communication between vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)), between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)), and between vehicles and pedestrians (vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P)). The goal is to enable vehicles to sense their surroundings and communicate this information to other vehicles, infrastructure, and personal mobile devices. This type of vehicle communication will enable safety, mobility, and environmental improvements that current technologies cannot provide. Once fully implemented, this technology is expected to reduce non-damaged vehicle collisions by 80%.

[0061] Still refer to Figure 1 , the wireless communication system 100 may include a plurality of V-UEs 160 that may communicate with a base station 102 over a communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., an air interface between a UE and a base station). The V-UEs 160 may also communicate directly with each other over a wireless side link 162, with a roadside unit (RSU) 164 (roadside access point) over a wireless side link 166, or with a sidelink-capable UE 104 over a wireless side link 168 using a PC5 interface (i.e., an air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless side link (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of a core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without going through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, V2V communication, V2X communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, and the like. One or more V-UEs in a group of V-UEs 160 utilizing sidelink communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other V-UEs 160 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, groups of V-UEs 160 communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each V-UE 160 transmits to every other V-UE 160 in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the V-UEs 160 without involving the base station 102.

[0062] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 can operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other wireless communications between other RATs. A "medium" can include one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs.

[0063] In one aspect, sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may be cV2X links. The first generation of cV2X has been standardized in LTE, and the next generation is expected to be defined in NR. cV2X is a cellular technology that also enables device-to-device communications. In the United States and Europe, cV2X is expected to operate in the licensed ITS band below 6 GHz. Other frequency bands may be allocated in other countries. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the licensed ITS band below 6 GHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this frequency band or cellular technology.

[0064] In one aspect, the side links 162, 166, 168 can be dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) links. DSRC is a unidirectional or bidirectional short-range to medium-range wireless communication protocol that uses the Wireless Access to Vehicular Environment (WAVE) protocol (also known as IEEE 802.11p) for V2V, V2I, and V2P communications. IEEE 802.11p is an approved modification to the IEEE 802.11 standard and operates in the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85 GHz–5.925 GHz) in the United States. In Europe, IEEE 802.11p operates in the ITS G5A band (5.875 GHz–5.905 MHz). Other frequency bands may be allocated in other countries. The V2V communications briefly described above occur on a safety channel, which in the United States is typically a 10 MHz channel dedicated to safety purposes. The remainder of the DSRC band (75 MHz total bandwidth) is intended for other services of interest to drivers, such as road regulations, toll collection, parking automation, etc. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by the sidelinks 162 , 166 , 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the licensed ITS band at 5.9 GHz.

[0065] Alternatively, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded operations into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include different variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0066] Communication between V-UEs 160 is referred to as V2V communication, communication between a V-UE 160 and one or more RSUs 164 is referred to as V2I communication, and communication between a V-UE 160 and one or more UEs 104 (where these UEs 104 are P-UEs) is referred to as V2P communication. V2V communication between V-UEs 160 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, heading, and other vehicle data of these V-UEs 160. V2I information received at a V-UE 160 from one or more RSUs 164 may include, for example, road regulations, parking automation information, etc. V2P communication between a V-UE 160 and a UE 104 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, and heading of the V-UE 160, as well as the position, speed (e.g., if the UE 104 is carried by a user on a bicycle), and heading of the UE 104.

[0067] Note that although Figure 1 Only two of the UEs are illustrated as V-UEs (V-UE 160), but any of the illustrated UEs (e.g., UE 104, 152, 182, 190) may be V-UEs. In addition, although only these V-UEs 160 and a single UE 104 have been illustrated as being connected via a side link, Figure 1Any of the illustrated UEs, whether V-UEs, P-UEs, etc., may be capable of sidelink communications. Furthermore, while only UE 182 is depicted as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs (including V-UE 160) may be capable of beamforming. Where V-UEs 160 are capable of beamforming, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other V-UEs 160), toward RSUs 164, toward other UEs (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190), and so forth. Thus, in some cases, V-UE 160 may utilize beamforming on sidelinks 162, 166, and 168.

[0068] 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. Figure 1 In the example of FIG1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity 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), Etc. As another example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be side links, as described above with reference to side links 162 , 166 , and 168 .

[0069] Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to include control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNBs 222 to 5GC 210, and specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In additional configurations, ng-eNBs 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, ng-eNBs 224 can communicate directly with gNBs 222 via backhaul connections 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0070] 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 can each 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 be connected 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).

[0071] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is illustrated. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the network can be functionally considered to be a control plane function provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, and a user plane function provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and 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 case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, for transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), for transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, for allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interoperation with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notifications. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0072] The functions of the UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and transmitting and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the delivery of location service messages between the UE 204 and a location server (such as the SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0073] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic steering configuration for routing traffic to the correct destination at the UPF 262, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0074] 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 to 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 intended 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 intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0075] 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 an external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server.

[0076] 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.

[0077] 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 one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB 222 is typically hosted by one or more independent gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0078] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C 2. The diagram illustrates a method that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270), or alternatively may be independent thereof. Figure 2A and Figure 2BSeveral example components (represented by corresponding blocks) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a dedicated network) depicted in the present disclosure are shown to support operations as described herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different types of devices with different specific implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC)), etc. The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. In addition, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[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 transceiver 310 and the WWAN transceiver 350 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, receive and decode the signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, 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 a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, The short-range wireless transceiver 320 and the short-range wireless transceiver 360 are components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for preventing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) using a PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.). The short-range wireless transceiver 320 and the short-range wireless transceiver 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, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, transceiver, and / or transceiver, NFC transceiver, UWB transceiver or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[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), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and, at least in some cases, perform calculations using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to determine the positions of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0082] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. For another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0083] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other implementations can be implemented in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., 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, that 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, that allow a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that a corresponding device may only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0084] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some implementations, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be generally referred to as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred based on the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) 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 can provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 342, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 388, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 398, which can be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0087] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the 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 the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[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 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[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 may 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 may be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent 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 performed by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0094] Channel estimates derived by the 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 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. The 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 specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. For 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 an 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 specific implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components of the present invention may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or be combined with at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Moreover, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a network entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

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

[0102] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding the received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0103] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE sends one or more uplink reference signals, which are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of receipt of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the position and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known positions of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the position of the UE.

[0104] 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.

[0105] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multiple round-trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), and the second entity sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundary of the received signal and the transmitted signal. The two entities may then transmit their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., calculated as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may transmit its Rx-Tx time difference measurements to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities may be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) so that the location of the first entity can be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known locations of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy.

[0106] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0107] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include: an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots including PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots including PRS, a muting sequence, a frequency hopping sequence, a reference signal identifier, a reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE itself may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0108] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data may also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 8 μs.

[0109] A position estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, a position, a position fix, a position fix, a fix, etc. A position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, a postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The position estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0110] In addition, NR supports or implements various sidelink positioning techniques. Figure 4AVarious scenarios of interest for sidelink-only positioning or joint Uu and sidelink positioning according to various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In scenario 410, at least one peer UE with a known location can improve the Uu-based positioning (e.g., multi-cell RTT, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), etc.) of a target UE by providing an additional anchor (e.g., using sidelink round trip time (RTT) (SL-RTT)). In scenario 420, a low-end (e.g., reduced capability or "RedCap") target UE can obtain assistance from an advanced UE to determine its position using, for example, sidelink positioning and ranging procedures with the advanced UE. Compared to the low-end UE, the advanced UE can have more capabilities, such as more sensors, faster processors, more memory, more antenna elements, higher transmit power capability, access to additional frequency bands, or any combination thereof. In scenario 430, a relay UE (e.g., with a known location) participates in the positioning estimate of a remote UE without performing uplink positioning reference signal (PRS) transmission over the Uu interface. Scenario 440 illustrates joint positioning of multiple UEs. Specifically, in scenario 440, two UEs with unknown locations may be co-located in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions by leveraging constraints from nearby UEs.

[0111] Figure 4B Additional interesting scenarios for sidelink-only or joint Uu and sidelink positioning in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In scenario 450, UEs used for public safety (e.g., used by police, firefighters, etc.) can perform peer-to-peer (P2P) positioning and ranging for public safety and other purposes. For example, in scenario 450, public safety UEs can be out of coverage of the network and use sidelink positioning techniques to determine the position or relative distance and relative positioning between public safety UEs. Similarly, scenario 460 shows multiple UEs that are out of coverage and use sidelink positioning techniques such as SL-RTT to determine the position or relative distance and relative positioning.

[0112] A UE that assists a target UE in the positioning process may be referred to as a "positioning peer" or "Pos-Peer" UE. Two types of positioning peer UE discovery processes have been introduced for sidelink collaborative positioning, referred to as Mode A and Mode B. According to aspects of the present disclosure, FIG5A shows an example call flow 500 for Mode A discovery, and FIG5B shows an example call flow 550 for Mode B discovery. The purpose of these discovery processes is to discover which positioning peer UEs are near the target UE. Under Mode A, a positioning peer UE may announce its presence by broadcasting a sidelink positioning peer discovery message with a positioning flag, as shown in FIG5A . Under Mode B, a target UE that wishes to discover a positioning peer UE may initiate by broadcasting a sidelink positioning peer request message with a field related to positioning, as shown in FIG5B .

[0113] As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, both the positioning peer discovery and request messages can be split into two parts labeled "A" and "B" to achieve a more power-efficient method and handshake between the target UE and the potential positioning peer UE. The target UE can rank the potential positioning peer UEs (also known as anchor UEs) based on the following criteria: (1) location quality criteria, (2) channel quality criteria, (3) response time criteria, (4) mobility state criteria, or any combination thereof.

[0114] In some aspects, the sequence of the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS) used for sidelink positioning and / or ranging can use a pseudo-random sequence. In some aspects, the SL-PRS sequence can use an existing DL-PRS sequence or be modified based on an existing DL-PRS sequence.

[0115] In some aspects, with respect to the frequency and time domain patterns of the SL-PRS resources within a slot, and with respect to the value N (comb size) and number M of SL-PRS symbols within a slot, excluding symbols used for automatic gain control (AGC) training and / or receive / transmit turnaround, at least N = {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12} may be considered potential candidate values. In some aspects, one possible arrangement for a specific implementation may be based on determining potential candidate values ​​for M and / or whether N>12 is considered a potential candidate value. In some aspects, with respect to the frequency and time domain patterns of the SL-PRS resources within a slot, one possible arrangement for a specific implementation may be based on whether the symbols of the SL-PRS resources within the slot are consecutive symbols and / or non-consecutive symbols for a shared resource pool (if supported). In some aspects, with respect to the frequency and time domain patterns of the SL-PRS resources within a slot, one possible arrangement of the resource element (RE) offset (RE offset) sequence within the SL-PRS resources may be based on whether there is a symbol at the end of the SL-PRS pattern with the same RE offset as the first symbol, e.g., for phase tracking purposes.

[0116] Sidelink communication occurs within a transmit or receive resource pool. In the frequency domain, the smallest resource allocation unit is a subchannel (e.g., a set of consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain). In the time domain, resource allocation occurs within a time slot. However, some time slots are unavailable for sidelinks, and some time slots contain feedback resources. In addition, sidelink resources can be (pre-)configured to occupy fewer than 14 symbols in a time slot.

[0117] The sidelink resources are configured at the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. The RRC configuration can be pre-configured (e.g., pre-loaded on the UE) or configured (e.g., from the serving base station).

[0118] The NR sidelink supports hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission. Figure 6A is a diagram 600 of an example time slot structure without feedback resources according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6A In the example, time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. In the time domain, the length of each block is one Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and 14 symbols constitute a time slot. In the frequency domain, the height of each block is one subchannel. Currently, the (pre-)configured subchannel size can be selected from the set of {10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100} physical resource blocks (PRBs).

[0119] For a sidelink slot, the first symbol is a repetition of the previous symbol and is used for AGC settings ( Figure 6A , or also referred to as the "AGC symbol" in this disclosure). Figure 6A This is illustrated by vertical and horizontal hashing. Figure 6A As shown, for the sidelink, the physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and the physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) are transmitted in the same time slot. Similar to the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the PSCCH carries control information about the sidelink resource allocation and a description of the sidelink data sent to the UE. Similarly, similar to the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the PSSCH carries the user data of the UE. Figure 6A In the example of , PSCCH occupies half of the bandwidth of the subchannel and occupies only three symbols. Finally, after PSSCH, the duration of the last symbol in the slot can be used as the gap duration ( Figure 6A The "gap" in , or also referred to as "gap symbol" in this disclosure).

[0120] Figure 6B is a diagram 650 of an example time slot structure with feedback resources according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6B In the example of , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. In the time domain, the length of each block is one OFDM symbol, and 14 symbols constitute a time slot. In the frequency domain, the height of each block is one subchannel.

[0121] Figure 6B The illustrated time slot structure is similar to Figure 6A The time slot structure shown is similar except that Figure 6B The illustrated slot structure includes feedback resources. Specifically, the two symbols at the end of the slot are dedicated to the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). The first PSFCH symbol is a repetition of the second PSFCH symbol used for AGC settings. In addition to the gap symbol after the PSSCH, there is also a gap symbol after two PSFCH symbols. Currently, the resources used for PSFCH can be configured with a periodicity selected from the set of {0, 1, 2, 4} slots.

[0122] In some aspects, additional requirements may be introduced to implement signaling for sidelink positioning, such as regarding AGC calibration (e.g., using Figure 6A and Figure 6B AGC symbols in ) and Rx-Tx turnaround time (using e.g. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In some aspects, for sidelink positioning, the number of symbols used for AGC and / or Rx-Tx turnaround time and the conditions under which AGC training and / or Rx-Tx turnaround time are required may be determined based on different use cases or specific implementations.

[0123] In some aspects, it is observed that sidelink signaling may require AGC calibration. For example, sidelink transmissions may arrive at the UE from different devices at different distances via paths with different path losses and be transmitted using different transmit power levels compared to receiving downlink signals only from the same gNB. In some aspects, the characteristics of the sidelink transmissions may require the UE to re-ensure that its AGC settings are correctly calibrated or recalibrated for each received sidelink transmission. In some aspects, the sidelink communication may include a copy of the first PSCCH / PSSCH symbol in the previous symbol (e.g., an AGC symbol) that can be used to calibrate the AGC settings at the receiving UE. In some aspects, the SL-PRS transmissions used for sidelink positioning may include a similar AGC arrangement for AGC calibration.

[0124] Figure 7 FIG2 is a diagram illustrating an example sidelink positioning scenario 700 as a non-limiting example in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, in which an anchor UE may be configured to assist multiple sidelink UEs. In this scenario 700, an anchor UE 710 may be arranged to assist in the positioning of twelve sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748 based on one or more sidelink positioning procedures.

[0125] In some aspects, sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748 may be at different distances from anchor UE 710, and the sidelink transmissions from these sidelink UEs may be transmitted at different transmit power levels and experience different path losses. Consequently, the sidelink transmissions from these sidelink UEs may arrive at anchor UE 710 with different received signal strengths. The sidelink transmissions from sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748 may require anchor UE 710 to recalibrate its AGC settings for each sidelink transmission, as compared to receiving downlink transmissions only from a gNB (not shown).

[0126] Figure 8 is an example of a method for Figure 7 FIG. 8 is a diagram of an example sidelink resource arrangement 800 for the scenario 700 depicted in FIG. Figure 8 In the example of , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically.

[0127] In some aspects, because the anchor UE 710 may not be aware of the correct AGC setting for any of the sidelink transmissions from the sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748, the sidelink resource arrangement 800 may include 12 scheduling units (e.g., 12 time slots, from 12 scheduling units) for the sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748, respectively. Figure 8 Each scheduling unit in the scheduling unit may include AGC resources (in Figure 8 denoted as AGC in FIG), followed by PRS resources (denoted as PRS1 through PRS12) for each of sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748. Thus, anchor UE 710 may need to perform 12 separate AGC calibrations to find a corresponding AGC setting for each sidelink UE based on the AGC symbols sent over the AGC resources, and then process subsequent sidelink transmissions, such as SL-PRS transmissions, over the corresponding PRS resources based on the determined AGC settings.

[0128] However, if the anchor UE 710 is configured to perform individual AGC calibration for each sidelink UE, such as Figure 8 As shown, such an arrangement may require at least 12 scheduling units (e.g., 12 time slots) to complete the reception of SL-PRS transmissions and corresponding positioning measurements for the 12 sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748. In some aspects, such an arrangement may introduce unnecessary delays in the positioning process.

[0129] In some aspects, sidelink transmissions from some of the sidelink UEs may reach the anchor UE 710 with signal strength within a restricted power level interval, which may justify sharing the same AGC settings. Therefore, AGC calibration may only need to be performed once for these sidelink UEs. In some aspects, these sidelink UEs that may share the same AGC settings may be grouped together and assigned the same AGC resources.

[0130] For example, Figure 7As shown, the effective distance of the transmission path from the anchored UE 710 to the sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728 (for visualizing the received signal strength by considering various factors, including for example physical distance, obstacles, and path loss) can be less than the effective distance R1; the effective distance of the transmission path from the anchored UE 710 to the sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 can be greater than the effective distance R1 but less than the effective distance R2; the effective distance of the transmission path from the anchored UE 710 to the sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 can be greater than the effective distance R2. In some aspects, the sidelink transmissions from the sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728 can reach the anchored UE 710 at a received signal strength level within a first power level range, and thus can be processed using a first AGC setting; the sidelink transmissions from the sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 can reach the anchored UE 710 at a received signal strength level within a second power level range, and thus can be processed using a second AGC setting; the sidelink transmissions from the sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 can reach the anchored UE 710 at a received signal strength level within a third power level range, and thus can be processed using a third AGC setting.

[0131] In some aspects, the sidelink UEs can be grouped based on received signal strength measurements of signals obtained from the sidelink UEs. In some aspects, as part of a peer discovery process or a previous sidelink positioning process, the anchored UE 710 can measure the signal strength of signals from the sidelink UEs to obtain corresponding signal strength measurements. Thus, in some aspects, no additional signal transmission opportunities may be required to perform measurements for grouping. In some aspects, grouping can be performed in a manner such that all sidelink UEs belonging to the same group can share the same or similar (received) AGC setting at the anchor UE. In some aspects, the actual implementation may depend on the anchored UE, such as based on the signal processing capabilities of the anchored UE with respect to the dynamic range of received signal strength that the anchored UE can appropriately handle.

[0132] For example, grouping can be based on three power level ranges, where if the sidelink transmission of a sidelink UE reaches the anchored UE 710 and the signal strength measurement X is within the first power level range X1 <= X < X2, it can be identified as belonging to group 1; it can be identified as belonging to group 2 within the second power level range X2 <= X < X3; and it can be identified as belonging to group 3 within the third power level range X3 <= X < X4. In some aspects, the reference values X1, X2, X3, and X4 can be specific to the anchored UE. In some aspects, each power level range can have a span of no greater than 10 decibels (dB).

[0133] In some aspects, AGC resources and associated SL-PRS resources for sidelink UEs belonging to the same group may be scheduled in the same scheduling unit. In some aspects, a scheduling unit may correspond to a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots. In some aspects, the anchor UE 710 may be arranged to perform only one AGC calibration for SL-PRS transmissions from the same group of sidelink UEs scheduled in the same scheduling unit. In some aspects, having AGC resources and SL-PRS resources for the same group of sidelink UEs in one scheduling unit may reduce the number of AGC resources that need to be scheduled. Thus, with Figure 8 Compared to the example of , the anchor UE 710 may perform a reduced number of AGC calibrations.

[0134] In some aspects, the initial grouping may be performed based on signal strength measurements obtained during a peer discovery process. In some aspects, the grouping may be updated based on signal strength measurements obtained during one or more previous sidelink positioning processes ("previous" meaning performed before the grouping update operation).

[0135] In some aspects, the grouping may be performed by the anchor UE 710. In some aspects, the grouping may be performed by a base station (or a cell / TRP of a base station) serving the anchor UE 710. In some aspects, the grouping may be performed by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272).

[0136] Figure 9A 、 Figure 9B and Figure 9C is an example of a method for Figure 7 700 are diagrams of additional example sidelink resource arrangements 900A, 900B, and 900C for the scenario 700 depicted in FIG. Figure 9A 、 Figure 9B and Figure 9C In the example of , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically.

[0137] In accordance with Figure 7 In some aspects of the scenario 700 depicted in FIG, sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748 may be arranged into three groups: sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728 belonging to a first group, sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 belonging to a second group, and sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 belonging to a third group. Figure 7 The number of sidelink UEs and the number of groups in are introduced only as non-limiting examples.

[0138] In some aspects, each sidelink UE group may share the same AGC settings. Accordingly, in some aspects, each sidelink UE group may share the same AGC resources for AGC calibration. In some aspects, the shared AGC resources and SL-PRS resources for sidelink UEs belonging to the same group may be scheduled in the same scheduling unit (e.g., the same time slot, the same sub-time slot, or the same set of consecutive time slots). In some aspects, all sidelink UEs in the same group may transmit the same AGC symbol using the shared AGC resources.

[0139] In some aspects, for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and the associated set of SL-PRS resources may be scheduled in a respective scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit.

[0140] In some respects, according to Figure 9A In the example 900A shown in FIG, each scheduling unit (denoted as SU 1, SU 2, and SU3) can be a time slot (denoted as time slot 1, time slot 2, and time slot 3). Figure 9A As shown, the shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC1) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRS4) for the first group of sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728 can be scheduled in the same scheduling unit SU1 (time slot 1). The shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC2) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS5, PRS6, PRS7, and PRS8) for the second group of sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 can be scheduled in the same scheduling unit SU2 (time slot 2). In addition, the shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC3) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS9, PRS10, PRS11, and PRS12) for the third group of sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 can be scheduled in the same scheduling unit SU3 (time slot 3).

[0141] In some respects, according to Figure 9B In the example 900B shown in FIG, each scheduling unit (denoted as SU 1, SU 2, and SU3) can be a sub-time slot (e.g., scheduling units SU 1 and SU 2 can be in time slot 1, and scheduling unit SU 3 can be in time slot 2). Figure 9BAs shown, shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC1) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRS4) for a first group of sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728 may be scheduled in scheduling unit SU 1 (e.g., at the beginning of time slot 1). Shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC2) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS5, PRS6, PRS7, and PRS8) for a second group of sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 may be scheduled in scheduling unit SU 2 (e.g., at the end of time slot 1). Additionally, shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC3) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS9, PRS10, PRS11, and PRS12) for a third group of sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 may be scheduled in scheduling unit SU3 (eg, at the front of slot 2).

[0142] In some respects, according to Figure 9C In the example 900C shown in FIG, each scheduling unit (denoted as SU 1, SU 2, and SU3) may include two consecutive time slots (e.g., scheduling unit SU 1 may include time slots, namely, time slot 1 and time slot 2, scheduling unit SU 2 may include time slots, namely, time slot 3 and time slot 4, and scheduling unit SU 3 may include time slots, namely, time slot 5 and time slot 6). Figure 9CAs shown, shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC1) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3 and PRS4) for a first group of sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726 and 728 can be scheduled in scheduling unit SU 1, where AGC resource AGC1 is at the beginning of time slot 1, followed by SL-PRS resources PRS1 and PRS2 in time slot 1 and SL-PRS resources PRS3 and PRS4 in time slot 2, and no AGC resources are scheduled before SL-PRS resources PRS3 and PRS4 in time slot 2. Shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC2) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS5, PRS6, PRS7, and PRS8) for a second group of sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738 may be scheduled in scheduling unit SU 2 with AGC resource AGC2 at the beginning of slot 3, followed by SL-PRS resources PRS5 and PRS6 in slot 3 and SL-PRS resources PRS7 and PRS8 in slot 4, with no AGC resources scheduled before SL-PRS resources PRS7 and PRS8 in slot 4. In addition, shared AGC resources (denoted as AGC1) and SL-PRS resources (denoted as PRS9, PRS10, PRS11 and PRS12) for a third group of sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746 and 748 can be scheduled in scheduling unit SU 3, where AGC resource AGC3 is at the beginning of time slot 5, followed by SL-PRS resources PRS9 and PRS10 in time slot 5 and SL-PRS resources PRS11 and PRS12 in time slot 6, and no AGC resources are scheduled before the SL-PRS resources PRS11 and PRS12 in time slot 6.

[0143] In some aspects, if there is a single SL-PRS resource with AGC resources scheduled within the scheduling unit, the pilot sequence for AGC calibration sent over the AGC resource can be based on the symbol (e.g., the first symbol or the last symbol) of the SL-PRS transmission performed over the SL-PRS resource.

[0144] In some aspects, if there are multiple SL-PRS resources grouped with an AGC resource, a pilot sequence for AGC calibration sent via the AGC resource may be based on a symbol (e.g., the first symbol or the last symbol) of an SL-PRS transmission via an earliest one of the multiple SL-PRS resources, a symbol (e.g., the first symbol or the last symbol) of an SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier among the multiple SL-PRS resources, or a symbol (e.g., the first symbol or the last symbol) of an SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource among the multiple SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0. In some aspects, a pilot sequence for AGC calibration sent via the AGC resource may be based on a symbol designated for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0145] In some aspects, if there are multiple SL-PRS resources for multiple sidelink UEs grouped together with AGC resources in a scheduling unit, the multiple sidelink UEs can transmit the same pilot sequence via the same AGC resources. An anchor UE (e.g., anchor UE 710) can collectively receive the combined AGC transmissions from the sidelink UEs via the AGC resources and perform AGC calibration accordingly to determine the AGC settings for the sidelink UEs. The anchor UE can then individually receive the corresponding SL-PRS transmissions from the sidelink UEs via corresponding SL-PRS resources in the multiple SL-PRS resources and process the SL-PRS transmissions based on the determined AGC settings.

[0146] Figure 10 An example method 1000 of operating a processing device according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0147] In some aspects, the processing device in method 1000 may be an anchor UE (e.g., any UE with sidelink capabilities described herein). In one aspect, method 1000 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 as means for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1000.

[0148] In some aspects, the processing device in method 1000 can be a base station (e.g., any of the base stations or TRPs described herein). In one aspect, method 1000 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1000.

[0149] In some aspects, the processing device in method 1000 can be a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272, or any location server described herein). In one aspect, method 1000 can be performed by network transceiver 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered as means for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1000.

[0150] At operation 1010, the processing device may obtain J signal strength measurements associated with J sidelink UEs, respectively, the J signal strength measurements being obtained by the anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure. In some aspects, J may be a positive integer. Figure 7 In some aspects of the non-limiting example shown in , the J sidelink UEs may correspond to 12 sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, 728, 732, 734, 736, 738, 742, 744, 746, and 748, and the anchor UE may correspond to anchor UE 710 (i.e., in this example, J=12).

[0151] In some aspects, operation 1010 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 as means for performing operation 1010. In some aspects, operation 1010 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, network transceiver 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing operation 1010. In some aspects, operation 1010 may be performed by network transceiver 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing operation 1010.

[0152] At operation 1020, the processing device may send K configuration settings to K corresponding sidelink UE groups among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of the K AGC resources and a set of SL-PRS resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources. In some aspects, K may be a positive integer. In some aspects, J may be equal to or greater than K. Figure 7 In some aspects of the non-limiting examples shown in , the K sidelink UE groups may correspond to a first group including sidelink UEs 722, 724, 726, and 728, a second group including sidelink UEs 732, 734, 736, and 738, and a third group including sidelink UEs 742, 744, 746, and 748 (i.e., in this example, K=3).

[0153] In some aspects, operation 1020 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 as means for performing operation 1020. In some aspects, operation 1020 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, network transceiver 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing operation 1020. In some aspects, operation 1020 may be performed by network transceiver 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing operation 1020.

[0154] In some aspects, the K AGC resources may correspond to K power level intervals, respectively. In some aspects, each sidelink UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one of the K power level intervals may be in the same group of the K sidelink UE groups assigned one of the K AGC resources. In some aspects, each of the K power level intervals may have a span of no greater than 10 dB.

[0155] In some aspects, for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and the associated set of SL-PRS resources may be scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, where the AGC resources are scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit (e.g., as shown in example sidelink resource arrangements 900A, 900B, and 900C). In some aspects, the scheduling unit may be a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0156] In some aspects, the processing device may be an anchor UE. In some aspects, the anchor UE may receive an AGC transmission via an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, and a pilot sequence for the AGC transmission may be based on: a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission via an earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources; a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources; a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0; or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0157] In some aspects, the processing device may be an anchor UE. In this scenario, the J signal strength measurements may be obtained based on power levels of signals from the J sidelink target UEs measured by the anchor UE. In some aspects, when the processing device is an anchor UE, method 1000 may further include the following operations: collectively receiving a combined AGC transmission from sidelink target UEs in one of the K sidelink target UE groups via corresponding AGC resources assigned to the sidelink target UE group in the K sidelink target UE groups; and individually receiving a corresponding SL-PRS transmission from sidelink target UEs in one of the K sidelink target UE groups via corresponding SL-PRS resources in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink target UE group in the K sidelink target UE groups.

[0158] In some aspects, the processing device may be a base station serving at least the anchor UE. In this scenario, the J signal strength measurements may be obtained based on receiving the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE. In some aspects, the processing device may be a location server. In this scenario, the J signal strength measurements may be obtained based on receiving the J signal strength measurements from at least the base station serving the anchor UE.

[0159] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1000 is that sidelink UEs and SL-PRS resources are grouped such that each group of sidelink UEs and corresponding SL-PRS resources can share the same AGC resources within the same scheduling unit. Thus, the anchor UE can perform a single AGC calibration for multiple SL-PRS transmissions within the same group, and thus, a reduced number of AGC calibrations can be performed on the sidelink UE compared to performing AGC calibration for each SL-PRS transmission. In some aspects, an anchor UE based on method 1000 can avoid unnecessary delays in the positioning process by reducing the number of AGC calibrations required for the positioning process.

[0160] Figure 11 An example method 1100 of operating a sidelink UE according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the sidelink UE in method 1100 may correspond to Figure 7 , and may be any sidelink UE (e.g., any UE with sidelink capabilities described herein). In one aspect, method 1100 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or sidelink positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing one or more of the following operations of method 1100.

[0161] At operation 1110, the sidelink UE may receive a configuration setting indicating a schedule of a set of SL-PRS resources and AGC resources assigned to the sidelink UE group. In some aspects, the configuration setting may be received from an anchor UE, a base station serving the anchor UE, or a location server.

[0162] In some aspects, the AGC resource may be scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources may be scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit. In some aspects, the scheduling unit may be a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots (e.g., as shown in example sidelink resource arrangements 900A, 900B, and 900C). In some aspects, at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink target UE in the sidelink target UE group may be scheduled between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink target UE and one of the SL-PRS resources in the set of SL-PRS resources in the same scheduling unit. For example, Figure 9A 、 Figure 9B and Figure 9C As shown, from the perspective of sidelink UE 726 , at least SL-PRS resources PRS1 and PRS2 assigned to sidelink UEs 722 and 724 may be scheduled between AGC resource AGC1 for the group and SL-PRS resource PRS3 assigned to sidelink UE 726 .

[0163] In some aspects, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310 , one or more processors 332 , memory 340 , and / or sidelink positioning component 342 , any or all of which may be considered means for performing operation 1110 .

[0164] At operation 1120, the sidelink UE may transmit one or more SL-PRS symbols to the anchor UE via one of the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE. In some aspects, operation 1120 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or sidelink positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing operation 1120.

[0165] In some aspects, the method may further include the sidelink UE transmitting a pilot sequence to the anchor UE via the AGC resource. In some aspects, the pilot sequence may be based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission via an earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources; a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources; a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission via an SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0; or a symbol designated for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0166] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1100 is that sidelink UEs and SL-PRS resources are grouped in such a way that each group of sidelink UEs and corresponding SL-PRS resources can share the same AGC resources within the same scheduling unit. Thus, the anchor UE can perform a single AGC calibration for multiple SL-PRS transmissions within the same group, and unnecessary delays in the positioning process can be avoided. At the same time, this improvement can be achieved without imposing any unnecessary overhead on the assisting sidelink UE, as the sidelink UE may only need to perform AGC transmission and SL-PRS transmission based on the provided configuration settings.

[0167] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in each example. This disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than the features explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, the various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed individual example clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be incorporated into the description accordingly, where each clause itself can be used as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination of a clause with one of the other clauses in a clause, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to a specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include a combination of the dependent clause aspects with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause or a combination of any feature with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless explicitly expressed or it can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended to be used (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). In addition, it is also expected that various aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0168] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0169] Clause 1. A method of operating a processing device, the method comprising: obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery process or a previous sidelink positioning process; and sending K configuration settings to K corresponding groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0170] Clause 2. A method according to clause 1, wherein: the K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals respectively, and each side link UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one power level interval among the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K side link UE groups assigned to the one AGC resource among the K AGC resources.

[0171] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span of no greater than 10 dB.

[0172] Clause 4. A method according to any one of clauses 2 to 3, wherein: for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the starting position of the scheduling unit.

[0173] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0174] Clause 6. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the method further comprises receiving an AGC transmission through an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0175] Clause 7. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and obtaining the J signal strength measurements comprises measuring, by the anchor UE, power levels of signals from the J sidelink UEs.

[0176] Clause 8. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the method further comprises: receiving a combined AGC transmission collectively from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via the corresponding AGC resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; and receiving a corresponding SL-PRS transmission individually from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via corresponding SL-PRS resources in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups.

[0177] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein: the processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and obtaining the J signal strength measurements comprises receiving the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

[0178] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein: the processing device is a location server, and obtaining the J signal strength measurements comprises receiving the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

[0179] Clause 11. A method of operating a sidelink user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration setting indicating a scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and sending one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at a starting position of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0180] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0181] Clause 13. A method according to any one of clauses 11 to 12, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

[0182] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 11 to 13, further comprising sending a pilot sequence to the anchor UE via the AGC resources.

[0183] Clause 15. A method according to clause 14, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed through the earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0184] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 11 to 15, wherein the configuration settings are received from: the anchor UE, at least a base station serving the anchor UE, or a location server.

[0185] Clause 17. A processing device, the processing device comprising: a 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: obtain J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; and send, via the at least one transceiver, K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0186] Clause 18. A processing device according to clause 17, wherein: the K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals respectively, and each side link UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one power level interval of the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K side link UE groups assigned to the one AGC resource of the K AGC resources.

[0187] Clause 19. The processing device of clause 18, wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span of no greater than 10 dB.

[0188] Clause 20. A processing device according to any one of clauses 18 to 19, wherein: for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the start position of the scheduling unit.

[0189] Clause 21. The processing device of clause 20, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0190] Clause 22. A processing device according to any one of clauses 17 to 21, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to receive an AGC transmission via an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0191] Clause 23. A processing device according to any one of clauses 17 to 22, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is also configured to measure, by the anchor UE, power levels of signals from the J sidelink UEs.

[0192] Clause 24. A processing device according to any one of clauses 17 to 23, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to: receive combined AGC transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups collectively via the at least one transceiver through the corresponding AGC resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; and receive corresponding SL-PRS transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups individually via the at least one transceiver through corresponding SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups in the set of SL-PRS resources.

[0193] Clause 25. A processing device according to any of clauses 17 to 21, wherein: the processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and the at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is also configured to receive the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

[0194] Clause 26. A processing device according to any of clauses 17 to 21, wherein: the processing device is a location server, and the at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is further configured to receive the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

[0195] Clause 27. A sidelink user equipment (UE), comprising: a 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: receive a configuration setting via the at least one transceiver, the configuration setting indicating scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and send one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via the at least one transceiver using one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0196] Clause 28. The sidelink UE of clause 27, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0197] Clause 29. A sidelink UE according to any one of clauses 27 to 28, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

[0198] Clause 30. The sidelink UE of any of clauses 27 to 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send a pilot sequence to the anchor UE via the at least one transceiver over the AGC resources.

[0199] Clause 31. A sidelink UE according to clause 30, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through the earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0200] Clause 32. Sidelink UE as set forth in any of clauses 27 to 31, wherein the configuration settings are received from: the anchor UE, at least a base station serving the anchor UE, or a location server.

[0201] Clause 33. A processing device comprising: a component for obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery process or a previous sidelink positioning process; and a component for sending K configuration settings to K corresponding groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0202] Clause 34. A processing device according to clause 33, wherein: the K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals respectively, and each side link UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one power level interval of the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K side link UE groups assigned to the one AGC resource of the K AGC resources.

[0203] Clause 35. The processing device of clause 34, wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span of no greater than 10 dB.

[0204] Clause 36. A processing device according to any one of clauses 34 to 35, wherein: for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the start position of the scheduling unit.

[0205] Clause 37. The processing device of clause 36, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0206] Clause 38. A processing device according to any one of clauses 33 to 37, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the processing device further comprises a component for receiving an AGC transmission via an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0207] Clause 39. A processing device according to any of clauses 33 to 38, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE and the means for obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes means for measuring, by the anchor UE, power levels of signals from the J sidelink UEs.

[0208] Clause 40. A processing device according to any one of clauses 33 to 39, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the processing device further includes: a component for collectively receiving combined AGC transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via the corresponding AGC resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; and a component for individually receiving corresponding SL-PRS transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via corresponding SL-PRS resources in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups.

[0209] Clause 41. A processing device as described in any of clauses 33 to 37, wherein: the processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and the means for obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes means for receiving the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

[0210] Clause 42. A processing device as described in any of clauses 33 to 37, wherein: the processing device is a location server, and the means for obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes means for receiving the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

[0211] Clause 43. A sidelink user equipment (UE), comprising: a component for receiving a configuration setting, the configuration setting indicating the scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and a component for sending one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0212] Clause 44. The sidelink UE of clause 43, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0213] Clause 45. A sidelink UE according to any one of clauses 43 to 44, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

[0214] Clause 46. The sidelink UE of any of clauses 43 to 45, further comprising means for sending a pilot sequence to the anchor UE via the AGC resources.

[0215] Clause 47. A sidelink UE according to clause 46, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0216] Clause 48. Sidelink UE as set forth in any of clauses 43 to 47, wherein the configuration settings are received from: the anchor UE, at least a base station serving the anchor UE, or a location server.

[0217] Clause 49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, cause the processing device to: obtain J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipment (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by an anchor UE during a peer discovery process or a previous sidelink positioning process; and send K configuration settings to K corresponding groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

[0218] Clause 50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 49, wherein: the K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals, respectively, and each side link UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one power level interval of the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K side link UE groups that is assigned the one AGC resource of the K AGC resources.

[0219] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 50, wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span of no greater than 10 dB.

[0220] Clause 52. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 50 to 51, wherein: for each group, the corresponding AGC resources and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the starting position of the scheduling unit.

[0221] Clause 53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 52, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0222] Clause 54. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 53, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the computer-executable instructions also include instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform the following operations: receive an AGC transmission through an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of the SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0223] Clause 55. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 54, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the computer-executable instructions that cause the processing device to obtain the J signal strength measurements also include instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform the following operations: measuring, by the anchor UE, the power levels of the signals from the J sidelink UEs.

[0224] Clause 56. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 55, wherein: the processing device is the anchor UE, and the computer-executable instructions also include instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform the following operations: collectively receive combined AGC transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via the corresponding AGC resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; and individually receive corresponding SL-PRS transmissions from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via corresponding SL-PRS resources in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups.

[0225] Clause 57. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 53, wherein: the processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and the computer-executable instructions that cause the processing device to obtain the J signal strength measurements also include instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform the following operations: receive the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

[0226] Clause 58. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 49 to 53, wherein: the processing device is a location server, and the computer-executable instructions that cause the processing device to obtain the J signal strength measurements also include instructions that, when executed by the processing device, cause the processing device to perform the following operations: receive the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

[0227] Clause 59. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a sidelink user equipment, cause the sidelink user equipment to: receive a configuration setting indicating a scheduling of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and send one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one of the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, wherein: the AGC resource is scheduled at the beginning of a scheduling unit, and the set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resource in the scheduling unit.

[0228] Clause 60. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 59, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot, or at least two consecutive time slots.

[0229] Clause 61. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 59 to 60, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

[0230] Clause 62. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 59 to 61, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the sidelink user equipment, cause the sidelink user equipment to send a pilot sequence to the anchor UE via the AGC resources.

[0231] Clause 63. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 62, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource with a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of an SL-PRS transmission performed through an SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0, or a symbol specified for the AGC resource based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

[0232] Clause 64. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 59 to 63, wherein the configuration settings are received from: the anchor UE, at least a base station serving the anchor UE, or a location server.

[0233] 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.

[0234] 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 for the entire system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0235] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, 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.

[0236] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the 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 the storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0237] In one or more example aspects, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or sent via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Moreover, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, 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.

[0238] 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. 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. In addition, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms may also be considered unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of operating a processing device, the method comprising: obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipments (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by the anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; and sending K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of the K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, wherein: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals, respectively, and each sidelink UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one of the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K sidelink UE groups that is assigned the one of the K AGC resources. 3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span no greater than 10 dB.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein: For each group, the corresponding AGC resources and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resources are scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot or at least two consecutive time slots.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and The method further includes receiving an AGC transmission via an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in the same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed via the earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource having a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by one SL-PRS resource that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0 in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, or The AGC resource is assigned a symbol based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and Obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes measuring, by the anchor UE, power levels of signals from the J sidelink UEs.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and The method further comprises: collectively receiving a combined AGC transmission from sidelink UEs in one of the K sidelink UE groups via the corresponding AGC resource assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; and Respective SL-PRS transmissions are received separately from the sidelink UEs in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via respective SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups in the set of SL-PRS resources.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and Obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes receiving the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein: The processing device is a location server, and Obtaining the J signal strength measurements includes receiving the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

11. A method of operating a sidelink user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a configuration setting indicating a schedule of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a sidelink UE group including the sidelink UE; and transmitting one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE via one of the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, in: The AGC resources are scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit, and The set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resources in the scheduling unit.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot or at least two consecutive time slots.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: A pilot sequence is sent to the anchor UE through the AGC resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by using the earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by using an SL-PRS resource having a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, A symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by one SL-PRS resource that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0 in the set of SL-PRS resources, or The AGC resource is assigned a symbol based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the configuration setting is received from: The anchor UE, At least the base station serving the anchor UE, or Location server.

17. A processing device, 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: obtaining J signal strength measurements respectively associated with J sidelink user equipments (UEs), the J signal strength measurements being obtained by the anchor UE during a peer discovery procedure or a previous sidelink positioning procedure; as well as transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, K configuration settings to K respective groups of sidelink UEs among the J sidelink UEs, each group being assigned one of K automatic gain control (AGC) resources and a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources based on the J signal strength measurements, and each of the K configuration settings indicating scheduling of a corresponding AGC resource and a corresponding set of SL-PRS resources, in: J and K are positive integers, and J is equal to or greater than K.

18. The processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein: The K AGC resources correspond to K power level intervals, respectively, and each sidelink UE having a corresponding signal strength measurement within one of the K power level intervals is in the same group of the K sidelink UE groups that is assigned the one of the K AGC resources.

19. The processing device according to claim 18, wherein each of the K power level intervals has a span no greater than 10 dB.

20. The processing apparatus of claim 18, wherein: For each group, the corresponding AGC resource and an associated set of SL-PRS resources are scheduled in a corresponding scheduling unit, wherein the AGC resource is scheduled at the start position of the scheduling unit, and The scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot or at least two consecutive time slots.

21. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and The at least one processor is further configured to receive an AGC transmission over an AGC resource associated with a set of SL-PRS resources scheduled in a same scheduling unit, the pilot sequence of the AGC transmission being based on: a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed via the earliest SL-PRS resource in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed via an SL-PRS resource having a smallest resource identifier in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by one SL-PRS resource that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0 in the associated set of SL-PRS resources, or The AGC resource is assigned a symbol based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

22. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and The at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is further configured to measure, by the anchor UE, power levels of signals from the J sidelink UEs.

23. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The processing device is the anchor UE, and The at least one processor is further configured to: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a combined AGC transmission from sidelink UEs in one of the K sidelink UE groups over the corresponding AGC resource assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups; as well as A corresponding SL-PRS transmission is received separately from the sidelink UE in the one of the K sidelink UE groups via the at least one transceiver through a corresponding SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the one of the K sidelink UE groups.

24. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The processing device is a base station serving at least the anchor UE, and The at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is further configured to receive the J signal strength measurements from the anchor UE.

25. The processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein: The processing device is a location server, and The at least one processor configured to obtain the J signal strength measurements is further configured to receive the J signal strength measurements from at least a base station serving the anchor UE.

26. A sidelink 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, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration setting indicating a schedule of a set of sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) resources and automatic gain control (AGC) resources assigned to a group of sidelink UEs including the sidelink UE; and transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, one or more SL-PRS symbols to an anchor UE over one of the set of SL-PRS resources assigned to the sidelink UE, in: The AGC resources are scheduled at the beginning of the scheduling unit, and The set of SL-PRS resources is scheduled after the AGC resources in the scheduling unit.

27. The sidelink UE according to claim 26, wherein the scheduling unit is a time slot, a sub-time slot or at least two consecutive time slots.

28. The sidelink UE of claim 26, wherein at least one SL-PRS resource assigned to at least another sidelink UE in the sidelink UE group is scheduled in a scheduling unit between the AGC resource assigned to the sidelink UE and the one SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources.

29. The sidelink UE of claim 26, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to A pilot sequence is sent to the anchor UE via the at least one transceiver over the AGC resources.

30. The sidelink UE of claim 29, wherein the pilot sequence is based on: a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by using the earliest SL-PRS resource in the set of SL-PRS resources, a symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by using an SL-PRS resource having a smallest resource identifier in the set of SL-PRS resources, A symbol of SL-PRS transmission performed by one SL-PRS resource that is frequency-division multiplexed and has a comb offset of 0 in the set of SL-PRS resources, or The AGC resource is assigned a symbol based on a PRS identifier, a scrambling identifier, or both.

Images