Phase difference measurement for carrier-based phase positioning

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) receives a first reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, receives one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, and transmits the one or more second symbols to the first entity. The one or more second reference signal resources comprise one or more second symbols; and determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Greek patent application No. 20230100250, filed on March 24, 2023, entitled “PHASE DIFFERENCE MEASUREMENT FOR CARRIER PHASE-BASED POSITIONING,” which application is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over different generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including temporary 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless service with Internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS processing and technology, and high-density deployments of 5G, enable highly accurate 5G-based positioning. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or important 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 given below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity, the first reference signal resource including one or more first symbols; receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources including one or more second symbols; and determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0008] In one aspect, a method of communication performed by a network entity includes: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource including one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources including one or more second symbols; and receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and determine, based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources, one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0010] In one aspect, a network entity includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: send to a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource including one or more first symbols and the one or more second reference signal resources including one or more second symbols; and receive the RSPD measurement from the UE via the one or more transceivers based on the configuration.

[0011] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; means for receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and means for determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0012] In one aspect, a network entity includes: means for transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and means for receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receive one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and determine one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0014] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: send to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and receive the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[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 disclosure and are provided solely for purposes of illustration and not limitation.

[0017] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C An example wireless network structure according to aspects of the present disclosure is 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 Illustrated are examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 4B and Figure 4C Various scenarios of interest for sidelink-only or joint Uu and sidelink positioning in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0022] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6A and Figure 6B The diagram illustrates the various comb patterns supported by the downlink positioning reference signal (PRS) within a resource block.

[0024] Figure 7Illustrated are example patterns of reference and target positioning reference signal (PRS) resources for transmission in the same time window according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8 Illustrated are example scenarios for transmitting reference PRS resources in each slot containing target PRS resources according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 9 An example scenario for transmitting a phase difference reference signal in each subsequent time slot containing a target PRS resource according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 10 and Figure 11 Example communication methods according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Aspects of the present invention are provided in the following description and related drawings for various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid blurring the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0029] Various aspects generally relate to carrier phase-based positioning. Some aspects more specifically relate to received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements between a reference transmit-receive point (TRP) and one or more target TRPs. In some instances, a user equipment (UE) receives a reference positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by the reference TRP and one or more target PRS resources transmitted by one or more target TRPs within the same time window. The UE determines one or more RSPD measurements for the one or more target PRS resources based on the phase of the reference PRS resource within the time window and the phase of each of the one or more target PRS resources within the same time window.

[0030] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages: In some examples, by measuring reference PRS resources and target PRS resources in the same time window, the described techniques can be used to reduce the impact of residual carrier frequency offset (CFO), thereby increasing the accuracy of corresponding RSPD measurements.

[0031] As used herein, the words "exemplary" and / or "example" 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.

[0032] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical 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, etc.

[0033] 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), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. In addition, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored therein that, when executed, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, 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 aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0034] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet, laptop, consumer asset location device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or (e.g., at certain times) stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0035] A base station can operate in accordance with one of several RATs to communicate with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be referred to alternatively 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 radio access for UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections supported by the UE. In some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication link through which a UE can send signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can send signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either an uplink / reverse or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0036] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or to 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 base station's cell (or several cell sectors). 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, a 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 a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from a base station or receptions at a base station should be understood as referring to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0037] In some implementations of supporting positioning of a UE, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE, and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting a signal to the UE) and / or as a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0038] 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 a "signal," where the context clearly indicates that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0039] 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 cell base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cell 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.

[0040] 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 may be 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.

[0041] Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmitting user data, wireless 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 device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0042] 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 station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communicating with a base station (e.g., on a certain 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 .

[0043] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a 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 Home eNBs (HeNBs), which may provide services to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0044] 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 with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to determine whether a channel is available before communicating.

[0046] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MULTEFIRE®.

[0047] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a mmW base station 180 for communicating with a UE 182, which may operate in millimeter wave (mmW) and / or near-mmW frequencies. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF spectrum within the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW frequencies extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz and wavelengths of 100 mm. The super-high frequency (SHF) frequency band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also known as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW frequencies and beamforming. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0048] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts it in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located relative to the transmitting network node and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To alter the directionality of the 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 may use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates an RF wave beam that can be "steered" to point in different directions without physically moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitter are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship, so that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0049] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE) regardless of whether the network node's transmit antenna is physically co-located. In NR, four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships exist. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use it to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use it to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use it to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use it to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0050] 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 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. Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to the beam gain in that direction for 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 RF signals received from that direction.

[0051] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. This spatial correlation means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) used for the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0052] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam that receives downlink reference signals. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0053] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency bands have been identified with the frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, despite a portion of FR1 exceeding 6 GHz, FR1 is often (and interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various literature and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes arises with FR2, which is often (and interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in literature and articles, despite being distinct from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz), which is designated as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union®.

[0054] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified with the 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.

[0055] In view of the above, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to 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 the term "millimeter wave" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0056] In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," or "primary serving cell," or "Pcell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "Scells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the 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 reestablishment 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 once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. A secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in a secondary carrier, as primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for uplink primary carriers. The network can change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," etc., are used interchangeably.

[0057] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0058] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , any of the UEs shown (for simplicity, in FIG. Figure 1A UE 104 (shown as a single UE 104) can receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., UE 104) to determine its position on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit a signal marked with a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code with a set number of chips. While typically located in SV 112, the transmitters can sometimes be located in ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 can include one or more specialized receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 for deriving geographic location information from SV 112.

[0059] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 may be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which 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), and / or the like. 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.

[0060] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also known as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as an improved base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities external to the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In this manner, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112 instead of, or in addition to, receiving communication signals from terrestrial base station 102.

[0061] Leveraging NR's increased data rates and reduced latency, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications. This includes wireless communication between vehicles (V2V), between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (V2I), and between vehicles and pedestrians (V2P). The goal is for vehicles to sense their surroundings and transmit this information to other vehicles, infrastructure, and personal mobile devices. This type of vehicle-to-vehicle communication will enable safety, mobility, and environmental improvements not currently available. Once fully implemented, it is expected to reduce collisions involving uninjured vehicles by 80%.

[0062] Still refer to Figure 1 Wireless communication system 100 may include multiple V-UEs 160, which may communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between a UE and a base station). V-UEs 160 may also communicate directly with each other via wireless sidelinks 162, with roadside units (RSUs) 164 (roadside access points) via wireless sidelinks 166, or with sidelink-capable UEs 104 via wireless sidelinks 168 using a PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of a core cell (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without going through a base station. Sidelink communications can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cell-V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, and the like. One or more of 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, multiple 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 scheduling resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the V-UEs 160 without involving the base station 102.

[0063] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 can operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other wireless communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other RATs. The "medium" can consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., comprising one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs.

[0064] 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 in the sub-6 GHz range. 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 in the sub-6 GHz range. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this frequency band or cellular technology.

[0065] In one aspect, sidelinks 162, 166, and 168 may be dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) links. DSRC is a unidirectional or bidirectional short- to medium-range wireless communication protocol that uses the Wireless Access for Vehicular Environments (WAVE) protocol (also known as IEEE 802.11p) for V2V, V2I, and V2P communications. IEEE 802.11p is an approved amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard and operates in the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85-5.925 GHz) in the United States. In Europe, IEEE 802.11p operates in the ITS G5A band (5.875-5.905 MHz). Other frequency bands may be allocated in other countries. The V2V communications briefly described above occur over a safety channel, which in the United States is typically a 10 MHz channel dedicated for 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, and parking automation. 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.

[0066] 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 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded their operations into unlicensed frequency bands, such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands 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 variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0067] 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 UE 104 is a P-UE) 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 the 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, and the like. 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 a user is carrying the UE 104 on a bicycle), and heading of the UE 104.

[0068] Note that although Figure 1 Only two of the UEs are shown as V-UEs (V-UE 160), but any of the UEs shown (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190) may be V-UEs. Additionally, although only V-UE 160 and a single UE 104 have been shown as connected via a side link, Figure 1Any of the UEs shown in FIG, whether V-UE, P-UE, etc., may be capable of sidelink communications. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is depicted as being capable of beamforming, any of the UEs shown (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 RSU 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.

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (eg, UE 190) 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 shown, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cell connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct®, Bluetooth®, etc. As another example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be sidelinks, as described above with reference to sidelinks 162, 166, and 168.

[0070] Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as 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 collaboratively 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 connect to control plane functions 214 and to user plane functions 212 via NG-U 213. 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 both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222.

[0071] Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein). gNB 222 can communicate with UE 204 via, for example, mmW communication link 184, and ng-eNB 224 can communicate with UE 204 via, for example, communication link 120. UEs 204 can communicate with each other on one or more sidelinks (e.g., sidelink 168).

[0072] There are two resource allocation modes for transmissions on the NR sidelink. In the first mode (referred to as "Mode 1"), a base station (e.g., gNB 222, ng-eNB 224) allocates time and / or frequency resources for sidelink communications between involved UEs 204 via DCI 3_0. UEs 204 use the allocated resources to transmit / receive sidelink control channels, sidelink data channels, ranging signals, and the like.

[0073] In the second allocation mode (referred to as "Mode 2"), the UE 204 involved autonomously selects the sidelink resources for sidelink communication. The UE 204 can only use the first mode if it has cell coverage, and can use the second mode regardless of whether it has cell coverage. Note that although Figure 2A Three UEs 204 are shown, but there may be more or fewer than three UEs 204 .

[0074] The signaling on the sidelink is the same between the two resource allocation modes. From the perspective of the receiver UE 204, there is no difference between the modes. That is, for the receiver, it does not matter whether the sidelink resources are allocated by the base station or the transmitter UE 204.

[0075] Mode 1 supports dynamic grants (DG), configured grants (CG) type 1, and CG type 2. In some cases, CG type 1 is activated via RRC signaling from the base station. In some cases, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for sidelink transmissions is determined by the UE 204 involved, within the limits set by the base station. In Mode 2, the transmitting UE 204 performs channel sensing by blindly decoding all physical sidelink control channels (PSCCHs) to determine the resources reserved for other sidelink transmissions. The transmitting UE 204 reports the available resources to its upper layers, and the upper layers determine resource usage.

[0076] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, it 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).

[0077] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is shown. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the 5GC 210 can be functionally considered to include control plane functions provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in collaboration to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264's functionality also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264's functionality also includes location service management for regulated services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interworking with the EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. Furthermore, the AMF 264 supports functionality for non-3GPP® (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0078] The UPF 262 functions include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and a location server (such as the SLP 272) over the user plane.

[0079] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuring traffic steering at the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, controlling some 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.

[0080] 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 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 on a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols 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 Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0081] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) of the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0082] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260 (specifically, the UPF 262 and the 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, and 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 the backhaul connection 223 (referred to as the "Xn-C" interface). One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0083] The functionality of a gNB 222 can be divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as user data transfer, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, in addition to those functions specifically assigned to the gNB-DU(s) 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 of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functions of the gNB 222 are 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.

[0084] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element or a network device (such as a base station), or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functions can be implemented in a converged or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), a NR base station, a 5G NNB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP), or a cell) can be implemented as a converged base station (also known as a standalone base station or a single-chip base station) or a disaggregated base station.

[0085] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more units (e.g., one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CUs, DUs, and RUs may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0086] Base station-based operation or network design can take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations can be utilized in integrated access backhaul (IAB) networks, open radio access networks (O-RAN, such as those sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance®), or virtualized radio access networks (vRAN, also known as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)). Disaggregation can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality for at least one unit, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0087] Figure 2CAn example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 80 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226), which may communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via backhaul links, or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units (e.g., a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both). The CUs 280 may communicate with one or more DUs 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via corresponding midhaul links (e.g., F1 interfaces). The DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via corresponding fronthaul links. The RUs 287 may communicate with corresponding UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 may be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0088] Each unit (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO framework 255) may include one or more interfaces, or be coupled to one or more interfaces, configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the unit's communication interface, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, a unit may include a wired interface that is configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, a unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver) that is configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, to one or more other units via a wireless transmission medium.

[0089] In some aspects, the CU 280 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include RRC, PDCP, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to transmit signals to other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 may be configured to handle user plane functions (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the CU 280 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface (e.g., an E1 interface). The CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 as needed for network control and signaling.

[0090] The DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 may host one or more of the RLC layer, the MAC layer, and one or more higher PHY layers (e.g., modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.), depending at least in part on a functional partition (e.g., a functional partition defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project). In some aspects, the DU 285 may also host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285 or with control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0091] Lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, a RU 287 controlled by a DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions (e.g., performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs), Inverse FFTs (iFFTs), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on functional partitioning (e.g., lower layer functional partitioning). In such an architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 285 and CU 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0092] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and the provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, the CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate with 4G RAN hardware (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 261) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 255 .

[0093] The non-RT RIC 257 may be configured to include logic functions that implement non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to include logic functions that implement near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through data collection and actions via an interface connecting one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and an O-eNB to the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an E2 interface).

[0094] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 257 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate the AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259. This information can be used by the near-RT RIC 259 and can be received from non-network data sources or from network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 can monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or through the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0095] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The diagram may incorporate UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent thereof). Figure 2A and 2B Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) within the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (e.g., a dedicated network) depicted in the present disclosure are provided to support the operations described herein. It should be understood that, in different implementations, these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices within a communications system. For example, other devices within the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more 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.

[0096] 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 refraining from transmitting, 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.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to a specified RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0097] In at least 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 means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (e.g., other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE Direct, BLUETOOTH®, ZIGBEE®, Z-WAVE®, PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicular Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to a designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding the signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding the signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be Wi-Fi transceivers, BLUETOOTH® transceivers, ZIGBEE® and / or Z-WAVE® transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0098] 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 means 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 originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing, respectively, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. 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.

[0099] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0100] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired or wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., embodying transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some embodiments, can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other embodiments, can be embodied in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) 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 enable a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming." 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 enable 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 the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than simultaneously. 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.

[0101] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., in some embodiments, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., in some embodiments, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be generally characterized 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 from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers will generally involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will generally involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0102] 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 sending, 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, ASICs, digital signal processors, field programmable gate arrays, other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0103] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively, include memory circuitry (e.g., each including a memory device) implementing memory 340, 386, and 396 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 part of or hardware circuitry coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the 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 the 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, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Illustrating possible locations for the positioning component 342, the positioning component 342 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 Illustrating possible locations for the positioning component 388, the positioning component 388 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 3CPossible locations for a location component 398 are illustrated, 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.

[0104] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receiver 330. For example, sensor 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, sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0105] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides a means for providing indications to the user (e.g., auditory 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.

[0106] Referring in more detail to the one or more processors 384, in a downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement the functions of the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The 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 transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation 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.

[0107] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions 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) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 handles 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 split 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 domain, and subsequently 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 precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0108] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, receiver 312 can combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0109] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport channels 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.

[0110] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with transmission 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, MAC SDU to transport block (TB) multiplexing, MAC SDU demultiplexing from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0111] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0112] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0113] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0114] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 may be configured to: Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C 1 is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the components shown can have different functionality in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C The 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 , certain embodiments of the UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or personal computer (PC) or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or BLUETOOTH® capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In the case of a wireless network, a specific embodiment of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cell capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cell-only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, a description of various alternative configurations is not provided herein, but will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0115] The various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0116] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Each circuit may utilize and / or incorporate at least one memory component 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 through 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 through 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 through 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) 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," and the like. 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.

[0117] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be distinct from the network operator or operator of the 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 Wi-Fi).

[0118] NR supports a variety of cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. Figure 4A Examples of various positioning methods according to aspects of the present invention are described. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process shown in scenario 405, the UE measures the difference between the arrival times (TOA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from a base station pair, referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them 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.

[0119] For DL-AoD positioning, as shown in scenario 410, the positioning entity uses measurement reports of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams from the UE to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle(s) and the known position(s) of the transmitting base station(s).

[0120] 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 transmits one or more uplink reference signals measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of reception of the reference signal(s), known as the relative time of arrival (RTOA), to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known location of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the UE's position.

[0121] 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 angles of the receive beams to determine the angles between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angles and the known positions of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position.

[0122] 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 an RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), which then transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as the received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest slot boundary of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities may then send 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 from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined from the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, as shown in scenario 415, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to determine the first entity's position based on the distance to the second entities and the known positions of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve position accuracy, as shown in scenario 420.

[0123] 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, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base station(s).

[0124] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include the identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots containing PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots containing PRS, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to 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 may be able to detect neighbor network nodes itself without the use of assistance data.

[0125] 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 resource used for positioning measurements is 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.

[0126] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, location, position fix, position fix, fix, or the like. A location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be urban and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. A location estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location, or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate may include expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume that is expected to contain the location with some specified or default confidence level).

[0127] NR supports or enables various sidelink positioning technologies. Figure 4BVarious scenarios of interest for sidelink-only or joint Uu and sidelink positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In scenario 425, at least one peer UE with a known location can improve the target UE's Uu-based positioning (e.g., multi-cell round-trip time (RTT), downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), etc.) by providing an additional anchor (e.g., using sidelink RTT (SL-RTT)). In scenario 430, a low-end (e.g., reduced capacity or "RedCap") target UE can obtain assistance from the advanced UE using, for example, sidelink positioning and ranging procedures with an advanced UE to determine its position. Compared to a low-end UE, an advanced UE may have more capabilities, such as more sensors, a faster processor, more memory, more antenna elements, higher transmit power capability, access to additional frequency bands, or any combination thereof. In scenario 435, a relay UE (e.g., with a known location) participates in the remote UE's positioning estimate 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 can be jointly located under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions by leveraging constraints from nearby UEs.

[0128] Figure 4C Additional scenarios of interest for sidelink-only or joint Uu and sidelink positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In scenario 445, UEs used for public safety (e.g., by police, firefighters, etc.) can perform peer-to-peer (P2P) positioning and ranging for public safety and other purposes. For example, in scenario 445, the public safety UEs may be out of coverage of the network and use sidelink positioning techniques to determine the location or relative distance and relative position between the public safety UEs. Similarly, scenario 450 shows multiple UEs out of coverage and using sidelink positioning techniques such as SL-RTT to determine the location or relative distance and relative position.

[0129] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 5 FIG5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0130] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.8 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0131] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). NR, in contrast, supports multiple numerologies (μ). For example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (μ = 0), 30 kHz (μ = 1), 60 kHz (μ = 2), 120 kHz (μ = 3), and 240 kHz (μ = 4) or larger may be available. Within each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz SCS (μ = 0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30 kHz SCS (μ = 1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. For 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 800.

[0132] exist Figure 5 In the example, a 15 kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, the 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1 ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 5 In the diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0133] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 5In the parameter set of

[15] , for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0134] Some of the REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). Reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and sounding reference signals (SRS), depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 5 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled “R”) are illustrated.

[0135] The set of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource." The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (such as one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0136] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of the symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 5 An example PRS resource configuration for combo-4 (which spans four symbols) is illustrated. That is, the location of the shaded REs (marked with "R") indicates a combo-4 PRS resource configuration.

[0137] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot in a fully frequency-domain interleaved pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in any higher-layer configured downlink or flexible (FL) symbol of a slot. There can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols for comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12. 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (as in Figure 5 ); 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4, 10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.

[0138] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to transmit a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same Transmission Repository (TRP). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific Transmission Repository (TRP) (identified by the TRP ID). Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-REsourceRepetitionFactor") across time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity may have a length selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0139] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource" or simply "resource" may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this has no effect on whether the UE knows the TRP and beam in which the PRS is transmitted.

[0140] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) during which PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning opportunity," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply "opportunity," "instance," or "repetition."

[0141] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to simply as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more Transmission Relay Protocols (TRPs) that share the same values ​​for certain parameters. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (implying all parameter sets supported for PRS support of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)), the same Point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The Point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and each frequency layer can be configured with up to two PRS resource sets per TRP.

[0142] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of a component carrier and bandwidth part (BWP), but differs in that a component carrier and BWP are used by a single base station (or macrocell base station and small cell base station) to transmit data channels, whereas a frequency layer is used by several (typically three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. When a UE communicates its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session, the UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0143] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, and the like, as defined in LTE and NR. Furthermore, unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink, uplink, or sidelink positioning reference signals. To further distinguish between the types of PRSs, downlink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "DL-PRS," uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., SRS, PTRS used for positioning) may be referred to as "UL-PRS," and sidelink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "SL-PRS." Furthermore, for signals that can be transmitted in the downlink, uplink, and / or sidelink (e.g., DMRS), "DL," "UL," or "SL" may be prefixed to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" is different from "DL-DMRS"

[0144] Figure 6A and Figure 6B The figure shows the various comb patterns supported by DL-PRS within a resource block. Figure 6A and Figure 6B , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Figure 6A and Figure 6B Each large block in represents a resource block, and each small block represents a resource element. As mentioned above, a resource element consists of one symbol in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 6A and Figure 6B In the example shown in Figure 2, each resource block includes 14 symbols in the time domain and 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain. The shaded resource elements carry or are scheduled to carry DL-PRS. Therefore, the shaded resource elements in each resource block correspond to PRS resources, or portions of PRS resources within a resource block (because PRS resources can span multiple resource blocks in the frequency domain).

[0145] The illustrated comb patterns correspond to the various DL-PRS comb patterns described above. Specifically, Figure 6A Shown are a DL-PRS comb pattern 610 for comb-2 with two symbols, a DL-PRS comb pattern 620 for comb-4 with four symbols, a DL-PRS comb pattern 630 for comb-6 with six symbols, and a DL-PRS comb pattern 640 for comb-12 with 12 symbols. Figure 6BA DL-PRS comb pattern 650 for comb-2 with 12 symbols, a DL-PRS comb pattern 660 for comb-4 with 12 symbols, a DL-PRS comb pattern 670 for comb-2 with 6 symbols, and a DL-PRS comb pattern 680 for comb-6 with 12 symbols are shown.

[0146] Note that in Figure 6A In the example comb pattern of , the resource elements on which the DL-PRS is transmitted are interleaved in the frequency domain so that there is only one such resource element per subcarrier over the configured number of symbols. For example, for DL-PRS comb pattern 620, there is only one resource element per subcarrier over four symbols. This is called "frequency domain interleaving."

[0147] In addition, there is some DL-PRS resource symbol offset from the first symbol of the resource block to the first symbol of the DL-PRS resource (given by the parameter "DL-PRS-REourceSymbolOffset"). In the example of DL-PRS comb pattern 610, the offset is three symbols. In the example of DL-PRS comb pattern 620, the offset is eight symbols. In the examples of DL-PRS comb patterns 630 and 640, the offset is two symbols. In the examples of DL-PRS comb patterns 650 through 680, the offset is two symbols.

[0148] As will be appreciated, the UE will need to have a higher capability to measure DL-PRS comb pattern 610 than DL-PRS comb pattern 620 because the UE will have to measure resource elements on twice as many subcarriers per symbol of DL-PRS comb pattern 610 as DL-PRS comb pattern 620. Additionally, the UE will need to have a higher capability to measure DL-PRS comb pattern 630 than DL-PRS comb pattern 640 because the UE will have to measure resource elements on twice as many subcarriers per symbol of DL-PRS comb pattern 630 as DL-PRS comb pattern 640. Furthermore, the UE will need to have a higher capability to measure DL-PRS comb patterns 610 and 620 than DL-PRS comb patterns 630 and 640 because the resource elements of DL-PRS comb patterns 610 and 620 are denser than the resource elements of DL-PRS comb patterns 630 and 640.

[0149] Currently, cell-based (ie, RAT-dependent) positioning techniques (examples of which are described above with reference to Figure 4ADescription) relies on precise measurements of the transmission and reception times of wireless signals (e.g., PRS) sent and received between a transmitter (e.g., TRP) and a receiver (e.g., UE). These measurements do not account for any changes in the phase of the wireless signal that may occur during signal propagation between the transmitter and receiver. However, accounting for the phase difference between the transmitted and received signals can significantly improve the accuracy of positioning measurements. For example, carrier phase-based positioning may be able to provide centimeter-level accuracy.

[0150] Carrier phase-based positioning is based on the concept of mixing a reference signal generated at the transmitter with its replica at the receiver to produce a mixed signal with low-frequency and high-frequency components. The receiver can filter out the high-frequency component, leaving only the carrier signal, whose phase is the difference between the phase of the transmitted signal and its replica at the receiver. In an ideal setting, the relationship between the phase difference (denoted as "φ" or "phi") and the geometric distance between the transmitter and receiver (denoted as "d") is determined by φ = 2d / λ, where λ ("lambda") represents the wavelength of the operating carrier frequency.

[0151] The phase difference can be used to estimate the distance between the transmitter and receiver as follows:

[0152]

[0153] where d and v represent the geometric distance and phase measurement error between the transmitter and receiver, respectively. N represents the unknown integer ambiguity parameter, which is the total number of complete phase cycles that the reference carrier signal travels between the transmitter and receiver to produce the same observed phase at the receiver. The integer ambiguity results from the receiver measuring the amplitude of a periodic signal with a phase that repeats itself every complete cycle (i.e., 2π). Various techniques can be used to estimate and resolve this integer ambiguity; for the sake of brevity, these techniques are not described here.

[0154] Carrier phase-based positioning is widely used in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) but has not yet been defined for cellular-based (i.e., RAT-dependent) systems. However, given the improved accuracy that can be achieved using carrier phase-based positioning, it has been agreed to define carrier phase-based positioning for 5G NR networks (and beyond). It is expected that physical layer measurements and signaling will be defined to support downlink and uplink carrier phase positioning for UE-based positioning, UE-assisted positioning, and NG-RAN node-assisted positioning. This may include, for example, using the existing DL-PRS and SRS for positioning for carrier phase measurements, specifying that certain measurements be limited to a single carrier or positioning frequency layer, specifying new core requirements, and / or specifying an impact on RRM measurements without measurement gaps in RRC connected and inactive modes (including PRS measurement period and reporting).

[0155] For carrier phase based positioning for cellular networks (e.g., 5G NR), the phase difference measurement quantity is referred to as a "Received Signal Phase Difference" (RSPD) measurement or a "Received Signal Carrier Phase Difference" (RSCPD) measurement. For an RSPD measurement, for a target TRP (i.e., the TRP being measured), the UE measures and optionally reports the phase difference between a reference TRP and a target TRP. That is, instead of measuring and reporting the phase difference between the transmitted reference signal and the received reference signal, the UE measures the phase difference between the reference signal received from the reference TRP and the reference signal received from the target TRP. This is similar to the RSTD measurement between the reference TRP and the target TRP (as described above with reference to Figure 4A ), except that the measurement is a phase difference rather than a time difference.

[0156] However, a problem with RSPD measurement is that if the carrier phase of the reference TRP and the target TRP are measured at different time instances (e.g., different time slots), residual carrier frequency offset (CFO) may affect the accuracy of the RSPD measurement. More specifically, when demodulating the received reference signal, the receiver's frequency tracking loop (FTL) corrections will always result in a certain amount of residual error in the carrier phase that propagates across time (e.g., across time slots). Therefore, if there are too many TRPs such that they all transmit PRS in the same time slot, the PRS opportunity will span multiple time slots, and the UE will need to measure PRS in different time slots. This will result in carrier frequency error, reducing the accuracy of the phase difference measurement. Therefore, it is beneficial for the UE to measure the PRS used for RSPD measurement in the same time slot.

[0157] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides techniques for transmitting and receiving reference signals for RSPD measurement. More specifically, the present disclosure provides a pattern for PRS transmission to improve the accuracy of RSPD measurement.

[0158] As a first technique described herein, a PRS transmitted by a reference TRP (referred to as a "reference PRS") and a PRS transmitted by a target TRP (referred to as a "target PRS") may be transmitted in the same time domain window. Figure 7 FIGURES illustrate example patterns of reference PRS resources and target PRS resources for transmission in the same time window according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 7 , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Figure 7Each large block in represents a resource block, and each small block represents a resource element. The shaded resource elements carry or are scheduled to carry PRS. Therefore, the shaded resource elements in each resource block correspond to PRS resources, or parts of PRS resources within a resource block (because PRS resources can span multiple resource blocks in the frequency domain). Figure 7 In the example of , each PRS resource may have a four-symbol comb-4 comb pattern (eg, DL-PRS comb pattern 620).

[0159] As a first option, as shown in diagram 710 , the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource occupy the same OFDM symbol in the same time slot. Therefore, in this case, the time window consists of the same time slot and the same OFDM symbol(s). As a second option, as shown in diagram 730 , the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource occupy different OFDM symbols in the same time slot. Therefore, in this case, the time window consists of the same time slot but different OFDM symbol(s). As a third option, as shown in diagram 750 , the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource occupy adjacent time slots. Therefore, in this case, the time window consists of adjacent time slots.

[0160] For the second and third options (diagrams 730 and 750), the maximum time interval (e.g., in symbols) between the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource is determined and configured for the UE based on the UE's capabilities. That is, different UEs may introduce different amounts of residual error when demodulating the received PRS resources. Therefore, there may be different amounts of time between the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource, which still results in the same measurement accuracy. Alternatively or additionally, "capability" may be related to the accuracy requirement of the measurement, where a lower accuracy requirement allows for a larger amount of time between the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource, and vice versa. In one aspect, the UE capability for the maximum time interval may be specified based on the number of OFDM symbols.

[0161] The UE may report this maximum time separation capability to the location server (eg, via LPP) or its serving base station (eg, via RRC), and the location server or serving base station may then configure the reference PRS resources and target PRS resources accordingly.

[0162] As a second technique described herein, a PRS resource transmitted by a reference TRP may be transmitted in each time slot in which a PRS resource transmitted by a target TRP is transmitted. This technique is applicable to each target PRS resource transmitted during a PRS opportunity.

[0163] Figure 8An example scenario for transmitting a reference PRS resource in each time slot containing a target PRS resource according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 8 , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Figure 8 Each large block in the _ ...

[0164] Diagram 810 illustrates an example scenario of two target PRS resources (denoted as "Target 1 TRP PRS" and "Target 2 TRP PRS") transmitting PRS opportunities in adjacent time slots (Time Slot n and Time Slot n+1). Figure 8 In the example of FIG6 , these PRS resources may have a four-symbol comb-4 comb pattern (e.g., DL-PRS comb pattern 620). As also shown in diagram 810 , the reference PRS resources are transmitted along with the target PRS resources in each time slot. Therefore, within each time slot, the UE may measure the phase difference (RSPD) between the reference PRS and the target PRS.

[0165] Note that although Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , the reference PRS resource and the target PRS resource are transmitted on the same symbol of the corresponding time slot (e.g., Figure 7 710 ), but this is not required, and the PRS resources may be sent on different symbols of the corresponding time slots (e.g. Figure 7 730 of FIG. ). Additionally, while diagram 810 illustrates a scenario where only one target PRS resource is transmitted in a given time slot of a PRS opportunity, in some cases, multiple target PRSs may be transmitted in the same time slot using different comb offsets and / or using different scrambling sequences.

[0166] Diagram 830 illustrates a more generalized pattern for transmitting reference PRS resources in each PRS slot of a PRS opportunity that contains a target PRS resource. Specifically, as shown, in the first slot of a PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n"), the reference PRS and target PRS for the first set of target TRPs are transmitted. Similarly, in the second slot of a PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+1"), the reference PRS and target PRS for the second set of target TRPs are transmitted. In the third slot of the PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+2"), the reference PRS and target PRS for the third set of target TRPs are transmitted. In the fourth slot of the PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+3"), the reference PRS and target PRS for the fourth set of target TRPs are transmitted. Each group can contain one or more TRPs, and they need not contain the same number of TRPs.

[0167] As a third technique described herein, a first time slot of a PRS opportunity contains a reference PRS resource and a first set of one or more target PRS resources, and each subsequent time slot of the PRS opportunity contains a subsequent set of one or more target PRS resources and a phase difference reference signal sent by a reference TRP instead of the reference PRS resource (as in the second technique).

[0168] Figure 9 An example scenario for transmitting a phase difference reference signal in each subsequent time slot containing a target PRS resource according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 9 , time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Figure 9 Each large block in the _ ...

[0169] Diagram 910 illustrates an example scenario of three target PRS resources (denoted as "Target 1 TRP PRS", "Target 2 TRP PRS" and "Target 3 TRP PRS") transmitting PRS opportunities in adjacent time slots (time slot n and time slot n+1). Figure 9In the example shown in FIG. 6 , these PRS resources may have a four-symbol comb-4 comb pattern (e.g., DL-PRS comb pattern 620 ). As shown in diagram 910 , in the first time slot (denoted as time slot "n"), a reference PRS resource is transmitted along with the first target PRS resource. In the subsequent time slot (denoted as "n+1"), a phase difference reference signal is transmitted on the symbol immediately preceding the target PRS resource, instead of the reference PRS resource. Thus, within each time slot, the UE can measure the phase difference (RSPD) between the reference PRS or phase difference reference signal and the target PRS resource. Note that the phase difference reference signal does not need to be transmitted immediately before the first symbol of the first target PRS resource in the time slot, but can be transmitted on any symbol preceding the first symbol of the first target PRS resource in the time slot.

[0170] Referring to the phase difference reference signal in more detail, for time slots that do not contain reference PRS resources, the phase rotation of the reference PRS resource is compensated by measuring the phase difference between the reference PRS resource and the phase difference reference signal. That is, the UE can compare the phase change between the phase of the reference PRS in the first time slot and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in (multiple) subsequent time slots. The UE can then apply this phase difference to the phase of the reference PRS resource and then determine the difference (i.e., RSPD) between the phase of the reference PRS resource and the phase of (multiple) target PRS resources in that time slot.

[0171] The phase difference reference signal can be, for example, a single symbol PRS sent by the reference TRP or some other reference signal. Figure 9 In the example of FIG. 4 , the phase difference reference signal has a comb tooth size of comb-4, but as will be understood, it may have a different comb tooth size.

[0172] Diagram 930 illustrates a more generalized pattern for transmitting a reference PRS resource in the first slot of a PRS opportunity and a phase-shifted reference signal in subsequent slots of the PRS opportunity. Specifically, as shown, in the first slot of a PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n"), the reference PRS and target PRS for the first set of target TRPs are transmitted. However, in the second slot of the PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+1"), the phase-shifted reference signal and the target PRS for the second set of target TRPs are transmitted. Similarly, in the third slot of the PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+2"), the phase-shifted reference signal and the target PRS for the third set of target TRPs are transmitted. In the fourth slot of the PRS opportunity (denoted as slot "n+3"), the phase-shifted reference signal and the target PRS for the fourth set of target TRPs are transmitted. Each group can contain one or more TRPs, and they need not contain the same number of TRPs.

[0173] In one aspect, on the network side, the location server (eg, LMF 270) may configure (eg, via LPP) the UE to measure the RSPD between the reference PRS and the target PRS in the same time window, as in Figure 7 The location server may also configure the UE to measure RSPD between reference PRS resources in all time slots within a PRS opportunity, such as Figure 8 The location server may also configure the UE to measure the RSPD between the reference PRS in one PRS slot within a PRS opportunity and the phase difference reference signals in other PRS slots within the PRS opportunity, as in Figure 9 In the example.

[0174] Note that although Figure 8 and Figure 9 The description relates to reference PRS resources and target PRS resources within a single time slot, as in the examples of diagrams 710 and 730 , but the reference PRS resources and target PRS resources may instead be sent within a time window spanning adjacent time slots, as in the example of diagram 750 .

[0175] In addition, although the foregoing description has referred to the reference PRS and the target PRS timing, the reference PRS and the target PRS may be different types of reference signals, such as TRS, CSI-RS, etc. In some cases, the reference PRS and the target PRS may be different types of reference signals. For example, the reference PRS may be a TRS, and the target PRS may be a PRS.

[0176] Furthermore, although the foregoing description has described RSPD measurements as being used to locate the UE, they may alternatively be used for sensing purposes. For example, the UE may report RSPD measurements to enable a sensing server to determine whether there are any target objects in the UE's environment.

[0177] Figure 10 Illustrated is an example method 1000 of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the method 1000 may be performed by a UE (eg, any UE described herein).

[0178] At 1010, the UE receives a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity (e.g., a TRP, a sidelink UE, or another type of transmission point), the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols (of a first time window). In one aspect, 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 means for performing such operation.

[0179] At 1020, the UE receives one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities (e.g., TRP(s), sidelink UE(s), or other type of transmission point(s), the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols (of the first time window). In one aspect, 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 means for performing such operation.

[0180] At 1030, the UE determines one or more first RSPD measurements of one or more second reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource (in the first time window) and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources (in the first time window). In an aspect, operation 1030 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 such operation.

[0181] Figure 11 An example communication method 1100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, the method 1100 may be performed by a network entity (eg, a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, a positioning engine of a UE).

[0182] At 1110, a network entity transmits a configuration to a UE (e.g., any UE described herein) to obtain RSPD measurements between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity (e.g., a TRP, a sidelink UE, or other type of transmission point) and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities (e.g., TRP(s), sidelink UE(s), or other type of transmission point(s), the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols (of a first time window), and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols (of a first time window). In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing such operations. In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing such operations.

[0183] At 1120, the network entity receives RSPD measurements from the UE based on the configuration. In one aspect, operation 1120 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing such operation. In one aspect, operation 1120 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing such operation.

[0184] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of methods 1000 and 1100 is that the carrier phase of the first entity and the second entity is measured in the same time window, thereby reducing the impact of residual CFO and increasing the accuracy of the corresponding RSPD measurements.

[0185] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in the examples. This disclosure should not be interpreted as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, various aspects of the disclosure may include fewer than all the features of the disclosed exemplary clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered incorporated into the specification, with each clause itself serving as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses within the clause, the aspect(s) of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause(s) with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. Various aspects disclosed herein expressly include such combinations unless a specific combination is explicitly stated or readily inferred (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). Furthermore, it is intended that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0186] Examples of implementation are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0187] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window; receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements of the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources in the first time window.

[0188] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0189] Clause 3. The method of clause 1, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0190] Clause 4. The method of clause 1, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0191] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising: reporting one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0192] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0193] Clause 7. A method according to any one of clauses 5 to 6, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence time slot of two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence time slot of two or more adjacent time slots.

[0194] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 5 to 7, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE are reported to: a location server or a serving base station.

[0195] Clause 9. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0196] Clause 10. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9 further includes: receiving a first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window; receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0197] Clause 11. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0198] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0199] Clause 13. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 8 and 11 to 12 further includes: receiving a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window after the first time window; receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; determining the phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0200] Clause 14. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0201] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 1 to 14, further comprising reporting the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0202] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein the network entity comprises: a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0203] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 1 to 16, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0204] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 1 to 17, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0205] Clause 19. A method of communication performed by a network entity, comprising: sending to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0206] Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0207] Clause 21. The method of clause 19, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0208] Clause 22. The method of clause 19, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0209] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 19 to 22, further comprising receiving one or more capability messages from the UE indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0210] Clause 24. The method of clause 23, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0211] Clause 25. A method according to any one of clauses 23 to 24, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0212] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 19 to 25, wherein the first reference signal resource is transmitted in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0213] Clause 27. The method of any of clauses 19 to 25, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0214] Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0215] Clause 29. A method according to any one of clauses 19 to 28, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0216] Clause 30. The method of any of clauses 19 to 29, wherein the network entity comprises a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0217] Clause 31. The method of any of clauses 19 to 30, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0218] Clause 32. The method of any of clauses 19 to 31, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0219] Clause 33. A user equipment (UE) comprises: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window; receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and determine, based on a phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources in the first time window, one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0220] Clause 34. The UE of clause 33, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0221] Clause 35. The UE of clause 33, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0222] Clause 36. The UE of clause 33, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0223] Clause 37. A UE according to any one of clauses 33 to 36, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: report one or more capability messages via the one or more transceivers, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0224] Clause 38. The UE of clause 37, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0225] Clause 39. A UE according to any of clauses 37 to 38, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0226] Clause 40. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 37 to 39, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE are reported to: a location server or a serving base station.

[0227] Clause 41. A UE as defined in any of clauses 33 to 40, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0228] Clause 42. A UE according to any one of clauses 33 to 41, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive the first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window via the one or more transceivers; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window via the one or more transceivers; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0229] Clause 43. A UE as described in any of clauses 33 to 40, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0230] Clause 44. The UE of clause 43, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0231] Clause 45. A UE according to any one of clauses 33 to 40 and 43 to 44, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window after the first time window via the one or more transceivers; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window via the one or more transceivers; determine a phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0232] Clause 46. A UE according to any of clauses 33 to 45, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0233] Clause 47. The UE of any of clauses 33 to 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to report the RSPD measurements to a network entity via the one or more transceivers.

[0234] Clause 48. The UE of clause 47, wherein the network entity comprises a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0235] Clause 49. The UE of any of clauses 33 to 48, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0236] Clause 50. A UE as described in any of clauses 33 to 49, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources include: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0237] Clause 51. A network entity comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: send to a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and receive the RSPD measurement from the UE via the one or more transceivers based on the configuration.

[0238] Clause 52. The network entity of clause 51, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0239] Clause 53. The network entity of clause 51, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0240] Clause 54. The network entity of Clause 51, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0241] Clause 55. A network entity according to any one of clauses 51 to 54, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive one or more capability messages from the UE via the one or more transceivers, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0242] Clause 56. The network entity of clause 55, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0243] Clause 57. A network entity according to any of clauses 55 to 56, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0244] Clause 58. The network entity of any of clauses 51 to 57, wherein the first reference signal resource is sent in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0245] Clause 59. A network entity as recited in any of Clauses 51 to 57, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0246] Clause 60. The network entity of clause 59, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0247] Clause 61. A network entity as described in any of clauses 51 to 60, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include a plurality of second reference signal resources, and the plurality of second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0248] Clause 62. A network entity as defined in any of clauses 51 to 61, wherein the network entity comprises a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0249] Clause 63. The network entity of any of clauses 51 to 62, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0250] Clause 64. The network entity of any of clauses 51 to 63, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0251] Clause 65. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for receiving a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window; a unit for receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and a unit for determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements of the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources in the first time window.

[0252] Clause 66. The UE of clause 65, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0253] Clause 67. The UE of clause 65, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0254] Clause 68. The UE of clause 65, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0255] Clause 69. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 65 to 68, further comprising means for reporting one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0256] Clause 70. The UE of clause 69, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE comprise a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0257] Clause 71. A UE according to any of clauses 69 to 70, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0258] Clause 72. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 69 to 71, wherein one or more capabilities of the UE are reported to: a location server or a serving base station.

[0259] Clause 73. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 65 to 72, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0260] Clause 74. The UE according to any one of clauses 65 to 73 further includes: a unit for receiving a first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window; a unit for receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and a unit for determining one or more second RSPD measurements for one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0261] Clause 75. A UE as described in any of clauses 65 to 72, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0262] Clause 76. The UE of clause 75, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0263] Clause 77. A UE according to any one of clauses 65 to 72 and 75 to 76, further comprising: a unit for receiving a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window following the first time window; a unit for receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; a unit for determining a phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and a unit for determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0264] Clause 78. A UE according to any one of clauses 65 to 77, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0265] Clause 79. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 65 to 78, further comprising means for reporting the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0266] Clause 80. The UE of clause 79, wherein the network entity comprises: a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0267] Clause 81. The UE of any of clauses 65 to 80, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0268] Clause 82. A UE as described in any of clauses 65 to 81, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources include: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0269] Clause 83. A network entity comprising: a unit for sending to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises one or more first symbols of a first time window and the one or more second reference signal resources comprise one or more second symbols of the first time window; and a unit for receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0270] Clause 84. The network entity of clause 83, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0271] Clause 85. The network entity of clause 83, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0272] Clause 86. The network entity of clause 83, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0273] Clause 87. A network entity as described in any of clauses 83 to 86, further comprising: means for receiving one or more capability messages from the UE, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0274] Clause 88. A network entity according to clause 87, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0275] Clause 89. A network entity according to any of clauses 87 to 88, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0276] Clause 90. A network entity as defined in any of clauses 83 to 89, wherein the first reference signal resource is transmitted in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0277] Clause 91. A network entity as defined in any of clauses 83 to 89, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0278] Clause 92. The network entity of clause 91, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0279] Clause 93. A network entity according to any one of clauses 83 to 92, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0280] Clause 94. A network entity as described in any of clauses 83 to 93, wherein the network entity comprises: a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0281] Clause 95. The network entity of any of clauses 83 to 94, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0282] Clause 96. The network entity of any of clauses 83 to 95, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0283] Clause 97. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window; receive one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and determine one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements of the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources in the first time window.

[0284] Clause 98. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 97, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0285] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 97, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0286] Clause 100. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 97, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0287] Clause 101. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 97 to 100, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0288] Clause 102. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 101, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of symbols of one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0289] Clause 103. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 101 to 102, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0290] Clause 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101 to 103, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE are reported to: a location server or a serving base station.

[0291] Clause 105. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 97 to 104, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0292] Clause 106. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 97 to 105 further includes computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive the first reference signal resource in a second time window following the first time window; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of the one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0293] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 97 to 104, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0294] Clause 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 107, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0295] Clause 109. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 97 to 104 and 107-108, further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window following the first time window; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; determine a phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0296] Clause 110. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 97 to 109, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0297] Clause 111. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 97 to 110, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0298] Clause 112. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 111, wherein the network entity comprises: a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on a UE.

[0299] Clause 113. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 97 to 112, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0300] Clause 114. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 97 to 113, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0301] Clause 115. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: send to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols of a first time window, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols of the first time window; and receive an RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0302] Clause 116. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 115, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0303] Clause 117. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 115, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0304] Clause 118. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 115, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0305] Clause 119. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 115 to 118, further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: receive one or more capability messages from the UE indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0306] Clause 120. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 119, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0307] Clause 121. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 119 to 120, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0308] Clause 122. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 115 to 121, wherein the first reference signal resource is transmitted in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0309] Clause 123. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 115 to 121, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0310] Clause 124. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 123, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0311] Clause 125. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 115 to 124, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0312] Clause 126. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 115 to 125, wherein the network entity comprises a location server, a sensing server, a serving base station, or a positioning engine on the UE.

[0313] Clause 127. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 115 to 126, wherein the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource.

[0314] Clause 128. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 115 to 127, wherein the one or more second reference signal resources comprise: one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0315] Additional implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0316] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0317] Clause 2. A method according to clause 1, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, the one or more second symbols are within the first time window, the phase of the first reference signal resource is measured in the first time window, and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources is measured in the first time window.

[0318] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0319] Clause 4. A method according to any one of clauses 2 to 3, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0320] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 2 to 4, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0321] Clause 6. The method according to any one of clauses 2 to 5 further includes: receiving the first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window; receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0322] Clause 7. The method of any one of clauses 2 to 6, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0323] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0324] Clause 9. The method according to any one of clauses 2 to 8 further includes: receiving a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window after the first time window; receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; determining the phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase, phase difference of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0325] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 9, further comprising: reporting one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0326] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE comprise a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0327] Clause 12. A method according to any one of clauses 10 to 11, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0328] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0329] Clause 14. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0330] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 1 to 14, further comprising reporting the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0331] Clause 16. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 15, wherein: the first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources or any combination thereof.

[0332] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 1 to 16, wherein one or more first RSPD measurements are obtained per frequency layer.

[0333] Clause 18. A method of communication performed by a network entity, comprising: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0334] Clause 19. The method of clause 18, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, and the one or more second symbols are within the first time window.

[0335] Clause 20. A method according to clause 19, wherein: the first time window includes a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are the same as the one or more first symbols, or the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are different from the one or more first symbols.

[0336] Clause 21. The method of any one of clauses 19 to 20, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0337] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 19 to 21, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0338] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0339] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 18 to 23, further comprising receiving one or more capability messages from the UE, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0340] Clause 25. The method of clause 24, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0341] Clause 26. A method according to any one of clauses 24 to 25, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0342] Clause 27. A method according to any one of clauses 18 to 26, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0343] Clause 28. A method according to any one of clauses 18 to 27, wherein: the first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources or any combination thereof.

[0344] Clause 29. A user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being configured, individually or in combination, to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receive, via the one or more transceivers, one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and determine, based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources, one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0345] Clause 30. A UE according to clause 29, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, the one or more second symbols are within the first time window, the phase of the first reference signal resource is measured in the first time window, and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources is measured in the first time window.

[0346] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0347] Clause 32. A UE as described in any of clauses 30 to 31, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0348] Clause 33. A UE as described in any of clauses 30 to 32, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0349] Clause 34. A UE according to any one of clauses 30 to 33, wherein the one or more processors are further configured, individually or in combination, to: receive the first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window via the one or more transceivers; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window via the one or more transceivers; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0350] Clause 35. A UE as described in any of clauses 30 to 34, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0351] Clause 36. The UE of clause 35, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0352] Clause 37. A UE according to any one of clauses 30 to 36, wherein the one or more processors are further configured, individually or in combination, to: receive a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window after the first time window via the one or more transceivers; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window via the one or more transceivers; determine the phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0353] Clause 38. A UE according to any one of clauses 29 to 37, wherein the one or more processors are further configured, individually or in combination, to: report one or more capability messages via the one or more transceivers, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0354] Clause 39. The UE of clause 38, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE comprise a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0355] Clause 40. A UE according to any of clauses 38 to 39, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0356] Clause 41. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 29 to 40, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0357] Clause 42. A UE according to any one of clauses 29 to 41, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0358] Clause 43. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 42, wherein the one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: report the RSPD measurements to a network entity via the one or more transceivers.

[0359] Clause 44. A UE according to any one of clauses 29 to 43, wherein: the first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources or any combination thereof.

[0360] Clause 45. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 29 to 44, wherein the one or more first RSPD measurements are obtained per frequency layer.

[0361] Clause 46. A network entity comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being configured, individually or in combination, to: transmit to a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and receive the RSPD measurement from the UE via the one or more transceivers based on the configuration.

[0362] Clause 47. The network entity of clause 46, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, and the one or more second symbols are within the first time window.

[0363] Clause 48. A network entity according to clause 47, wherein: the first time window includes a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are the same as the one or more first symbols, or the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are different from the one or more first symbols.

[0364] Clause 49. The network entity of any of clauses 47 to 48, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0365] Clause 50. A network entity as defined in any of clauses 47 to 49, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0366] Clause 51. The network entity of clause 50, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0367] Clause 52. A network entity according to any one of clauses 46 to 51, wherein the one or more processors are further configured, individually or in combination, to: receive one or more capability messages from the UE via the one or more transceivers, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0368] Clause 53. A network entity according to clause 52, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0369] Clause 54. A network entity according to any of clauses 52 to 53, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0370] Clause 55. A network entity according to any of clauses 46 to 54, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0371] Clause 56. A network entity according to any of clauses 46 to 55, wherein: the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprise one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0372] Clause 57. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for receiving a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; a unit for receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and a unit for determining one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0373] Clause 58. A UE according to clause 57, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, the one or more second symbols are within the first time window, the phase of the first reference signal resource is measured in the first time window, and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources is measured in the first time window.

[0374] Clause 59. The UE of clause 58, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0375] Clause 60. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 58 to 59, wherein the first time window comprises a single time slot, and wherein the one or more second symbols within the single time slot are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0376] Clause 61. A UE as described in any of clauses 58 to 60, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0377] Clause 62. The UE according to any one of clauses 58 to 61 further includes: a device for receiving a first reference signal resource in a second time window after the first time window; a unit for receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and a unit for determining one or more second RSPD measurements for one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0378] Clause 63. A UE as described in any of clauses 58 to 62, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0379] Clause 64. The UE of clause 63, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0380] Clause 65. The UE according to any one of clauses 58 to 64 further includes: a unit for receiving a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window after the first time window; a unit for receiving one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; a unit for determining the phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and a unit for determining one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0381] Clause 66. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 65, further comprising means for reporting one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0382] Clause 67. The UE of clause 66, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE comprise a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0383] Clause 68. A UE according to any of clauses 66 to 67, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0384] Clause 69. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 68, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0385] Clause 70. A UE according to any one of clauses 57 to 69, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0386] Clause 71. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 70, further comprising means for reporting the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0387] Clause 72. A UE according to any one of clauses 57 to 71, wherein: the first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources or any combination thereof.

[0388] Clause 73. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 72, wherein the one or more first RSPD measurements are obtained per frequency layer.

[0389] Clause 74. A network entity comprising: a unit for transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and a unit for receiving the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0390] Clause 75. The network entity of clause 74, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, and the one or more second symbols are within the first time window.

[0391] Clause 76. A network entity according to clause 75, wherein: the first time window includes a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are the same as the one or more first symbols, or the one or more second symbols in the single time slot are different from the one or more first symbols.

[0392] Clause 77. The network entity of any of clauses 75 to 76, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0393] Clause 78. A network entity as described in any of clauses 75 to 77, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0394] Clause 79. The network entity of clause 78, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0395] Clause 80. A network entity as set forth in any of clauses 74 to 79, further comprising means for receiving one or more capability messages from the UE, the one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0396] Clause 81. A network entity according to clause 80, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0397] Clause 82. A network entity according to any of clauses 80 to 81, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0398] Clause 83. A network entity as described in any of clauses 74 to 82, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include a plurality of second reference signal resources, and the plurality of second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0399] Clause 84. A network entity according to any of clauses 74 to 83, wherein: the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprise one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0400] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a first reference signal resource sent by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receive one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and determine one or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

[0401] Clause 86. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 85, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, the one or more second symbols are within the first time window, the phase of the first reference signal resource is measured in the first time window, and the phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources is measured in the first time window.

[0402] Clause 87. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 86, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

[0403] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 87, wherein: the first time window comprises a single time slot, and within the single time slot one or more second symbols are different from one or more first symbols.

[0404] Clause 89. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 88, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0405] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 86 to 89 further includes computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive the first reference signal resource in a second time window following the first time window; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of the one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0406] Clause 91. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 90, wherein a phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0407] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 91, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0408] Clause 93. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 86 to 92, further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: receive a phase difference reference signal sent by a first entity in a second time window following the first time window; receive one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; determine a phase difference between the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and the phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; and determine one or more second RSPD measurements of one or more third reference signal resources based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

[0409] Clause 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 93, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report one or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0410] Clause 95. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 94, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between the first occurrence of the first reference signal resource and the first occurrence of the one or more second reference signal resources in a single time slot.

[0411] Clause 96. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 94 to 95, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0412] Clause 97. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 96, wherein the first reference signal resource is received in each time window of a plurality of sequential time windows.

[0413] Clause 98. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 85 to 97, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0414] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 98, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report the RSPD measurements to a network entity.

[0415] Clause 100. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 85 to 99, wherein: the first reference signal resource comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprise one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0416] Clause 101. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 100, wherein the one or more first RSPD measurements are obtained per frequency layer.

[0417] Clause 102. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: transmit to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; and receive the RSPD measurement from the UE based on the configuration.

[0418] Clause 103. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 102, wherein: the one or more first symbols are within a first time window, and the one or more second symbols are within the first time window.

[0419] Clause 104. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 103, wherein: the first time window includes a single time slot, and the one or more second symbols within the single time slot are the same as the one or more first symbols, or the one or more second symbols within the single time slot are different from the one or more first symbols.

[0420] Clause 105. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 103 to 104, wherein the first time window comprises two or more adjacent time slots.

[0421] Clause 106. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 103 to 105, wherein a phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

[0422] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 106, wherein the phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

[0423] Clause 108. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 102 to 107, further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: receive one or more capability messages from the UE indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

[0424] Clause 109. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 108, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources within a single time slot.

[0425] Clause 110. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 108 to 109, wherein the one or more capabilities of the UE include the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots.

[0426] Clause 111. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 102 to 110, wherein: the one or more second reference signal resources include multiple second reference signal resources, and the multiple second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

[0427] Clause 112. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 102 to 111, wherein: the first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and the one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0428] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0429] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

[0430] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, 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.

[0431] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In an alternative embodiment, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0432] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies (such as infrared, radio, and microwaves), 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. As used herein, disk and disc 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.

[0433] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative 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. For example, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, unless expressly described as such, the components, functions, actions, or instructions described or claimed herein should not be construed as critical or essential. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "set," "group," and the like are intended to include one or more of the elements described. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms "has," "have," "having," "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," and the like do not exclude the presence of one or more additional elements (e.g., an element "having" A may also have B). Furthermore, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on." Unless expressly stated otherwise. In addition, as used herein, the term "or" when used in series is intended to be inclusive and can be used interchangeably with "and / or" unless otherwise expressly stated (e.g., if used in combination with "either" or "only one of") or the alternatives are mutually exclusive (e.g., "one or more" should not be interpreted as "one and more"). In addition, although components, functions, actions, and instructions may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Thus, as used herein, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to include one or more of the elements described. In addition, as used herein, the terms "at least one" and "one or more" encompass "one" component, function, action, or instruction that performs or is capable of performing the function described or claimed, and in combination also encompass "two or more" components, functions, actions, or instructions that perform or are capable of performing the function described or claimed.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors individually or in combination configured to: receiving, via the one or more transceivers, a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols; receiving, via the one or more transceivers, one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; as well as One or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources are determined based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more first symbols are within a first time window, The one or more second symbols are within the first time window, The phase of the first reference signal resource is measured in the first time window, and The phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources is measured in a first time window.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The first time window comprises a single time slot, and The one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

4. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The first time window comprises a single time slot, and The one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

5. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The first time window includes two or more adjacent time slots.

6. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: receiving, via the one or more transceivers, the first reference signal resource in a second time window subsequent to the first time window; receiving, via the one or more transceivers, one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; as well as One or more second RSPD measurements for the one or more third reference signal resources are determined based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the second time window and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

7. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: A phase difference reference signal is received instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

8. The UE according to claim 7, wherein: The phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

9. The UE according to claim 2, wherein: The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: receiving, via the one or more transceivers, a phase difference reference signal sent by the first entity in a second time window subsequent to the first time window; receiving, via the one or more transceivers, one or more third reference signal resources sent by one or more third entities in the second time window; determining a phase difference between a phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window and a phase of the phase difference reference signal in the second time window; as well as One or more second RSPD measurements for the one or more third reference signal resources are determined based on the phase of the first reference signal resource in the first time window, the phase difference, and the phase of each of the one or more third reference signal resources in the second time window.

10. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: One or more capability messages indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements are reported via the one or more transceivers.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of symbols of the one or more second reference signal resources in a single time slot.

12. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in the two or more adjacent time slots.

13. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The first reference signal resource is received in each of a plurality of sequential time windows.

14. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more second reference signal resources include a plurality of second reference signal resources, and The plurality of second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

15. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: The RSPD measurements are reported to a network entity via the one or more transceivers.

16. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and The one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

17. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more first RSPD measurements are obtained per frequency layer.

18. A network entity comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors individually or in combination configured to: transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, to a user equipment (UE), a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; as well as Based on the configuration, the RSPD measurements are received from the UE via the one or more transceivers.

19. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more first symbols are within a first time window, and The one or more second symbols are within the first time window.

20. The network entity according to claim 19, wherein: The first time window comprises a single time slot, and The one or more second symbols are identical to the one or more first symbols within the single time slot, or The one or more second symbols are different from the one or more first symbols within the single time slot.

21. The network entity according to claim 19, wherein: The first time window includes two or more adjacent time slots.

22. The network entity according to claim 19, wherein: A phase difference reference signal is transmitted instead of the first reference signal resource in each of a plurality of sequential time windows following the first time window.

23. The network entity according to claim 22, wherein: The phase difference reference signal consists of a single symbol.

24. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more processors, individually or in combination, are further configured to: One or more capability messages are received from the UE via the one or more transceivers indicating one or more capabilities of the UE to determine RSPD measurements.

25. The network entity according to claim 24, wherein: The one or more capabilities of the UE include a number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource and a first occurrence of symbols of the one or more second reference signal resources in a single time slot.

26. The network entity according to claim 24, wherein: The one or more capabilities of the UE include: the number of symbols between a first occurrence of a symbol of the first reference signal resource in a first occurrence of a time slot in two or more adjacent time slots and a first occurrence of a symbol of the one or more second reference signal resources in a second occurrence of a time slot in the two or more adjacent time slots.

27. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein: The one or more second reference signal resources include a plurality of second reference signal resources, and The plurality of second reference signal resources have different comb offsets, different scrambling sequences, or both.

28. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein: The first reference signal resource includes a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a tracking reference signal (TRS) resource, or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, and The one or more second reference signal resources include one or more PRS resources, one or more TRS resources, one or more CSI-RS resources, or any combination thereof.

29. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity, wherein the first reference signal resource includes one or more first symbols; receiving one or more second reference signal resources sent by one or more second entities, the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; as well as One or more first received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurements for the one or more second reference signal resources are determined based on a phase of the first reference signal resource and a phase of each of the one or more second reference signal resources.

30. A communication method performed by a network entity, comprising: transmitting to a user equipment (UE) a configuration for obtaining a received signal phase difference (RSPD) measurement between a first reference signal resource transmitted by a first entity and one or more second reference signal resources transmitted by one or more second entities, the first reference signal resource comprising one or more first symbols, and the one or more second reference signal resources comprising one or more second symbols; as well as The RSPD measurements are received from the UE based on the configuration.

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