Positioning calibration with reference points

Abstract

Various techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may determine a location at which the UE is or will be within a calibration area. The UE may report location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration area. In an aspect, a network entity may obtain calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area. The network entity may send the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese invention patent application 202180054861.6 (PCT / US2021 / 049856) entitled "Positioning Calibration Using Reference Points" filed on September 10, 2021. Technical Field

[0002] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems have undergone several generations of development, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data radio service with Internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (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), etc.

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard (known as New Radio (NR)) demands higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) to dozens of employees on an office floor. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale sensor deployments. Therefore, 5G mobile communication should have significantly improved spectral efficiency compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following is a simplified overview relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this overview should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all aspects of the conception, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all aspects of the conception or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects of the mechanism disclosed herein before the detailed description given below.

[0006] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) includes: determining the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0007] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a network entity includes: obtaining calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area; and transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0008] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area; and report location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0009] In one aspect, a network entity includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: obtain calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area; and transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof via the at least one transceiver.

[0010] Other objectives 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. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe examples of one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter, and these drawings are provided merely to illustrate the examples and not to limit the scope thereof:

[0012] Figure 1 Exemplary wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0013] Figure 2A and 2B Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0014] Figure 3A , 3B The 3C and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of components that can be adopted in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0015] Figure 4A and 4BThis is a diagram illustrating example frame structures and channels within these frame structures according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0016] Figure 5A The various sources of potential timing calibration errors according to various aspects of this disclosure are explained.

[0017] Figure 5B The disclosure explains how calibration areas, according to various aspects of this disclosure, can provide opportunities to correct TOA errors.

[0018] Figure 6A and 6B This is a flowchart illustrating portions of an example process performed by a UE in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, associated with positioning calibration using reference points.

[0019] Figure 7A and 7B This is a flowchart illustrating portions of an example process performed by a network entity in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, associated with positioning calibration using reference points. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided below in the description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, elements well-known in this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0021] To overcome the technical shortcomings of the aforementioned conventional systems and methods, a mechanism is proposed that allows for dynamic adjustment (e.g., in response to environmental conditions) of the bandwidth used by the user equipment (UE) for the positioning reference signal (PRS). For example, the UE receiver can indicate the environmental conditions in which the UE is operating to the transmitting entity, and in response, the transmitting entity can adjust the PRS bandwidth.

[0022] The terms “exemplary” and “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than the others. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0023] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and arts. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltage, current, 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.

[0024] Furthermore, many aspects are described in the form of sequences of actions performed by elements of, for example, computing devices. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, will cause an associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, a corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0025] As used herein, 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) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking 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 can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” (UT), “Mobile Equipment”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network, to the Internet, or to both are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.).

[0026] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, B-Node, Evolved B-Node (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) B-Node (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily be used to support radio access by the UE, including supporting data, voice, signaling connections, or various combinations thereof with respect to the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control functions, network management functions, or both. The communication link through which the UE can signal to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can signal to the UE is called 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) can refer to either the uplink / reverse traffic channel or the downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0027] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be located in the same place. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs located in the same place, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or in the case of beamforming at the base station). When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs not located in the same place, these physical TRPs 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 headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, physical TRPs not located in the same place may be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and neighboring base stations where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal (or simply "reference signal"). Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0028] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support data, voice, signaling connections, or various combinations thereof regarding the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement, receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE, or both. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning tower (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE), a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE), or both.

[0029] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across 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 individual RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can 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 a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0030] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects has been described. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations), small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations), or both. In one aspect, macrocell base stations may include eNB, ng-eNB, or both (where wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNB (where wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0031] Each base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 122, and connect to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or external to it) via the core network 170. Among other functions, base stations 102 can also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel cryptography and decoding, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of alarm messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) via a backhaul link 134 (which may be wired or wireless).

[0032] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographical coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access to different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others). Since cells are supported by specific base stations, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting that logical communication entity, depending on the context. Additionally, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" are used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, in the sense that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of a geographical coverage area 110.

[0033] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have coverage areas 110' that substantially overlap with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that can provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0034] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102, downlink (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104, or both. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technologies, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, transmit diversity, or various combinations thereof. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0035] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152, WLAN AP 150, or various combinations thereof may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-speak (LBT) procedure to determine channel availability before communication.

[0036] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed, unlicensed spectrum, or both. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can enhance access network coverage, increase access network capacity, or both. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0037] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which may operate in mmW frequencies, near-mmW frequencies, or combinations thereof to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW RF bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit, receive, or both) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it will be understood that the foregoing explanations are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the aspects disclosed herein.

[0038] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using 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 change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, which can be "guided" to different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling each other out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0039] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the transmit antennas of network nodes are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of the second reference RF signal on the 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 the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0040] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array, adjust the phase setting of the antenna array, or a combination thereof, in a specific direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. 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.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0041] The receive beam can be spatially dependent. Spatial dependency means that the parameters of the transmit beam used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam of the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., Position Reference Signal (PRS), Narrowband Reference Signal (NRS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Synchronization Block (SSB), etc.) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to transmit one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., Uplink Position Reference Signal (UL-PRS), Detection Reference Signal (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.) to the base station.

[0042] Note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, then the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if a UE is forming an uplink beam, then the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0043] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCell.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all shared control channels as well as UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), which can be configured once an RRC connection is established between 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 on an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present on the secondary carrier, since both the 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 applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0044] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102, the mmW base station 180, or a combination thereof can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission, reception, or both on multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate, reception rate, or both. For example, in a multi-carrier system, two 20MHz aggregated carriers would theoretically result in twice the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate obtained from a single 20MHz carrier.

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “side links”). Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity from this link), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLANSTA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity from this link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D)). (etc.) to support.

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164, which can communicate with macrocell base station 102 on communication link 120, with mmW base station 180 on mmW communication link 184, or a combination thereof. For example, macrocell base station 102 may support PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0047] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is explained according to various aspects. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate collaboratively to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include both one or more ng-eNB 224s and one or more gNB 222s. The gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 can be used with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1The UE 204 can communicate with any UE depicted herein. Another optional aspect may include a location server 172 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 172 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 172 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the location server 172 via the core network (5GC 210), via the Internet (not described), or via both. Furthermore, the location server 172 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network.

[0048] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 250, based on various aspects, is described. For example, 5GC 260 can be functionally considered as a control plane function (provided by Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264) and a user plane function (provided by User Plane Function (UPF) 262), which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect ng-eNB 224 to 5GC 260, specifically to UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB 222 can also connect to 5GC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF 264 and user plane interface 263 to UPF 262. Furthermore, ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to 5GC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNB222s, while other configurations include both one or more ng-eNB 224s and one or more gNB 222s. The gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 can be used with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base station of the new RAN 220 communicates with the AMF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via the N3 interface.

[0049] The functions of AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of Session Management (SM) messages between UE 204 and Session Management Function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of Short Message Service (SMS) messages between UE 204 and Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and Security Anchor Functionality (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSSF. The functions of AMF 264 also include Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF, which is used by the SCM to derive a key that varies depending on the access network. The functionality of AMF 264 also includes: location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as location server 172), transmission of location service messages between the new RAN 220 and LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interoperability with Evolved Packet Systems (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0050] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), acting as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnecting to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., strobing, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS Flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 may also support the transmission of location service messages on the user plane between UE 204 and a location server (such as Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272).

[0051] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic bootstrapping configuration at UPF 262 for routing traffic to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface used by SMF 266 to communicate with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0052] Another optional aspect may include LMF 270, which can communicate with 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to UE 204. LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules extending across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which can connect to LMF 270 via the core network (5GC 260), via the Internet (not described), or via both. SLP 272 supports similar functionality to LMF 270, but while LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data messages), SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B (Not shown in the image) communicates.

[0053] On one hand, the LMF 270, SLP 272, or both can be integrated into a base station (such as a gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224). When integrated into a gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 or SLP 272 may be referred to as a Location Management Component (LMC). However, as used herein, references to LMF 270 and SLP 272 include both cases where LMF 270 and SLP 272 are components of the core network (e.g., 5GC 260) and cases where LMF 270 and SLP 272 are components of the base station.

[0054] Figure 3A , 3B The explanation of 3C includes UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and2B Several example components (represented by corresponding boxes) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as private networks) depicted herein support file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in System-on-Chip (SoCs), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0055] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB)) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0056] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). A means for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) such as PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access in Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.). Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver and / or Transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0057] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may be provided with means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may 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. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may each include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operation from other systems as appropriate, and in at least some cases perform calculations to determine the respective locations of UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0058] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, to 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 use one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may use one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0059] Transceivers can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes a transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., implementing the transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other implementations it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0060] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can generally be characterized as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers generally involves signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involves signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0061] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with operations as 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, and for providing other processing functionality. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry systems, or various combinations thereof.

[0062] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuitry that respectively implements memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Memories 340, 386, and 396 thus provide means for storage, means for retrieval, means for maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may respectively include positioning components 342, 388, and 398. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry as part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, which, when executed, cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other respects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A The possible locations of the positioning component 342 are described. The positioning component 342 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a self-contained component. Figure 3B The possible locations of the positioning component 388 are explained. The positioning component 388 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a self-contained component. Figure 3C The possible locations of the positioning component 398 are explained. The positioning component 398 may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a self-contained component.

[0063] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion 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 receivers 330. As an example, sensors 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensors 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0064] Additionally, UE 302 includes a user interface 346, which provides means for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device (such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.)). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0065] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 may be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)) broadcasting, 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 (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0066] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, 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 the 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 reference signals transmitted by UE 302 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0067] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on this information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal consists of a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. Symbols on each subcarrier, along with a reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely to be transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate calculated by a channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by base station 304 over the physical channel. This data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0068] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0069] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (cryptography, cryptographic decoding, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0070] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0071] Uplink transmissions are handled at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to one or more processors 384.

[0072] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, cipher decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0073] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , 3BThe components shown in 3C are various and can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the components described may have different functionalities in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components are optional in the replacement configuration, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In such cases, a particular implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, PCs, or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite signal receiver 330, or sensors 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In such cases, a particular implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, explanations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0074] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other on data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interfaces of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are incorporated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between them.

[0075] Figure 3A , 3B The various components of 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and / or memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and / or memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and / or memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0076] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may be a network operator or operation different from the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., on a non-cellular communication link, such as WiFi).

[0077] NR supports several 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. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, Narrowband Reference Signal (NRS), CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from paired base stations (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurements) and reports these differences to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in auxiliary data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location. For DL-AoD positioning, base station measurements are used to estimate the location of the UE by taking the angle of the downlink transmit beam used to communicate with the UE and other channel properties (e.g., signal strength).

[0078] 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 it is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, the base station measures the angle of the uplink received beam used to communicate with the UE and other channel properties (e.g., gain level) to estimate the UE's location.

[0079] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cellular ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round Trip (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT"). In an RTT procedure, the initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to the responder (UE or base station), which then transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal (referred to as the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) measurement). The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal (referred to as the "Tx-Rx" measurement). The propagation time between the initiator and the responder (also known as "time of flight") can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx measurements. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder can be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE executes RTT procedures with multiple base stations so that the UE's location can be triangulated based on the known locations of each base station. RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy.

[0080] 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 timings, and signal strengths of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0081] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 172, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide auxiliary data to the UE. For example, auxiliary data may include: the identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured; reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning slots, the periodicity of the positioning slots, the silence sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier (ID), the reference signal bandwidth, the slot offset, etc.); other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method; or combinations thereof. Alternatively, auxiliary data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without using auxiliary data.

[0082] Location estimation can be referred to by other names, such as location estimation, location, positioning, location locking, locking, etc. Location estimation can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible elevation), or it can be municipal and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of location. Location estimation can be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible elevation). Location estimation can include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including the area or volume that the location is expected to be included with a specified or default confidence level).

[0083] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs).

[0084] Figure 4A Figure 400 illustrates an example of the downlink frame structure based on various aspects.

[0085] Figure 4B Figure 430 illustrates an example of a channel within a downlink frame structure, illustrating various aspects. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures, different channels, or both.

[0086] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as frequency modulation, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain for OFDM and in the time domain for 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 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 504, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.8MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0087] LTE supports single parameter design (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR supports multiple parameter designs (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz or greater can be available. Table 1 provided below lists some of the various parameters used for different NR parameter designs.

[0088]

[0089] Table 1

[0090] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the example, a 15kHz parameter design is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10-millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4A and 4B In this context, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0091] A resource grid is used to represent time slots, each time slot comprising one or more concurrent resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)). The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE corresponds to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In NR, a subframe is 1 ms in duration, a time slot is 14 symbols in the time domain, and an RB contains 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 14 consecutive symbols in the time domain. Therefore, in NR, there is one RB per time slot. Depending on the SCS, an NR subframe can have 14 symbols, 28 symbols, or more symbols, and therefore can have one, two, or more time slots. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0092] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4A An exemplary location (labeled "R") of the RE carrying the PRS is explained.

[0093] A “PRS instance” or “PRS timing” is an instance of a periodically repeating time window in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots). A PRS timing may also be referred to as a “PRS positioning timing,” “PRS positioning instance,” “positioning timing,” “positioning instance,” “positioning repetition,” or simply “timing,” “instance,” or “repetition.”

[0094] The set of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource". This set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and can span 'N' (e.g., 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 a consecutive PRB in the frequency domain.

[0095] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also known as "comb density"). The comb size 'N' represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / frequency modulation spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for a comb size 'N', the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol in the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each of the 4th symbols of the PRS resource configuration, the RE corresponding to each 4th subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12 are supported for DL ​​PRS. Figure 4A An exemplary PRS resource configuration for comb tooth 6 (which spans six symbols) is explained. That is, the location of the shaded RE (marked as "R") indicates the PRS resource configuration for comb tooth 6.

[0096] A “PRS resource set” is a group of PRS resources used for the transmission of PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by the TRP ID). Additionally, PRS resources in a PRS resource set share the same periodicity, a shared silent mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor). Periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource in the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource in the next PRS instance. Periodicity can have a length selected from the following: 2 μ • {4,5,8,10,16,20,32,40,64,80,160,320,640,1280,2560,5040,10240} time slots, where μ = 0,1,2,3. The repetition factor can have a length selected from {1,2,4,6,8,16,32} time slots.

[0097] In a PRS resource set, a PRS resource ID 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 thus, a "PRS resource" (or simply "resource") can also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this does not imply whether the UE is aware of the TRP and beam transmitting the PRS.

[0098] A “positioning frequency layer” (also simply “frequency layer”) is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets with identical values ​​for certain parameters across one or more TRPs. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning all parameter designs supported by PDSCH are also supported by PRS), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter uses the value of the parameter ARFCN-ValueNR (where “ARFCN” stands for “Absolute Radio Channel Number”) and is the identifier / code specifying the physical radio channel pair used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and up to two PRS resource sets can be configured per frequency layer per TRP.

[0099] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth portions (BWPs), but the difference is that component carriers and BWPs are used by a single base station (or macrocell base station and small cell base station) to transmit data channels, while a frequency layer is used by several (often three or more) base stations to transmit PRS (Positioning Signals). A UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when sending its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session). For example, a UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0100] Figure 4BExamples of various channels within the downlink time slot of a radio frame are explained. In NR, the channel bandwidth, or system bandwidth, is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a set of adjacent PRBs selected from a subset of shared RBs designed for a given carrier with given parameters. Generally, a maximum of four BWPs can be specified in both the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured to have up to four BWPs in the downlink and up to four BWPs in the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active at a given time, meaning that the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. In the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of the SSB, but it may or may not contain an SSB.

[0101] Reference Figure 4B The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form the SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth and the System Frame Number (SFN). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) not transmitted through the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0102] The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes one or more RE Group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, and each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The physical resource set used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called the Control Resource Set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted along with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0103] exist Figure 4BIn the example, each BWP has one CORESET, and this CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it can be only one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is localized to a specific region in the frequency domain (i.e., the CORESET). Therefore, Figure 4B The frequency components of the PDCCH shown are interpreted in the frequency domain as fewer than a single BWP. Note that although the interpreted CORESETs are contiguous in the frequency domain, they do not need to be contiguous. Additionally, a CORESET can span fewer than three symbols in the time domain.

[0104] The DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the downlink data transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, different DCI formats exist for uplink scheduling, non-MIMO downlink scheduling, MIMO downlink scheduling, and uplink power control. The PDCCH can be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0105] Time of arrival (TOA) errors exist in positioning measurements. These errors can occur during transmission, propagation, or reception. Example transmission errors include synchronization errors across base stations and transmit RF chain calibration errors (i.e., errors in calibration). Example propagation errors include minor delays (such as variations in air density and penetration delay) and major delays (such as non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals). Example reception errors include receive RF chain calibration errors.

[0106] A calibration point or calibration area is a point or region with a known geographical location. Since a calibration point can be considered a calibration area with zero volume, the term calibration area will be used herein to refer to both calibration areas (with non-zero volume) and calibration points (with zero volume).

[0107] Figure 5A The various sources of potential timing calibration errors have been explained. Generally, timing calibration errors are timing errors caused by imperfect timing calibration. That is, timing calibration is the process of taking timing errors into account and compensating for them (e.g., by adjusting the internal clock, by changing the internal delay time, by including compensation values ​​in the calculations, etc.), and imperfect timing calibration cannot perfectly compensate for timing errors. Timing calibration errors, along with other types of calibration errors, can occur at both the transmitter and receiver, such as at both the gNB and the UE. The following definitions are used in this document for the purpose of discussing internal timing errors.

[0108] Tx Timing Error: From a signal transmission perspective, there is a time delay between the time it takes to generate a digital signal at baseband and the time it takes to transmit an RF signal from the Tx antenna. These are shown in Figure 5 as time delay 500A (gNB) and time delay 500B (UE). To support positioning, the UE / TRP can perform internal calibration / compensation for the Tx time delay of the transmitted DL PRS / UL SRS signals. This may also include calibration / compensation for the relative time delay between different RF chains within the same TRP / UE. This compensation may also possibly take into account the offset between the Tx antenna phase center and the physical antenna center. However, this calibration may not be perfect. The remaining Tx time delay after calibration, or the uncalibrated Tx time delay, is defined as the Tx timing error, which is a type of calibration error.

[0109] Rx Timing Error: From a signal reception perspective, there will be a time delay between the time the RF signal arrives at the Rx antenna and the time the signal is digitized and timestamped at the baseband. These delays occur in... Figure 5A The time delays are shown as time delay 502A (UE) and time delay 502B (gNB). To support positioning, the UE / TRP can perform internal calibration / compensation for the Rx time delay before reporting measurements obtained from the DL PRS / UL SRS signal. This may also include calibration / compensation for the relative time delay between different RF chains within the same TRP / UE. This compensation may also possibly take into account the offset from the Rx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, this calibration may not be perfect. The remaining Rx time delay after calibration, or the uncalibrated Rx time delay, is defined as the Rx timing error, which is another type of calibration error.

[0110] UE Tx Timing Error Group (UE Tx TEG): UE Tx TEG is associated with transmissions to one or more ULSRS resources for positioning purposes, which have Tx timing errors within a certain margin.

[0111] TRP Tx Timing Error Cluster (TRP Tx TEG): TRP Tx TEG is associated with transmissions to one or more DL SRS resources that have Tx timing errors within a certain margin.

[0112] UE Rx Timing Error Group (UE Rx TEG): UE Rx TEG is associated with one or more DL measurements that have Rx timing errors within a certain margin.

[0113] TRP Rx 'Timing Error Cluster' (TRP Rx TEG): TRP Rx TEG is associated with one or more UL measurements that have Rx timing errors within a margin.

[0114] UE RxTx 'Timing Error Group' (UE RxTx TEG): UE RxTx TEG is associated with one or more UE Rx-Tx time difference measurements and one or more UL SRS resources for positioning purposes, and has 'Rx timing error + Tx timing error' within a certain margin.

[0115] TRP RxTx 'Timing Error Cluster' (TRP RxTx TEG): TRP RxTx TEG is associated with one or more gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements and one or more DL PRS resources, which have 'Rx timing error + Tx timing error' within a certain margin.

[0116] Various types of calibration errors exist, including but not limited to the following:

[0117] Timing calibration errors. These errors affect timing-based positioning measurements, such as ToA, RTT, RSTD, etc. Besides... Figure 5A In addition to the Tx and Rx timing errors described, timing calibration errors also include gNB synchronization errors, such as when the system clocks of two gNBs are not precisely aligned. The UE, LMF, or other location server can use techniques like Kalman filtering to track each error in the total calibration error and can report each error individually, the sum of all errors, or both. Example ToA calibration error is the difference between the measured ToA and the true ToA, where the true ToA is calculated based on the known distance between the UE's location and the anchor location, as well as the speed of light. Example RSTD calibration error is the difference between the measured RSTD and the true RSTD.

[0118] Angle calibration errors. These errors affect angle-based positioning measurements such as DL-AoD, UL-AoD, and so on. An example of DL-AoD calibration error is the difference between the measured DL-AoD and the true DL-AoD, where the true DL-AoD is calculated based on the distance vector from the anchor point to the UE converted into AoD.

[0119] Location estimation calibration error. This calibration is calculated by comparing a true (baseline) measurement based on real knowledge of the UE's location and anchor position with an estimated measurement based on PRS operation. An example of location estimation calibration error is the difference between the UE's estimated location and its true location.

[0120] Figure 5B It explains how a calibration area can provide opportunities to correct for TOA errors, for example, by comparing the estimated position, range, or angle of the UE calculated from the TOA in the calibration area with the actual position, range, or angle of the UE in the calibration area. Figure 5B In the positioning measurement results, the TOA error does not reflect the actual distance between UE 104 and base station 102 (i.e., the source of the PRS signal), which is used as the anchor point. Figure 5B In this process, UE 104 detects that it is located in a calibration area (or calibration point) 504 with a known location. UE 104 can detect its location in the calibration area 504 by various means, including using sensor inputs (e.g., detecting visual indicators or barcodes, receiving location signals, etc.), receiving messages from external proximity sensors, receiving messages from a stationary UE, and other techniques. For example, the presence of UE 104 in the calibration area can provide information about the UE's location, which can be used to derive the actual distance 506 from the anchor point. This actual distance is compared with a calculated distance 508 to calculate a calibration error 510, which can be used to correct the calculated distance. The calculation, correction, or both of the calibration error 510 can be performed at a network entity (such as a location server, such as a location management function (LMF)), but can also be performed by the UE if the location of the anchor point (the entity that transmits the reference signal for its TOA measurement) is known to the UE (e.g., provided to the UE via the location server). In this way, the calibration error delta_t (Δ_t) (angle) can be derived. The reference node in the double-difference scheme can calculate various errors based on its position and all reference signals.

[0121] Using a calibration area has several benefits, including: using the calibration area for TOA measurement calibration; notifying the network of detected calibration errors (biases); notifying other UEs of detected biases (e.g., via side link (SL) communication); notifying the base station of clock synchronization errors (which assists in clock synchronization across the network); and providing the network with the opportunity to request PRS when the UE is in the calibration area.

[0122] This document discloses procedures for calculating or reporting calibration errors. In some respects, the procedure is “UE-assisted,” for example, the process involves interaction between the UE and network entities (e.g., location servers, base stations, or both). In these respects, the UE may only know its location or orientation. In other respects, the procedure is “UE-based,” for example, the process can be performed at the UE without assistance from network entities.

[0123] According to some aspects, during UE-assisted processing, the UE provides information about its location to a location server (e.g., LMF, LMS, SLP), and the location server calculates calibration errors (e.g., for TOA, RSTD, DL-AOD, UL-AOA) based on the location report. The location server then sends the calibration errors to the UE (for compensation), gNB (for drift compensation), or both.

[0124] In some respects, during a UE-based approach, the UE knows its location / orientation. The calculation of calibration errors may or may not require assistance from a location server. In some respects, the UE can still report its location independently because the UE-based approach does not require the UE to report PRS measurements. In some respects, location reporting includes indications that the location is derived from a calibration area rather than from an estimate. In some respects, the UE can use new types of location reporting for locations derived from a calibration area. For example, instead of reporting the UE's location to the network, the UE can calculate the calibration error itself using a reference point and report this calibration error to a base station or location server. The calibration error can be used by the location server for other UE-assisted positioning and can be distributed to other base stations for clock synchronization. Furthermore, after obtaining the calculated calibration error, the UE can use sidelink communication to distribute this information to other neighboring UEs.

[0125] The information included in the location report provided by the UE may include coordinates, the range of the UE's location / orientation, timestamps (e.g., the timestamp when the UE arrived at the calibration area) or time range, Rx or Tx calibration error at the UE, and information about uncertainty (confidence level). The calibration error or uncertainty may be a single value for one or more items, or it may include values ​​for each of several items. For RSTD measurements, the UE may further include the TOA or RTT of the reference anchor point. The UE may further include the offset time between the time the UE arrived at the calibration area and the time the UE received a certain PRS.

[0126] In some respects, feedback from the LMF may include calculated calibration errors. In some respects, the feedback may include calibration errors specific to the RSTD, TOA (for a specific PRS resource), RTT (Rx-Tx) specific to the RTS resource, or a combination thereof. In some respects, the feedback may include ranges (to limit timing estimates), upper / lower limits, etc., for specific RSTDs, TOA, RTT (Rx-TX), etc.

[0127] In some respects, the UE may include certain indicators in the report to indicate that calibration errors have been compensated in the measurement report. In some respects, the report may include a field with the calculated calibration error against an LMF reference.

[0128] Similarly, the UE can send a calibration error report to the server. In some aspects, the calibration error report may include calibration errors for RSTD, each PRS resource, each RTT (Rx-Tx), uncertainty (confidence level), and all timestamps. In some aspects, after the LMF / gNB receives this information, the LMF / gNB may redistribute this information to other UEs with the same PRS resources and the same serving gNB and / or the same area.

[0129] In some aspects, a UE can share its calculated calibration error with neighboring UEs for calibration. For Mode 1 sidelink communication, the UE can request permission from the gNB (LMF) to relay the calibration error information to its neighbor via the Uu interface or through an SL scheduled by the gNB. For Mode 2 sidelink communication, the UE can directly transmit the calculated calibration error to its neighbor. In some aspects, the two UEs can first negotiate to share a PRS (e.g., via PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, cell ID, TRP ID, etc.) and exchange their locations, then identify the relevant calibration errors, and finally exchange the calibration errors via an SL. In some aspects, the UE can send measurements to its neighboring UE.

[0130] In some respects, when a location server receives or calculates calibration errors, it can further align the clocks across each gNB. However, it should be noted that calibration errors can represent more than just synchronization errors. Thus, in some respects, if the measured PRS signal is a LOS link, the main positioning error for TDOA comes from synchronization errors across gNBs (e.g., the measured RSTD error compared to the true RSTD in the calibration area / calibration point). Therefore, clock adjustment is more accurate if the clock adjustment is based solely on measurements of the LOS signal. In one respects, if the UE or gNB can perform LOS detection and identify that the measurement is calculated solely based on the LOS path, the report to the location server can indicate that the calibration error represents synchronization errors. In some respects, the location server can use the received calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with the same gNB pair, or to send drift errors to certain gNBs (e.g., the gNB used for RSTD calculation) to correct / align the clocks for PRS transmission. In some aspects, the UE can directly report clock drift information regarding PRS resources or cell IDs to the serving gNB via UCI, MAC-CE, or higher-level messages for UE-based approaches. In other aspects, the serving gNB can distribute synchronization errors to the corresponding gNB via the Xn interface, or the serving gNB can cluster the reports and send them to the LMF via NRPP(a).

[0131] In some respects, the anchors provide feedback to the LMF after they receive the drift and adjust their clocks. The LMF can then send a new message to the UE to update the calibration error: because the synchronization error is now compensated, new measurements do not need to include the old calibration error.

[0132] In some respects, to assist calibration, the UE may request the scheduling of a PRS at a specific time / frame / slot or within a specific time range. The PRS may be an on-demand SP / A PRS or a rescheduling of the current PRS configuration for rule-based scheduled movement.

[0133] For rule-based calibration (e.g., when the UE moves in a rule-based mode, such as in robotics / IoT use cases), the UE can send a request to the LMF or gNB to reconfigure the P / SP PRS to be compatible with the calibration procedure. In some aspects, this reconfiguration can be a time offset, a new PRS timing mode, a silent mode, etc. In some aspects, the UE can also send a request to the serving gNB to modify the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and associated PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, PRS operation should take power-saving features into account.

[0134] In some respects, the location server reconfigures the PRS accordingly (if current resources allow it). In other respects, reconfiguration reconfigures the PRS operation at multiple base stations (e.g., gNBs). The base station may also reconfigure the UE's DRX.

[0135] For one-time calibration, the UE can request an on-demand PRS for calibration. In some aspects, the UE sends an LPP request for on-demand PRS to the location server. The location server allocates PRS resources and sends PRS configurations for the relevant PRS operation to multiple base stations. The UE can send Uplink Control Information (UCI) MAC-CE to the base station to request on-demand SP / A-PRS. The on-demand PRS can be an A / SP PRS and can be pre-configured in the RRC. In some aspects, the base station will send the request to the location server (which subsequently redistributes it to neighbors) or the neighboring gNB to prepare for the PRS operation. In some aspects, the serving gNB sends a PRS trigger (e.g., DCI / MAC-CE) to the UE for the relevant operation. In some aspects, when the UE makes a request, the UE can optionally indicate the purpose of the PRS (e.g., for calibration). In some aspects, the UE can also indicate a specific PRS resource ID, cell, TRP, etc., for calibration purposes. In some aspects, this selection can take into account various factors (e.g., link quality, geometric constraints, better location services, etc.).

[0136] Figure 6AThis is a flowchart illustrating portions of an example process 600 associated with positioning calibration using reference points according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some implementations, Figure 6A One or more process blocks can be executed by a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 104). In some implementations, Figure 6A One or more process frames can be executed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the UE. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6A One or more process blocks may be executed by one or more components of UE302 (such as processors 332, memory 340, WWAN transceivers 310, short-range wireless transceivers 320, satellite signal receivers 330, sensors 344, user interface 346, and positioning components 342), wherein any or all of the components may be means for performing the operation of process 600.

[0137] like Figure 6A As shown, process 600 may include determining the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area (block 602). The means for performing the operation of block 602 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 may determine its location within or to be within a calibration area by using processor(s) 332 to calculate its current or future location (e.g., using information received from receiver(s) 312 or sensors(s) 344).

[0138] like Figure 6A As further shown, process 600 may include reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area (block 604). Means for performing the operation of block 604 may include processors 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceivers 310 of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 may use transmitters 314 to report the location information. In some aspects, the UE reports its location or orientation in a global coordinate system (GCS) or a local coordinate system (LCS). In some aspects, the network entity may include a base station or a location server. In some aspects, the base station may include a gB node. In some aspects, the location server may include a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0139] In some respects, location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0140] In some respects, location information includes a calibration error or uncertainty for a number of items, or a calibration error or uncertainty for each item in a number of items.

[0141] In some respects, location information includes indications that the location is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0142] In some respects, location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of a reference signal (which may be a positioning reference signal).

[0143] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0144] In some respects, location information includes indicators of corrections to previously received calibration error information, relating to measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0145] Figure 6B This is a flowchart illustrating optional steps that the UE can additionally perform in some aspects. For example... Figure 6B As shown, the UE can obtain calibration error information (block 606). In some aspects, the calibration error information may include a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, an arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof. Apparatus for performing the operations of block 606 may include processors 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceivers 310 of the UE 302. For example, in some aspects, the UE may obtain the calibration error information from a network entity (such as a location server) via receivers 312.

[0146] In some aspects, obtaining calibration error information may include: using processors 332 to calculate calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area. In some aspects, calculating calibration error information may include: calculating calibration error information based on geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainties associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0147] In some aspects, calculating calibration error information may include calculating calibration error information based on measurements associated with the transmitter of the reference signal. In some aspects, the measurements associated with the transmitter of the reference signal may include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the time the UE arrives at that location within the calibration area and the time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0148] like Figure 6B As further shown, the UE can use calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation (block 608). The means for performing the operation of block 608 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 can use calibration error information stored in memory 340 to correct the positioning calibration performed by processor(s) 332.

[0149] like Figure 6B As further shown, the UE may report the calibration error information to a network entity and / or another UE (box 610). The means for performing the operation of box 610 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) of UE 302. For example, UE 302 may report the calibration error information via transmitter(s) 314.

[0150] In some respects, the UE may report calibration error information to network entities such as base stations or location servers. In some respects, the base station may include a gB node. In some respects, the location server may include a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0151] In some aspects, a UE may report calibration error information to another UE. In some aspects, sending calibration error information to another UE may include: sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel. In some aspects, sending calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel may include: sending the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting that the network entity to allow the relaying of the calibration error information to at least a neighboring UE via a sidelink sharing scheduled by the Uu interface or gNB. In some aspects, sending calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel may include: sending the calibration error information directly to the second UE without going through a base station. In some aspects, sending the calibration error information directly to the second UE may include: negotiating with the second UE to share a positioning reference signal, exchanging location information with the second UE, identifying relevant calibration errors, and exchanging relevant calibration errors via a sidelink communication channel.

[0152] In some aspects, the method may include, before determining the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area, determining that the UE will be within the calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and sending a request to a network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range. In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS may include a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration. In some aspects, the request may include a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS silent pattern, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the network entity may include a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). In some aspects, sending the request may include sending the request via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message. In some aspects, sending the request may include sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE). In some aspects, the request may include information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific PRS resource set ID, a specific cell ID, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the method may include sending a request to the serving base station for changing the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and associated PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, the method may include receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station. In some aspects, receiving a PRS trigger may include receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0153] In some aspects, the method may include, before determining the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area, determining that the UE will be within the calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and sending a request to a network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range. In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS may include a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration. In some aspects, the request may include a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS silent pattern, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the network entity may include a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). In some aspects, sending the request may include sending the request via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message. In some aspects, sending the request may include sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE). In some aspects, the request may include information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific PRS resource set ID, a specific cell ID, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the method may include sending a request to the serving base station for changing the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and associated PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, the method may include receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station. In some aspects, receiving a PRS trigger may include receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0154] Process 600 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein. Although Figure 6A and Figure 6B An example box of process 600 is shown, but in some implementations, process 600 may include... Figure 6A and Figure 6B The boxes depicted in the diagram are compared to additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes with different arrangements. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 600 can be executed in parallel.

[0155] Figure 7A This is a flowchart illustrating portions of an example process 700 associated with positioning calibration using reference points according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some implementations, Figure 7AOne or more process frames may be executed by a network entity (e.g., location server 172, base station 102). In some aspects, the network entity may include a base station or a location server. In some aspects, the base station may include a gB node. In some aspects, the location server may include a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). In some implementations, Figure 7A One or more process frames may be executed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the network entity. Additionally or alternatively, one or more process frames of FIG7 may be executed by one or more components of network entity 306 (such as processors 394, memory 396, network transceivers 390, and positioning components 398), any or all of which may be means for performing the operation of process 700.

[0156] like Figure 7A As shown, process 700 may include obtaining calibration error information associated with the user equipment (UE) and calibration area (block 702). Apparatus for performing the operation of block 702 may include processors 394, memory 396, or network transceivers 390 of network entity 306. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceivers 390 to obtain calibration error information associated with the user equipment (UE) and calibration area.

[0157] In some respects, obtaining calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area includes receiving calibration error information from the UE.

[0158] In some aspects, obtaining calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area includes: receiving location information from the UE, which is associated with a location within the calibration area; and calculating calibration error information based on the location information. The location within the calibration area can be a location currently occupied by the UE, a location that will be occupied at some indicated time in the future, or a location previously occupied at some indicated time in the past.

[0159] In some respects, location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0160] In some respects, location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of a reference signal (which may be a positioning reference signal).

[0161] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0162] In some respects, calculating calibration error information includes: calculating the difference between the range or location calculated from a reference signal and the location from the calibration area or the location within the calibration area.

[0163] In some respects, reference signal measurements include Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement, Time of Departure (TOD) measurement, Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurement, Angle of Departure (AOD) measurement, Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurement, Round Trip Time (RTT) measurement, or combinations thereof.

[0164] In some respects, calibration error information includes calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, arrival time of a specified positioning reference signal resource, specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0165] like Figure 7A As further shown, process 700 may include sending calibration error information to a UE, a base station, or a combination thereof (block 704). The means for performing the operation of block 704 may include processors 394, memory 396, or network transceivers 390 of network entity 306. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceivers 390 to send calibration error information to a UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0166] Figure 7B This is a flowchart illustrating optional steps that a network entity can additionally perform in some aspects. For example... Figure 7B As shown, process 700 may include: using calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations (block 706). Means for performing the operation of block 706 may include processors 394, memory 396, or network transceivers 390 of network entity 306. For example, calibration error information stored in memory 396 may be used by processors 394 to correct for other positioning estimates. In some aspects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, the calibration error information is not used to calculate clock adjustments. In some aspects, the method may include: using calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations.

[0167] like Figure 7BAs further shown, process 700 may include sending a clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations (block 708). The means for performing the operation of block 708 may include processors 394, memory 396, or network transceivers 390 of network entity 306. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceivers 390 to send the clock adjustment.

[0168] Process 700 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein. Although Figure 7B and 7B The example box for process 700 is shown, but in some implementations, process 700 may include... Figure 7A and 7B The boxes depicted in the diagram are compared to additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged differently. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 700 can be executed in parallel.

[0169] In the detailed description above, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as an intention to have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those of the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the appended clauses should thus be considered as incorporated into this description, where each clause may be a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in its respective clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be appreciated that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or any feature combined with other dependent and independent clauses. The aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations unless explicitly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, it is intended that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause is not directly subordinate to that independent clause.

[0170] Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0171] Clause 1. A method for performing wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a location where the UE is or will be in a calibration area; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0172] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, wherein the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0173] Clause 3. The method of Clause 2, wherein the location information includes calibration error or uncertainty applicable to one item or calibration error or uncertainty applicable to several items.

[0174] Clause 4. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0175] Clause 5. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0176] Clause 6. The method of Clause 5, wherein the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), the offset time between a first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0177] Clause 7. The method of any of Clauses 5 to 6, wherein the location information includes an indication of correction for previously received calibration error information regarding the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0178] Clause 8. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 7 further includes: obtaining calibration error information; and using the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0179] Clause 9. The method of Clause 8, wherein the calibration error information includes: calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference; arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource; specified round-trip time; or a combination thereof.

[0180] Clause 10. The method of any of Clauses 8 to 9, wherein obtaining the calibration error information includes: receiving the calibration error information from the network entity.

[0181] Clause 11. The method of any of Clauses 8 to 10, wherein obtaining the calibration error information comprises: calculating the calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0182] Clause 12. The method of Clause 11, wherein calculating the calibration error information based on the location information associated with the location within the calibration area includes calculating the calibration error information based on: geographic coordinates or location; range of geographic coordinates or location; distance or range of distance; angle or range of angle; timestamp or range of timestamps; transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE; uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing; or a combination thereof.

[0183] Clause 13. The method of any of Clauses 11 to 12, wherein calculating the calibration error information comprises: calculating the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0184] Clause 14. The method of any of Clauses 8 to 13 further includes: reporting the calibration error information to the network entity, sending the calibration error information directly or indirectly to another UE, or a combination thereof.

[0185] Clause 15. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 14 includes, prior to determining that the UE is or will be in the location within the calibration area, performing the following actions: determining that the UE will be in the calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and sending a request to the network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range.

[0186] Clause 16. The method of Clause 15, wherein sending the request to schedule the PRS includes sending the following: a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS; a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration; a request for a new time offset; a request for a new PRS timing mode; a request for a new PRS silent mode; or a combination thereof.

[0187] Clause 17. The method of any of Clauses 15 to 16, wherein the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific PRS resource set ID, a specific cell ID, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof.

[0188] Clause 18. The method of any of Clauses 15 to 17 further includes: sending a request to the serving base station to change the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0189] Clause 19. A method for performing wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: obtaining calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area; and transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0190] Clause 20. The method of Clause 19 further includes: using the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with respect to each of one or more base stations.

[0191] Clause 21. The method of any of Clauses 19 to 20, wherein obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration region includes: receiving the calibration error information from the UE.

[0192] Clause 22. The method of any of Clauses 19 to 21, wherein obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area comprises: receiving location information from the UE, the location information being associated with a location within the calibration area; and calculating the calibration error information based on the location information.

[0193] Clause 23. The method of Clause 22, wherein the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0194] Clause 24. The method of any of Clauses 22 to 23, wherein the location information includes a measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0195] Clause 25. The method of Clause 24, wherein the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes the reference signal time difference (RSTD), time of arrival (TOA), round-trip time (RTT), the offset time between a first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0196] Clause 26. The method of any of Clauses 19 to 25, wherein calculating the calibration error information includes: calculating the difference between the range or position calculated as from the reference signal and the range or position from the calibration area or the calibration area.

[0197] Clause 27. The method of Clause 26, wherein the reference signal measurement includes Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement, Time of Departure (TOD) measurement, Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurement, Angle of Departure (AOD) measurement, Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurement, Round Trip Time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0198] Clause 28. The method of any of Clauses 19 to 27, wherein the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0199] Clause 29. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine a location of the UE that is or will be in a calibration area; and report location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location in the calibration area.

[0200] Clause 30. A network entity comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: acquire calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area; and transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof via the at least one transceiver.

[0201] Clause 29. An apparatus comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the memory, the transceiver, and the processor being configured to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0202] Clause 30. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0203] Clause 31. A non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0204] Additional aspects include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0205] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) includes: determining the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0206] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0207] In some respects, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0208] In some respects, reporting the location information includes: reporting the location information in a reporting format for reporting the location, which is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0209] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0210] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0211] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0212] In some respects, the location information includes indicators of corrections to previously received calibration error information, relating to the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0213] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0214] In some respects, the base station includes g B nodes.

[0215] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0216] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving calibration error information from the network entity; and using the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0217] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0218] In some respects, the method includes sending the calibration error information to another UE.

[0219] In some respects, sending the calibration error information to another UE includes sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0220] In some aspects, the method includes: determining that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and sending a request to a network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range.

[0221] In some respects, the request to schedule the PRS includes: a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS on demand, or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0222] In some respects, the request includes requests for new time offsets, new PRS timing modes, new PRS silent modes, or combinations thereof.

[0223] In some respects, the network entity includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0224] In some respects, sending the request includes sending it via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message.

[0225] In some respects, sending the request includes sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0226] In some respects, the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific cell, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0227] In some aspects, the method includes sending a request to the serving base station to change the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurements or transmission rules.

[0228] In some aspects, the method further includes receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station.

[0229] In some respects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0230] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) includes: determining the location of the UE in or to be in a calibration area; calculating calibration error information based on location information associated with the location in the calibration area; and using the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0231] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0232] In some respects, this location information is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0233] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0234] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0235] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0236] In some respects, calculating the calibration error information includes: calculating the calibration error information based on geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmission (TX) or reception (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0237] In some respects, calculating this calibration error information includes: calculating the calibration error information based on the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0238] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0239] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0240] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0241] In some respects, the method includes reporting the calibration error information to network entities.

[0242] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0243] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0244] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0245] In some respects, the method includes sending the calibration error information to another UE.

[0246] In some respects, sending the calibration error information to another UE includes sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0247] In some respects, sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes: sending the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting that the network entity to allow the relaying of the calibration error information to at least a neighboring UE via a sidelink shared connection scheduled by the Uu interface or gNB.

[0248] In some respects, sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes sending the calibration error information directly to the second UE without going through the base station.

[0249] In some aspects, directly sending the calibration error information to the second UE includes: negotiating with the second UE to share a positioning reference signal; exchanging location information with the second UE; identifying the relevant calibration error; and exchanging the relevant calibration error via the sidelink communication channel.

[0250] In some aspects, the method includes: determining that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and sending a request to a network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range.

[0251] In some respects, the request to schedule the PRS includes: a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS on demand, or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0252] In some respects, the request includes requests for new time offsets, new PRS timing modes, new PRS silent modes, or combinations thereof.

[0253] In some respects, the network entity includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0254] In some respects, sending the request includes sending it via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message.

[0255] In some respects, sending the request includes sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0256] In some respects, the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific cell, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0257] In some aspects, the method includes sending a request to the serving base station to change the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurements or transmission rules.

[0258] In some aspects, the method further includes receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station.

[0259] In some respects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0260] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a network entity includes: receiving location information from a user equipment (UE) associated with a location within a calibration area; calculating calibration error information based on the location information; and transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0261] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0262] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0263] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0264] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0265] In some respects, calculating this calibration error information includes: calculating the difference between the position, such as that measured from a reference signal, and the position within the calibration area.

[0266] In some respects, the reference signal measurement includes Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement, Time of Departure (TOD) measurement, Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurement, Angle of Departure (AOD) measurement, Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurement, Round Trip Time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0267] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0268] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0269] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0270] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0271] In some aspects, the method includes: using the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations; and sending the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0272] In some respects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate clock adjustment.

[0273] In some aspects, the method includes using the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates for each of one or more base stations.

[0274] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communication by a network entity includes: receiving calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and transmitting the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0275] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0276] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0277] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0278] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0279] In some aspects, the method includes: using the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations; and sending the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0280] In some respects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate clock adjustment.

[0281] In some aspects, the method includes using the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates for each of one or more base stations.

[0282] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine the location of the UE within or to be within a calibration area; and cause the at least one transceiver to report location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0283] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0284] In some respects, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0285] In some respects, reporting the location information includes: reporting the location information in a reporting format for reporting the location, which is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0286] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0287] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0288] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0289] In some respects, the location information includes indicators of corrections to previously received calibration error information, relating to the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0290] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0291] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0292] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0293] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive calibration error information from the network entity; and use the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0294] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0295] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to send the calibration error information to another UE.

[0296] In some respects, sending the calibration error information to another UE includes sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0297] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to perform the following operations before determining the location of the UE in or to be in the calibration area: determining that the UE will be in the calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and causing the at least one transceiver to send a request to the network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range.

[0298] In some respects, the request to schedule the PRS includes: a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS on demand, or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0299] In some respects, the request includes requests for new time offsets, new PRS timing modes, new PRS silent modes, or combinations thereof.

[0300] In some respects, the network entity includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0301] In some respects, sending the request includes sending it via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message.

[0302] In some respects, sending the request includes sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0303] In some respects, the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific cell, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0304] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to send a request to the serving base station to change the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurements or transmission rules.

[0305] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to receive PRS triggers from the serving base station.

[0306] In some respects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0307] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine a position of the UE that is or will be in a calibration area; calculate calibration error information based on position information associated with the position in the calibration area; and use the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0308] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0309] In some respects, this location information is derived from the UE's positioning detection within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0310] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0311] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0312] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0313] In some respects, calculating the calibration error information includes: calculating the calibration error information based on geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmission (TX) or reception (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0314] In some respects, calculating this calibration error information includes: calculating the calibration error information based on the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0315] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0316] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0317] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0318] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to report the calibration error information to the network entity.

[0319] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0320] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0321] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0322] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to send the calibration error information to another UE.

[0323] In some respects, sending the calibration error information to another UE includes sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0324] In some respects, sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes: sending the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting that the network entity to allow the relaying of the calibration error information to at least a neighboring UE via a sidelink shared connection scheduled by the Uu interface or gNB.

[0325] In some respects, sending the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes sending the calibration error information directly to the second UE without going through the base station.

[0326] In some aspects, directly sending the calibration error information to the second UE includes: negotiating with the second UE to share a positioning reference signal; exchanging location information with the second UE; identifying the relevant calibration error; and exchanging the relevant calibration error via the sidelink communication channel.

[0327] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to perform the following operations before determining the location of the UE in or to be in the calibration area: determining that the UE will be in the calibration area at a specific time or during a specific time range; and causing the at least one transceiver to send a request to the network entity to schedule a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at that specific time or during that specific time range.

[0328] In some respects, the request to schedule the PRS includes: a request to schedule a synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS on demand, or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0329] In some respects, the request includes requests for new time offsets, new PRS timing modes, new PRS silent modes, or combinations thereof.

[0330] In some respects, the network entity includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0331] In some respects, sending the request includes sending it via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message.

[0332] In some respects, sending the request includes sending the request via an Uplink Control Information (UCI) Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0333] In some respects, the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific cell, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0334] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to send a request to the serving base station to change the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurements or transmission rules.

[0335] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to receive PRS triggers from the serving base station.

[0336] In some respects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0337] In one aspect, a network entity includes: a memory; at least one network interface; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one network interface, the at least one processor being configured to: receive location information from a user equipment (UE) associated with a location within a calibration area; calculate calibration error information based on the location information; and cause the at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0338] In some respects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0339] In some respects, this location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

[0340] In some respects, the measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal include the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), the Time of Arrival (TOA), the offset time between the first time the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and the second time the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0341] In some respects, this reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0342] In some respects, calculating this calibration error information includes: calculating the difference between the position, such as that measured from a reference signal, and the position within the calibration area.

[0343] In some respects, the reference signal measurement includes Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement, Time of Departure (TOD) measurement, Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurement, Angle of Departure (AOD) measurement, Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurement, Round Trip Time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0344] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0345] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0346] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0347] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0348] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to: use the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of the one or more base stations; and send the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0349] In some respects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate clock adjustment.

[0350] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to use the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with each of the one or more base stations.

[0351] In one aspect, a network entity includes: a memory; at least one network interface; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one network interface, the at least one processor being configured to: receive calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and cause the at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0352] In some respects, the calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0353] In some respects, this network entity includes base stations or location servers.

[0354] In some respects, this network entity includes g B nodes.

[0355] In some respects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0356] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to: use the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of the one or more base stations; and cause the at least one network interface to send the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0357] In some respects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate clock adjustment.

[0358] In some respects, the at least one processor is further configured to use the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with each of the one or more base stations.

[0359] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for determining a location where the UE is or will be in a calibration area; and means for reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0360] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for determining a location where the UE is or will be in a calibration area; means for calculating calibration error information based on location information associated with the location in the calibration area; and means for using the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0361] In one aspect, a network entity includes: means for receiving location information from a user equipment (UE) associated with a location within a calibration area; means for calculating calibration error information based on the location information; and means for transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0362] In one aspect, a network entity includes: means for receiving calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and means for transmitting the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0363] In one aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine a location where the UE is or will be in a calibration area; and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to cause at least one transceiver to report location information associated with the location within the calibration area to a network entity.

[0364] In one aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine a location where the UE is or will be in a calibration area; at least one instruction for instructing the UE to calculate calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area; and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to use the calibration error information to correct the positioning calculation.

[0365] In one aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction for instructing a network entity to receive location information associated with a location within a calibration area; at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to calculate calibration error information based on the location information; and at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to send the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof via at least one network interface.

[0366] In one aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction for instructing a network entity to receive calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to send the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof via at least one network interface.

[0367] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0368] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic 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 between hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in a generalized manner 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 construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0369] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, 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. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, it may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0370] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. 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, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor such that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, 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, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0371] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on or through a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Similarly, any connection is also legitimately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then such coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used in this article, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0372] While the foregoing disclosure has illustrated illustrative aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions in the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, pluralism is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method for performing wireless communication by a network entity, the method comprising: Obtain calibration error information associated with user equipment (UE) and calibration area; as well as Send the calibration error information.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The calibration error information is used to compensate for other positioning estimates for each of one or more base stations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, Obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration region includes receiving the calibration error information from the UE.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, Obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration region includes: The UE receives location information, which is associated with a location within the calibration area; and The calibration error information is calculated based on the location information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, The location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further includes using the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of the one or more base stations, and sending the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, If it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate the clock adjustment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The network entities include base stations, gB nodes, location servers, location management functions (LMF), location management servers (LMS), secure user plane location (SUPL) location platforms (SLP), or combinations thereof.

11. A network entity, comprising: One or more memory units; 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 being configured individually or in combination to: Obtain calibration error information associated with user equipment (UE) and calibration area; and The calibration error information is transmitted via the at least one transceiver.

12. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The calibration error information includes the calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, the arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, the specified round-trip time, or a combination thereof.

13. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to use the calibration error information to compensate for other positioning estimates with each of the one or more base stations.

14. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, In order to obtain the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration region, the one or more processors are individually or in combination configured to receive the calibration error information from the UE.

15. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, In order to obtain the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration region, the one or more processors are configured individually or in combination to: Location information is received from the UE via the one or more transceivers, the location information being associated with a location within the calibration area; and The calibration error information is calculated based on the location information.

16. The network entity as claimed in claim 15, wherein, The location information includes geographic coordinates or location, range of geographic coordinates or location, distance or range of distance, angle or range of angle, timestamp or range of timestamp, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

17. The network entity as claimed in claim 15, wherein, The location information includes measured values ​​associated with the transmitter of the reference signal.

18. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: use the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of the one or more base stations, and to send the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

19. The network entity as claimed in claim 18, wherein, The one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, then the calibration error information is not used to calculate the clock adjustment.

20. The network entity as claimed in claim 11, wherein, The network entities include base stations, gB nodes, location servers, location management functions (LMF), location management servers (LMS), secure user plane location (SUPL) location platforms (SLP), or combinations thereof.

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