Measurement and reporting for new radio wireless sensing

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In some aspects, a network entity receives a positioning report from a user equipment (UE). The network entity sends to the UE an indication of a reference transmit receive point (TRP) for the sensing operation based at least on the positioning report. In some aspects, a UE receives, from a network entity, an indication of a reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme. The UE sends a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with a time of arrival (TOA) of an arrival path of the reference TRP and the one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] All aspects of this disclosure relate to wireless technology.

[0003] 2. Related technical descriptions

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through many generations, 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, wireless services with internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), as well as digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and others.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), delivers higher data transfer speeds, more connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on Positioning Reference Signals (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technological enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advancements in the PRS process and technology, and the high-density deployment of 5G, enable high-accuracy positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of the invention relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered an exhaustive overview relating to all conceived aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements relating to all conceived aspects or to depict the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of the following outline is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a wireless communication method performed by a network entity includes: receiving a location report from a first user equipment (UE); and sending an instruction to the first UE for a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0008] In some aspects, the method includes: determining one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmit / receive points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on a positioning report; and selecting a first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

[0009] In some respects, the method includes applying a filtering scheme to determine one or more LOS TRPs and one or more NLOS TRPs.

[0010] In some aspects, the method includes: determining one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the strength of the LOS path from each LOS TRP in one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0011] In some respects, selecting a first reference TRP from one or more LOS TRPs includes selecting the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE that have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0012] In some respects, the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and a second TRP in one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

[0013] In some aspects, the method includes: determining a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements including delay measurements from each of one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of UEs including a first UE; and selecting a first reference TRP from one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0014] In some aspects, the method includes: selecting a second LOS TRP based at least in part on a set of delay measurements to be located in a first subset of one or more LOS TRPs and one or more NLOS TRPs together with a first reference TRP; and sending to a first UE an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0015] In some respects, a first subset of the first reference TRP includes collaborative sensing schemes.

[0016] In some aspects, the method includes: sending an indication of a first timing offset to a first UE, wherein the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from a first reference TRP, and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on a location report.

[0017] In some aspects, the method includes: sending an indication to a first UE for a first timing reference, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) associated with signal transmission from a first reference TRP.

[0018] In some aspects, the method includes: determining a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of UEs including a first UE and a second UE; and sending an instruction to the second UE for the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

[0019] In some respects, the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0020] In one aspect, a wireless communication method performed by a UE includes: receiving from a network entity an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and sending a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

[0021] In some respects, the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0022] In some aspects, the method includes receiving an indication from a network entity of a timing offset to be used in a collaborative sensing scheme.

[0023] In some respects, the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0024] In some aspects, the method includes: determining a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on a timing offset, the time of arrival (TOA) of a first arrival path (FAP) of a first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from one or more adjacent TRPs; and including the relative time difference in a sensing measurement report.

[0025] In some respects, at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as an NLOS path.

[0026] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving an indication from the UE to avoid including a TOA associated with a FAP of a second TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and to include a TOA associated with a FAP of a third TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0027] In one aspect, a network entity includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: receive a location report from a first UE via the one or more transceivers; and transmit an instruction to the first UE via the one or more transceivers for a first reference RP for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0028] In one aspect, a UE includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers and from a network entity, an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmit a sensing measurement report via the one or more transceivers, the sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

[0029] In one aspect, a network entity includes: a component for receiving a location report from a first UE; and a component for sending an instruction to the first UE for a first reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0030] In one aspect, a UE includes: components for receiving from a network entity an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and components for transmitting a sensing measurement report, the sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the TOA of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

[0031] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receive a location report from a first UE; and send an instruction to the first UE for a first reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0032] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: receive from a network entity an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and send a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the TOA of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

[0033] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not to limit the aspects.

[0035] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0036] Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 2C Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0037] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C It is a simplified block diagram of several examples of components that can be used in user equipment (UE), base stations and network entities and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0038] Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods supported in new radios (NR) according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0039] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Different types of radars according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0040] Figure 6 Examples of multi-UE cooperative sensing that can be employed by a wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0041] Figure 7A Examples of multi-transmitter-receiver point (TRP) cooperative sensing that can be employed by a wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0042] Figure 7B Examples of time-domain plots of reference signals sensed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0043] Figure 8 Examples of ellipsoid-based sensing that can be employed by a wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0044] Figure 9 Examples of time-domain plots of reference signals sensed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0045] Figure 10 Examples of multi-UE multi-TRP cooperative sensing that can be employed by a wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0046] Figure 11 Examples of time-domain plots of reference signals sensed according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.

[0047] Figure 12 and Figure 13 Example methods of wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and accompanying drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0049] The various aspects generally involve measurement and reporting for sensing operations. Some aspects are more specifically related to both location operations and sensing operations in NR. That is, for example, location techniques can be performed to determine the location of one or more devices in a wireless communication system, and the location information of the devices can be used to perform sensing measurement and reporting techniques. In some examples, the wireless communication system can support (New Radio) NR positioning to accurately determine the geographic location or position of one or more User Equipments (UEs) in the network. A Transmitting Receiver Point (TRP) can send a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) to the UE, and one or more UEs can perform measurements on the PRS and report the measurements to the network. In some examples, the reported measurements may include Time of Arrival (TOA) and Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurements. Network entities or centralized entities can use the measurements to calculate the position of one or more UEs in the network. In some examples, NR positioning enables a variety of location-based or position-based services and applications, including but not limited to sensing, navigation, tracking, etc.

[0050] In some respects, NR sensing can correspond to sensing operations associated with a passive object rather than an active device with which the network can communicate. That is, for example, in a sensing operation, unlike NR positioning, the target object may not have any transmitter and / or receiver capabilities. In some cases, the same reference signals (e.g., Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and Detection Reference Signal (SRS)) can be used for both positioning and sensing. In some cases, the same configuration and protocols (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) and NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa)) can be used for both positioning and sensing. In some examples, the network can indicate to the UE which TRP to use in the sensing operation. That is, for example, by receiving a positioning report from the UE (e.g., after a positioning process has been performed on the UE), the network can identify which TRP is the UE's line-of-sight (LOS) TRP, and which LOS TRP might be optimal for the UE to use as a reference TRP in a cooperative sensing scheme with other TRPs and / or multiple UEs. In some examples, the network may also instruct the UE to use a timing offset to compensate for the propagation delay between the reference TRP and the UE, which the UE can use when reporting sensing results.

[0051] Additionally, the UE may determine a reference time and report the Time of Arrival (TOA) relative to the reference time for non-LOS (NLOS) paths. At least some of the NLOS paths may correspond to one or more other TRPs different from the reference TRP. In some examples, the UE may avoid transmitting the First Path of Arrival (FAP) associated with one or more other TRPs. That is, for example, the UE may send one or more relative time difference report measurements to the network corresponding to one or more NLOS paths.

[0052] Specific aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by identifying a reference TRP with a LOS path to the UE via the network, the described techniques can be used for efficient collaborative sensing schemes by ensuring the use of a more efficient reference TRP for target object measurement and reporting. In some examples, by having the UE send reports of measurements with one or more relative time differences to the network, the described techniques can reduce the computational steps and time required for the network to determine the location of target objects.

[0053] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other aspects. 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.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will understand that any of a variety of different techniques and methods can be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0055] Furthermore, many aspects are described according to a sequence of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be entirely embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, any corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0056] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, 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, consumer asset positioning 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” or “UT,” “Mobile Equipment,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, etc.).

[0057] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, Node B, Evolved Node B (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UE. In some systems, the base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can transmit signals 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 transmit signals 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.

[0058] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical TRP or multiple physical TRPs that may be co-located or non-co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of a base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP can be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because, as used herein, a TRP is the point by which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0059] In some specific implementations supporting UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., in the case of transmitting signals to the UE) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., in the case of receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0060] 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 send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal” where the context clearly indicates that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0061] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0062] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., LMF or Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP)) via core network 170. Location server 172 can be part of core network 170 or can be external to core network 170. Location server 172 can be integrated with base station 102. UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 via base station 102 currently serving UE 104. UE 104 can also communicate with location server 172 via another path, such as via application server (not shown), via another network, such as via wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 can be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., via core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), wherein intermediate nodes (if present) are omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0063] In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform functions associated with one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) on backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0064] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station in base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI), etc.) used 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 for different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can, depending on the context, refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., a sector), as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0065] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some areas within geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB) that can provide service to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0066] 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 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0067] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (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 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) process before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0068] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MULTEFIRE. ® .

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate communicatively with the UE 182 at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies. 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, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths 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 radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0070] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). 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, thus providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). 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 array of antennas (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that forms an RF beam that can be "manipulated" to be pointed in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the correct phase relationship, such that radio waves from the individual antennas add up in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0071] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) as having the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived based on information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. 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 a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0072] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is described as performing beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is 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.

[0073] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about a first beam (e.g., receive or transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0074] It is important to note that, depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving the downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0075] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been designated as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz to 7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz to 52.6GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6GHz" band. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although this differs from the designation used by the International Telecommunication Union.® Extremely high frequency (EHF) bands (30 GHz to 300 GHz) are designated as “millimeter wave” bands.

[0076] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as intermediate frequency (IF) bands. Recent 5G NR studies have designated the operating bands for these IF bands as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to IF band frequencies. Additionally, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been designated as the frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0077] In light of the above, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that when the term "below 6 GHz" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or including intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that when the term "millimeter wave" is used herein, it can broadly refer to frequencies that can include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or within the EHF band.

[0078] In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by UE 104 / 182 and the cell, where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier 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) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, the UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within 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. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0079] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20MHz carrier, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).

[0080] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 via communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0081] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may be able to communicate via sidelink. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) can also communicate directly with each other via radio sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). Radio sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standards that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without the need for communication through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be located within the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102. Other SL-UEs in this group may be outside the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102, or may be unable to receive transmissions from base station 102 for other reasons. In some cases, the groups of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources used for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the individual SL-UEs without involving base station 102.

[0082] On one hand, the sidelink 160 can operate via a wireless communication medium of interest that can be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs for wireless communication. "Medium" can include one or more time, frequency, and / or space communication resources (e.g., covering one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communication between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. On another hand, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of unlicensed frequency bands shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded their operation to unlicensed frequency bands such as those used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include various variants of CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and so on.

[0083] It should be noted that, although Figure 1 Only two of these UEs are exemplified as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), but any UE exemplified can be an SL-UE. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any UE exemplified (including UE 164) can be capable of beamforming. When SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they can beamform towards each other (i.e., towards other SL-UEs), towards other UEs (e.g., UE 104), towards base stations (e.g., base station 102, base station 180, small cell 102', access point 150), etc. Therefore, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 can utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0084] exist Figure 1 In the example, the UE shown (for simplicity, in) Figure 1Any UE (shown as a single UE 104) can receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that allows UE 104 to use as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that a receiver (e.g., UE 104) can determine its location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SV 112.

[0085] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise made capable of being used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlap Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted geographic augmentation navigation, or GPS and geographic augmentation navigation system (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0086] On one hand, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user equipment. Thus, as a replacement or supplement to communication signals from ground base station 102, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112.

[0087] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which 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 one example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations in base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through this D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through this D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can utilize any known D2DRAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct). ® ,Bluetooth ® (etc.) to support.

[0088] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For instance, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which work together 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 user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. 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 a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either or both of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0089] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0090] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 240.5GC 260 is illustrated (which can be used with...). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 (corresponding to 5GC 210) can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of AMF 264 include: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and the 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 the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and Secure Anchoring Functionality (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204 and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204's authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) authentication, AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AMF. AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF and uses this key to derive an access network-specific key. AMF 264 functionality also includes location service management for regulated services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as location server 230), transmission of location service messages between NG-RAN 220 and LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for EPS interoperability, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF 264 also supports non-3GPP... ® (Third Generation Partner Program) Access network functionality.

[0091] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / 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 eavesdropping (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and transmitting and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the delivery of location service messages between UE 204 and location servers (such as SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0092] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, service orientation configuration at UPF 262 for routing services to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0093] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). SLP 272 can support similar functions to LMF 270, but while LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to deliver signaling messages rather than voice or data), SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party server 274) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmit Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0094] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., location estimation) of UE 204. Therefore, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or an external client. The third-party server 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0095] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260, and specifically connect UPF 262 and AMF 264 to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0096] The functionality of the gNB 222 is divided among the gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RU) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions other than those specifically allocated to the gNB-DU 228, including user data delivery, mobility control, radio access network sharing, location, session management, etc. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Media Access Control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of gNB 222 is typically managed by one or more independent gNB-RU 229s, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between gNB-DU 228 and gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0097] The deployment of communication systems such as 5G NR systems can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, network mobility elements, RAN nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment (such as base stations or one or more units (or components) performing base station functions) can be implemented in aggregated or decomposed architectures. For example, base stations (such as Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base stations, 5GNB, access points (APs), transmit / receive points (TRPs), or cells, etc.) can be implemented as aggregated base stations (also known as self-contained base stations or monolithic base stations) or decomposed base stations.

[0098] Aggregated base stations can be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. Decentralized base stations can be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some respects, the CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CUs, DUs, and RUs may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0099] Base station type operation or network design can consider the aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, decomposed base stations can be used in Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) networks, Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN) (such as those developed by the O-RAN Alliance), and other similar networks. ® This can be used in proposed network configurations or virtualized radio access networks (vRAN, also known as cloud radio access networks (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functionality across two or more units in various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which allows for flexibility in network design. Various units in a decomposed base station or decomposed RAN architecture can be configured to communicate wirelessly with at least one other unit.

[0100] Figure 2C An example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CU 226) that can communicate directly with the core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 267 via one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both). CUs 280 may communicate with one or more duplex units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DU 228) via a corresponding midhaul link (e.g., an F1 interface). DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RU 229) via a corresponding fronthaul link. RU 287 can communicate with the corresponding UE 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, UE 204 can be served by multiple RU 287s simultaneously.

[0101] Each of these units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO frame 255) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via wired or wireless transmission media. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more other units via transmission media. For example, these units may include wired interfaces configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wired transmission media. Additionally, these units may include wireless interfaces that may include receivers, transmitters, or transceivers (such as RF transceivers) configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more other units via wireless transmission media, or both.

[0102] In some aspects, the CU 280 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include RRC, PDCP, Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function can be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signaling with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 can be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface such as an E1 interface. The CU 280 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 for network control and signaling, as needed.

[0103] DU 285 may correspond to a logic unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RU 287s. In some aspects, DU 285 may be at least partially based on functional decomposition (such as by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). ® The DU285 is a functionally defined layer that hosts one or more of the RLC layer, MAC layer, and one or more high-PHY layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation). In some respects, the DU285 may also host one or more low-PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU285 or with control functions hosted by the CU280.

[0104] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 287s. In some deployments, an RU287 controlled by a DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that at least partially hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) based on functional decomposition such as lower-layer functional decomposition, or both. In this architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration enables the implementation of the DU 285 and CU 280 in cloud-based RAN architectures such as vRAN architectures.

[0105] SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, SMO framework 255 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via operation and maintenance interfaces such as the O1 interface. For virtualized network elements, SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with cloud computing platforms such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269 to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via cloud computing platform interfaces such as the O2 interface. Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, SMO framework 255 can communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN, such as Open eNB (O-eNB) 261, via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RU 287s via the O1 interface. SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of SMO framework 255.

[0106] The non-RT RIC 257 can be configured to include logical functions enabling non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, including artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows for model training and updates, or policy-based guidance for applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 can be coupled to or communicate with the near-RT RIC 259, such as via an A1 interface. The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logical functions enabling near real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via an interface, such as an E2 interface, through data collection and actions, connecting one or more CU 280s, one or more DU 285s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 259.

[0107] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. This information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and can be received from non-network data sources or network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions via the SMO framework 255 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0108] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Examples are shown that can be incorporated into 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...). Figure 2A and Figure 2BSeveral example components (represented by corresponding boxes) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as private networks) depicted herein support the operation as described herein. It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different specific implementations in different types of devices (e.g., in ASICs, in System-on-Chip (SoCs), etc.). 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 as providing similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain 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.

[0109] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, which provide components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) for communication 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 communication with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) through a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, 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 one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0110] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. Short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., Wi-Fi, LTE Direct, Bluetooth). ® ZIGBEE ® Z-WAVE ® Components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) that enable communication between PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), etc.) and other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.). Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 each include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 respectively for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 respectively for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 can be Wi-Fi transceivers, Bluetooth transceivers, etc. ® Transceiver, Zigbee ® and / or Z-WAVE ® Transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0111] 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 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376 respectively, and can provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 respectively. Where satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, etc. ®The signals include 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 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as needed, and in at least some cases, use measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0112] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, which provide components (e.g., transmitting components, receiving components, 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 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. Similarly, network entity 306 may use one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0113] Transceivers can be configured to communicate via wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some embodiments it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other embodiments it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceiver 380 and network transceiver 390 in some embodiments) 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 an antenna array, which allows 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 an antenna array, which allows 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), such that the corresponding device may perform only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit 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.

[0114] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some specific embodiments, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some specific embodiments) may generally be described as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Therefore, 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 typically 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) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0115] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operation 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. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 may provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for transmitting, components 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 circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0116] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide components for storage, retrieval, maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include sensing components 342, 388, and 398. Sensing components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, sensing 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, sensing 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 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 Possible locations of the sensing component 342 are illustrated. The sensing component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations of sensing component 388 are illustrated. The sensing component may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations of sensing component 398 are illustrated. The sensing component may be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.

[0117] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide components 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. By way of example, sensor 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, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate positioning in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0118] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides components for providing instructions to a 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.

[0119] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 can 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 broadcasting system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, 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.

[0120] 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-QAM). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. These channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal 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.

[0121] 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 the information to recover any spatial streams 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 comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The reference signal and symbols on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. Then, data and control signals are provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0122] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, 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.

[0123] 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) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the delivery of upper-layer PDUs, 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 of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0124] 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 an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and 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.

[0125] Uplink transmissions are processed 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 this information to one or more processors 384.

[0126] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0127] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The example shown herein includes various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionalities in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In certain cases, specific implementations of UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, personal computers (PCs), or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth). ® (e.g., cellular capability only), or the short-range wireless transceiver 320 can be omitted (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite signal receiver 330 can be omitted, or the sensor 344 can be omitted, etc. For example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, specific implementations 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 signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0128] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via 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, in cases where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between these different logical entities.

[0129] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The 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 combine at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide that functionality. For example, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Moreover, some or all of the functionalities represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it should be understood that such operations, actions and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory 340, 386 and 396, sensing components 342, 388 and 398, etc.) of UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc.

[0130] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may operate differently from the network operator or 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 can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as Wi-Fi).

[0131] NR supports various cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and positioning methods based on both downlink and uplink. Downlink-based positioning methods include: Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD) in NR. Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods according to aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process illustrated in scenario 410, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., PRS) received from paired base stations (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurement) and reports these differences to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in 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 measurement, the positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the UE's location.

[0132] For the DL-AoD positioning illustrated in scenario 420, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding the received signal strength of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's location based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0133] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE transmits one or more uplink reference signals, which are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the reception time of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the received-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known location of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use the TDOA to estimate the UE's location.

[0134] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurement and the angle of the receive beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0135] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT" and "Multi-RTT"). During RTT, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), which then sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the time of transmission of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundary of the received signal and the transmitted signal. The two entities can then transmit their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities based on these two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., calculated as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can transmit its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to another entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For the multi-RTT positioning illustrated in scenario 430, the first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning process with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known location of the second entities (e.g., using polygonal measurements). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy, as illustrated in scenario 440.

[0136] 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), identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0137] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, 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., including the number of consecutive time slots of the PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots of the PRS, silence sequences, frequency hopping sequences, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, auxiliary data may be derived 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.

[0138] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, auxiliary data may also include the expected RSTD value and the associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (µs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements is in FR1, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 32 µs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 8 µs.

[0139] Location estimates can be referred to by other names, such as location estimation, location, positioning, fixed location, etc. Location estimates can be geodesic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible elevation), or they can be municipal and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of the location. Location estimates can be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible elevation). Location estimates can include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including the area or volume that the location is expected to include with a specified or default confidence level).

[0140] In some examples, LPP is used point-to-point between a location server (e.g., LMF 270) and a target device (e.g., UE) to locate the target device using location-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources (physical entities or portions of physical entities that provide signals that can be measured by the target device to obtain the location of the target device). An LPP session is used between the location server and the target device to obtain location-related measurements or location estimates, or to transfer auxiliary data. Currently, a single LPP session is used to support a single location request, and multiple LPP sessions can be used between the same endpoints to support multiple different location requests. Each LPP session includes one or more LPP transactions (or procedures), where each LPP transaction performs a single operation (capability exchange, auxiliary data transfer, or location information transfer). Each LPP transaction involves the exchange of one or more LPP messages between the location server and the target device. The general format of an LPP message consists of a set of common fields followed by a body. The body (which may be empty) contains information specific to a particular message type. Each message type contains information specific to one or more positioning methods and / or information common to all positioning methods.

[0141] An LPP session typically includes at least a capability transfer or instruction process, an auxiliary data transfer or delivery process, and a location information transfer or delivery process. Depending on some aspects, example LPP capability transfer processes, LPP auxiliary data transfer processes, and LPP location information transfer processes can be performed between a target device and a location server.

[0142] The purpose of the LPP capability transfer process is to transfer capabilities from a target device (e.g., UE 204) to a location server (e.g., LMF 270). In this context, capability refers to location and protocol capabilities associated with LPP, as well as location methods supported by LPP. During the LPP capability transfer process, the location server (e.g., LMF 270) indicates the type of capability required from the target device (e.g., UE 204) in an LPP request capability message. The target device responds with an LPP provide capability message. The capabilities included in the LPP provide capability message should correspond to any capability type specified in the LPP request capability message. Specifically, for each location method for which a capability request is included in the LPP request capability message, if the target device supports that location method, the target device includes its capability for that supported location method in the LPP provide capability message. For the LPP capability indication process, the target device provides capabilities to the location server in an LPP provide capability message that were not requested (i.e., the LPP request capability message was not received).

[0143] The purpose of the LPP (Local Power Providing) Assisted Data Transfer (LPP) process is to enable a target device to request Assisted Data from a location server for location assistance, and to enable the location server to transfer Assisted Data to the target device without a request. During LPP Assisted Data Transfer, the target device sends an LPP Request Assisted Data message to the location server. The location server responds to the target device with an LPP Provide Assisted Data message containing the requested Assisted Data. The transferred Assisted Data should match or be a subset of the Assisted Data requested in the LPP Request Assisted Data. The location server may also provide any unrequested information it deems useful to the target device. The location server may also send one or more additional LPP Provide Assisted Data messages to the target device containing further Assisted Data. For the LPP Assisted Data Delivery process, the location server provides unrequested Assisted Data necessary for location. Assisted Data can be provided periodically or non-periodically.

[0144] The purpose of the LPP location information delivery process is to enable a location server to request location measurement data and / or location estimates from a target device, and to enable the target device to deliver location measurement data and / or location estimates to the location server without a request. During LPP location information delivery, the location server sends an LPP Request Location Information message to the target device to request location information, indicating the type of location information required and the potentially associated QoS. The target device responds to the location server with an LPP Provide Location Information message to deliver the location information. Unless the location server explicitly allows additional location information, the delivered location information should match or be a subset of the location information requested by the LPP Request Location Information message. More specifically, if the requested information is compatible with the capabilities and configuration of the target device, the target device includes the requested information in the LPP Provide Location Information message. Otherwise, if the target device does not support one or more of the requested positioning methods, the target device continues to process the message as if it only contained information on supported positioning methods, and handles the signaling content of unsupported positioning methods through LPP error detection. If requested by an LPP Request for Location Information message, the target device sends an Additional LPP Provide Location Information message to the location server to deliver additional location information. The LPP location information delivery process supports delivery based on location estimates from unrequested services.

[0145] LPP also defines procedures related to error indication when a receiving endpoint (target device or location server) receives erroneous or unexpected data or detects some data loss. Specifically, when a receiving endpoint determines that a received LPP message contains an error, it may return an error message indicating one or more errors to the sending endpoint and discard the received / erroneous message. If the receiving endpoint is able to determine that the erroneous LPP message is an LPP error or abort message, it discards the received message without returning an error message to the sending endpoint.

[0146] LPP also defines procedures associated with abort instructions to allow a target device or location server to abort an ongoing process due to an unexpected event (e.g., an LCS client canceling a location request). Abort procedures can also be used to stop ongoing processes (e.g., periodic location reports from a target device). During an abort procedure, the first endpoint determines that process P must be aborted and sends an abort message carrying the transaction ID of process P to the second endpoint. The second endpoint then aborts process P.

[0147] Wireless communication signals transmitted between the UE and the base station (e.g., radio frequency (RF) signals configured to carry orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols according to wireless communication standards such as LTE, NR, etc.) can be used for environmental sensing (also known as "RF sensing" or "radar"). Environmental sensing using wireless communication signals can be considered as consumer-grade radar with advanced detection capabilities, enabling contactless / device-free interaction with devices / systems, etc. Wireless communication signals can be cellular communication signals, such as LTE or NR signals, WLAN signals such as Wi-Fi signals, etc. As a specific example, wireless communication signals can be OFDM waveforms as utilized in LTE and NR. High-frequency communication signals, such as millimeter-wave (mmW) RF signals, are particularly advantageous for use as radar signals because higher frequencies provide at least more accurate ranging (distance) detection.

[0148] Potential uses for RF sensing include: health monitoring, such as heart rate detection and respiratory rate monitoring; gesture recognition, such as human activity recognition, keystroke detection, and sign language recognition; context information acquisition, such as location detection / tracking, direction finding, and distance estimation; and automotive radar, such as intelligent cruise control and collision avoidance.

[0149] There are different types of sensing, including single-station sensing (also known as "active sensing") and dual-station sensing (also known as "passive sensing"). Figure 5A and Figure 5B These different types of sensing are illustrated. Specifically, Figure 5A This is illustration 500 illustrating a single-station sensing scenario, and Figure 5BThis is illustration 530, illustrating a dual-station sensing scenario. Figure 5A In this configuration, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are co-located in the same sensing device 504 (e.g., a UE). The sensing device 504 transmits one or more RF sensing signals 534 (e.g., for uplink or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS) in the case that the sensing device 504 is a UE), and some of the RF sensing signals 534 are reflected from the target object 506. The sensing device 504 can measure various properties of the reflection 536 of the RF sensing signals 534 (e.g., time of arrival (ToA), angle of arrival (AoA), phase shift, etc.) to determine the characteristics of the target object 506 (e.g., size, shape, speed, motion state, etc.).

[0150] exist Figure 5B In this architecture, the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) are not co-located; that is, they are separate devices (e.g., the UE and the base station). It should be noted that although... Figure 5B The example illustrates the use of a downlink RF signal as the RF sensing signal 532, but uplink or sidelink RF signals can also be used as the RF sensing signal 532. In the downlink scenario, as shown in the figure, the transmitter is the base station and the receiver is the UE, while in the uplink scenario, the transmitter is the UE and the receiver is the base station.

[0151] For more detailed information, please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 5B Transmitter device 502 sends RF sensing signals 532 and 534 (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS)) to sensing device 504, but some of the RF sensing signals 534 are reflected from the target object 506. Sensing device 504 (also referred to as "sensing device") can measure the time of arrival (ToA) of the RF sensing signal 532 received directly from the transmitter device and the time of arrival (ToA) of the reflection 536 of the RF sensing signal 534 reflected from the target object 506.

[0152] More specifically, as described above, a transmitter device (e.g., a base station) may transmit a single RF signal or multiple RF signals to a sensing device (e.g., a UE). However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple RF signals corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. Each path may be associated with a cluster of one or more channel taps. Typically, the time when the receiver detects the first channel tap cluster is considered to be the ToA of the RF signal on the site line (LOS) path (i.e., the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver). Subsequent channel tap clusters are considered to have been reflected by objects between the transmitter and receiver, and therefore have followed a non-LOS (NLOS) path between the transmitter and receiver.

[0153] Therefore, re-reference Figure 5BRF sensing signal 532 follows a LOS path between transmitter device 502 and sensing device 504, while RF sensing signal 534 follows an NLOS path between transmitter device 502 and sensing device 504 due to reflection from target object 506. Transmitter device 502 may have transmitted multiple RF sensing signals 532 and 534, some of which follow the LOS path and others follow the NLOS path. Alternatively, transmitter device 502 may have transmitted a single RF sensing signal in a sufficiently wide beam such that a portion of the RF sensing signal follows the LOS path (RF sensing signal 532) and a portion follows the NLOS path (RF sensing signal 534).

[0154] Based on the ToA of the LOS path, the ToA of the NLOS path, and the speed of light, sensing device 504 can determine the distance to a target object. For example, sensing device 504 can calculate the distance to the target object as the difference between the ToA of the LOS path and the ToA of the NLOS path multiplied by the speed of light. Furthermore, if sensing device 504 is capable of receiving beamforming, it can determine the overall direction toward the target object as the direction (angle) of the received beam that receives the RF sensing signal following the NLOS path. That is, sensing device 504 can determine the direction toward the target object as the angle of arrival (AoA) of the RF sensing signal, which is the angle of the received beam used to receive the RF sensing signal. Sensing device 504 can then optionally report this information to transmitter device 502, its serving base station, an application server associated with the core network, an external client, a third-party application, or some other sensing entity. Alternatively, sensing device 504 may report the ToA measurement to transmitter device 502 or another sensing entity (e.g., if sensing device 504 itself does not have the processing capability to perform these calculations), and transmitter device 502 may determine the distance to target object 506 and optionally determine the direction toward the target object.

[0155] It should be noted that if the RF sensing signal is an uplink RF signal sent by the UE to the base station, the base station will perform object detection based on the uplink RF signal, just as the UE does based on the downlink RF signal.

[0156] Similar to conventional radar, radar signals based on wireless communication can be used to estimate the range (distance), velocity (Doppler), and angle (AoA) of a target. However, performance (e.g., resolution and maximum values ​​of range, velocity, and angle) can depend on the design of the reference signal.

[0157] Various aspects of this disclosure relate to techniques for measurement and reporting of NR wireless sensing operations. In NR and various wireless communication networks, different techniques can be used for a variety of positioning operations. For example, DL-TDOA, DL-AOD, multiple RTT, and E-CID can be used as positioning techniques for various network designs and implementations. However, due to the nature of these different techniques, each positioning technique may require a corresponding type of measurement and / or reporting process. Similarly, in NR and various wireless communication networks, different sensing techniques can be used for a variety of sensing operations. For example, sphere / ellipsoid / parabolic sensing techniques can be used for sensing operations. Due to the nature of these different sensing techniques, each sensing technique may require a corresponding type of measurement and / or reporting process.

[0158] Furthermore, the measurement and / or reporting processes associated with sensing operations may differ from those associated with positioning operations. For example, in sensing operations, the target object may not have any transmitting or capability. That is, for example, in some sensing operation scenarios, the target object may be a passive object. For example, the same reference signals (e.g., PRS and SRS) may be used in both the positioning and sensing processes. Additionally or alternatively, the same configuration and protocols (e.g., LPP and NRPPa) may be used in both the positioning and sensing processes.

[0159] However, in order to minimize the workload of the sensing process on various network devices, existing positioning processes and frameworks can be enhanced to support sensing operations, for example, in NR wireless communication systems.

[0160] While sensing operations may share some similar properties with positioning operations, some existing positioning processes (e.g., DL-TDOA) may be inaccurate or inefficient when used for sensing operations. When applied to sensing operations, these shortcomings in existing positioning measurement and reporting processes need to be addressed. That is, for example, for some sensing devices, the additional processing required by the sensing device to utilize existing positioning measurement and reporting processes may be excessive or impractical. Therefore, new techniques for measurement and reporting for sensing operations can be employed in wireless communication systems as described herein.

[0161] Figure 6 An example of multi-UE cooperative sensing in the context of an example wireless communication system 600 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the wireless communication system 600 is a reference to Figures 1 to 5B and Figures 7A to 11 Examples of the corresponding elements described may include aspects of these corresponding elements. In some examples, the wireless communication system 600 includes a TRP 602, a UE 604, a target 606, a sensing signal 608, and a reflection sensing signal 618.

[0162] The first TRP 602-a may transmit a sensing signal 608 toward a target 606 near the first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b. In some examples, the first TRP 602-a may use different beams (e.g., beam scanning) in the direction of the target 606 to transmit the sensing signal 608 and other sensing signals. The target 606 may reflect or scatter 618 the sensing signal 608 from the first TRP 602-a. One or more beams from the different beams of the first TRP 602-a may have a line-of-sight (LOS) path to the UE 604 (e.g., the first UE 604-a). These beams may be referred to as LOS sensing signals 608-a. In some cases, the target material of the target 606 may be sufficiently rough to provide sufficient reflection of the radio frequency signal (e.g., specular reflection or scattering reflection). The first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b may use different receiving beams to receive the reflected 618 or the sensing signal 608 from the target 606. The reflected sensing signal 618 reflected by the target 606 can be referred to as the non-LOS (NLOS) sensing signal.

[0163] In some examples, once the first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b receive the reflection sensing signal 618 from the first TRP 602-a, the first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b can perform measurements on the reflection sensing signal 618 and can report the measurements to the network (e.g., via the first TRP 602-a). Because the location of UE 604 can be known to the network (e.g., via the NR location of UE 604), the network or centralized sensing entity can process the measurements received from UE 604 (e.g., jointly process measurements from multiple UE 604) and estimate the location of target 606. Reference Figure 6 The described sensing can be referred to as bi-station sensing (and as referenced herein) Figure 5B (As discussed), because the transmitter of the sensing signal 608 (e.g., the first TRP 602-a) is separate from each receiver of the sensing signal 608 or the reflected sensing signal 618 (e.g., the first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b). In some examples, other TRPs 602 or devices may similarly transmit sensing signals toward the target 606, and those reflected signals may also be received by the first UE 604-a and the second UE 604-b, as well as other UEs 604 in the coordinated sensing scheme.

[0164] Figure 7A An example of multi-TRP cooperative sensing in the context of an example wireless communication system 700 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the wireless communication system 700 is a reference... Figures 1 to 6 and Figures 7B to 11Examples of the corresponding elements described may include aspects of these corresponding elements. In some examples, the wireless communication system 700 includes TRP 702-a, TRP 702-b, TRP 702-c, UE 704, target 706, direct path 708, and reflection path 710.

[0165] In some examples, the first TRP 702-a, the second TRP 702-b, and the third TRP 702-c can directly transmit sensing signals to the UE 704 and indirectly transmit sensing signals via reflection from the target 706. In some cases, the TRPs 702 can be synchronized based on a common reference time, and the transmission of sensing reference signals at the TRP 702 can be synchronized. The UE 704 can receive sensing signals from the TRP 702, perform measurements on the sensing signals, and report the measurements to the network. Measurements may include the time of arrival (TOA) value of the reflection path between the UE 704 and the TRP 702. In some examples, there may be two paths that the UE 704 can measure for each TRP 702: LOS or direct path 708 (for the first TRP 702-a, R...). 1-U ) and via the NLOS or reflection path 710 of target 706 (e.g., for the first TRP 702-a, R) 1-T Add R T-U Then, the network can use measurements to determine the location of target 706.

[0166] In some examples, the network entity may determine the length of the reflection path 710 between the first TRP 702-a and the UE 704 based on measurements received from the UE 704. That is, for example, the network may use the following equation to determine the length of the reflection path 710: . It can be the length of the reflection path between the first TRP 702-a and UE704. It could be the length of the path between the first TRP 702-a and the target 706. This could be the length of the path between target 706 and UE 704. It could be the speed of light, and It can be the TOA of the sensing signal received by UE704 on reflection path 710. Because It is known, and It can be included in the measurements received from UE704, so the network may be able to determine .

[0167] Therefore, the direct path (e.g., LOS path) between UE 704 and TRP 702, as well as the reflection path between UE 704 and TRP 702, can be resolved at UE 704. Similar equations can be used to determine the lengths of the reflection paths between UE 704 and the second TRP 702-b and the third TRP 702-c (e.g., and Once the network determines the length of the reflection path between UE 704 and TRP 702, the network can then determine the location of target 706, for example, as shown in the reference. Figure 8 As described.

[0168] Figure 7B Examples of time domain diagrams 712, including time domain diagrams 712-a, 712-b, and 712-c, according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. These time domain diagrams 712 illustrate examples of multi-TRP cooperative sensing according to various aspects of this disclosure. Each of these time domain diagrams 712 has a corresponding reference time 714, through which measurements from one TRP can be synchronized with other measurements from other TRPs. In some aspects, the time domain diagram 712 may correspond to a reference time. Figures 1 to 7A and Figures 8 to 11 The corresponding elements described or aspects including these corresponding elements.

[0169] like Figure 7B As illustrated in the example, time-domain diagram 712 illustrates the relationship between the LOS path delay and NLOS or reflection path delay for multiple TRPs. That is, for example, , and The TOA corresponds to the reference signal on the LOS path, and , and The TOA corresponds to a reference signal on the NLOS path (e.g., a path reflected from a target). Multiple TRPs can transmit reference signals to the UE based on a common time reference point corresponding to reference time 714. Reference time 714 can be the transmission time of the reference signals from the TRPs (e.g., synchronized). That is, multiple TRPs can synchronize with each other. Each TRP can transmit reference signals at the same time or at different times with a known offset, such that the reference signals from the TRPs can be synchronized when the UE is performing various measurements. The UE can perform TOA measurements based on reference signals from multiple TRPs (e.g., a first TRP, a second TRP, and a third TRP).

[0170] For example, in the first time-domain diagram 712-a, the target may receive a sensing signal from the first TRP at time 716, and the UE may receive a sensing signal from the first TRP via the target at time 718. As illustrated in the second time-domain diagram 712-b, the target may receive a sensing signal from the second TRP at time 720, and the UE may receive a sensing signal from the second TRP via the target at time 722. As illustrated in the third time-domain diagram 712-c, the target may receive a sensing signal from the third TRP at time 724, and the UE may receive a sensing signal from the third TRP via the target at time 726. Once the UE receives the sensing signal from the TRP, the UE can perform a measurement on the sensing signal (e.g., determine the TOA of the sensing signal). Time 716, time 712, and time 724 may be referred to as the first path of arrival (FAP) of the sensing signal from each of the corresponding TRPs. Time 718, time 722, and time 726 may be referred to as the additional path of arrival of the sensing signal from each of the corresponding TRPs. The UE can then report some or all of these measurements to the network, and the network can use these measurements to determine the location of the target.

[0171] Figure 8 An example of an elliptic-based sensing 800 in the context of a wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the wireless communication system 800 is referenced to... Figures 1 to 7B and Figures 9 to 11 Examples of the corresponding elements described may include aspects of these corresponding elements. In some examples, the wireless communication system 800 includes TRP 802-a, TRP 802-b, TRP 802-c, UE 804, and target 806.

[0172] In some aspects, the elliptic-based sensor 800 can use TOA measurements to determine the location of the target 806. (See reference...) Figure 7A As described, for example, the network can use sensing signal measurements from UE 804 to determine the length of the reflection path between UE 804 and each of the first TRP 802-a, the second TRP 802-b, and the third TRP 803-c. The length of the reflection path can be indicated for the first TRP 802-a, the second TRP 802-b, and the third TRP 802-c, respectively. , and . , and The values ​​specify the ellipse 808 for the first TRP 802-a, the second TRP 802-b, and the third TRP 802-c, respectively. Each ellipse 808 has a focus between the UE 804 and the corresponding TRP 802.

[0173] The ellipse 808 for each TRP 802 can specify the possible location of the target 806 based on measurements of sensing signals from the corresponding TRP 802. That is, for example, because any point 810 (e.g., point...) on the ellipse 808-c for the third TRP 802-c... ) can satisfy Therefore, the network can determine that target 806 is located on ellipse 808-c. Similarly, the network can determine that target 806 is located on ellipse 808-a and ellipse 808-b. Because the network can determine that target 806 is located on each ellipse in ellipse 808, the network can determine the location of target 806 by locating the intersection of multiple ellipse 808 using elliptic body-based sensing technology 800.

[0174] Figure 9 An example of a time-domain plot 900 sensed from a reference signal according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the time-domain plot 900 may correspond to a reference signal. Figures 1 to 8 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 The described corresponding elements or aspects of these corresponding elements are included. That is, for example, time-domain diagram 900 may correspond to various sensing signals received from the TRP in a wireless communication system.

[0175] In some examples, the UE may receive reference signals from multiple TRPs, and the UE may determine the TOA of the reference signal from each TRP. The UE may report the RSTD corresponding to the TOA of the reference signal from the TRP by indicating the difference between the TOA of the reference signal and the TOA of a previous reference signal. That is, for example, the UE may report the RSTD between a reference signal received from a reference TRP at a first time 902 and a first reference signal received from an adjacent TRP at a second time 904 (e.g., FAP). In some examples, the UE may also report the RSTD between the second time 904 and any later time (e.g., a third time 906, a fourth time 908, or a fifth time 910) when another reference signal is received from an adjacent TRP (e.g., on an additional arrival path such as a reflection path from a target).

[0176] In some examples, the UE may transmit downlink time difference of arrival (TDOA) signal measurement information including RSTD of various reference signals received from one or more adjacent TRPs. In some examples, for each RSTD measurement of each adjacent TRP and reference signal relative to a first time 902, the UE may report a LOS or NLOS indicator that indicates to the UE whether the reference signal was received on a LOS path or an NLOS path.

[0177] The downlink TDOA signal measurement information transmitted by the UE may include measurement elements having an RSTD (e.g., an nr-RSTD specifying the relative timing difference between adjacent TRPs and a reference TRP) between a first time 902 and a second time 904. The signal measurement information may also include an additional path list or an extended additional path list indicating one or more additional detection path time values ​​(e.g., path timing for determining the nr-RSTD) of a TRP or resource relative to the first time 902. For example, the additional arrival path list or extended additional arrival path list may indicate the RSTD between a second time 904 and a third time 906, the RSTD between a second time 904 and a fourth time 908, and / or the RSTD between a second time 904 and a fifth time 910.

[0178] Therefore, according to some aspects, the additional arrival path report for adjacent TRPs (e.g., per TRP) can be based on the differential delay relative to the FAP of the adjacent TRP (e.g., second time 904). However, in NR sensing, the additional arrival path can be analyzed relative to the TOA of the reference TRP (e.g., first time 902) rather than the second time (e.g., 904). Therefore, the TOA value of the additional arrival path (e.g., NLOS path) can be indirectly derived from the RSTD of the FAP and the differential delay for the additional arrival path (e.g., it is useful in sensing). In other words, the value used for NR sensing is the TOA value from the reference TRP to the FAP plus the value from the FAP to the additional path (e.g., the RSTD between the first time 902 and the second time 904 plus the RSTD between the second time 904 and the third time 906 of the first additional path).

[0179] However, in some cases, the additional calculations performed by the network to determine the TOA of the reference signal on the additional path (e.g., the reflection path) for sensing purposes can increase latency and overhead at the network, which can be detrimental to some wireless communication systems.

[0180] Figure 10 Examples of multi-UE, multi-TRP cooperative sensing that can be employed by a wireless communication system 1000 according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. In some aspects, the wireless communication system 1000 is a reference... Figures 1 to 9 and Figure 11 Examples of the corresponding elements described may include aspects of these corresponding elements. In some examples, the wireless communication system 1000 includes a TRP 1002, a UE 1004, a network entity 1006, a sensing signal 1008, and a target 1010.

[0181] In some examples, the wireless communication system 1000 may support NR sensing and NR positioning to accurately determine the geographic location or position of a target within the network. In some cases, TRP 1002 may transmit sensing signals 1008 (e.g., reference signals) that can be reflected from the target and received by one or more UEs 1004. UE 1004 may perform measurements on the sensing signals and may report the measurements to network entity 1006. Network entity 1006 may use the measurements to calculate the target's position within the network. For example, network entity 1006 may calculate the length of the reflection path between the TRPs 1002 and UE 1004 based on the TOA of the sensing signals transmitted from the multiple TRPs 1002 to the UE 1004. In some cases, the network may perform triangulation of the target's location or position based on the length of the reflection path between the TRPs 1002 and UE 1004 combined with the known locations of the TRPs 1002 and UE 1004 (e.g., determined using NR positioning).

[0182] In some examples, although the reference signal measurements for NR positioning and NR sensing reports can be similar, applying the construct established for NR positioning reports (e.g., downlink TDOA reports) to NR sensing can be challenging. For example, in NR positioning, the positioning reference TRP 1002 or resource used for TOA measurements may be indicated by UE 1004, and for NR sensing, it may be appropriate for the reference TRP 1002 to be a LOS TRP 1002. However, UE 1004 may determine whether TRP 1002 is a LOS TRP or an NLOS TRP 1002 based on the best estimate, and this determination may be inaccurate. That is, for example, UE 1004 may determine that TRP 1002 is a LOS TRP 1002, but TRP 1002 may be an NLOS TRP 1002. Incorrectly identifying TRP1002 as LOS TRP1002 (e.g., selecting NLOS TRP1002 as reference TRP1002) can lead to measurement errors in NR sensing operations. Furthermore, because each UE 1004 can determine a reference TRP 1002 with which it will communicate, the reference TRP for different UEs 1004 can be different when multiple UEs 1004 are participating in cooperative sensing. Selecting different reference TRPs for different UEs 1004 can also lead to measurement errors in NR sensing operations (e.g., a common reference time may not exist for NLOS measurements).

[0183] However, it should be understood that additional measurements and reporting for NR wireless sensing can be beneficial. That is, existing location measurements and reports (e.g., DL-TDOA) can be reused for sensing, but in some cases, these may be inaccurate and / or inefficient. For example, in cooperative sensing schemes, particularly those involving multiple TRPs 1002 and multiple UEs 1004, additional processing at network entity 1006 may be required. In some examples, network entity 1006 (e.g., a sensing server, such as an LMF or Sensing Management Function (SnMF)) may perform an NR location procedure with respect to one or more UEs 1004. That is, for example, network entity 1006 may perform an NR location procedure with a first UE 1004-a to determine which TRP among the TRPs 1002 would be preferred for performing sensing operations with the first UE 1004-a. For example, network entity 1006 may identify which TRP among the TRPs 1002 is a LOS TRP or an NLOS TRP. In some cases, network entity 1006 may determine that the first TRP 1002-a, the second TRP 1002-b, and the third TRP 1002-c are all LOS TRPs. Additionally, in some cases, even if the received signal strength of the first UE 1004-a from the fourth TRP 1002-d is greater than the received signal strength from the first TRP 1002-a, network entity 1006 may still determine that the fourth TRP 1002-d is an NLOS TRP (e.g., the direct path is blocked by target 1010). In some cases, the first UE 1004-a (e.g., based on its own measurements) may incorrectly determine that the fourth TRP 1002-d is a LOS TRP and report this information to network entity 1006.

[0184] Additionally, in some examples, network entity 1006 may apply an outlier filtering scheme to identify which TRPs 1002 are LOS TRPs or NLOS TRPs. That is, for example, network entity 1006 may execute a Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm to identify which TRPs 1002 are LOS TRPs or NLOS TRPs based on data from TRPs 1002 and UE 1004 in the wireless communication network 1000. Specifically, for example, the RANSAC algorithm employed by network entity 1006 utilizes iterative techniques to estimate parameters (e.g., time and signal strength parameters) associated with the model based on a set of measurement data containing outliers from TRPs 1002 and UE 1004. The RANSAC algorithm can determine that these outliers will be considered not to affect the values ​​of the parameters to be used in identifying which TRPs 1002 are LOS TRPs or NLOS TRPs.

[0185] Therefore, in some examples, network entity 1006 may select first TRP 1002-a as a reference TRP for sensing operations for first UE 1004-a. In some examples, network entity 1006 may select first TRP 1002-a as a reference TRP for UE 1004-a based on the fact that first TRP 1002-a has the strongest LOS path among other LOS TRPs (e.g., second TRP 1002-b and third TRP 1002-c). In some examples, network entity 1006 may send an indication to first UE 1004-a that first TRP 1002-a is a reference TRP for sensing operations for first UE 1004-a.

[0186] Additionally or alternatively, the first TRP 1002-a, serving as a reference TRP, may be common to all or a subset of the reference signals (e.g., RS-P) to be measured for sensing operations. That is, for example, the reference signal resources from synchronous TRPs (e.g., the second TRP 1002-b and the third TRP 1002-c) in a multi-TRP sensing scheme may utilize the same reference signal resource assignment as the first TRP 1002-a, which serves as the reference TRP.

[0187] Network entity 1006 may include multiple TRPs 1002 and / or multiple UEs 1004 in a cooperative sensing scheme. That is, for example, network entity 1006 may include multiple LOS TRPs and / or NLOS TRPs 1002 in the wireless communication system 1000 to be synchronized with a first TRP 1002-a as a reference TRP. Network entity 1006 may include multiple UEs 1004, for example, a second UE 1004-b may also use the first TRP 1002-a as its reference TRP for sensing operations. Additionally or alternatively, the second UE 1004-b may use a second TRP 1002-b as its reference TRP for sensing operations. That is, for example, both the first UE 1004-a and the second UE 1004-b may be used in a cooperative sensing scheme to determine the location of target 1010.

[0188] In some examples, network entity 1006 may determine the timing offset of one or more UEs in the cooperative sensing scheme UE 1004. That is, for example, based on the known location of the UE (e.g., determined according to a location report received from the UE after an NR location procedure has been performed) and the known location of the selected reference TRP used for sensing operations, network entity 1006 may determine the timing offset as follows: ,in c It's the speed of light.

[0189] In other words, the timing offset can be based on the distance between the reference TRP and the sensing UE. This timing offset can be used to compensate for the propagation delay between the reference TRP and the sensing UE. For example, network entity 1006 can determine the timing offset of the first UE 1004-a based on selecting the first TRP 1002-a as the reference TRP. For example, network entity 1006 can then send the timing offset to the first UE 1004-a via the first TRP 1002-a. In some cases, the timing offset can be applied to the first UE 1002-a when calculations are performed on measurements performed during a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0190] Additionally or alternatively, network entity 1006 may determine that the first UE 1004-a has GNSS capability (e.g., via a capability report from the first UE 1004-a, in response to a request from network entity 1006, etc.). Therefore, in some cases, network entity 1006 may send an indication of a reference time based on GNSS time. In this way, the first UE 1004-a can use this reference time when performing calculations on measurements performed during a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0191] In some examples, one or more UEs 1004 may report measurements associated with a cooperative sensing scheme as described herein. For example, a first UE 1004-a may receive information related to the cooperative sensing scheme from network entity 1006. That is, the first UE 1004-a may receive indications of a reference TRP and timing parameters (e.g., time offset or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) time) to be used in the cooperative sensing scheme. For example, the first UE 1004-a may receive an indication that a first TRP 1002-a is a reference TRP. In some cases, this indication may be received via RRC signaling from the first TRP 1002-a or another TRP 1002 in the wireless communication system 1000. In some cases, the first UE 1004-a determines the reference time as: .

[0192] That is, for example, the reference time may be based at least in part on timing parameters (such as timing offset) and FAP timing of the reference signal received by the first UE 1004-a from the first TRP 1002-a, which serves as the reference TRP. In some cases, the timing parameters may be sent to the first UE 1004-a by the network entity 1006.

[0193] In some examples, the first UE 1004-a may measure a reference signal (e.g., RS-P) and calculate the Time of Arrival (TOA) of the first TRP 1002-a as a reference TRP and the NLOS paths of the second TRP 1002-b, third TRP 1002-c, and / or fourth TRP 1002-d, which are synchronized with the first TRP 1002-a as a reference TRP and are part of a cooperative sensing scheme. In some cases, the UE 1004-a may calculate the measurements based on these TOAs and the determined reference time.

[0194] In some cases, the first UE 1004-a may avoid reporting the TOA of the FAPs of adjacent TRPs 1002-b, 1002-c, and / or 1002-d. That is, while the TOA of a FAP can be useful in NR positioning, these TOAs of adjacent TRPs may not provide much value in NR sensing. Specifically, the FAP from the second TRP 1002-b may be a LOS path, rather than a reflection path from target 1010 that is of interest to NR sensing. However, in some cases, network entity 1006 may instruct the first UE 1004-a whether to include the TOA of one or more TRPs 1002's FAPs. For example, the network entity may instruct the first UE 1004-a not to report the TOA of adjacent TRPs' FAPs. It should be understood that this instruction on whether to report the TOA of a FAP may be included together with signaling used for indications of reference TRPs and timing offsets. However, in some cases, the indication of whether to report the TOA of FAP can be a separate indication via a different signaling instance than the indication used for the reference TRP and timing offset.

[0195] In some examples, UE 1004-a can calculate the relative time difference of TOA for one or more additional arrival paths of TRP 1002 as part of a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0196] Then, UE 1004-a can send a sensing measurement report including these TOAs to network entity 1006. As described herein, these TOAs can be represented as relative time differences, which are determined based on the timing offset, the TOA of the reference TRP's FAP, and the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP. The relative time difference can be a single value in the sensing measurement report. The sensing measurement report can include multiple relative time differences; for example, each adjacent TRP 1002 included in a cooperative sensing scheme has one relative time difference.

[0197] Figure 11An example of a time-domain plot 1100 of a reference signal sensed according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In some aspects, the time-domain plot 1100 may correspond to a reference signal. Figures 1 to 10 The corresponding elements described may include aspects of these corresponding elements. That is, for example, time-domain diagram 1100 may correspond to various sensing signals received from the TRP in a wireless communication system.

[0198] In some examples, the UE may receive reference signals from multiple TRPs, and the UE may be configured to report the TOA (Time of Arrival) of the reference signal from each TRP. In some examples, the UE may receive an indication of the reference TRP used for sensing operations and the timing offset to be used. The UE may report a relative time difference report corresponding to the NLOS path from an adjacent TRP in a cooperative sensing scheme. That is, for example, the relative time difference report may include a TOA that includes a timing offset portion, a RSTD (Responsible Time Shift) portion to the FAP (Front-End Point) of the adjacent TRP, and a relative time difference portion with respect to the FAP of the adjacent TRP and an additional arrival path (e.g., an NLOS path considered by the UE to be from the adjacent TRP). Different reference signals may be involved in these time portions.

[0199] That is, for example, the UE may report a relative time difference 1116 between timing offset 1112 and the TOA of the FAP of the reference signal received from the reference TRP at the first time 1102, between the first time 1102 and the first reference signal received from the adjacent TRP at the second time 1104 (e.g., FAP), and between the second time 1104 and the third time 1106 when the UE receives the first additional arrival path. The UE may also report a relative time difference 1118 between timing offset 1112 and the TOA of the FAP of the reference signal received from the reference TRP at the first time 1102, between the first time 1102 and the first reference signal received from the adjacent TRP at the second time 1104 (e.g., FAP), and between the second time 1104 and the fourth time 1108 when the UE receives the second additional arrival path. Similarly, the UE may also report a relative time difference 1120 between the timing offset 1112 and the TOA of the FAP of the reference signal received from the reference TRP at the first time 1102, between the first time 1102 and the first reference signal received from the adjacent TRP at the second time 1104 (e.g., FAP), and between the second time 1104 and the fifth time 1110 when the UE receives the third additional arrival path.

[0200] In other words, for example, the UE may transmit TDOA signal measurement information including the relative time differences of various reference signals received from one or more adjacent TRPs. In some cases, in addition to the relative time differences, the UE may also report (e.g., when commanded by a network entity) the FAP at a second time 1104. In some cases, the UE may report a LOS or NLOS indicator that instructs the UE to determine whether the reference signal was received on a LOS path or an NLOS path.

[0201] The downlink TDOA signal measurement information transmitted by the UE may include measurement elements with relative time difference values ​​1116, 1118, and / or 1120 (e.g., nr-sensing-RSTD), which specify a relative timing difference including a specified timing offset for sensing operations. The signal measurement information may also include an additional path list or an extended additional path list indicating one or more additional detection path time values ​​for the TRP or resources.

[0202] Therefore, in some cases, the additional calculation of TOA for determining the reference signal on the additional path (e.g., the reflection path) can be avoided by the network for sensing, since this value is provided by the UE in its report.

[0203] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of an example process 1200 associated with techniques for measurement and reporting of NR wireless sensing operations, according to various aspects of this disclosure. In some specific implementations, Figure 12 One or more process frames can be executed by a network entity (e.g., network entity 1006). In some specific implementations, Figure 12 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, Figure 12 One or more process frames may be executed by one or more components of network entity 306 (such as processor 394, memory 396, network transceiver 390 and sensing component 398), any or all of which may be parts for performing the operations of process 1200.

[0204] like Figure 12 As shown, process 1200 may include: at block 1202, receiving a location report from a first UE. Components for performing the operation of block 1202 may include a processor, memory, or network transceiver of any of the devices described herein, such as network entity 306. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceiver 390 to receive a location report from the first UE.

[0205] like Figure 12As further shown, process 1200 may include: at block 1204, sending an indication to the first UE of a first reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a location report. Components for performing the operation of block 1204 may include a processor, memory, or network transceiver of network entity 306 or any of the devices described herein. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceiver 390 to send an indication to the first UE of a first reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a location report.

[0206] Process 1200 may include additional embodiments, such as those described below and / or any single embodiment or any combination of embodiments described in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0207] In some respects, process 1200 includes: determining one or more LOS TRPs and one or more NLOS TRPs based at least on a location report; and selecting a first reference TRP from one or more LOS TRPs.

[0208] In some respects, process 1200 includes applying a filtering scheme to determine one or more LOS TRPs and one or more NLOS TRPs.

[0209] In some respects, process 1200 includes: determining one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the strength of the LOS path from each LOS TRP in one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0210] In some respects, selecting a first reference TRP from one or more LOS TRPs includes selecting the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of UEs that include the first UE and have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0211] In some respects, process 1200 includes: a first reference TRP having a first LOS path, and a second TRP in one or more LOS RPs having a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

[0212] In some aspects, process 1200 includes: determining a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements including delay measurements from each of one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of UEs including the first UE; and selecting a first reference TRP from one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0213] In some aspects, process 1200 includes: selecting a second LOS TRP, at least in part based on a set of delay measurements, to be located in a first subset of one or more LOS TRPs and one or more NLOS TRPs together with the first reference TRP; and sending to the first UE an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0214] In some respects, a first subset of the first reference TRP includes collaborative sensing schemes.

[0215] In some aspects, process 1200 includes: sending an indication of a first timing offset to a first UE, wherein the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from a first reference TRP, and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on a location report.

[0216] In some aspects, process 1200 includes: sending an indication to a first UE for a first timing reference, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to GNSS associated with signal transmission from a first reference TRP.

[0217] In some aspects, process 1200 includes: determining a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of UEs including a first UE and a second UE; and sending an instruction to the second UE for the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

[0218] In some respects, the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0219] As will be understood, the technical advantages of process 1200 may include ensuring the use of a more effective reference TRP for target object measurement and reporting for NR sensing operations. Additionally or alternatively, the same reference signal may be used and / or the same configuration and protocol may be used for both NR positioning and sensing technologies, thereby utilizing at least a portion of the existing framework known to the UE. Additionally or alternatively, instead of using the UE's best estimate of the LOS TRP (which may be inaccurate), the network entity may make LOS / NLOS decisions for the UE based on various positioning information in the wireless communication system. Additionally or alternatively, instead of allowing each UE to determine its reference TRP for sensing, a coordinated sensing scheme may align multiple effectively positioned UEs with a single reference TRP, such that each UE has a common reference time for sensing operations.

[0220] although Figure 12 An example block for process 1200 is shown, but in some specific implementations, it differs from... Figure 12Compared to the boxes depicted, process 1200 may include additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged in a different manner. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 1200 may be executed in parallel.

[0221] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of an example process 1300 associated with techniques for measurement and reporting of NR wireless sensing operations, based on various aspects of this disclosure. In some specific implementations, Figure 13 One or more process frames can be executed by the UE (e.g., UE 1004). In some specific implementations, Figure 13 One or more process frames may be executed by another device or a group of devices, either separate from or including the UE. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 13 One or more process frames may be executed by one or more components of UE 302 (such as processor 332, memory 340 or transceiver 310), any or all of which may be parts for performing the operations of process 1300.

[0222] like Figure 13 As shown, process 1300 may include, at block 1302, receiving from a network entity an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme. Components for performing the operation of block 1302 may include a processor, memory, or transceiver of the UE 302 or any of the devices described herein. For example, the UE may use transceiver 310 to receive from a network entity an indication of a first reference TRP to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0223] like Figure 13 As further shown, process 1300 may include, at block 1304, transmitting a sensing measurement report that includes one or more measurements associated with the TOA (Time of Arrival) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time. Components used to perform the operation of block 1304 may include a processor, memory, or transceiver of the UE 302 or any of the devices described herein. For example, the UE may use transceiver 310 to transmit the sensing measurement report, which includes one or more measurements associated with the TOA (Time of Arrival) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs relative to a reference time.

[0224] Process 1300 may include additional embodiments, such as those described below and / or any single embodiment or any combination of embodiments described in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0225] In some respects, the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0226] In some respects, process 1300 includes receiving an indication from a network entity of a timing offset to be used in a collaborative sensing scheme.

[0227] In some respects, the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0228] In some aspects, process 1300 includes: determining a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on the timing offset, the TOA of the FAP of the first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from one or more adjacent TRPs; and including the relative time difference in a sensing measurement report.

[0229] In some respects, at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as an NLOS path.

[0230] In some respects, procedure 1300: receiving an indication from the UE to avoid including a TOA associated with the FAP of a second TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and to include a TOA associated with the FAP of a third TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0231] As will be understood, the technical advantages of process 1300 may include reducing latency and overhead at the network entity by reducing the computational steps and time required for the network entity to determine the RSTD value of the NLOS path of interest calculated by the reported sensing. That is, for example, the network entity can avoid indirectly deriving the NLOS path based on the RSTD and differential delay of the FAP.

[0232] although Figure 13 An example block for process 1300 is shown, but in some specific implementations, it differs from... Figure 13 Compared to the boxes depicted, process 1300 may include additional boxes, fewer boxes, different boxes, or boxes arranged in a different manner. Additionally or alternatively, two or more boxes in process 1300 may be executed in parallel.

[0233] As can be seen in the detailed description above, 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, the various aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those in the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be regarded accordingly as incorporated into the description, where each clause may serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in the clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspect of that dependent clause is not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of a dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or combinations of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations unless explicitly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended for use (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). Furthermore, it is contemplated that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0234] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a location report from a first user equipment (UE); and sending to the first UE an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0235] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1 further includes: determining one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmit / receive points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the positioning report; and selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

[0236] Clause 3. The method described in Clause 2 further includes: applying a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOSTRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs.

[0237] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 3 further comprises: determining the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the strength of the LOS path from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0238] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 4, wherein selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs comprises: selecting the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE that have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0239] Clause 6. The method according to Clause 5, wherein: the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and the second TRP of the one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

[0240] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 6 further comprises: determining a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements including delay measurements from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE; and selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0241] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 7 further comprises: selecting a second LOS TRP, at least in part based on the set of delay measurements, to be located in a first subset of the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs together with the first reference TRP; and sending to the first UE an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0242] Clause 9. The method according to Clause 8, wherein the first subset of the first reference TRP includes a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0243] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9 further comprises: sending an indication of a first timing offset to the first UE, wherein: the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP; and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on the positioning report.

[0244] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10 further includes: sending an indication to the first UE for a first timing reference, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) associated with a signal transmission from the first reference TRP.

[0245] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11 further comprises: determining a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE and the second UE; and sending an instruction to the second UE for the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

[0246] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 12, wherein the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0247] Clause 14. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving from a network entity an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmitting a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent transmit / receive points (TRPs) relative to a reference time.

[0248] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 14, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0249] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 15 further includes: receiving from the network entity an indication of a timing offset to be used in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0250] Clause 17. The method according to Clause 16, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0251] Clause 18. The method according to Clause 17 further comprises: determining a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on the timing offset, the time of arrival (TOA) of the first arrival path (FAP) of the first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from the one or more adjacent TRPs; and including the relative time difference in the sensing measurement report.

[0252] Clause 19. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 18, wherein at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and the one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path.

[0253] Clause 20. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 19 further comprises: receiving an indication from the UE to avoid including the time of arrival (TOA) associated with a first path of arrival (FAP) of a second TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and to include the TOA associated with the FAP of a third TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0254] Clause 21. A network entity comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: receive a location report from a first user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; and transmit an indication to the first UE via the one or more transceivers for a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0255] Clause 22. The network entity as described in Clause 21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: determine one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmit / receive points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the location report; and select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

[0256] Clause 23. The network entity as described in Clause 22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: apply a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOSTRPs.

[0257] Clause 24. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 22 to 23, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to determine the one or more LOS TRPs at least in part based on the strength of the LOS path from each LOS TRP in the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0258] Clause 25. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 22 to 24, wherein the one or more processors configured to select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs include the one or more processors configured individually or in combination to select the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE that have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0259] Clause 26. The network entity as described in Clause 25, wherein: the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and the second TRP of the one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

[0260] Clause 27. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 22 to 26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: determine a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements comprising delay measurements from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE; and select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0261] Clause 28. The network entity as described in Clause 27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: select a second LOS TRP, at least in part based on the set of delay measurements, to be located in a first subset of the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs together with the first reference TRP; and transmit to the first UE via the one or more transceivers an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0262] Clause 29. The network entity as described in Clause 28, including the first subset of the first reference TRP, includes a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0263] Clause 30. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 21 to 29, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: send an indication of a first timing offset to the first UE, wherein: the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP; and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on the location report.

[0264] Clause 31. A network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 21 to 30, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: transmit an indication of a first timing reference to the first UE via the one or more transceivers, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP.

[0265] Clause 32. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 21 to 31, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: determine a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE and the second UE; and transmit an indication of the second reference TRP for sensing operations via the one or more transceivers and to the second UE.

[0266] Clause 33. The network entity as described in Clause 32, wherein the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0267] Clause 34. A user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers and from a network entity, an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmit a sensing measurement report via the one or more transceivers, the sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent transmit / receive points (TRPs) relative to a reference time.

[0268] Clause 35. The UE as described in Clause 34, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0269] Clause 36. The UE according to any one of Clauses 34 to 35, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to receive, via the one or more transceivers and from the network entity, an indication of a timing offset to be used in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0270] Clause 37. The UE as described in Clause 36, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0271] Clause 38. The UE as described in Clause 37, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: determine a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on the timing offset, the time of arrival (TOA) of the first arrival path (FAP) of the first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from the one or more adjacent TRPs; and to include the relative time difference in the sensing measurement report.

[0272] Clause 39. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 34 to 38, wherein at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and the one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path.

[0273] Clause 40. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 34 to 39, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: receive via the one or more transceivers an indication that the UE wishes to avoid including the Time of Arrival (TOA) associated with the first Path of Arrival (FAP) of the second TRP in the one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and to include the TOA associated with the FAP of the third TRP in the one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0274] Clause 41. A network entity comprising: a component for receiving a location report from a first user equipment (UE); and a component for sending to the first UE an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the location report.

[0275] Clause 42. The network entity as described in Clause 41 further includes: components for determining one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmit / receive points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the location report; and components for selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

[0276] Clause 43. The network entity as described in Clause 42 further includes: a component for applying a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs.

[0277] Clause 44. The network entity pursuant to any one of Clauses 42 to 43 further includes: a component for determining the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the strength of the LOS path from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0278] Clause 45. A network entity according to any one of Clauses 42 to 44, wherein the component for selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs comprises: a component for selecting the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE that have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0279] Clause 46. The network entity as described in Clause 45, wherein: the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and the second TRP of the one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

[0280] Clause 47. The network entity according to any one of Clauses 42 to 46 further includes: a component for determining a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements including delay measurements from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE; and a component for selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0281] Clause 48. The network entity as described in Clause 47 further includes: a component for selecting a second LOS TRP, at least in part based on the set of delay measurements, to be located in a first subset of the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs together with the first reference TRP; and a component for sending to the first UE an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0282] Clause 49. The network entity as described in Clause 48, including the first subset of the first reference TRP, includes a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0283] Clause 50. The network entity according to any one of Clauses 41 to 49 further includes: a component for sending an indication of a first timing offset to the first UE, wherein: the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP; and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on the location report.

[0284] Clause 51. The network entity according to any one of Clauses 41 to 50 further includes: a component for sending an indication of a first timing reference to the first UE, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP.

[0285] Clause 52. The network entity according to any one of Clauses 41 to 51 further includes: components for determining a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE and the second UE; and components for sending an indication to the second UE of the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

[0286] Clause 53. The network entity as described in Clause 52, wherein the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0287] Clause 54. A user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving from a network entity an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and means for transmitting a sensing measurement report, the sensing measurement report comprising one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent transmit / receive points (TRPs) relative to a reference time.

[0288] Clause 55. The UE as described in Clause 54, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0289] Clause 56. The UE according to any one of Clauses 54 to 55 further includes: a component for receiving from the network entity an indication of a timing offset to be used in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0290] Clause 57. The UE as described in Clause 56, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0291] Clause 58. The UE according to Clause 57 further includes: means for determining a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on the timing offset, the time of arrival (TOA) of the first arrival path (FAP) of the first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from the one or more adjacent TRPs; and means for including the relative time difference in the sensing measurement report.

[0292] Clause 59. The UE according to any one of Clauses 54 to 58, wherein at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and the one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path.

[0293] Clause 60. The UE according to any one of Clauses 54 to 59 further includes: a component for receiving an indication that the UE wants to avoid including the time of arrival (TOA) associated with a first path of arrival (FAP) of a second TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and wants to include the TOA associated with the FAP of a third TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0294] Clause 61. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receive a location report from a first user equipment (UE); and send an instruction to the first UE for a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) for sensing operations, at least based on the location report.

[0295] Clause 62. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 61 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: determine one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmit / receive points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the location report; and select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

[0296] Clause 63. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 62 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: apply a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs.

[0297] Clause 64. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 62 to 63 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: determine the one or more LOS TRPs at least in part based on the strength of the LOS path from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

[0298] Clause 65. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 62 to 64, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs, include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: select the first reference TRP based at least in part on the number of UEs in the set of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE that have a LOS path to the first reference TRP.

[0299] Clause 66. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 65, wherein: the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and the second TRP of the one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path stronger than the first LOS path.

[0300] Clause 67. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 62 to 66 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: determine a set of delay measurements, the set of delay measurements comprising delay measurements from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE; and select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

[0301] Clause 68. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 67 further includes computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: select a second LOS TRP, at least in part based on the set of delay measurements, to be located in a first subset of the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs together with the first reference TRP; and send to the first UE an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP and a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP are common.

[0302] Clause 69. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 68, including the first subset of the first reference TRP, includes a cooperative sensing scheme.

[0303] Clause 70. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 61 to 69 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: send an indication of a first timing offset to the first UE, wherein: the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with signal transmission from the first reference TRP; and the first timing offset is determined at least in part based on the location report.

[0304] Clause 71. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 61 to 70 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: send an indication to the first UE for a first timing reference, wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) associated with a signal transmission from the first reference TRP.

[0305] Clause 72. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 61 to 71 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network entity, cause the network entity to: determine a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE and the second UE; and send an instruction to the second UE for the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

[0306] Clause 73. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 72, wherein the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to the same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0307] Clause 74. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive from a network entity an indication of a first reference transmit / receive point (TRP) to be used in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmit a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with the time of arrival (TOA) of the first reference TRP and one or more adjacent transmit / receive points (TRPs) relative to a reference time.

[0308] Clause 75. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 74, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

[0309] Clause 76. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 74 to 75 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive from the network entity an indication of a timing offset to be used in the cooperative sensing scheme.

[0310] Clause 77. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 76, wherein the reference time is determined at least in part based on the timing offset.

[0311] Clause 78. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 77 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: determine a relative time difference associated with the TOA of the arrival path from the second TRP based on the timing offset, the time of arrival (TOA) of the first arrival path (FAP) of the first reference TRP, and the TOA of the arrival path from the one or more adjacent TRPs; and include the relative time difference in the sensing measurement report.

[0312] Clause 79. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 74 to 78, wherein at least one of the arrival paths of the first reference TRP and the one or more adjacent TRPs is estimated as a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path.

[0313] Clause 80. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 74 to 79 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive an indication that the UE wants to avoid including the time of arrival (TOA) associated with a first path of arrival (FAP) of a second TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report and to include the TOA associated with the FAP of a third TRP in one or more adjacent TRPs in the sensing measurement report.

[0314] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0315] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general 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 specific implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0316] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may 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 combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0317] 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 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. Example storage media are coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral with the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0318] In one or more examples, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, which includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place 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 the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of a medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include: compact optical discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0319] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to aspects of this disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, no component, function, action, or instruction described or claimed herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly stated otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, the terms “set,” “group,” etc., are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “having,” “comprising,” “including,” etc., do not exclude the presence of one or more additional elements (e.g., element “having” A may also have B). Furthermore, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “at least partially based on” unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be open-ended when used in a series and is interchangeable with “and / or” unless otherwise expressly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with “any” or “only one”), or these alternatives are mutually exclusive (e.g., “one or more” should not be interpreted as “one and more”). Additionally, although components, functions, actions, and instructions may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms may also be considered unless expressly stated as limited to the singular. Therefore, as used herein, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “the” are intended to include one or more of the described elements. Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “at least one” and “one or more” include “one” component, function, action, or instruction that performs or is capable of performing the described or claimed functionality, and also include “two or more” components, functions, actions, or instructions that perform or are capable of performing the described or claimed functionality in combination.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a positioning report from a first user equipment (UE); and transmitting, to the first UE, an indication of a first reference transmission-reception point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the positioning report.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmission-reception points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the positioning report; and selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: applying a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on a strength of a LOS path from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs comprises: selecting the first reference TRP based at least in part on a number of user equipments (UEs) in a set of UEs including the first UE that have a LOS path with the first reference TRP.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: the first reference TRP has a first LOS path; and a second TRP of the one or more LOS TRPs has a second LOS path that is stronger than the first LOS path.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining a set of delay measurements including a delay measurement from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to each of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) including the first UE; and selecting the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on the set of delay measurements.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: selecting a second LOS TRP to be in a first subset of the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs with the first reference TRP based at least in part on the set of delay measurements; and transmitting, to the first UE, an indication that a first reference signal corresponding to the first reference TRP is common with a second reference signal corresponding to the second LOS TRP.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first subset including the first reference TRP comprises a cooperative sensing scheme.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, to the first UE, an indication of a first timing offset, and wherein: the first timing offset corresponds to a time delay associated with a signal transmission from the first reference TRP; and the first timing offset is determined based at least in part on the positioning report.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting, to the first UE, an indication of a first timing reference, and wherein the first timing reference corresponds to a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) associated with signal transmissions from the first reference TRP.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a second reference TRP for sensing operations based at least on a cooperative sensing scheme for a plurality of user equipment (UEs) including the first UE and a second UE; and transmitting, to the second UE, an indication of the second reference TRP for sensing operations.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first reference TRP and the second reference TRP correspond to a same target object in the cooperative sensing scheme.

14. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a network entity, an indication of a first reference transmission reception point (TRP) to use in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmitting a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with a time of arrival (TOA) of a first arriving path of the first reference TRP and one or more neighboring transmission reception points (TRPs) relative to a reference time.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the reference time is determined based at least in part on a transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving, from the network entity, an indication of a timing offset to use in the cooperative sensing scheme.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reference time is determined based at least in part on the timing offset.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining, from the timing offset, a time of arrival (TOA) of a first arriving path (FAP) of the first reference TRP, and a TOA of an arriving path from a second TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs, a relative time difference value associated with the TOA of the arriving path from the second TRP; and including the relative time difference value in the sensing measurement report.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the arriving paths of the first reference TRP and the one or more neighboring TRPs is estimated to be a non-line of sight (NLOS) path.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising: receiving an indication that a time of arrival (TOA) associated with a first arriving path (FAP) of a second TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs is to be excluded from the sensing measurement report and a TOA associated with a FAP of a third TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs is to be included in the sensing measurement report.

21. A network entity, the network entity comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors individually or in combination configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a positioning report from a first user equipment (UE); and transmit, via the one or more transceivers and to the first UE, an indication of a first reference transmission-reception point (TRP) for sensing operations based at least on the positioning report.

22. The network entity of claim 21, wherein the one or more processors are further individually or in combination configured to: determine one or more line-of-sight (LOS) transmission-reception points (TRPs) and one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) TRPs based at least on the positioning report; and select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs.

23. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are further individually or in combination configured to: apply a filtering scheme to determine the one or more LOS TRPs and the one or more NLOS TRPs.

24. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors are further individually or in combination configured to: determine the one or more LOS TRPs based at least in part on a strength of a LOS path from each of the one or more LOS TRPs to the first UE.

25. The network entity of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors configured to select the first reference TRP from the one or more LOS TRPs comprise the one or more processors individually or in combination configured to: select the first reference TRP based at least in part on a number of user equipments (UEs) in a set of UEs including the first UE that have a LOS path with the first reference TRP.

26. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors individually or in combination configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers and from a network entity, an indication of a first reference transmission-reception point (TRP) to use in a cooperative sensing scheme; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, a sensing measurement report including one or more measurements associated with a time of arrival (TOA) of an arrival path relative to a reference time for the first reference TRP and one or more neighboring transmission-reception points (TRPs).

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the reference time is determined based at least in part on a transmission time associated with the first reference TRP.

28. The UE of claim 26, wherein the one or more processors, separately or in combination, are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers and from the network entity, an indication of a timing offset to use in the coordinated sensing scheme.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein the reference time is determined based at least in part on the timing offset.

30. The UE of claim 28, wherein the one or more processors, separately or in combination, are further configured to: determine, from the timing offset, a time of arrival (TOA) of a first arriving path (FAP) of the first reference TRP and a TOA of an arriving path from a second TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs, a relative time difference value associated with the TOA of the arriving path from the second TRP; and include the relative time difference value in the sensing measurement report.

31. The UE of claim 30, wherein the one or more processors, separately or in combination, are further configured to: determine, from the timing offset, a TOA of a first arriving path (FAP) of the first reference TRP and a TOA of an arriving path from a second TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs, a relative time difference value associated with the TOA of the arriving path from the second TRP; and include the relative time difference value in the sensing measurement report.

32. The UE of claim 31, wherein the one or more processors, separately or in combination, are further configured to: determine, from the timing offset, a TOA of a first arriving path (FAP) of the first reference TRP and a TOA of an arriving path from a second TRP of the one or more neighboring TRPs, a relative time difference value associated with the TOA of the arriving path from the second TRP; and include the relative time difference value in the sensing measurement report.

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