User equipment identification and reporting of aggregated resources for positioning

Abstract

In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may determine a first set of over-top (OTT) resources that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE. The UE may report an indication to a network server that the first set of OTT resources can be bandwidth aggregated.

Description

User equipment identification and reporting of aggregated resources used for location Background Technology Technical Field

[0001] 1. Technical Field

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

[0003] 2. Relevant 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 this summary 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 method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: determining a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation standards applied by the UE; and reporting an indication to a network server that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0008] In one aspect, a method of communication performed by a network server includes: receiving from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmitting auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set among the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0009] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a PRS configuration for a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources; and reporting one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0010] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being configured individually or in combination to: determine a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and report an indication to a network server via the one or more transceivers that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0011] In one aspect, a network server 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, an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation from a first set of one or more user equipments (UEs), wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0012] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors being individually or in combination configured to: receive PRS configurations for a plurality of Position Reference Signal (PRS) resources via the one or more transceivers; and report one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources via the one or more transceivers based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0013] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: components for determining a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and components for reporting an indication to a network server that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0014] In one aspect, a network server includes: components for receiving, from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs), identifiers of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifiers of the one or more resource sets are based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and components for transmitting auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set among the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0015] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: components for receiving PRS configuration for a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources; and components for reporting one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0016] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: determine a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and report to a network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to: receive from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmit auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set among the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0018] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a PRS configuration for a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resources; and report one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0019] 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

[0020] 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.

[0021] Figure 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figures 2A, 2B and 2C illustrate example wireless network structures according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that can be adopted in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0024] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example PRS configuration for transmitting a Position Reference Signal (PRS) for a given base station according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) configuration for two transmit-receive points (TRPs) operating in the same positioning frequency layer according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figure 7 is an illustration of example location reference signal (PRS) resource repetition and beam scanning options according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figure 8 illustrates an example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) capability transfer process, auxiliary data transfer process, and location information transfer process between a target device and a location server according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0029] Figure 9 shows an example of consecutive PRS modes that can be aggregated across multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs).

[0030] Figure 10 illustrates an example method of wireless communication that can be performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 11 illustrates an example method of wireless communication that can be performed by a network server according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 12 illustrates an example method of wireless communication that can be performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided below in the description of various examples provided for illustrative purposes and in the accompanying drawings. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, 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.

[0034] Overall, various aspects involve bandwidth aggregation of resources. Some aspects involve the aggregation of OTT resources more specifically. In some examples, a network server receives information from a user equipment (UE) about OTT resources that the UE has identified as aggregable. Some aspects involve the aggregation of Position Reference Signal (PRS) resources more specifically. In some examples, the UE determines which PRS resources in its PRS configuration can be aggregated based on an aggregation criterion applied by the UE, and reports aggregated PRS measurements based on the aggregation criterion.

[0035] 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, the described techniques can be used to provide a system comprising a crowdsourced database of aggregable OTT resources identified by multiple UEs, which can be used to distribute information related to aggregable OTT resources to neighboring UEs. In some examples, the described techniques allow UEs to independently determine whether a PRS resource indicated in a PRS configuration is aggregable, and to report aggregated PRS measurements based on that determination.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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."

[0039] 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.).

[0040] 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)" may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0041] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be 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.

[0042] 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).

[0043] 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.

[0044] Figure 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure. 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 an ng-eNB (wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or a gNB (wherein 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.

[0045] 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., location management function (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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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 refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" 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.

[0048] 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).

[0049] 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).

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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. ® .

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are referred to as millimeter waves (mmW). 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0057] 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.

[0058] 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.

[0059] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have designated the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 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 mid-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.

[0060] In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "below 6 GHz" and the like can broadly refer to frequencies less than 6 GHz, within FR1, or including intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that, as used herein, the term "millimeter wave" and the like 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] For example, still referring 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).

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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 extended their operation to unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include various variants of CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and so on.

[0066] It should be noted that although Figure 1 only illustrates two of these UEs as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), any UE illustrated can be an SL-UE. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any UE illustrated (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.

[0067] In the example of Figure 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown as a single UE 104 in Figure 1 for simplicity) 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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 the modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or network nodes 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 the ground base station 102, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112.

[0070] 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”). In the example of Figure 1, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 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 a 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 may utilize any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct). ® ,Bluetooth ® (etc.) to support.

[0071] Figure 2A illustrates an example wireless network architecture 200. For example, 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 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).

[0072] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which 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, which may 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).

[0073] Figure 2B illustrates another example wireless network architecture 240. 5GC 260 (which can correspond to 5GC 210 in Figure 2A) can be functionally viewed as control plane functions provided by Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by 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 session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between UE 204 and short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchoring functionality (SEAF). The AMF264 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 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AAUSF. The AMF 264's functionality 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. The AMF 264's functionality also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a 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, the AMF 264 also supports non-3GPP...® (Third Generation Partner Program) Access network functionality.

[0074] 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) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and delivering 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.

[0075] 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.

[0076] 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 transmit 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).

[0077] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274, which 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] 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.

[0080] 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, AP, TRP, cells, etc.) can be implemented as aggregated base stations (also known as standalone base stations or monolithic base stations) or decomposed base stations.

[0081] 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).

[0082] 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.

[0083] Figure 2C illustrates an example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to various aspects of this disclosure. 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 (such as 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.

[0084] Each unit in the cells (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 unit in the cells, 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, or both, via wireless transmission media.

[0085] In some aspects, the CU 280 can host one or more higher-level control functions. Such control functions may include RRC, PDCP, Service 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.

[0086] 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 partitioning (such as that provided by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)). ®The DU285 is functionally partitioned to host 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 further host one or more low-PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may 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.

[0087] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RU 287s. In some deployments, the RU 287 controlled by the DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that 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, or both, at least in part based on functional decomposition (such as lower-layer functional decomposition). In this architecture, the RU 287 can be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UE 204s. In some specific implementations, the real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 287 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration allows the DU 285 and CU 280 to be implemented in cloud-based RAN architectures such as vRAN architectures.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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 data collection and actions through an interface such as an E2 interface connecting one or more CU 280s, one or more DU 285s, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 259.

[0090] 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).

[0091] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding boxes) 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 the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in Figures 2A and 2B, such as a private network) to support the operation as described herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different specific implementations in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-a-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more of these components. For example, the device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0092] 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.

[0093] 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.

[0094] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal interfaces 330 and 370, each satellite signal interface including one or more satellite signal receivers 332 and 372, and optionally including one or more satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374, respectively. In some cases, base station 304 may be a terrestrial base station that can communicate with a spacecraft (e.g., spacecraft 112) via satellite signal interface 370. In other cases, base station 304 may be a spacecraft (or other non-terrestrial entity) that uses satellite signal interface 370 to communicate with terrestrial networks and / or other spacecraft.

[0095] Satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 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. When satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) signals, etc. When satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 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 332 and 372 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 332 and 372 may request appropriate information and operations from other systems, 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.

[0096] Optional satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 (when present) can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can be provided with components for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. When satellite signal transmitter 374 is a satellite positioning system transmitter, the satellite positioning / communication signal 378 can be a GPS signal, GLONASS signal, etc. ® Signals include Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, NAVIC signals, and QZSS signals. When satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 are NTN transmitters, 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 transmitters 334 and 374 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for transmitting satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal transmitters 334 and 374 can request appropriate information and operations from other systems.

[0097] 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] 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.

[0100] 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 342, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. Thus, processors 342, 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 342, 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.

[0101] 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 positioning components 348, 388, and 398. Positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 342, 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, positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 342, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 348, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 342, 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 illustrates possible locations for positioning component 348, which may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 342, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3B illustrates possible locations for positioning component 388, which 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 illustrates possible locations for positioning component 398, which 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.

[0102] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 342 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 interfaces 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] 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 processing, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0105] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include: error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to 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 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 the channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The 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. The transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0106] 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 342. 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 symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on a channel estimate 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 342, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0107] In the downlink, one or more processors 342 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 342 are also responsible for error detection.

[0108] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by base station 304, one or more processors 342 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 processing, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0109] 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.

[0110] 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.

[0111] 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.

[0112] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are shown in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionalities in different designs. In particular, the various components in Figures 3A through 3C are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choices, cost, device usage, or other considerations. For example, in the case of Figure 3A, a particular implementation of UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or personal computer (PC) or laptop computer may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth). ® The short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), satellite signal interface 330, or sensor 344, etc., may be omitted. Similarly, in the case of Figure 3B, a specific embodiment of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capability), short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, various alternative configurations are not illustrated herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0113] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via data buses 308, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 308, 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 308, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between these logical entities.

[0114] The components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, the components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C 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 functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Moreover, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 can 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, this document describes various operations, actions, and / or functions as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, as will be understood, such operations, actions, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components (such as processors 342, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 348, 388, and 398, etc.) of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc.

[0115] 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).

[0116] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating example frame structures according to various aspects of this disclosure. The frame structure can be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0117] LTE (and in some cases NR) uses Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as tones, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated using data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, the nominal Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0118] LTE supports a single set of parameters (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple sets of parameters (µ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz (µ=0), 30kHz (µ=1), 60kHz (µ=2), 120kHz (µ=3), and 240kHz (µ=4) or larger can be available. Within each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per time slot. For a 15kHz SCS (µ=0), there is one time slot per subframe, 10 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (µs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 30kHz SCS (µ=1), there are two time slots per subframe, 20 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 60kHz SCS (µ=2), there are four time slots per subframe, 40 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.25ms, a symbol duration of 16.7µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 120kHz SCS (µ=3), there are eight time slots per subframe, 80 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.125ms, a symbol duration of 8.33µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 240kHz SCS (µ=4), there are 16 time slots per subframe, 160 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size.

[0119] In the example in Figure 4, a parameter set of 15 kHz is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1 ms long, and each subframe includes one time slot. In Figure 4, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0120] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE corresponds to a symbol length in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the parameter set of Figure 4, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0121] Some REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). These reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSB), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 4 illustrates an example location of an RE carrying reference signals (labeled "R").

[0122] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example PRS configuration 500 for PRS transmission for a given base station according to various aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 5, time is represented horizontally, increasing from left to right. Each long rectangle represents a time slot, and each short (shaded) rectangle represents an OFDM symbol. In the example of Figure 5, PRS resource set 510 (labeled "PRS resource set 1") includes two PRS resources: a first PRS resource 512 (labeled "PRS resource 1") and a second PRS resource 514 (labeled "PRS resource 2"). The base station transmits PRS on PRS resources 512 and 514 in PRS resource set 510.

[0123] PRS resource set 510 has a timing length of two time slots (N_PRS) and a periodicity (T_PRS) of, for example, 160 time slots or 160 milliseconds (ms) (for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing). Therefore, PRS resources 512 and 514 are both two consecutive time slots in length and repeat once every T_PRS time slot, starting from the time slot where the first symbol of the corresponding PRS resource appears. In the example of Figure 5, PRS resource 512 has a symbol length of two symbols (N_symb), and PRS resource 514 has a symbol length of four symbols (N_symb). PRS resources 512 and 514 can be transmitted on separate beams of the same base station.

[0124] Each instance of PRS resource set 510 (exemplified as instances 520a, 520b, and 520c) includes a '2'-length timing (i.e., N_PRS = 2) for each PRS resource 512, 514 in the PRS resource set. PRS resources 512 and 514 repeat once per T_PRS slot until the silence sequence is periodically T_REP. Therefore, a bitmap of length T_REP may be needed to indicate which timings of instances 520a, 520b, and 520c of PRS resource set 510 are silenced (i.e., not sent).

[0125] On the one hand, additional constraints may exist for PRS configuration 500. For example, for all PRS resources (e.g., PRS resources 512, 514) in a PRS resource set (e.g., PRS resource set 510), the base station may configure the following parameters to be the same: (a) timing length (N_PRS), (b) number of symbols (N_symb), (c) comb type, and / or (d) bandwidth. Furthermore, for all PRS resources in all PRS resource sets, the subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix may be configured to be the same for one base station or for all base stations. Whether it is for one base station or for all base stations may depend on the UE's ability to support the first and / or second options.

[0126] Figure 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating an example PRS configuration for two TRPs (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2") operating in the same positioning frequency layer (labeled "Positioning Frequency Layer 1") according to various aspects of this disclosure. For a positioning session, auxiliary data indicating the illustrated PRS configuration can be provided to the UE. In the example of Figure 6, the first TRP ("TRP1") is associated with (e.g., transmits) two PRS resource sets labeled "PRS Resource Set 1" and "PRS Resource Set 2"), and the second TRP ("TRP2") is associated with one PRS resource set labeled "PRS Resource Set 3". Each PRS resource set includes at least two PRS resources. Specifically, the first PRS resource set (“PRS resource set 1”) includes PRS resources labeled “PRS resource 1” and “PRS resource 2”, the second PRS resource set (“PRS resource set 2”) includes PRS resources labeled “PRS resource 3” and “PRS resource 4”, and the third PRS resource set (“PRS resource set 3”) includes PRS resources labeled “PRS resource 5” and “PRS resource 6”.

[0127] When a UE configures multiple PRS resources beyond its capacity in the auxiliary data for a positioning method, the UE assumes that the PRS resources in the auxiliary data are sorted in descending order of measurement priority. Currently, 64 TRPs for each frequency layer are sorted according to priority, and the two PRS resource sets for each TRP of the frequency layer are also sorted according to priority. However, it is possible or not to sort all four frequency layers according to priority, and it is possible or not to sort the 64 PRS resources in the PRS resource set for each TRP of each frequency layer according to priority. The reference indicated by the auxiliary data parameter "nr-DL-PRS-ReferenceInfo" for each frequency layer has the highest priority at least for the DL-TDOA positioning procedure.

[0128] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating example PRS resource repetition and beam scanning options according to various aspects of this disclosure. In the example of Figure 7, time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Each box represents a time slot in the time domain and a bandwidth in the frequency domain.

[0129] Figure 7 illustrates instances (or timings) of two DL-PRS resource sets: the first DL-PRS resource set 710 and the second DL-PRS resource set 750. Each DL-PRS resource set 710 and 750 comprises four PRS resources (labeled "Resource 1", "Resource 2", "Resource 3", and "Resource 4") and has a repetition factor of four. A repetition factor of four means that each of the four PRS resources is repeated four times (i.e., transmitted four times) within the DL-PRS resource set. That is, each of the four PRS resources within the DL-PRS resource set is repeated four times. The repetition factor can be configured to the UE via the higher-layer parameter "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor" and can have values ​​selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32}. Note that, as illustrated in Figure 7, the time span of a DL-PRS resource set containing repeating DL-PRS resources should not exceed the PRS periodicity.

[0130] In the example of Figure 7, DL-PRS resource set 710 and DL-PRS resource set 750 have different time gaps. A time gap is the offset, in time-slot units, between two duplicate instances of a DL-PRS resource corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of the DL-PRS resource set. The time gap can be configured to the UE via the higher-level parameter “PRS-ResourceTimeGap” and can have values ​​selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}.

[0131] In Figure 7, the DL-PRS resource set 710 has a time slot of one time slot, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "Resource 1") begins on the first time slot after a previous repetition of that PRS resource. Therefore, as illustrated for the DL-PRS resource set 710, the four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are grouped together. Specifically, the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 1" occupy the first four time slots of the DL-PRS resource set 710 (i.e., time slots n to n+3), the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 2" occupy the next four time slots (i.e., time slots n+4 to n+7), the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 3" occupy the following four time slots (i.e., time slots n+8 to n+11), and the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 4" occupy the last four time slots (i.e., time slots n+12 to n+15).

[0132] Conversely, the DL-PRS resource set 750 has a four-slot time interval, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "Resource 2") begins on the fourth time slot following a previous repetition of that PRS resource. Therefore, as illustrated by the DL-PRS resource set 750, four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are scheduled in every fourth time slot. For example, four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 1" occupy the first, fifth, ninth, and thirteenth time slots of the DL-PRS resource set 750 (i.e., time slots n, n+4, n+8, and n+12).

[0133] The purpose of PRS resource repetition is to allow (e.g., by the UE) receive beam scans across PRS resource repetitions, enabling the receiver to combine signal gains for coverage extension and allowing intra-instance silencing (e.g., if one repetition is silenced, other repetitions still exist for the receiver to measure). Note that UE receive beam scans depend on the specific UE implementation.

[0134] NR supports various cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include: Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD) in NR. During OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurements) and reports these differences to 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 measurements, 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.

[0135] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding the received signal strength of multiple downlink transmitted 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.

[0136] 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.

[0137] 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.

[0138] 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 (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 multi-RTT positioning, a 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) such that the location of the first entity can be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known location of the second entities (e.g., using multipoint positioning). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy.

[0139] 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.

[0140] 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.

[0141] 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.

[0142] 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).

[0143] The Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (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 positioning-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources (physical entities or portions of physical entities that provide signals measurable 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 positioning-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.

[0144] 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. Figure 8 illustrates an example LPP capability transfer process 810, an LPP auxiliary data transfer process 830, and an LPP location information transfer process 850 between a target device (labeled "target") and a location server (labeled "server") according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0145] The purpose of LPP capability transfer procedure 810 is to enable the transfer of 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. In LPP capability transfer procedure 810, the location server (e.g., LMF 270) indicates the type of capability required by 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 the supported location method in the LPP provide capability message. For the LPP capability indication procedure, the target device provides capabilities to the location server in the LPP provide capability message that were not requested (i.e., the LPP request capability message was not received).

[0146] The purpose of LPP Assisted Data Delivery Process 830 is to enable a target device to request assisted data from a location server for location assistance, and to enable the location server to deliver assisted data to the target device without a request. In LPP Assisted Data Delivery Process 830, 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 assisted data. The delivered 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.

[0147] The purpose of LPP location information transmission procedure 850 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 transmit location measurement data and / or location estimates to the location server without a request. In LPP location information transmission procedure 850, the location server transmits 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 transmit the location information. Unless the location server explicitly allows additional location information, the transmitted 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 contains information about the 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] 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.

[0150] During the LPP process, the UE reports its PRS processing capabilities during capability transfer and receives AD for PRS measurement during auxiliary data transfer. In some scenarios, the AD may indicate more PRS resources than the UE can process. For example, the UE may only be able to process five PRS resources, while the AD indicates 20 PRS resources for measurement. In such instances, the UE only needs to select the first five DL-PRS indicated in the AD, as it can assume that the AD has already sorted the DL-PRS resources in descending order of measurement priority. In this regard, the UE can assume the following: 1) FFS: sorting the four frequency layers according to priority; 2) sorting the 64 TRPs of each frequency layer according to priority; 3) sorting the two sets of each TRP of each frequency layer according to priority; 4) FFS: sorting the 64 resources of each TRP set of each frequency layer according to priority; and 5) the DL-PRS reference indicated by the Information Element (IE) associated with each frequency layer has the highest priority at least for DL-TDOA.

[0151] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, a network server (e.g., a base station, LMF, etc.) may indicate to the UE that certain PRS resources can be bandwidth aggregated. In one aspect, candidates for bandwidth aggregation satisfy certain conditions of aggregated PRS resources applied by the network server. For example, PRS resources from TRPs across aggregated PFLs are transmitted in the same time slot, in the same symbol, by the same TRP associated with the same ARP, and from the same RF chain (e.g., the same antenna). This means that the resources are in the same gNB transmit timing error group (Tx TEG), the same UE receive timing error group (Rx TEG), fall within the maximum TX timing error margin, and have the same quasi-co-address (QCL). Additionally, PRS resources should have: 1) the same number of symbols, the same symbol positions within a time slot, and the same repetition factor; 2) the same periodicity and time slot offset; 3) the same silence mode; 4) the same parameter set (e.g., the same CP and SCS); 5) the same or different bandwidths; 6) the same comb size; 7) the same number of PRS resource sets and resources used for TRP; and 8) the same power for each subcarrier; and 9) the same DL-PRS offset. Furthermore, aggregated PFLs should be configured on the same aligned parameter set grid.

[0152] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, even in the presence of guard tones (e.g., PFLs with different resource element offset configurations, PFLs with different point A references, etc.), continuous PRS patterns can be maintained across aggregated bandwidths. Phase continuity between aggregated PFLs should also be maintained.

[0153] Regarding AD enhancements for such features, the PRS configuration in the AD, performed by the LMF (or by the LMF via NG-RAN), can inform the UE that PRS resources from certain PFLs can be linked for aggregation. The AD can indicate whether the aggregation is based on all TRPs or on each TRP, and whether the links used for aggregation are based on each set of PRS resources or on each PRS resource.

[0154] Certain aspects of this disclosure support the UE's selection of the PRS resources it will aggregate. In one aspect, the UE can perform PRS aggregation on a PRS resource basis and allows bandwidth aggregation to be configured on a per-PRS resource basis (e.g., per-TRP basis). In another aspect, even if the AD indicates that a large number of PRS resources satisfy the bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by the network server (e.g., LMF, base station, etc.), the UE only reports aggregated measurements for a subset of the PRS resources indicated in the AD. In yet another aspect, non-aggregated measurements can be reported by the UE based on legacy per-PFL measurements.

[0155] This document describes several aspects of PRS resource aggregation. In one aspect, a UE can report aggregated PRS measurements from multiple PFLs based on PRS resources (e.g., PRS resources from multiple PFLs can be aggregated for the purpose of PRS measurement aggregation). Additionally or alternatively, a UE can report aggregated PRS resource measurements based on each TRP, where aggregated measurements are reported from multiple PFLs that have linked PRS resources (e.g., linked resources from a first TRP and from a second TRP).

[0156] In some respects, network nodes (e.g., LMF, base stations) can provide the UE with instructions regarding which aggregated PRS measurements the UE should report for certain PRS resources (e.g., in AD). In one respect, the network node can request the UE to report both aggregated measurement results and legacy measurement results for aggregated PRS resources. In another respect, the network node can request the UE to report non-aggregated PRS measurements corresponding to PRS resource measurements aggregated based on legacy reporting behavior.

[0157] On the one hand, network nodes can request the UE to report only aggregated measurements for resources that the UE has already aggregated. In such scenarios, the UE can report any unaggregated measurements based on legacy reporting behavior.

[0158] On the one hand, network nodes can request the UE to report only aggregated measurements for aggregated PRS resources. In this scenario, the UE does not report any non-aggregated PRS resource measurements.

[0159] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, the UE receives a PRS configuration for multiple PRS resources that can be measured during a positioning session, and reports one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a set of PRS resources selected by the UE from the multiple PRS resources. In one aspect, the UE selects the set of PRS resources from which it reports bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0160] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, a UE can be configured with PRS resources having a resource element (RE) offset configuration that maintains a uniform per-symbol spacing across the aggregated bandwidth in the presence of guard tones. Figure 9 illustrates an example of a contiguous PRS mode 900 that can be aggregated across multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs). In this example, PRS mode 900 includes PRS resources for a first PFL 902 and PRS resources for a second PFL 904. The resources of the first PFL 902 are separated from the resources of the second PFL 904 by a guard band 906 consisting of six tones. For both PFLs 902 and 904, a comb-4 mode is used to transmit the PRS resources. In this example, the first PFL 902 has a resource element offset of 0, and the second PFL 904 has a resource element offset of 2.

[0161] The threshold level criteria applied by the UE to select PRS resources for which aggregated PRS measurements will be reported can be based on one or more Quality of Service (QoS) criteria. In some respects, the UE may use QoS values ​​indicated in one or more fields of the QoS IE. In the case of location measurements, some of these values ​​may be applied to location estimation, which is derived by the network server from the PRS measurements provided by the UE based on the network server's assumption that the PRS measurements are the only source of error. Such QoS fields may include fields indicating values ​​for horizontal accuracy, vertical accuracy, response time, etc., associated with the location session.

[0162] On one hand, the response time value indicates the maximum response time measured between receiving a location information request and, for example, sending location information by the UE, where the location information includes early location measurements or early location estimates. If no time unit is specified in the indication, the UE may assume the value is given in integer seconds between 1 and 128. If an enumerated value of "ten seconds" is present, the maximum response time is given in units of 10 seconds, between 10 seconds and 1280 seconds. If an enumerated value of "ten milliseconds" is present, the maximum response time is given in units of 10 milliseconds, between 0.01 seconds and 1.28 seconds. If the enumerated value of "ten milliseconds" is included for methods other than NR E-CID positioning, NR DL-TDOA positioning, NR DL-AoD positioning, and NR multi-RTT positioning, the UE may ignore the unit field. In some scenarios, the UE may provide location information in multiple LPP messages.

[0163] Certain aspects of this disclosure relate to problems arising in various resource aggregation scenarios. In a location scenario, the UE may receive a location request with an Address Difference (AD), which indicates PRS resources for measurement by the UE. The AD may or may not include indications of PRS resources that the network device has determined can be bandwidth aggregated (e.g., aggregated based on a bandwidth aggregation criterion applied by the network device). In such scenarios, the UE may aggregate resources based on the aggregateable resources indicated by the AD. In some scenarios, the UE may make a separate determination regarding whether it will aggregate all, some, or none of the aggregateable resources indicated by the AD.

[0164] In some scenarios, the AD (Active Access Provider) may not provide the UE with indications of aggregable resources. In such scenarios, the UE can apply its own criteria to determine whether any PRS resources indicated in the AD are aggregable. Some aspects involve the criteria used by the UE to determine whether a PRS resource indicated in the AD is aggregable.

[0165] Some aspects of this disclosure relate to the identification of aggregateable resources by a UE when reporting aggregateable resources to a network server, which can use the reported aggregateable resources to crowdsource aggregateable resource data that can be used with other UEs and other resource sensing scenarios. Some aspects of this disclosure address the identification and reporting of aggregateable over-the-top (OTT) resources (e.g., TRS / SSB).

[0166] As noted, the UE may select the set of PRS resources from which it reports bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements based on a bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criterion applied by the UE. One or more thresholds associated with the QoS of the location session may be used as the basis for this determination. That is, the UE determines whether to report aggregated PRS measurements based on a comparison of the values ​​of various QoS indicators with the threshold criterion. Based on the comparison, the UE may report aggregated PRS measurements and / or non-aggregated PRS measurements.

[0167] On one hand, the UE can determine whether to report aggregated PRS measurements based on the accuracy requirements associated with the positioning session. For example, if the accuracy requirement indicates that the accuracy is below a threshold (e.g., less than 10 cm), the UE will report aggregated PRS resource measurements because the aggregated measurements provide higher accuracy measurements from which positioning can be derived. If the accuracy requirement is above such a threshold, the UE only needs to report unaggregated PRS measurements.

[0168] On one hand, the UE can determine whether to report aggregated PRS measurements based on the time response requirement associated with the location session. If the QoS requirement associated with the location session indicates a time response requirement value higher than a threshold (e.g., 2 seconds), the UE can report aggregated PRS resource measurements. However, if the QoS requirement indicates a time response requirement lower than the threshold, the UE can report unaggregated PRS resource measurements (e.g., only reporting measurements for individual PRS resources without performing aggregation). For example, suppose the UE is able to measure up to 10 PRS resources in a given response time. Instead of reporting aggregated measurements from 5 TRPs (e.g., two PRS resources from each TRP), the UE can provide unaggregated measurements from 10 TRPs, where one resource measurement will be reported for each TRP. In scenarios where QoS thresholds are applied, the accuracy threshold and time response threshold can vary with the bandwidth of the configured PLF / PRS resources.

[0169] According to various aspects of this disclosure, the UE's determination of whether to include PRS resources in aggregated PRS measurements may be based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) thresholding. In one aspect, SNR thresholding may be based on the SNR value measured by the UE for each individual PRS resource. If a given PRS resource does not have an SNR greater than a threshold (e.g., X dB), then that given PRS resource will not be aggregated with other PRS resources. In another aspect, if a given PRS resource indicated in the set of aggregable PRS resources identified by the network server does not have an SNR greater than a threshold, then the UE may determine that the set of aggregable PRS resources identified by the network server will not be aggregated at the UE.

[0170] Additionally or alternatively, SNR thresholding may be based on combined / average SNR thresholding. In one aspect, when the combined / average SNR of PRS resources in a PRS resource set is greater than a threshold (e.g., Y dB), the UE may report aggregated PRS measurements for that PRS resource set. However, if the combined / average SNR of PRS resources in the set is less than the threshold, the UE will not report aggregated measurements for that set and / or may report unaggregated measurements for that set.

[0171] Additionally or alternatively, SNR thresholding may be based on aggregated gain thresholding (e.g., the SNR associated with aggregated measurements). In one aspect, aggregated gain SNR may be based on: Aggregated SNR gain = Aggregated SNR estimate - (SNR of PRS1, SNR of PRS2) maximum value.

[0172] In one aspect, the aggregated SNR estimate can be determined based on the SNR obtained using all samples on all PRS resources for which the UE has determined aggregation is being analyzed. In some scenarios, the UE reports the aggregated PRS measurements only if the aggregated SNR gain is greater than a threshold (e.g., Z dB).

[0173] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the SNR thresholding can vary with the bandwidth of the configured PLF / PRS resources. For example, in a 100MHz + 100MHz aggregation scenario, example values for the above thresholds can be X = 16 dB, Y = 25 dB, and / or Z = 10 dB.

[0174] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the UE's determination of whether to include a PRS resource in the aggregated PRS measurements can be based on line-of-sight (LOS) / non-line-of-sight (NLOS) thresholding. In one aspect, the UE determines a value K for each PRS resource, where the value K corresponds to the probability that the PRS resource is a LOS resource (e.g., where 0 < K < 1 and K = 1 corresponds to a determination that the PRS resource is LOS). If a given PRS resource does not have a K greater than the threshold, the given PRS resource will not be aggregated with other PRS resources. In one aspect, if a given PRS resource indicated in the set of aggregable PRS resources identified by the network server does not have a K greater than the threshold, the UE can determine that the set of aggregable PRS resources identified by the network server will not be aggregated at the UE. In one aspect, if the difference between the K values associated with two PRS resources is less than a threshold, the UE will not aggregate the measurements of the two PRS resources with each other.

[0175] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the UE's determination of whether to include a PRS resource in the aggregated PRS measurements can be based on the difference in TOA measurements associated with different PRS resources. In one aspect, the UE can determine the respective TOAs associated with two PRS resources (e.g., by processing them separately). If the difference between the measured TOAs is greater than a threshold, the UE will not aggregate the PRS resources with each other.

[0176] In some scenarios, the UE may have aggregated measurements of multiple PRS resources but has not yet met the criteria determined by the UE for reporting the aggregated measurements for the multiple PRS resources (e.g., the PRS resources do not meet the SNR thresholding criteria). According to some aspects of the present disclosure, the UE can interrupt the execution of the aggregated measurements of the PRS resources and start a timer. Once the timer expires, the UE can resume measuring the aggregated PRS resources. In one aspect, a separate timer can be maintained for each set of aggregable PRS resources.

[0177] Although the aforementioned aggregation proposal has been described in the context of DL-PRS positioning, it will be appreciated that, based on the teachings of this disclosure, the aggregation proposal is also applicable to sidelink-based positioning scenarios. In sidelink positioning scenarios, PRS resources may include resources selected from a dedicated sidelink resource pool or a shared resource pool.

[0178] According to certain aspects of this disclosure, the UE can independently determine whether certain PRS resources can be aggregated into a set. In one aspect, the aggregateable resource set determined by the UE can be aggregated even in scenarios where the aggregateable resources aggregated therein are not indicated as aggregateable in the AD. In such scenarios, the UE can determine for itself whether to aggregate the PRS resource set and whether to report aggregated resource measurements.

[0179] The UE can apply various standards to PRS resources to identify aggregable PRS resources. According to various aspects of this disclosure, the following standards can be applied: On the one hand, all PRS resources within a TRP that forms a potentially aggregatable PRS resource set can have the same TEG (Timing Error Group). TEG information for all PRS resources is typically provided to the UE in the AD (Advanced Device Assistant). However, in scenarios where TEG group information is not provided, the UE may assume that the PRS resources within the TRP belong to a default TEG group. In some scenarios, this requirement may be specified as mandatory.

[0180] On one hand, Rx-TEG can be the same for all potentially aggregable PRS resources in the set. This aspect can be an optional requirement and depends on the specific UE implementation.

[0181] On one hand, all potentially aggregateable PRS resources in this set are within the maximum TX / Rx timing error margin. In such instances, the UE can use the maximum timing error margin between the Tx and Rx TEG groups to form a potentially aggregated set.

[0182] On the one hand, all potential aggregateable PRS resources in this set can have the same QCL and the same ARP. On the one hand, all PRS resources within a potentially aggregatable PRS resource set can have the same number of symbols, the same symbol location within a time slot, the same repetition factor, the same periodicity and time slot offset, the same quiescent mode, the same parameter set (e.g., the same CP and SCS), the same or different bandwidth, the same comb size, the same number of PRS resource sets and resources used for TRP, and the same time slot offset configuration. Depending on the system design, some criteria in this aspect may be specified as mandatory, while others may be specified as optional.

[0183] The UE can select the PRS resources it will aggregate from the PRS resources indicated in the set of potentially aggregateable PRS resources. In one aspect, the UE selects a PRS resource from the set of potentially aggregateable PRS resources that has an RE offset configuration that maintains a PRS mode with uniform per-symbol spacing across the aggregated bandwidth in the presence of guard tone.

[0184] PRS pairs within a TRP that meet all the aforementioned criteria can be used to form an aggregated PRS resource set. In one aspect, the UE may be restricted to using a maximum of three aggregated PRS resources in each group having a maximum of three aggregated PFLs. The determination of whether the UE should measure and / or report aggregate measurements for the aggregated PRS resource set formed by the UE can be made by the specific implementation of the UE.

[0185] According to various aspects of this disclosure, a UE can determine which OTT resources (e.g., TRS / CSI / SSB signal resources) are potentially aggregable and report these potentially aggregable OTT resources to the network. In one aspect, a network server can crowdsource data related to potentially aggregable OTT resources from multiple UEs to generate a database of potentially aggregable OTT resources. This database of potentially aggregable OTT resources can be made available to other network entities (e.g., LMF, base stations, etc.) for resource sensing or other purposes.

[0186] The UE can apply various standards to OTT resources to identify potentially aggregateable OTT resources. According to various aspects of this disclosure, the following standards can be applied: On the one hand, all OTT resources within a TRP with the same TEG will form a potentially aggregateable set of OTT resources.

[0187] On one hand, Rx-TEG can be the same for all potentially aggregable OTT resources in the set. This aspect can be an optional requirement and depends on the specific implementation of the UE.

[0188] On the one hand, all potential aggregateable OTT resources in this set are within the maximum TX / Rx timing error margin.

[0189] On the one hand, all OTT resources in a potentially aggregateable OTT resource set can have the same QCL and the same ARP. On the one hand, all OTT resources within a potentially aggregable OTT resource set can have the same number of symbols, the same symbol location within a time slot, the same repetition factor, the same periodicity and time slot offset, the same parameter set (e.g., the same CP and SCS), the same or different bandwidth, the same number of OTT resource sets and resources used for TRP, and the same time slot configuration. Depending on the system design, some criteria in this aspect may be specified as mandatory, while others may be specified as optional.

[0190] On one hand, the UE can select the OTT resource pairs it will aggregate from the set of aggregable OTT resources. On another hand, the UE can select OTT resource pairs that are within the UE's frequency range and its processing capabilities. On yet another hand, the OTT resources selected for aggregation can come from the in-band frequency range. The determination of when the UE performs aggregation measurements on potentially aggregable OTT resources can depend on the specific implementation of the UE.

[0191] On one hand, the UE can provide a set of potentially aggregable OTT resources and a set of potentially aggregable PRS resources to a network server (e.g., LMF, location server, dedicated network server, etc.), which the UE then forms into crowdsourced data that can be stored and used by the network server. On another hand, the UE can indicate which potentially aggregable PRS resources can be aggregated to achieve better location session performance, and distinguish between those potentially aggregable PRS resources and those whose aggregation will not achieve better location session performance. Similarly, on another hand, the UE can indicate which potentially aggregable OTT resources can be aggregated to achieve better performance.

[0192] On one hand, a network server can provide UEs with information related to potentially aggregable resources based on crowdsourced data provided by other neighboring UEs. On the other hand, a location server can use crowdsourced data from neighboring UEs to provide UEs with indications (e.g., AD) of PRS resources that can be aggregated to achieve specific location measurement benefits. For example, if a network server (e.g., LMF) provides such information to neighboring UEs, the neighboring UEs can also attempt to aggregate PRS resources and derive measurements with better accuracy compared to the case where the neighboring UEs process PRS resources independently. Similarly, a network server can use crowdsourced data associated with neighboring UEs to provide UEs with indications of OTT resources that can be aggregated to achieve specific benefits.

[0193] Figure 10 illustrates an example method 1000 of wireless communication that can be performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure. At operation 1002, the UE determines a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation standards applied by the UE. In one aspect, operation 1002 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or positioning components 348, any or all of which can be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0194] At operation 1004, the UE reports an indication to the network server that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated. In one aspect, operation 1004 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or positioning components 348, any or all of which can be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0195] As will be understood, the technical advantage of method 1000 is that the UE analyzes the OTT resources it receives and reports which OTT resources it has identified that can be aggregated. The UE can report the aggregateable OTT resources to the network server. In one aspect, the network server can crowdsource information about aggregateable OTT resources from multiple UEs and distribute the information about aggregateable OTT resources to neighboring UEs.

[0196] Figure 11 illustrates an example method 1100 of communication that can be performed by a network server according to various aspects of this disclosure. At operation 1102, the network server receives from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier for one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier for the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs. In one aspect, operation 1102 can be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, a memory 396, and / or a positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0197] At operation 1104, the network server sends data indicating at least one resource set from one or more resource sets that can be bandwidth aggregated. In one aspect, operation 1104 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning components 398, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0198] As will be understood, the technical advantage of method 1100 is that the network server can receive crowdsourcing information about aggregable OTT resources from multiple UEs and send the information about aggregable OTT resources to neighboring UEs.

[0199] Figure 12 illustrates an example method 1200 of wireless communication that can be performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure. At operation 1202, the UE receives a PRS configuration for multiple Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resources. In one aspect, operation 1202 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 342, a memory 340, and / or a positioning component 348, any or all of which can be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0200] At operation 1204, the UE reports one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among multiple PRS resources, based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE. In one aspect, operation 1204 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 342, memory 340, and / or positioning components 348, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing the operation.

[0201] As will be understood, the technical advantage of method 1200 is that the UE can independently determine whether the PRS resources indicated in the PRS configuration are aggregable, and report aggregated PRS measurements based on that determination.

[0202] 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.

[0203] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation standards applied by the UE; and reporting to a network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0204] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein: determining the first OTT resource set is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

[0205] Clause 3. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein: the first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or combinations thereof.

[0206] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), a maximum timing error threshold, the first OTT resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first OTT resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0207] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is at least in part based on the first OTT resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, frame parameter set, symbol position within a time slot of the OTT signal for bandwidth aggregation, resource repetition factor of the OTT signal, periodicity of the OTT signal, time slot offset of the OTT signal, silent mode of the OTT signal, comb size of the OTT signal, number of the OTT signal, or any combination thereof.

[0208] Clause 6. A method of communication performed by a network server, the method comprising: receiving from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmitting auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0209] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 6, wherein: the identifier of the one or more resource sets is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs.

[0210] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 6 to 7, wherein: the auxiliary data indicating that the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation are sent to a second set of one or more UEs.

[0211] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 6 to 8, wherein: the at least one resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or any combination thereof.

[0212] Clause 10. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a PRS configuration for a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources; and reporting one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0213] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, the method further comprising: reporting unaggregated PRS measurements for the second PRS resource set based on the fact that a second PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources fails to meet the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0214] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 11, wherein the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based on: one or more quality of service (QoS) threshold level criteria associated with a location session; one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; one or more line-of-sight (LOS) threshold level criteria associated with the first PRS resource set; one or more time-of-arrival (TOA) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; or any combination thereof.

[0215] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 12, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more QoS threshold level criteria; and the one or more QoS threshold level criteria are based on one or more location accuracy requirements associated with the location session, one or more UE response time requirements for reporting the PRS measurements associated with the location session, or any combination thereof.

[0216] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 13, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more SNR threshold level criteria; and the one or more SNR threshold level criteria are based on the following: each location resource in the first PRS resource set has an SNR that satisfies the first SNR threshold level criterion; the combined SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the second SNR threshold level criterion; the average SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the third SNR threshold level criterion; the aggregated SNR gain of the first PRS resource set satisfies the fourth SNR threshold level criterion; or any combination thereof.

[0217] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 14, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a LOS location resource, a second probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a non-LOS (NLOS) location resource, or any combination thereof.

[0218] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 15, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first difference between the probabilities that two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are LOS location resources, a second difference between the probabilities that the two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are NLOS location resources, or any combination thereof.

[0219] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 16, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more TOA threshold level criteria; and the one or more TOA threshold level criteria are based on the TOA difference between two or more TOA measurements associated with two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0220] Clause 18. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 17, wherein: the report of the one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for the first PRS resource set is based on fewer than all location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0221] Clause 19. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 18, the method further comprising: determining the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation for the PRS measurement based at least in part on auxiliary data received by the UE indicating that a given PRS resource set satisfies bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by a network server.

[0222] Clause 20. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 19, the method further comprising: determining the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation used for the PRS measurement based at least in part on a bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE.

[0223] Clause 21. The method according to Clause 20, the method further comprising: reporting to a network server an indication that the first PRS resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0224] Clause 22. The method according to any one of Clauses 20 to 21, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first PRS resource set belonging to the same transmit timing error group (Tx-TEG), the first PRS resource set belonging to the same receive timing error group (Rx-TEG), the maximum timing error, the first PRS resource set having the same quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship, the first PRS resource set having the same antenna reference point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0225] Clause 23. The method according to any one of Clauses 20 to 22, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, PRS symbol positions within the time slots of the frame structure, PRS repetition factor, PRS periodicity, time slot offset, PRS silent mode, parameter set, PRS comb size, number of over-the-top (OTT) resource sets, or any combination thereof.

[0226] Clause 24. The method according to any one of Clauses 20 to 23, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is at least in part based on the first PRS resource set having a resource element offset configuration that maintains a PRS mode with uniform per-symbol intervals across aggregated bandwidths separated by guard tones.

[0227] Clause 25. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 24, the method further comprising: bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set; and determining one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria that have not yet been met for reporting the one or more bandwidth-aggregated measurements.

[0228] Clause 26. The method according to Clause 25, the method further comprising: stopping bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set in response to determining that a threshold level criterion for reporting the one or more bandwidth-aggregated measurements has not yet been met.

[0229] Clause 27. The method according to Clause 26, the method further comprising: resuming bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set after a threshold time has elapsed since the cessation of bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set.

[0230] Clause 28. 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: determine a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and report an indication to a network server via the one or more transceivers that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0231] Clause 29. The UE as described in Clause 28, wherein: determining the first OTT resource set is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

[0232] Clause 30. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 28 to 29, wherein: the first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or a combination thereof.

[0233] Clause 31. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 28 to 30, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), a maximum timing error threshold, the first OTT resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first OTT resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0234] Clause 32. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 28 to 31, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is at least in part based on the first OTT resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, frame parameter set, symbol position within a time slot of the OTT signal for bandwidth aggregation, resource repetition factor of the OTT signal, periodicity of the OTT signal, time slot offset of the OTT signal, silence mode of the OTT signal, comb size of the OTT signal, numbering of the OTT signal, or any combination thereof.

[0235] Clause 33. A network server 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, from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmit, via the one or more transceivers, auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0236] Clause 34. The network server as described in Clause 33, wherein: the identifier of the one or more resource sets is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs.

[0237] Clause 35. A network server pursuant to any one of Clauses 33 to 34, wherein: the auxiliary data indicating that the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation are sent to a second set of one or more UEs.

[0238] Clause 36. A network server pursuant to any one of Clauses 33 to 35, wherein: the at least one resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or any combination thereof.

[0239] Clause 37. 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 PRS configurations for a plurality of Position Reference Signals (PRS) resources via the one or more transceivers; and report one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first set of PRS resources among the plurality of PRS resources via the one or more transceivers based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0240] Clause 38. The UE as described in Clause 37, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: report, via the one or more transceivers, a non-aggregated PRS measurement for the second PRS resource set based on the failure of a second PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources to meet the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0241] Clause 39. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 37 to 38, wherein the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based on: one or more quality of service (QoS) threshold level criteria associated with a location session; one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; one or more line-of-sight (LOS) threshold level criteria associated with the first PRS resource set; one or more time-of-arrival (TOA) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; or any combination thereof.

[0242] Clause 40. The UE as described in Clause 39, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more QoS threshold level criteria; and the one or more QoS threshold level criteria are based on one or more location accuracy requirements associated with the location session, one or more UE response time requirements for reporting the PRS measurements associated with the location session, or any combination thereof.

[0243] Clause 41. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 39 to 40, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more SNR threshold level criteria; and the one or more SNR threshold level criteria are based on the following: each location resource in the first PRS resource set has an SNR that satisfies the first SNR threshold level criterion; the combined SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the second SNR threshold level criterion; the average SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the third SNR threshold level criterion; the aggregated SNR gain of the first PRS resource set satisfies the fourth SNR threshold level criterion; or any combination thereof.

[0244] Clause 42. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 39 to 41, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a LOS location resource, a second probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a non-LOS (NLOS) location resource, or any combination thereof.

[0245] Clause 43. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 39 to 42, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first difference between the probabilities that two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are LOS location resources, a second difference between the probabilities that the two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are NLOS location resources, or any combination thereof.

[0246] Clause 44. The UE according to any one of Clauses 39 to 43, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more TOA threshold level criteria; and the one or more TOA threshold level criteria are based on the TOA difference between two or more TOA measurements associated with two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0247] Clause 45. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 37 to 44, wherein: the report of the one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for the first PRS resource set is based on fewer than all location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0248] Clause 46. The UE according to any one of Clauses 37 to 45, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination further configured to: determine the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation for the PRS measurement based at least in part on auxiliary data received by the UE indicating that a given PRS resource set satisfies bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by a network server.

[0249] Clause 47. The UE according to any one of Clauses 37 to 46, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination further configured to: determine the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation for the PRS measurement based at least in part on a bandwidth aggregation criterion applied by the UE.

[0250] Clause 48. The UE as described in Clause 47, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to report to the network server via the one or more transceivers an indication that the first PRS resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0251] Clause 49. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 47 to 48, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first PRS resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first PRS resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), the maximum timing error, the first PRS resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first PRS resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0252] Clause 50. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 47 to 49, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, PRS symbol positions within the time slots of the frame structure, PRS repetition factor, PRS periodicity, time slot offset, PRS silent mode, parameter set, PRS comb size, number of over-the-top (OTT) resource sets, or any combination thereof.

[0253] Clause 51. A UE according to any one of Clauses 47 to 50, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a resource element offset configuration that maintains a PRS mode with uniform per-symbol intervals across aggregated bandwidths separated by guard tones.

[0254] Clause 52. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 37 to 51, wherein the one or more processors are individually or in combination further configured to: aggregate PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set; and determine the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria that have not yet been met for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregated measurements.

[0255] Clause 53. The UE as described in Clause 52, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: stop bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set in response to determining that the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregated measurements have not been met.

[0256] Clause 54. The UE according to Clause 53, wherein the one or more processors are further configured individually or in combination to: resume bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set after a threshold time has elapsed since the bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set was stopped.

[0257] Clause 55. A user equipment (UE) comprising: components for determining a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and components for reporting to a network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0258] Clause 56. The UE as described in Clause 55, wherein: the component for determining the first OTT resource set is further based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

[0259] Clause 57. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 55 to 56, wherein: the first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or a combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 58. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 55 to 57, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), a maximum timing error threshold, the first OTT resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first OTT resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0261] Clause 59. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 55 to 58, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first OTT resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, frame parameter set, symbol position within a time slot of the OTT signal for bandwidth aggregation, resource repetition factor of the OTT signal, periodicity of the OTT signal, time slot offset of the OTT signal, silent mode of the OTT signal, comb size of the OTT signal, numbering of the OTT signal, or any combination thereof.

[0262] Clause 60. A network server comprising: means for receiving from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and means for transmitting auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0263] Clause 61. The network server as described in Clause 60, wherein: the identifier of the one or more resource sets is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs.

[0264] Clause 62. A network server according to any one of Clauses 60 to 61, wherein: the auxiliary data indicating that the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation are sent to a second set of one or more UEs.

[0265] Clause 63. A network server pursuant to any one of Clauses 60 to 62, wherein: the at least one resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or any combination thereof.

[0266] Clause 64. A user equipment (UE) comprising: components for receiving PRS configuration for a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources; and components for reporting one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0267] Clause 65. The UE as described in Clause 64, the UE further comprising: a component for reporting unaggregated PRS measurements for the second PRS resource set based on the failure of a second PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources to meet the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0268] Clause 66. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 64 to 65, wherein the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based on: one or more quality of service (QoS) threshold level criteria associated with a location session; one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; one or more line-of-sight (LOS) threshold level criteria associated with the first PRS resource set; one or more time-of-arrival (TOA) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; or any combination thereof.

[0269] Clause 67. The UE as described in Clause 66, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more QoS threshold level criteria; and the one or more QoS threshold level criteria are based on one or more location accuracy requirements associated with the location session, one or more UE response time requirements for reporting the PRS measurements associated with the location session, or any combination thereof.

[0270] Clause 68. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 66 to 67, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more SNR threshold level criteria; and the one or more SNR threshold level criteria are based on the following: each location resource in the first PRS resource set has an SNR that satisfies the first SNR threshold level criterion; the combined SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the second SNR threshold level criterion; the average SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the third SNR threshold level criterion; the aggregated SNR gain of the first PRS resource set satisfies the fourth SNR threshold level criterion; or any combination thereof.

[0271] Clause 69. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 66 to 68, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a LOS location resource, a second probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a non-LOS (NLOS) location resource, or any combination thereof.

[0272] Clause 70. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 66 to 69, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first difference between the probabilities that two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are LOS location resources, a second difference between the probabilities that the two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are NLOS location resources, or any combination thereof.

[0273] Clause 71. The UE according to any one of Clauses 66 to 70, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more TOA threshold level criteria; and the one or more TOA threshold level criteria are based on the TOA difference between two or more TOA measurements associated with two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0274] Clause 72. The UE according to any one of Clauses 64 to 71, wherein: the report of the one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for the first PRS resource set is based on fewer than all location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0275] Clause 73. The UE according to any one of Clauses 64 to 72, the UE further comprising: a component for determining the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation for the PRS measurement based at least in part on auxiliary data received by the UE indicating that a given PRS resource set satisfies bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by a network server.

[0276] Clause 74. The UE according to any one of Clauses 64 to 73, the UE further comprising: a component for determining the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation for the PRS measurement based at least in part on a bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE.

[0277] Clause 75. The UE as described in Clause 74, the UE further includes: a component for reporting to a network server an indication that the first PRS resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0278] Clause 76. A UE according to any one of Clauses 74 to 75, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first PRS resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first PRS resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), the maximum timing error, the first PRS resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first PRS resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0279] Clause 77. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 74 to 76, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, PRS symbol positions within the time slots of the frame structure, PRS repetition factor, PRS periodicity, time slot offset, PRS silent mode, parameter set, PRS comb size, number of over-the-top (OTT) resource sets, or any combination thereof.

[0280] Clause 78. A UE according to any one of Clauses 74 to 77, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a resource element offset configuration that maintains a PRS mode with uniform per-symbol intervals across aggregated bandwidths separated by guard tones.

[0281] Clause 79. The UE according to any one of Clauses 64 to 78, the UE further comprising: components for aggregating PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set; and components for determining the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria that have not yet been met for reporting the one or more bandwidth-aggregated measurements.

[0282] Clause 80. The UE as described in Clause 79, the UE further comprising: a component for stopping bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set in response to determining that a threshold level criterion for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregation measurements has not been met.

[0283] Clause 81. The UE according to Clause 80, the UE further comprising: a component for resuming bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set after a threshold time has elapsed since the cessation of bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set.

[0284] Clause 82. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: determine a first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; and report to a network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0285] Clause 83. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 82, wherein: the determination of the first OTT resource set is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

[0286] Clause 84. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 82 to 83, wherein: the first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or combinations thereof.

[0287] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 82 to 84, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first OTT resource set belonging to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), a maximum timing error threshold, the first OTT resource set having the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first OTT resource set having the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 86. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 82 to 85, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first OTT resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, frame parameter set, symbol position within a time slot of the OTT signal for bandwidth aggregation, resource repetition factor of the OTT signal, periodicity of the OTT signal, time slot offset of the OTT signal, silent mode of the OTT signal, comb size of the OTT signal, numbering of the OTT signal, or any combination thereof.

[0289] Clause 87. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to: receive from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs) an identifier of one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation, wherein the identifier of the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; and transmit auxiliary data indicating at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation.

[0290] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 87, wherein: the identifier of the one or more resource sets is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs.

[0291] Clause 89. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 87 to 88, wherein: the auxiliary data indicating that the one or more resource sets capable of bandwidth aggregation are transmitted to a second set of one or more UEs.

[0292] Clause 90. A nontransitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 87 to 89, wherein: the at least one set of resources includes a reference signal resource, a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource, a synchronization signal resource, or any combination thereof.

[0293] Clause 91. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a PRS configuration for a plurality of Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resources; and report one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0294] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 91 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report unaggregated PRS measurements for the second PRS resource set based on the fact that a second PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources fails to meet the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

[0295] Clause 93. A nontransitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 91 to 92, wherein the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based on: one or more Quality of Service (QoS) threshold level criteria associated with a location session; one or more Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; one or more Line-of-Sight (LOS) threshold level criteria associated with the first PRS resource set; one or more Time of Arrival (TOA) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; or any combination thereof.

[0296] Clause 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 93, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more QoS threshold level criteria; and the one or more QoS threshold level criteria are based on one or more location accuracy requirements associated with the location session, one or more UE response time requirements for reporting the PRS measurements associated with the location session, or any combination thereof.

[0297] Clause 95. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 93 to 94, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more SNR threshold level criteria; and the one or more SNR threshold level criteria are based on the following: each location resource in the first PRS resource set has an SNR that satisfies the first SNR threshold level criterion; the combined SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the second SNR threshold level criterion; the average SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the third SNR threshold level criterion; the aggregated SNR gain of the first PRS resource set satisfies the fourth SNR threshold level criterion; or any combination thereof.

[0298] Clause 96. A nontransitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 93 to 95, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first probability that a location resource in the first PRS resource set is a LOS location resource, a second probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a non-LOS (NLOS) location resource, or any combination thereof.

[0299] Clause 97. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 93 to 96, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first difference between the probabilities that two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are LOS location resources, a second difference between the probabilities that the two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are NLOS location resources, or any combination thereof.

[0300] Clause 98. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 93 to 97, wherein: the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based at least in part on the one or more TOA threshold level criteria; and the one or more TOA threshold level criteria are based on the TOA difference between two or more TOA measurements associated with two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0301] Clause 99. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 91 to 98, wherein: the report of the one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for the first PRS resource set is based on fewer than all location resources in the first PRS resource set.

[0302] Clause 100. A nontransitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 91 to 99, the nontransitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: at least in part instruct, based on auxiliary data received by the UE, that a given PRS resource set satisfies bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by a network server to determine the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurement.

[0303] Clause 101. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 91 to 100, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: determine, at least in part, the first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation used for the PRS measurement based on a bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE.

[0304] Clause 102. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 101 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report to the network server an indication that the first PRS resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

[0305] Clause 103. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 101 to 102, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the first PRS resource set belonging to the same transmit timing error group (Tx-TEG), the first PRS resource set belonging to the same receive timing error group (Rx-TEG), maximum timing error, the first PRS resource set having the same quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship, the first PRS resource set having the same antenna reference point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

[0306] Clause 104. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 101 to 103, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on a frame structure having the first PRS resource set having the same number of symbols, PRS symbol positions within the time slots of the frame structure, PRS repetition factor, PRS periodicity, time slot offset, PRS silent mode, parameter set, PRS comb size, number of over-the-top (OTT) resource sets, or any combination thereof.

[0307] Clause 105. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 101 to 104, wherein: the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a resource element offset configuration that maintains a PRS mode with uniform per-symbol intervals across aggregated bandwidths separated by guard tones.

[0308] Clause 106. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 91 to 105, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: aggregate PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set; and determine the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria that have not yet been met for reporting the one or more bandwidth-aggregated measurements.

[0309] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 106 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: stop bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurement associated with the first PRS resource set in response to determining that a threshold level criterion for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregation measurements has not yet been met.

[0310] Clause 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to Clause 107 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: resume bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set after a threshold time has elapsed since the UE stopped bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set.

[0311] 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.

[0312] 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; however, such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0313] 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.

[0314] 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.

[0315] 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, including 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 devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and 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.

[0316] 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 explicitly 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 explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. Therefore, as used herein, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “described” are intended to include one or more of the stated elements. Additionally, 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 for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The first over-the-top (OTT) resource set that can be bandwidth aggregated is determined based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE. And to report to the network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The determination of the first OTT resource set is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or combinations thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the following: the first OTT resource set belongs to the same Transmit Timing Error Group (Tx-TEG), the first OTT resource set belongs to the same Receive Timing Error Group (Rx-TEG), the maximum timing error threshold, the first OTT resource set has the same Quasi-Co-location (QCL) relationship, the first OTT resource set has the same Antenna Reference Point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is at least partially based on the first OTT resource set having a frame structure, the frame structure having the same number of symbols, frame parameter set, symbol position within the time slot of the OTT signal for bandwidth aggregation, resource repetition factor of the OTT signal, periodicity of the OTT signal, time slot offset of the OTT signal, silent mode of the OTT signal, comb size of the OTT signal, number of the OTT signal, or any combination thereof.

6. A method for communication performed by a network server, the method comprising: Receive an identifier for one or more resource sets that can be bandwidth aggregated from a first set of one or more user equipment (UEs), wherein the identifier for the one or more resource sets is based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs; And auxiliary data indicating that at least one resource set in the one or more resource sets can be bandwidth aggregated.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The identifier for the one or more resource sets is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the first set of one or more UEs.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The auxiliary data, which indicates that the one or more resource sets that can be bandwidth aggregated, are sent to a second set of one or more UEs.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The at least one resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or any combination thereof.

10. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive PRS configuration for multiple Position Reference Signal (PRS) resources; And to report one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements for a first PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources based on one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The second PRS resource set among the plurality of PRS resources fails to meet the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria applied by the UE to report unaggregated PRS measurements for the second PRS resource set.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are based on: one or more quality of service (QoS) threshold level criteria associated with a location session; one or more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; one or more line-of-sight (LOS) threshold level criteria associated with the first PRS resource set; one or more time-of-arrival (TOA) threshold level criteria associated with the PRS measurement of the first PRS resource set; or any combination thereof.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more QoS threshold level criteria; and the one or more QoS threshold level criteria are based on one or more location accuracy requirements associated with the location session, for reporting one or more UE response time requirements of the PRS measurement associated with the location session, or any combination thereof.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more SNR threshold level criteria; and the one or more SNR threshold level criteria are based on the fact that each location resource in the first PRS resource set has an SNR that satisfies the first SNR threshold level criterion, the combined SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the second SNR threshold level criterion, the average SNR of the first PRS resource set satisfies the third SNR threshold level criterion, the aggregated SNR gain of the first PRS resource set satisfies the fourth SNR threshold level criterion, or any combination thereof.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level standards are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level standards; and the one or more LOS threshold level standards are based on a first probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a LOS location resource, a second probability that the location resource in the first PRS resource set is a non-LOS (NLOS) location resource, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein: The one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more LOS threshold level criteria; and the one or more LOS threshold level criteria are based on a first difference between the probabilities that two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are LOS location resources, a second difference between the probabilities that the two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set are NLOS location resources, or any combination thereof.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria are at least partially based on the one or more TOA threshold level criteria; and the one or more TOA threshold level criteria are based on the TOA difference between two or more TOA measurements associated with two or more location resources in the first PRS resource set.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein: The report for the one or more bandwidth-aggregated PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set is based on fewer than all location resources in the first PRS resource set.

19. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation used in the PRS measurement is determined at least in part based on auxiliary data received by the UE indicating that a given PRS resource set meets the bandwidth aggregation requirements applied by the network server.

20. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The first PRS resource set for bandwidth aggregation used in the PRS measurement is determined at least in part based on the bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: Report to the network server an indication that the first PRS resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein: The bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based on the following: the first PRS resource set belongs to the same transmit timing error group (Tx-TEG), the first PRS resource set belongs to the same receive timing error group (Rx-TEG), the maximum timing error, the first PRS resource set has the same quasi-co-location (QCL) relationship, the first PRS resource set has the same antenna reference point (ARP), or any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein: The bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is based at least in part on the first PRS resource set having a frame structure having the same number of symbols, PRS symbol positions within the time slots of the frame structure, PRS repetition factor, PRS periodicity, time slot offset, PRS silent mode, parameter set, PRS comb size, number of over-the-top (OTT) resource sets, or any combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein: The bandwidth aggregation standard applied by the UE is at least partially based on the first PRS resource set having a resource element offset configuration that maintains a uniform per-symbol interval across aggregated bandwidths separated by guard tones in a PRS mode.

25. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: Bandwidth aggregation is performed on the PRS measurements of the first PRS resource set; And to determine the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria that have not yet been met for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregations.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: In response to determining that the one or more bandwidth aggregation reporting threshold level criteria for reporting the one or more bandwidth aggregated measurements have not yet been met, bandwidth aggregation of PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set is stopped.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising: After a threshold time has elapsed since the bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set was stopped, the bandwidth aggregation of the PRS measurements associated with the first PRS resource set is resumed.

28. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: One or more memory units; 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: determine a first set of over-the-top (OTT) resources that can be bandwidth aggregated based on one or more bandwidth aggregation criteria applied by the UE; And, via the one or more transceivers, report to the network server an indication that the first OTT resource set can be bandwidth aggregated.

29. The UE according to claim 28, the method according to claim 1, wherein: The determination of the first OTT resource set is also based on one or more performance benefit criteria applied by the UE.

30. The UE according to claim 28, wherein: The first OTT resource set includes reference signal resources, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, synchronization signal resources, or combinations thereof.

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