Beam shape reporting for positioning

Abstract

Techniques for communication are disclosed. In one aspect, a gNB may report an antenna configuration and a table mapping antenna element(s) to a phase shift and / or amplitude shift to a Position Estimation Entity (PDE). The PDE can derive a beam shape based on the reported information. In another aspect, the gNB may report transformation information from the base station that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam to a second beam shape of a second beam. The PDE may derive the second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Background of the disclosure 1. Field of disclosure Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications.

[0002] 2. Description of Related Technology Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), and the like.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, called New Radio (NR), calls for higher data rates, a larger number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to tens of thousands of users, providing 1 gigabit per second to a few dozen workers on an office floor. To support large-scale deployment of sensors, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections must be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly increased compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency must be increased and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. As such, the following summary is not intended to be an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements of all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope related to any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts of one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0005] In one aspect, a method of operating a base station includes determining an antenna configuration associated with the base station, determining a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, reporting an indication of the table to a position estimation entity, and reporting an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0006] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0007] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0008] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0009] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0010] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0011] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0012] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0013] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0014] In some aspects, the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0015] In one aspect, a method of operating a location estimation entity includes receiving, from a base station, an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station; receiving from the base station an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and determining beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0016] In some aspects, the indication of the table is received via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0017] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0018] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0019] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0020] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0021] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0022] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0023] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0024] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0025] In one aspect, a method of operating a base station includes determining a first beam shape of a first beam, determining a second beam shape of a second beam, determining transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and reporting the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0026] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0027] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0028] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0029] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0030] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0031] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0032] In some aspects, the method further includes receiving a template for the beam shape from the position estimation entity, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0033] In some aspects, the translation information is reported via location assistance data, or the translation information is reported on-demand.

[0034] In one aspect, a method of operating a position estimation entity includes receiving, from a base station, transformation information for transforming a first beam shape of a first beam to a second beam shape of a second beam, and determining a second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0035] In some aspects, the translation information is received via location assistance data, or the translation information is received on-demand.

[0036] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0037] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0038] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0039] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0040] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0041] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0042] In some aspects, the method further includes transmitting a template for the beam shape to the base station, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0043] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine an antenna configuration associated with the base station; determine a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; report an indication of the table to a position estimation entity; and report an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0044] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0045] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0046] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0047] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0048] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0049] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0050] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0051] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0052] In some aspects, the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0053] In one aspect, the location estimation entity includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from a base station via the at least one transceiver an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station; receive from the base station via the at least one transceiver an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and determine beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0054] In some aspects, the indication of the table is received via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0055] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0056] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0057] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0058] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0059] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0060] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0061] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0062] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0063] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, where the at least one processor is configured to determine a first beam shape of a first beam, determine a second beam shape of a second beam, determine transformation information to transform the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and report the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0064] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0065] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0066] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0067] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0068] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0069] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0070] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a template for the beam shape from the position estimation entity, and the transformation information is based in part on the template.

[0071] In some aspects, the translation information is reported via location assistance data, or the translation information is reported on-demand.

[0072] In one aspect, the position estimation entity comprises a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from a base station, via the at least one transceiver, transformation information that transforms a first beam shape of the first beam into a second beam shape of the second beam, and determine the second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0073] In some aspects, the translation information is received via location assistance data, or the translation information is received on-demand.

[0074] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0075] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0076] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0077] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0078] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0079] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0080] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, to the base station, a template for the beam shape, wherein the transformation information is based in part on the template.

[0081] In one aspect, the base station comprises means for determining an antenna configuration associated with the base station, means for determining a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, means for reporting an indication of the table to a position estimation entity, and means for reporting an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0082] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0083] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0084] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0085] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0086] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0087] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0088] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0089] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0090] In some aspects, the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0091] In one aspect, the location estimation entity includes means for receiving from the base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station, means for receiving from the base station an indication of a table mapping each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, and means for determining beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0092] In some aspects, the indication of the table is received via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0093] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0094] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0095] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0096] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0097] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0098] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0099] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0100] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0101] In one aspect, the base station includes means for determining a first beam shape of the first beam, means for determining a second beam shape of the second beam, means for determining transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and means for reporting the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0102] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0103] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0104] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0105] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0106] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0107] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0108] In some aspects, the method further includes means for receiving, from the position estimation entity, a template for the beam shape, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0109] In some aspects, the translation information is reported via location assistance data, or the translation information is reported on-demand.

[0110] In one aspect, the position estimation entity includes means for receiving transformation information from the base station that transforms a first beam shape of the first beam into a second beam shape of the second beam, and means for determining the second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0111] In some aspects, the translation information is received via location assistance data, or the translation information is received on-demand.

[0112] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0113] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0114] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0115] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0116] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0117] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0118] In some aspects, the method further includes means for transmitting a template for the beam shape to the base station, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0119] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, causes the base station to determine an antenna configuration associated with the base station, determine a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, report an indication of the table to a position estimation entity, and report an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0120] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0121] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0122] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0123] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0124] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0125] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0126] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0127] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0128] In some aspects, the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0129] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions, when executed by a position estimation entity, causes the position estimation entity to receive from a base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station, receive from the base station an indication of a table mapping each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, and determine beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0130] In some aspects, the indication of the table is received via location assistance data, or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0131] In some aspects, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0132] In some aspects, the antenna configuration includes the number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, the antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0133] In some aspects, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0134] In some aspects, the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0135] In some aspects, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0136] In some aspects, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0137] In some aspects, the indications in the table further specify, for the at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0138] In some aspects, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0139] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions is configured to, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to determine a first beam shape of a first beam, determine a second beam shape of a second beam, determine transformation information to transform the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and report the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0140] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0141] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0142] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0143] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0144] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0145] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0146] In some aspects, the instructions when executed by a base station further cause the base station to:

[0147] In some aspects, the translation information is reported via location assistance data, or the translation information is reported on-demand.

[0148] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, when executed by a position estimation entity, causes the position estimation entity to receive transformation information from a base station that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam, and to determine the second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0149] In some aspects, the translation information is received via location assistance data, or the translation information is received on-demand.

[0150] In some aspects, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0151] In some aspects the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0152] In some aspects, the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0153] In some aspects the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0154] In some aspects, the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0155] In some aspects, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0156] In some aspects, the instructions when executed by the position estimation entity further cause the position estimation entity to:

[0157] Other objects and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0158] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided by way of example only and not limitation of the aspects. [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support communications as taught herein; [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a base station and configured to support communications as taught herein. [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support communications as taught herein. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 illustrates various downlink channels in an example downlink slot, according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an example downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) configuration for two transmit receiving points (TRPs) operating in the same positioning frequency layer, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary base station communicating with an exemplary UE, in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary process of communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0159] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and associated drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure have not been described in detail or have been omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0160] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0161] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, desired design, corresponding technology, etc.

[0162] Further, many aspects are described as a series of actions performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. In addition, a series or series of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct a processor associated with the device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein, for example, as "logic configured to" perform the described actions.

[0163] The terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" as used herein are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer location device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or stationary (e.g., at a given time) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station", or variations thereof. A UE may typically communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE may be connected 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 a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specifications, etc.).

[0164] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which the base station 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. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. A communication link through which a UE may transmit signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station may transmit signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) channel or a forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0165] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station that corresponds to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in the case of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical TRPs may be serving base stations that receive measurement reports from the UE and neighboring base stations whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring. Since a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as referring to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0166] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE) but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when it transmits signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when it receives and measures signals from the UE).

[0167] An "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0168] 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system 100 according to aspects of the disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network, WWAN) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0169] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) through the backhaul links 122 and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The location server(s) 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170. The location server 172 may be integrated with the base station 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location server 172 through another path, such as through an application server (not shown), through another network, such as through a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For purposes of signaling, communication between the UE 104 and the location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through a core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intervening nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagrams for clarity.

[0170] In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of forwarding user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0171] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage to a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resources, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term "cell" may refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, since a TRP is typically a physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0172] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may overlap partially (e.g., in handover regions), and some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" instead of "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which may serve closed groups known as closed subscriber groups (CSGs).

[0173] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be through one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0174] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with a WLAN station (STA) 152 over a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine if a channel is available.

[0175] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may utilize LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. A small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to and / or increase capacity of an access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0176] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW and / or sub-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has a wavelength between 1 and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / sub-mmW radio frequency bands have high path losses and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely large path losses and short distances. It will be further appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Thus, it will be appreciated that the above illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0177] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a particular direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that particular direction, thereby providing a faster and more powerful RF signal (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device(s). To vary the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, 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 (also called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. In particular, RF current from a transmitter is fed to each antenna with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas combine together to enhance radiation in the desired direction while suppressing and canceling radiation in undesirable directions.

[0178] A transmit beam may be quasi-co-located, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located or not. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a QCL relationship of a given type means that certain parameters for a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a 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 a 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 a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0179] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a particular direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of RF signals received from that direction.

[0180] The transmit beam and the receive beam may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that the parameters for the second beam (e.g., transmit beam or receive beam) for the second reference signal may be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) for the first reference signal. For example, the UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0181] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, then it is a receive beam to receive a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0182] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450-6000 MHz), FR2 (24250-52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW frequency band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Thus, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" may generally be used interchangeably.

[0183] In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell" and the remaining carrier frequencies are called the "secondary carrier" or "secondary serving cell" or "SCell". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels and may (but is not always) be a carrier among licensed frequencies. The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. Since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE specific, the secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., the signaling information and signals that are UE specific may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network may change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to distribute the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which several base stations are communicating, terms such as "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0184] For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or data reception rates. For example, two aggregated 20 MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0185] The wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164, which may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via communications link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via an mmW communications link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell 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.

[0186] In the example of FIG. 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in FIG. 1 as a single UE 104 for simplicity) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that the UEs 104 may use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., UEs 104) to determine their location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. Although typically located within the SVs 112, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive the signals 124 from the SV 112 to derive geolocation information.

[0187] In a satellite positioning system, the use of the signals 124 may be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, the SBAS may include an augmentation system or systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, and the like, such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS)-aided Geo-augmented Navigation, or the GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with one or more such satellite positioning systems.

[0188] In one aspect, the SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also called a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5G network. This element will then provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In this way, the UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from the SV 112 instead of or in addition to communication signals from the terrestrial base station 102.

[0189] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "sidelinks"). In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102, and a D2D P2P link 194 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity) with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150. In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, etc.

[0190] 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be considered functionally 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.) that operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 may also be connected 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. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0191] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE(s) 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UEs 204 that may connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0192] 2B illustrates another example wireless network structure 250. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to 5GC 210 in FIG. 2A) may be viewed functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In case of authentication based on a UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. AMF264 functionality also includes security context management (SCM).The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulated services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as the location server 230), transport for location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interworking with evolved packet system (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0193] The functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), routing and forwarding of packets, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (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 validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support forwarding of location service messages on the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the SLP 272.

[0194] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, policy enforcement and control of part of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0195] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the LMF 270 via a core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, except that the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data) and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B ) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0196] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and in particular the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, and the interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223 referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0197] The functionality of the gNB 222 is divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is called the "F1" interface. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as forwarding user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for those functions that are exclusively allocated to the gNB-DU(s) 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) 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 one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, and with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0198] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated in a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including a location server 230 and an LMF 270, or alternatively, may be independent of the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, such as a private network) to support file transmission operations taught herein. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated in other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the illustrated components to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may contain multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0199] The UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for ceasing transmission, etc.) over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communications medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with a designated RAT. In particular, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively, and include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0200] The UE 302 and base station 304 also each, in at least some cases, include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for ceasing transmission, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with a specified RAT. In particular, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and include one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth® transceivers, Zigbee® and / or Z-Wave® transceivers, NFC transceivers, or Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and / or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0201] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also, at least in some cases, include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Navigation Satellite System of India (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communications signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and action from other systems as appropriate and, at least in some cases, perform calculations to determine the location of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using the acquired measurements according to any suitable satellite positioning system algorithms.

[0202] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, that provide a means for communicating (e.g., a means for transmitting, a means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links or with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0203] A transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired or wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). A transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., embodying transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device) in some implementations, may comprise separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. The 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 that enables an individual device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming" as described herein. Similarly, the 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 that enables an individual device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share multiple identical antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that an individual device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not both at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listen modules (NLMs) and the like for performing various measurements.

[0204] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers generally involve signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involve signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0205] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, for example, to provide functionality related to wireless communications and to provide other processing functionality. Thus, the processors 332, 384, and 394 may comprise processing means, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, the processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0206] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, the memories 340, 386, and 396 may comprise storage means, retrieval means, maintaining means, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include beam shaping components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The beam shaping components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the beam shaping components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the beam shaping components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, and when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. FIG. 3A illustrates possible locations of the beam shaping component 342, which may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component. FIG. 3B shows possible locations of a beam shaping 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 stand-alone component.FIG. 3C shows possible locations of a beam shaping 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 stand-alone component.

[0207] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Additionally, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0208] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides a means for providing indications to a user (e.g., audio and / or visual indications) and / or receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device, such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0209] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with 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 broadcasting of measurement configurations for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with forwarding of higher layer PDUs, error correction with 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 functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0210] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0211] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its individual antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carriers and provides the information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0212] In the uplink, the one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0213] Similar to the functionality described in connection with downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with forwarding of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0214] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0215] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functions at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0216] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the one or more processors 384 may be provided to a core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0217] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are illustrated in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that may be configured according to various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated components may have different functions in different designs. In particular, various components in Figures 3A-3C are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, device use, or other considerations. For example, in the case of Figure 3A, a particular implementation of the UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, etc. 3B, a particular implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular only), or may omit satellite receiver 370, etc. For brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but should be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0218] The various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In an aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, when various logical entities are embodied within the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality integrated within the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0219] The components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in a variety of ways. In some implementations, the components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor component(s) and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor component(s) and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by the processor component(s) and memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it will be understood that such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by a particular component or combination of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as the processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, beam shaping components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0220] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be separate from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0221] Various frame structures may 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 aspects of the disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0222] LTE and in some instances NR utilize OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, or the total number of subcarriers (K) may be dependent on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0223] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (μ=0), 30 kHz (μ=1), 60 kHz (μ=2), 120 kHz (μ=3), and 240 kHz (μ=4) or more may be available. At each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, i.e., 10 slots per frame, the slot duration is 1 millisecond (ms), the symbol duration is 66.7 microseconds (μs), and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with an FFT size of 4K is 50. For a 30 kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, i.e., 20 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.5 ms, the symbol duration is 33.3 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) for a 4K FFT size is 100. For a 60 kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, i.e., 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25 ms, the symbol duration is 16.7 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) for a 4K FFT size is 200. For a 120 kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, i.e., 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125 ms, the symbol duration is 8.33 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) for a 4K FFT size is 400. For a 240 kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, i.e., 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625 ms, the symbol duration is 4.17 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with an FFT size of 4K is 800.

[0224] In the example of Figure 4, a numerology of 15 kHz is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figure 4, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0225] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, with each time slot including one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs, PRBs) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of FIG. 4, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain to obtain a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain to obtain a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0226] Some of the REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). The 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 communications. Figure 4 shows example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R").

[0227] Figure 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating various downlink channels in an exemplary downlink slot. In Figure 5, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top. In the example of Figure 5, a numerology of 15 kHz is used. Thus, in the time domain, the slot shown is 1 millisecond (ms) long and divided into 14 symbols.

[0228] In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). A BWP is a contiguous set of RBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs for a given numerology on a given carrier. In general, up to four BWPs can be specified in the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured with up to four BWPs on the downlink and with up to four BWPs on the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) may be active at a given time, meaning that a UE can only receive or transmit via one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of an SSB, but each BWP may or may not include an SSB.

[0229] Referring to FIG. 5, a primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS mentioned above. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying a master information block (MIB) may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also called SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted over the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0230] A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) in one or more control channel elements (CCEs), where each CCE contains one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which may span multiple symbols in the time domain), and each REG bundle contains one or more REGs, where each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted with its own DMRS. This allows UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0231] In the example of Figure 5, there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be only one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is confined to a specific region (i.e., the CORESET) in the frequency domain. Thus, the frequency components of the PDCCH shown in Figure 5 are shown as less than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that the illustrated CORESET is contiguous in the frequency domain, but does not have to be. In addition, the CORESET may span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0232] The DCI in the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocations (persistent and non-persistent), called uplink grants and downlink grants, respectively, and a description of the downlink data to be transmitted to the UE. More specifically, the DCI indicates resources scheduled for a downlink data channel (e.g., PDSCH) and an uplink data channel (e.g., Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs may have one of multiple formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc. The PDCCH may be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0233] FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating example PRS configurations for two TRPs (labeled “TRP1” and “TRP2”) operating in the same positioning frequency layer (labeled “Positioning Frequency Layer 1”) according to an aspect of the disclosure. For a positioning session, a UE may be provided with assistance data indicating the illustrated PRS configurations. In the example of FIG. 6, a first TRP ("TRP1") is associated with (e.g., transmits from) two PRS resource sets labeled “PRS Resource Set 1” and “PRS Resource Set 2,” and a 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."

[0234] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) in NR. FIG. 7 illustrates examples of various positioning methods according to aspects of the present disclosure. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure illustrated by scenario 710, a UE measures the difference between times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from pairs of base stations, called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives an identifier (ID) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE.

[0235] For DL-AoD positioning illustrated by scenario 720, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station(s). The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the transmitting base station(s).

[0236] 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 an uplink reference signal (e.g., Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle(s) of the receive beam(s) to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the base station(s). Based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the base station(s), the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0237] Downlink and uplink based positioning methods include extended cell ID (E-CID) positioning, and multiple round trip time (RTT) positioning (also called "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In an RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or an SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), and the second entity transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or a PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement may be made or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest subframe boundaries for the received and transmitted signals. Both entities may then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may send its Rx-Tx time difference measurements to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities may be determined from the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). In the case of multi-RTT positioning illustrated by scenario 730, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entity and the known location of the second entity (e.g., using multilateration). As illustrated by scenario 740, RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve location accuracy.

[0238] The E-CID positioning method is based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identities of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The location of the UE is then estimated based on this information and the known location of the base station(s).

[0239] To assist the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which to measure the reference signal, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of the positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may be obtained directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcasted overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using the assistance data.

[0240] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data may further include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty around the expected RSTD, i.e., a search window. In some cases, the value range for the expected RSTD may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, the value range for the expected RSTD uncertainty may be + / - 32 μs when any of the resources used for the positioning measurements are in FR1. In other cases, the value range for the expected RSTD uncertainty may be + / - 8 μs when all of the resources used for the positioning measurement(s) are in FR2.

[0241] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or urban and comprise a street address, postal address, or some other linguistic description of a location. A location estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location, or defined absolutely (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to lie with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0242] 8 is a diagram 800 illustrating a base station (BS) 802 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein) communicating with a UE 804 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein). With reference to FIG. 8, the base station 802 may transmit beamformed signals to the UE 804 in one or more transmit beams 802a, 802b, 802c, 802d, 802e, 802f, 802g, 802h, each having a beam identifier that may be used by the UE 804 to identify the respective beam. If the base station 802 is beamforming toward the UE 804 with a single array of antennas (e.g., a single TRP / cell), the base station 802 may perform "beam sweeping" by first transmitting beam 802a, then beam 802b, and so on until finally transmitting beam 802h. Alternatively, the base station 802 may transmit beams 802a-802h in several patterns, such as beam 802a, then beam 802h, then beam 802b, then beam 802g, etc. If the base station 802 is beamforming toward the UE 804 using multiple arrays of antennas (e.g., multiple TRPs / cells), each antenna array may perform beam sweeping of a subset of beams 802a-802h. Alternatively, each of the beams 802a-802h may correspond to a single antenna or antenna array.

[0243] 8 further illustrates paths 812c, 812d, 812e, 812f, and 812g taken by beamformed signals transmitted on beams 802c, 802d, 802e, 802f, and 802g, respectively. Each path 812c, 812d, 812e, 812f, and 812g may correspond to a single "multipath" or may consist of multiple "multipaths" (clusters) due to the propagation characteristics of radio frequency (RF) signals through the environment. Note that while only paths for beams 802c-802g are shown, this is for simplicity's sake, and signals transmitted in each of beams 802a-802h may follow several paths. In the illustrated example, paths 812c, 812d, 812e, and 812f are straight lines, and path 812g reflects off an obstacle 820 (e.g., a building, a vehicle, a terrain feature, etc.).

[0244] The UE 804 may receive beamformed signals from the base station 802 in one or more receive beams 804a, 804b, 804c, 804d. Note that for simplicity, the beams shown in FIG. 8 represent either transmit or receive beams, depending on which of the base station 802 and the UE 804 is transmitting and which is receiving. Thus, the UE 804 may also transmit beamformed signals to the base station 802 in one or more of the beams 804a-804d, and the base station 802 may receive beamformed signals from the UE 804 in one or more of the beams 802a-802h.

[0245] In one aspect, the base station 802 and the UE 804 may perform beam training to align the transmit and receive beams of the base station 802 and the UE 804. For example, depending on environmental conditions and other factors, the base station 802 and the UE 804 may determine that the best transmit and receive beams are 802d and 804b, respectively, or are beams 802e and 804c, respectively. The direction of the best transmit beam for the base station 802 may or may not be the same as the direction of the best receive beam, and similarly, the direction of the best receive beam for the UE 804 may or may not be the same as the direction of the best transmit beam. However, it should be noted that the transmit and receive beams do not need to be aligned to perform a downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) or uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning procedure.

[0246] To perform the DL-AoD positioning procedure, the base station 802 may transmit reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, etc.) to the UE 804 on one or more of the beams 802a-802h, with each beam having a different transmit angle. The different transmit angles of the beams result in different received signal strengths (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.) at the UE 804. In particular, the received signal strength is smaller for the transmit beams 802a-802h that are farther from the line-of-sight (LOS) path 810 between the base station 802 and the UE 804 than the transmit beams 802a-802h that are closer to the LOS path 810.

[0247] 8, if the base station 802 transmits reference signals to the UE 804 on beams 802c, 802d, 802e, 802f, and 802g, the transmit beam 802e is best aligned with the LOS path 810, but the transmit beams 802c, 802d, 802f, and 802g are not. Thus, the beam 802e may have a greater received signal strength at the UE 804 than the beams 802c, 802d, 802f, and 802g. It should be noted that the reference signals transmitted on some beams (e.g., beams 802c and / or 802f) may not reach the UE 804, or the energy reaching the UE 804 from these beams may be too low such that the energy may not be detectable or may at least be ignored.

[0248] The UE 804 may report the received signal strength of each measured transmit beam 802c-g, and optionally the associated measurement quality, or the identity of the transmit beam having the greatest received signal strength (beam 802e in the example of FIG. 8) to the base station 802. Alternatively or additionally, if the UE 804 is also involved in a round-trip time (RTT) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning session with at least one or multiple base stations 802, respectively, the UE 804 may report reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference or reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements (and optionally the associated measurement quality) to the serving base station 802 or other positioning entity. In either case, a positioning entity (e.g., base station 802, location server, third party client, UE 804, etc.) can estimate the angle from base station 802 to UE 804 as the AoD of the transmit beam having the greatest received signal strength at UE 804, here transmit beam 802e.

[0249] In one aspect of DL-AoD based positioning where there is only one base station 802 involved, the base station 802 and the UE 804 can perform a round trip time (RTT) procedure to determine the distance between the base station 802 and the UE 804. Thus, the positioning entity can determine both the direction to the UE 804 (using DL-AoD positioning) and the distance to the UE 804 (using RTT positioning) to estimate the location of the UE 804. It should be noted that the AoD of the transmit beam with the greatest received signal strength is not necessarily along the LOS path 810 as shown in FIG. 8. However, for DL-AoD based positioning purposes, it is assumed to be the case.

[0250] In another aspect of DL-AoD based positioning where there are multiple participating base stations 802, each participating base station 802 may report to the serving base station 802 the determined AoD or RSRP measurement from the respective base station 802 to the UE 804. The serving base station 802 may then report the AoD or RSRP measurement from the other participating base stations 802 to the positioning entity (e.g., the UE 804 for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning). With this information and knowing the geographical locations of the base stations 802, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE 804 as the intersection of the determined AoD. For a two-dimensional (2D) location solution, there should be at least two base stations 802 involved, but as will be appreciated, the more base stations 802 involved in the positioning procedure, the more accurate the estimated UE 804 location will be.

[0251] To perform a UL-AoA positioning procedure, the UE 804 transmits uplink reference signals (e.g., UL-PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc.) in one or more of the uplink transmit beams 804a-804d to the base station 802. The base station 802 receives the uplink reference signals on one or more of the uplink receive beams 802a-802h. The base station 802 determines the angle of the best receive beam 802a-802h used to receive one or more reference signals from the UE 804 as the AoA from the UE 804 to itself. In particular, each of the receive beams 802a-802h will result in a different received signal strength (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.) of one or more reference signals at the base station 802. Furthermore, the channel impulse response of the one or more reference signals is smaller for receive beams 802a-802h that are further from the actual LOS path between the base station 802 and the UE 804 than for receive beams 802a-802h that are closer to the LOS path. Similarly, the received signal strength is smaller for receive beams 802a-802h that are further from the LOS path than for receive beams 802a-802h that are closer to the LOS path. Thus, the base station 802 identifies the receive beam 802a-802h that results in the greatest received signal strength, and optionally the strongest channel impulse response, and estimates the angle from itself to the UE 804 as the AoA of that receive beam 802a-802h. Note that, similar to DL-AoD based positioning, the AoA of receive beams 802a-802h that results in the greatest received signal strength (and strongest channel impulse response, if measured) is not necessarily along LOS path 810. However, for purposes of UL-AoA based positioning in FR2, it may be assumed to be along path 810.

[0252] It should be noted that although the UE 804 is shown as being capable of beamforming, this is not required for DL-AoD and UL-AoA positioning procedures. Rather, the UE 804 may receive and transmit with an omni-directional antenna.

[0253] If the UE 804 is estimating its location (i.e., the UE is a positioning entity), it needs to obtain the geographic location of the base station 802. The UE 804 may obtain the position, for example, from the base station 802 itself or from a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). Knowing the distance to the base station 802 (based on the RTT or timing advance), the angle between the base station 802 and the UE 804 (based on the UL-AoA of the best received beams 802a-802h), and the known geographic location of the base station 802, the UE 804 can estimate its location.

[0254] Alternatively, if a positioning entity, such as the base station 802 or a location server, is estimating the location of the UE 804, the base station 802 reports the AoA of the receive beam 802a-802h that results in the highest receive signal strength (and optionally the strongest channel impulse response) of the reference signal received from the UE 804, or all receive signal strengths and channel impulse responses for all receive beams 802 (allowing the positioning entity to determine the best receive beam 802a-802h). The base station 802 may additionally report the Rx-Tx time difference to the UE 804. The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE 804 based on the distance of the UE 804 to the base station 802, the AoA of the identified receive beams 802a-802h, and the known geographic location of the base station 802.

[0255] A beam generally includes a main lobe and several side lobes. The antenna boresight direction is the axis of maximum gain (maximum radiated power) of a directional antenna and is generally aligned (centered) with the main lobe. A beam shape, which may generally correspond to the shape of the main lobe, may be used for both UE-assisted and UE-based location estimation schemes. In some designs, for the UE-assisted DL-AoD location estimation scheme, one or more of the following may be used to enhance signaling to the UE for purposes of PRS resource(s) measurement and reporting, such as: Option 1: The LMF may explicitly identify adjacent beams in the assistance data (AD), Option 2: The LMF can transmit beam information in the AD in the order of priority of the PRS resources; Option 3: The LMF contains boresight direction information for each PRS resource in the AD, or · Option 4: The LMF may transmit beam information in the AD with an indicated subset of PRS resources.

[0256] In some designs, beam / antenna information (generally referred to herein as antenna configuration) may be optionally provided to the gNB by the LMF, e.g., Option 5: gNB reports antenna configuration including one or more of the following: number of antenna elements (vertical and horizontal), antenna spacing (horizontal Δdh and vertical Δdv). It is also considered that the LMF may further provide precoder information for each PRS resource for Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) based beams (e.g. checking if already reported boresight direction is sufficient or if more information is needed), antenna element pattern information, panel / orientation related information, etc. Option 6: The gNB reports a mapping of angles and beam gains for each of the PRS resources. For this purpose, it is envisaged that the gNB may further report a representation of the mapping, such as a parametric function approximating the beam response, or a gain / angle table, beam width, intersection of multiple beams (angles, RSRPs), etc.

[0257] In either option for gNB beam / antenna information, the gNB beam / antenna information may optionally be provided to the UE by the LMF (e.g., via AD) for UE-based DL-AoD.

[0258] In some designs, for DFT-based methods, reporting the boresight direction may be sufficient to allow the device to approximate the beam shape. For non-standard beam shapes, the gNB may report some form of representation of the angular gain and beam gain as described in option 6 above. However, this represents a large overhead and for each beam, the angular space (e.g., 0-360 degrees) may need to be quantized and the corresponding array gain provided. For example, if quantized to an accuracy of 5 degrees, the corresponding array gain may need to be given in the degree range of {0-5, 5-10, ..., 355-360}. In this case, the accuracy of the angle estimate depends on the accuracy level of the beam representation.

[0259] In practice, due to hardware limitations, analog beamforming uses a codebook that allows a limited selection of beams. Each beam is obtained by applying a phase and amplitude shift to the signal at each radiating element. The number of possible phase shifts (and amplitude shifts) is limited and described by a certain number of bits. For example, assuming two phase shifter bits, a resolution of about 90 degrees can be achieved.

[0260] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to reporting beam shape information via antenna element shifts (e.g., phase shifts and / or amplitude shifts) for a particular antenna element(s) or transformation information for approximation of the beam shape (e.g., relative to a reference beam shape) to a position estimation entity. The position estimation entity can optionally forward the beam shape information to a UE (e.g., in the case of UE-based position estimation). Such aspects may provide various technical advantages, such as facilitating reporting of beam shape information without significant overhead.

[0261] 9 illustrates an example process 900 for communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, the process 900 may be performed by a BS, such as BS 304.

[0262] 9, at 910, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shape component 388, processor(s) 394, etc.) determines an antenna configuration associated with the base station. In some designs, the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in a set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna spacing (dv) includes a vertical antenna spacing, a horizontal antenna spacing (dh), or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna configuration may include precoder information for each PRS resource for a DFT-based beam (e.g., checking whether an already reported boresight direction is sufficient or whether more information is needed), antenna element pattern information, panel / orientation-related information, etc.

[0263] 9, at 920, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shaping component 388, processor(s) 394, etc.) presents a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with an antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof. The table at 920 can be configured in a variety of ways. For example, the table maps the set of antenna elements by antenna element, or the table maps the set of antenna elements by groups of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof (e.g., a number of antenna elements are mapped individually and other antenna elements are mapped to groups).

[0264] 9, at 930, the BS 304 (e.g., transmitter 314 or 324, network transceiver(s) 380, etc.) reports the indication of the table to a position estimation entity (e.g., an LMF integrated at the BS 304, or a remote entity such as network entity 306, or, in the case of UE-based position estimation, a remote location server or the UE). In some designs, the BS 304 itself may correspond to a position estimation entity, where the reporting at 930 corresponds to an internal transfer of data between logical entities.

[0265] 9, at 940, the BS 304 (e.g., transmitter 314 or 324, network transceiver(s) 380, etc.) reports an indication of the antenna configuration to a position estimation entity (e.g., an LMF integrated at the BS 304, or a remote entity such as network entity 306, or, in the case of UE-based position estimation, a remote location server or the UE). In some designs, the BS 304 itself may correspond to the position estimation entity, where the reporting at 940 corresponds to an internal transfer of data between logical components.

[0266] 10 illustrates an example process 1000 of communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, process 1000 may be performed by a location estimation entity such as the UE 302 (e.g., for UE-based location estimation) or the BS 304 (e.g., an LMF integrated into a RAN), or a network entity 306 (e.g., an LMF integrated into a core network component, a location server, etc.).

[0267] 10, at 1010, a location estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, data bus 382, ​​beam shape component 342 or 388 or 398, etc.) receives from a base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station. In some designs, the indication includes a number of antenna elements in a set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna spacing (dv) includes a vertical antenna spacing, a horizontal antenna spacing (dh), or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna configuration may include precoder information for each PRS resource for a DFT-based beam (e.g., checking whether an already reported boresight direction is sufficient or whether more information is needed), antenna element pattern information, information related to panels / orientations, etc. In some designs, the BS 304 itself may correspond to a location estimation entity, where the receiving of 1010 corresponds to an internal transfer of data between logical components.

[0268] Referring to FIG. 10 , at 1020, a location estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, data bus 382, ​​beam shape component 342 or 388 or 398, etc.) receives from a base station an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with an antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna spacing (dv) includes a vertical antenna spacing, a horizontal antenna spacing (dh), or a combination thereof. In some designs, the antenna configuration may include precoder information for each PRS resource for DFT-based beams (e.g., checking whether an already reported boresight direction is sufficient or whether more information is needed), antenna element pattern information, panel / orientation-related information, etc. In some designs, BS 304 itself may correspond to the position estimation entity, where reception 1020 corresponds to an internal transfer of data between logical components.

[0269] 10 , at 1030, a position estimation entity (e.g., processor 332 or 384 or 394, beam shape component 342 or 388 or 398, etc.) determines beam shape information for at least one antenna element based on the antenna configuration indication and the table indication. In other designs (e.g., a UE for UE-based position estimation or a network entity for UE-assisted position estimation), the position estimation entity can factor the beam shape information into a position estimation procedure at the position estimation entity to derive a location of the target UE, which may then be reported to the target UE or some other entity.

[0270] 9-10 , in some designs, an indication of the table (e.g., that may be used to derive a beam shape) is communicated via location assistance data (e.g., via broadcast). In this case, the location assistance data may be periodically broadcast to the UE (e.g., via SIB) with relatively high overhead. In other designs, an indication of the table is communicated to the location estimation entity (e.g., LMF, UE, etc.) on-demand (e.g., to reduce overhead). In this case, the indication of the table may be provided based on a target quality of service (e.g., request an on-demand indication of the table if there is a high target quality of service, and skip such a request if not).

[0271] 9-10 , in some designs, the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof. In one example, group-based mapping may be implemented to reduce overhead, especially for large antenna arrays.

[0272] 9-10 , in some designs, the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift. In some designs, the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift. In one example, the phase shift mapping may be required, while the amplitude shift may be optional.

[0273] 9-10, in some designs, the table indication may further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more PRS resources. For example, different PRS resources may use different beams. Thus, reporting of the mapping via the table may indicate the PRS resource with which each antenna element is associated.

[0274] 9-10, in some designs, the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple (e.g., separate) measurement reports.

[0275] 11 illustrates an example process 1100 of communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, the process 1100 may be performed by a BS, such as BS 304.

[0276] 11 , at 1110, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shape component 388, processor(s) 394, etc.) determines a first beam shape for the first beam. In some designs, the first beam may correspond to a reference beam associated with a known beam shape. In some designs, the first beam shape may be defined in terms of a boresight direction, an azimuth angle bound or range, an elevation angle or degree range, a polynomial function, or the like.

[0277] 11 , at 1120, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shape component 388, processor(s) 394, etc.) determines a second beam shape for the second beam. In some designs, the second beam shape may be defined in terms of a boresight direction, an azimuth angle boundary or range, an elevation angle or degree range, a polynomial function, etc.

[0278] 11, at 1130, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shape component 388, processor(s) 394, etc.) determines transformation information that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam to a second beam shape of a second beam. Examples of transformation information are provided in more detail below.

[0279] 11, at 1140, the BS 304 (e.g., transmitter 314 or 324, network transceiver(s) 380, etc.) reports the transformation information to a position estimation entity (e.g., an LMF integrated at the BS 304, or a remote entity such as network entity 306, or, in the case of UE-based position estimation, a remote location server or the UE). In some designs, the BS 304 itself may correspond to the position estimation entity, where the reporting at 1140 corresponds to an internal transfer of data between logical entities.

[0280] 12 illustrates an example process 1200 of communication according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, process 1200 may be performed by a location estimation entity such as the UE 302 (e.g., for UE-based location estimation), or the BS 304 (e.g., an LMF integrated into the RAN), or the network entity 306 (e.g., an LMF integrated into a core network component, a location server, etc.).

[0281] 12, a position estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, data bus 382, ​​beam shape component 342 or 388 or 398, etc.) receives transformation information from a base station that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam to a second beam shape of a second beam at 1210. In some designs, the BS 304 itself may correspond to the position estimation entity, with the receiving at 1210 corresponding to an internal transfer of data between logical components.

[0282] 12, at 1220, the BS 304 (e.g., beam shape component 388, processor 394, etc.) determines a second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information. In some designs (e.g., a UE for UE-based position estimation or a network entity for UE-assisted position estimation), the position estimation entity can factor the second beam shape of the second beam into a position estimation procedure at the position estimation entity to derive a location of the target UE, which may then be reported to the target UE or some other entity.

[0283] 11-12, in some designs, transformation information (e.g., that may be used to derive a beam shape) is communicated via location assistance data (e.g., via broadcast). In this case, the location assistance data may be periodically broadcast to the UE (e.g., via SIB) with relatively high overhead. In other designs, the transformation information is communicated to the location estimation entity (e.g., LMF, UE, etc.) on-demand (e.g., to reduce overhead). In this case, the transformation information may be provided based on a target quality of service (e.g., request on-demand transformation information if there is a high target quality of service, and skip such a request if not).

[0284] 11-12, in some designs, the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof. In the case of rotation, in one example, two beams may be transmitted from the same TRP but point in different directions. In this case, the rotation is sufficient to describe (or transform) one beam with respect to another beam. In the case of translation, in one example, beam 1 is transmitted from TRP 1 and beam 2 is transmitted from TRP 2. In this case, the translation can represent the location of TRP 2 with respect to TRP 1 in addition to potentially specifying the rotation. For example, assume that a first beam (beam 1) and a second beam (beam 2) are associated with a base station (gNB 1). In this case, beam 1 of gNB 1 can be rotated by (theta, phi) degrees in azimuth and elevation to become beam 2 of gNB 1. In another example, assume that the first beam (beam 1) and the second beam (beam 2) are associated with different base stations (gNB 1 and gNB 2). For example, a first beam is associated with a base station (gNB1) and a second beam is associated with another base station (gNB2). In this case, beam 1 of gNB1 may be rotated by (theta, phi) degrees in azimuth and the elevation angle may become beam 1 of gNB2. Alternatively, the second beam is associated with a base station (gNB1) and the first beam is associated with another base station (gNB2). For example, the reference beam and the "transformed" beam may be associated with different gNBs if the respective gNBs share a beam shape (e.g., each gNB may use the same codebook or may use generally different codebooks that may map some beams from codebook 1 of gNB1 to some beams from codebook 2 of gNB2).

[0285] 11-12, in some designs above, the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof (eg, see the (theta, phi) rotation or offset example above).

[0286] 11-12, in some designs, the position estimation entity may send a template of beam shapes to the base station. For example, the template may include a set (e.g., one or more) of reference beams whose beam shapes are known or defined (e.g., by specifying phase and amplitude bits). Other beams may then be defined via reference to the respective reference beams (e.g., rotation and / or translation with respect to the respective reference beams). In this case, the transformation information may be based on this template. In some designs, the template may be configured in the form of a codebook such that the gNB can define beams by specifying a transformation (e.g., rotation and / or translation) with respect to the reference beams.

[0287] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in each example. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary items have more features than are expressly stated in each item. Rather, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer than all features of each disclosed exemplary item. Thus, the following items should be considered to be incorporated in the description, and each item may stand alone as a separate example. Although each dependent item may refer to a specific combination with one of the other items in that item, the aspect(s) of that dependent item are not limited to that specific combination. It will be understood that other exemplary items may also include combinations of the aspect(s) of the dependent item with any other dependent item or with the subject matter of the independent item, or any combination of features with other dependent items and independent items. Unless a specific combination is not intended (e.g., conflicting aspects such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor) is expressly expressed or can be easily inferred, the various aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations. Additionally, it is contemplated that aspects of an item may be included in any other independent item, even if the item is not directly dependent on the independent item.

[0288] The following numbered sections explain implementation examples. Item 1. A method of operating a base station, the method including: determining an antenna configuration associated with the base station; determining a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; reporting an indication of the table to a position estimation entity; and reporting an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0289] Item 2. The method of item 1, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0290] Item 3. The method of item 1 or 2, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0291] Item 4. The method of item 3, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0292] Item 5. The method according to item 3 or 4, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0293] Item 6. The method of any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0294] Item 7. The method of item 6, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0295] Item 8. The method of any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0296] Item 9. The method according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0297] Item 10. The method of any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0298] Item 11. A method of operating a location estimation entity, the method comprising: receiving from a base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station; receiving from the base station an indication of a table mapping each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and determining beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0299] Item 12. The method of item 11, wherein the indication of the table is received via location assistance data or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0300] Item 13. The method of items 11 or 12, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements per antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements per group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0301] Item 14. The method of any one of items 11 to 13, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0302] Item 15. The method of item 14, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0303] Item 16. The method according to item 14 or 15, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0304] Item 17. The method of any one of items 11 to 16, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0305] Item 18. The method of item 17, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0306] Item 19. The method of any one of items 11 to 18, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0307] Item 20. The method according to any one of items 11 to 19, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0308] Item 21. A method of operating a base station, the method including: determining a first beam shape of a first beam; determining a second beam shape of a second beam; determining transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam; and reporting the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0309] Item 22. The method of item 21, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0310] Item 23. The method of item 21 or 22, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0311] Item 24. The method of any one of items 21 to 23, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0312] Item 25. The method of any one of items 21 to 24, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0313] Item 26. The method of any one of items 21 to 25, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0314] Item 27. The method of any one of items 21 to 26, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0315] Item 28. The method of any one of items 21 to 27, further comprising receiving a template for the beam shape from a position estimation entity, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0316] Item 29. The method of any one of items 21 to 28, wherein the conversion information is reported via location assistance data or the conversion information is reported on demand.

[0317] Item 30. A method of operating a position estimation entity, the method including: receiving, from a base station, transformation information for transforming a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam; and determining a second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0318] Item 31. The method of item 30, wherein the conversion information is received via location assistance data or the conversion information is received on-demand.

[0319] Item 32. The method of item 30 or 31, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0320] Item 33. The method of any one of items 30 to 32, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0321] Item 34. The method of any one of items 30 to 33, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0322] Item 35. The method of any one of items 30 to 34, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0323] Item 36. The method of any one of items 30 to 35, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0324] Item 37. The method of any one of items 30 to 36, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0325] Item 38. The method of any of items 30 to 37, further comprising transmitting a template for the beam shape to the base station, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0326] Item 39. A base station, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor determines an antenna configuration associated with the base station; determines a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and reports an indication of the table to a position estimation entity; A base station configured to report an indication of the antenna configuration to a position estimation entity.

[0327] Item 40. The base station of item 39, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0328] Item 41. The base station of item 39 or 40, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0329] Item 42. The base station of item 41, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0330] Item 43. The base station according to item 41 or 42, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0331] Item 44. A base station as described in any one of items 39 to 43, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0332] Item 45. The base station of item 44, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0333] Item 46. A base station as described in any one of items 39 to 45, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0334] Item 47. A base station described in any one of items 39 to 46, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0335] Item 48. A base station as described in any one of items 39 to 47, wherein the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0336] Item 49. A location estimation entity comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive from a base station, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station; receive from the base station, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and determine beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0337] Item 50. The location estimation entity of item 49, wherein the indication of the table is received via location assistance data or the indication of the table is received on demand.

[0338] Item 51. The location estimation entity of items 49 or 50, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0339] Item 52. A location estimation entity described in any one of items 49 to 51, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0340] Item 53. The location estimation entity of item 52, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0341] Item 54. The position estimation entity of item 52 or 53, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0342] Item 55. The location estimation entity of items 49 to 54, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0343] Item 56. The location estimation entity of item 55, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0344] Item 57. A location estimation entity as described in any one of items 49 to 56, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0345] Item 58. A position estimation entity described in any one of items 49 to 57, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0346] Item 59. A base station comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a first beam shape of a first beam, determine a second beam shape of a second beam, determine transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and report the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0347] Item 60. The base station of item 59, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0348] Item 61. A base station as described in Item 59 or 60, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with the base station.

[0349] Item 62. A base station described in any one of items 59 to 61, wherein the first beam is associated with the base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0350] Item 63. A base station described in any one of items 59 to 62, wherein the second beam is associated with the base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0351] Item 64. A base station described in any one of items 59 to 63, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0352] Item 65. A base station as described in any one of items 59 to 64, wherein the conversion information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0353] Item 66. A base station as described in any of Items 59 to 65, wherein at least one processor is further configured to receive a template for a beam shape from a position estimation entity via at least one transceiver, and the transformation information is based in part on the template.

[0354] Item 67. A base station as described in any one of items 59 to 66, wherein the conversion information is reported via location assistance data or the conversion information is reported on demand.

[0355] Item 68. A position estimation entity comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from a base station, via the at least one transceiver, transformation information for transforming a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam, and to determine a second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0356] Item 69. The location estimation entity of item 68, wherein the transformation information is received via location assistance data or the transformation information is received on-demand.

[0357] Item 70. The position estimation entity of item 68 or 69, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0358] Item 71. A location estimation entity described in any one of Items 68 to 70, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0359] Item 72. A location estimation entity described in any one of items 68 to 71, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0360] Item 73. A location estimation entity according to any one of items 68 to 72, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0361] Item 74. A position estimation entity described in any one of items 68 to 73, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0362] Item 75. A position estimation entity described in any one of items 68 to 74, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0363] Item 76. A position estimation entity described in any one of items 68 to 75, wherein at least one processor is further configured to transmit a template for a beam shape to a base station via at least one transceiver, and the transformation information is based in part on the template.

[0364] Item 77. A base station comprising: means for determining an antenna configuration associated with the base station; means for determining a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; means for reporting an indication of the table to a position estimation entity; and means for reporting an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0365] Item 78. The base station of item 77, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0366] Item 79. A base station as described in item 77 or 78, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0367] Item 80. The base station of item 79, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0368] Item 81. The base station according to item 79 or 80, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0369] Item 82. The base station of any one of items 77 to 81, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0370] Item 83. The base station of item 82, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0371] Item 84. A base station as described in any one of items 77 to 83, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0372] Item 85. A base station described in any one of items 77 to 84, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0373] Item 86. A base station as described in any one of items 77 to 85, wherein the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0374] Item 87. A location estimation entity comprising: means for receiving from a base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station; means for receiving from the base station an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof; and means for determining beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0375] Item 88. The location estimation entity of item 87, wherein the indication of the table is received via location assistance data or the indication of the table is received on demand.

[0376] Item 89. The location estimation entity of item 87 or 88, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0377] Item 90. A location estimation entity according to any one of items 87 to 89, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0378] Item 91. The location estimation entity of item 90, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0379] Item 92. The position estimation entity of item 90 or 91, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0380] Item 93. The location estimation entity of any one of items 87 to 92, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0381] Item 94. The location estimation entity of item 93, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0382] Item 95. The location estimation entity of any one of items 87 to 94, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0383] Item 96. A position estimation entity described in any one of items 87 to 95, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0384] Item 97. A base station comprising: means for determining a first beam shape of a first beam; means for determining a second beam shape of a second beam; means for determining transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam; and means for reporting the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0385] Item 98. The base station of item 97, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0386] Item 99. A base station as described in Item 97 or 98, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with the base station.

[0387] Item 100. A base station according to any one of items 97 to 99, wherein the first beam is associated with the base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0388] Item 101. A base station according to any one of items 97 to 100, wherein the second beam is associated with the base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0389] Item 102. A base station according to any one of items 97 to 101, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0390] Item 103. A base station according to any one of items 97 to 102, wherein the conversion information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0391] Item 104. A base station as described in any one of items 97 to 103, further comprising means for receiving a template for a beam shape from a position estimation entity, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0392] Item 105. A base station as described in any one of items 97 to 104, wherein the conversion information is reported via location assistance data or the conversion information is reported on demand.

[0393] Item 106. A position estimation entity comprising: means for receiving transformation information from a base station that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam; and means for determining a second beam shape of the second beam based in part on the transformation information.

[0394] Item 107. The location estimation entity of item 106, wherein the transformation information is received via location assistance data or the transformation information is received on-demand.

[0395] Item 108. A position estimation entity according to item 106 or 107, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0396] Item 109. A location estimation entity according to any one of items 106 to 108, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0397] Item 110. A location estimation entity according to any one of items 106 to 109, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0398] Item 111. A location estimation entity according to any one of items 106 to 110, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0399] Item 112. A position estimation entity according to any one of items 106 to 111, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0400] Item 113. A position estimation entity according to any one of items 106 to 112, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0401] Item 114. The location estimation entity of any one of items 106 to 113, further comprising means for transmitting a template for a beam shape to the base station, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0402] Item 115. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to determine an antenna configuration associated with the base station, determine a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, report an indication of the table to a position estimation entity, and report an indication of the antenna configuration to the position estimation entity.

[0403] Item 116. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 115, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0404] Item 117. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 115 or 116, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0405] Item 118. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 117, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0406] Item 119. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 117 or 118, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0407] Item 120. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 115 to 119, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0408] Item 121. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 120, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0409] Item 122. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 115 to 121, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0410] Item 123. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of items 115 to 122, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0411] Item 124. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 115 to 123, wherein the indication of the table is reported via location assistance data or the indication of the table is reported on demand.

[0412] Item 125. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a position estimation entity, cause the position estimation entity to receive from a base station an indication of an antenna configuration associated with the base station, receive from the base station an indication of a table that maps each antenna element of a set of antenna elements associated with the antenna configuration to a phase shift, or an amplitude shift, or a combination thereof, and determine beam shape information for one or more antenna elements based on the indication of the antenna configuration and the indication of the table.

[0413] Item 126. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 125, wherein the indication of the table is received via location assistance data or the indication of the table is received on-demand.

[0414] Item 127. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of items 125 or 126, wherein the table maps sets of antenna elements for each antenna element, or the table maps sets of antenna elements for each group of antenna elements associated with the same phase shift or the same amplitude shift, or a combination thereof.

[0415] Item 128. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 125 to 127, wherein the antenna configuration includes a number of antenna elements in the set of antenna elements, an antenna spacing associated with the set of antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0416] Item 129. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 128, wherein the number of antenna elements includes a number of vertical antenna elements, a number of horizontal antenna elements, or a combination thereof.

[0417] Item 130. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 128 or 129, wherein the antenna spacing includes vertical antenna spacing, horizontal antenna spacing, or a combination thereof.

[0418] Item 131. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 125 to 130, wherein the table maps each antenna element in the set of antenna elements to at least a phase shift.

[0419] Item 132. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 131, wherein the table maps at least one antenna element of the set of antenna elements to both a phase shift and an amplitude shift.

[0420] Item 133. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 125 to 132, wherein the table instructions further specify, for at least one antenna element, an association with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources.

[0421] Item 134. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of items 125 to 133, wherein the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via a single measurement report, or the table indication and the antenna configuration indication are reported via multiple measurement reports.

[0422] Item 135. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to determine a first beam shape of a first beam, determine a second beam shape of a second beam, determine transformation information that transforms the first beam shape of the first beam to the second beam shape of the second beam, and report the transformation information to a position estimation entity.

[0423] Item 136. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 135, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0424] Item 137. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 135 or 136, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0425] Item 138. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 135 to 137, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0426] Item 139. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 135 to 138, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0427] Item 140. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 135 to 139, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0428] Item 141. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 135 to 140, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0429] Item 142. A non-transitory computer-readable medium described in any one of items 135 to 141, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to receive a template for a beam shape from a position estimation entity, and the transformation information is based in part on the template.

[0430] Item 143. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 135 to 142, wherein the conversion information is reported via location assistance data or the conversion information is reported on demand.

[0431] Item 144. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a position estimation entity, cause the position estimation entity to receive, from a base station, transformation information that transforms a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam, and determine, based in part on the transformation information, the second beam shape of the second beam.

[0432] Item 145. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of item 144, wherein the conversion information is received via location assistance data or the conversion information is received on-demand.

[0433] Item 146. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of items 144 or 145, wherein the transformation information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

[0434] Item 147. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 144 to 146, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with a base station.

[0435] Item 148. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 144 to 147, wherein the first beam is associated with a base station and the second beam is associated with another base station.

[0436] Item 149. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 144 to 148, wherein the second beam is associated with a base station and the first beam is associated with another base station.

[0437] Item 150. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 144 to 149, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

[0438] Item 151. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of items 144 to 150, wherein the transformation information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

[0439] Item 152. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of items 144 to 151, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a position estimation entity, cause the position estimation entity to transmit to a base station a template for a beam shape, the transformation information being based in part on the template.

[0440] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0441] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0442] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0443] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0444] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed 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, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of media. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0445] Although the above disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Further, although elements of the disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A method for operating a network component, comprising: determining a first beam shape of a first beam; determining a second beam shape of a second beam; determining conversion information for converting the first beam shape of the first beam into the second beam shape of the second beam; reporting the conversion information to a position estimation entity; and a method comprising the steps of:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conversion information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first beam and the second beam are associated with the network component.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first beam is associated with the network component and the second beam is associated with another network component.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second beam is associated with the network component and the first beam is associated with another network component.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first beam is a reference beam associated with a known beam shape.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the conversion information includes an azimuth offset, an elevation offset, or a combination thereof.

8. further comprising receiving, from the position estimation entity, a template for a beam shape, wherein the conversion information is based at least in part on the template.

9. The conversion information is reported via location assistance data, or The method according to claim 1, wherein the conversion information is reported on demand.

10. A method for operating a position estimation entity, comprising: receiving, from a network component, conversion information for converting a first beam shape of a first beam into a second beam shape of a second beam; determining the second beam shape of the second beam based at least in part on the conversion information; and .

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the conversion information is received via location assistance data or the conversion information is received on demand.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the conversion information includes rotation information, translation information, or a combination thereof.

13. further comprising transmitting, to the network component, a template for a beam shape, and the conversion information is based at least in part on the template.

14. A network component comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine a first beam shape of a first beam; determine a second beam shape of a second beam; determine conversion information for converting the first beam shape of the first beam into the second beam shape of the second beam; and report the conversion information to a position estimation entity.

15.

15. The at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the position estimation entity via the at least one transceiver, a template for a beam shape; The conversion information is the network component according to claim 14, which is partially based on the template.

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