Dynamic antenna array angular phase deviation compensation for broad beam positioning

Abstract

To provide a system, a method, a device, and a computer program, for a dynamic antenna array angular phase deviation compensation for broad beam positioning.SOLUTION: Certain embodiments provide multi-round trip time (multi-RTT) positioning where user equipment (UE) reports time of departure (TOD) compensation values to a serving gNB and / or location management function (LMF). The LMF calibrates RTT computation with the received TOD compensation values. Also, certain embodiments provide up-link time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning. Therein the LMF signals calculated assistance information to the UE to request the TOD compensation values. The UE may report the TOD compensation values to the location management function (LMF), and the LMF compensates initial relative time of arrival (RTOA) estimation values by using the TOD compensation values.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Some exemplary embodiments relate generally to mobile or wireless telecommunications systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Fifth Generation (5G) radio access technologies or New Radio (NR) access technologies, or other communications systems. For example, some embodiments may relate to systems and / or methods for dynamic antenna array angle phase deviation compensation for wide-beam positioning. [Background technology]

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunications systems may include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial radio access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), MultiFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology or New Radio (NR) access technology. 5G radio systems refer to next-generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. While 5G is mostly built on New Radio (NR), 5G (or NG) networks can also be built on E-UTRA radio. NR is estimated to be capable of providing bit rates on the order of 10-20 Gbit / s or more and can support at least enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) as well as massive machine-type communications (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity and large-scale networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become more widespread, the need for networks that meet the needs for lower power, lower data rates, and longer battery life will increase. Note that in 5G, a node capable of providing radio access functionality to user equipment (i.e., similar to a Node B in UTRAN or an eNB in ​​LTE) may be named a gNB when built on NR radios, and a NG-eNB when built on E-UTRA radios. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first embodiment, a method may include transmitting an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals. The one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​may be associated with a positioning procedure. The method may include determining the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals. The method may include transmitting a report comprising the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals.

[0004] In a variation, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In a variation, the instructions may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In a variation, the method may include determining one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals in conjunction with determining one or more time-of-departure compensation values. In a variation, determining the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​and the one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​may include determining the one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​based on one or more angle-of-arrival values, one or more angular phase deviation values, and one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values.

[0005] In a variant, the report may further include one or more angular phase deviation values ​​or one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values. In a variant, the report may further include one or more departure time estimation accuracy values. In a variant, the method may include receiving assistance information and a request for one or more departure time compensation values. In a variant, determining the one or more departure time compensation values ​​may include determining the one or more departure time compensation values ​​based on the assistance information.

[0006] In a variation, the assistance information may include angles between the user equipment and the one or more target network nodes when the user equipment knows its orientation, or the assistance information may include an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and positions of the one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not know its orientation. In a variation, the method may include, when the user equipment does not know its orientation, calculating an angle of arrival from the serving network node based on the one or more downlink signals, and calculating relative angles of departure of the one or more other network nodes based on the calculated angle of arrival.

[0007] According to a second embodiment, a method may include receiving an indication of a capability of a user equipment to report one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals. The one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​may be associated with determining a positioning calculation. The method may include receiving a report including the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals. The method may include determining a positioning calculation based on at least the one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

[0008] In a variation, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In a variation, the indication may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals. In a variation, the report may further include one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values.

[0009] In a variation, determining the positioning calculation may include determining the positioning calculation based on one or more time-of-departure compensation values. In a variation, determining the positioning calculation may include determining the positioning calculation by compensating the positioning calculation with one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​and one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In a variation, determining the positioning calculation may include determining the positioning calculation by compensating the positioning calculation with one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

[0010] In a variation, the method may include performing a positioning evaluation based on one or more time-of-departure compensation values. In a variation, performing the positioning evaluation may include performing a positioning evaluation based on one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In a variation, the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​associated with the one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values, or the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation values ​​associated with the one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

[0011] In a variant, determining the positioning calculation may further include determining the positioning calculation based on the one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​or the one or more indexed angular phase deviation values. In a variant, the method may include sending a request for assistance information and one or more time-of-departure compensation values, and receiving the report may further include receiving the report after sending the assistance information. In a variant, the assistance information may include an angle between the user equipment and the one or more target network nodes when the user equipment knows its orientation, or the assistance information may include an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and the positions of the one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not know its orientation.

[0012] A third embodiment may be directed to an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to cause the apparatus, using the at least one processor, to perform a method according to at least the first or second embodiment, or any of the variations described above.

[0013] A fourth embodiment may be directed to an apparatus that may include circuitry configured to perform a method according to the first or second embodiment, or any of the variations described above.

[0014] A fifth embodiment may be directed to an apparatus that may include means for performing the method according to the first or second embodiment, or any of the variations described above. Examples of means may include one or more processors, memory, and / or computer program code for causing the execution of operations.

[0015] A sixth embodiment may be directed to a computer-readable medium having stored thereon program instructions for performing a method according to at least the first or second embodiment, or any of the variations described above.

[0016] A seventh embodiment may be directed to a computer program product encoding instructions for performing at least the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment, or any of the variations described above. For a proper understanding of the exemplary embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of angular phase deviation (APD) of a UE millimeter wave (mmWave) antenna array, according to some embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary signal diagram for multi-round trip time (multi-RTT) positioning, according to some embodiments. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is an exemplary signal diagram for uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning, according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method according to some embodiments. [Figure 8]1 shows an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to one embodiment and an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] It will be readily understood that the components of certain exemplary embodiments, as generally described herein and illustrated in the Figures, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of several exemplary embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for dynamic antenna array angle phase deviation compensation for wide-beam positioning is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments, but rather represents selected exemplary embodiments.

[0019] The features, structures, or characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. For example, throughout this specification, the use of the phrase "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," or other similar language refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus, throughout this specification, the appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, the phrase "set of" refers to a set that includes one or more of the referenced set members. Thus, the phrases "set of," "one or more," and "at least one of," or equivalent phrases, may be used interchangeably. Furthermore, "or" is intended to mean "and / or" unless otherwise specified.

[0020] Moreover, if desired, different functions or operations discussed below may be performed in different orders and / or concurrently with one another. Moreover, if desired, one or more of the described functions or operations may be optional or combined. Accordingly, the following description should be considered merely illustrative of the principles and teachings of some exemplary embodiments, and not in limitation thereof.

[0021] NR can provide radio access technology (RAT)-dependent (for both frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2)) and RAT-independent positioning techniques. In the downlink (DL), a positioning reference signal (PRS) is introduced, and in the uplink (UL), a sounding reference signal (SRS) (SRS-P) for positioning is introduced. For general position accuracy, the sub-meter range may be a target in NR, and a specific target for industrial IoT (IIoT) cases may be further reduced to centimeter accuracy.

[0022] Multi-RTT is a technique for positioning that can use both UL and DL measurements / signals. At a high level, the method may operate with multiple network nodes (gNBs) transmitting DL PRS to the UE, which then transmits SRS-P to the network node. The UE may measure the UE receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference for each cell, and each network node may measure the network node Rx-Tx time difference for the UE. The measurements may be reported to a location management function (LMF), which can then estimate the RTT from the UE to each network node and estimate the UE's location.

[0023] In addition to multi-RTT, UL-TDOA can be an UL technique that relies on SRS-P transmitted by the UE and received at multiple network nodes that measure relative time of arrival (RTOA). The RTOA can then be reported to the LMF, which can calculate a location estimate for the UE.

[0024] Multi-cell RTT is one NR positioning technique that can provide higher accuracy due to the lack of synchronization errors and the available wide bandwidth (better timing measurement accuracy). In FR2, the UE can beamform both DL and UL transmissions and perform transmit power control (TPC) toward neighboring cells to close the link budget / introduce high path loss. However, whenever the link budget allows, the UE can also use a wide-beam configuration for these DL and UL transmissions, thereby covering more gNBs within one beam. At the UE, estimation of the beamformed DL PRS time of arrival (TOA) and the beamformed UL SRS time of departure (TOD) can be used to obtain accurate multi-cell RTT positioning measurements. Furthermore, to obtain accurate TOA / TOD measurements, it can be important to have accurate measurements of the physical phase reference positions of signals received or transmitted via the mmWave antenna array.

[0025] The antenna array phase center may not be aligned with the physical antenna reference point (ARP), but may be located at an offset. The UE antenna array phase center location may be dynamic and sensitive to several factors, including: 1) the actual UE form factor design (including current flow, which is affected by physical dimensions such as mounting proximity of components, materials, etc.); 2) the antenna array cover (e.g., polycarbonate / acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC-ABS), glass, etc.); 3) the angle of arrival (AOA) and polarization for wide beam configurations; 4) the antenna array beam steering angle; 5) the AOA on curved shape beam patterns for one-dimensional antenna arrays; and 6) the polarization at the beam steering angle used.

[0026] The antenna array phase center can dynamically vary by several centimeters, and if left uncompensated, it can cause disruption by significantly degrading position estimation accuracy for centimeter-accuracy applications such as the IIoT. Through characterization, the phase center offset can be known to the UE for the antenna panel and supported beam configurations across beamwidths, AOAs, and polarizations. In DL, for both narrow-beam and wide-beam reception, the UE can locally derive the AOA and compensate the PRS TOA for the phase center offset. In UL, assuming beam correspondence, the UE can also perform local SRS TOD compensation for narrow-beam configurations. However, for wide-beam UL configurations, it may not be possible to compensate for phase offsets in the direction of all network nodes, and single-value compensation may impair accuracy. From this, it can be seen that a network-assisted procedure is needed to compensate for wide-beam dynamic antenna array phase center location for optimized UL positioning measurement accuracy.

[0027] In the example context of a UE with a 1:8 mmWave antenna array, the reference point for signal reception / transmission may be the phase center of the antenna array and may be located at the Physical Antenna Reference Point (ARP). If the phase center is dynamic and not always located at the ARP, signal transmission / time-of-arrival compensation may be required to return the TOA / TOD UE reference point to the ARP (or any other predefined physical location on the UE) for maximized positioning estimation accuracy. In particular, the radiation phase-factor of a UE with a top-mounted 1:8 antenna array in a narrow beam configuration may be significant for boresight and steering angles of + / - 50 degrees for both polarizations, phase changes across polarization and steering angle, and phase changes across curved shapes for each steering angle. This significant phase variation behavior may result in considerable phase center offset variation across steering angle, AOA, and polarization. The phase center offset variation may be several centimeters and may depend on both steering angle, AOA, and polarization.

[0028] For both narrow-beam and wide-beam configurations, the phase center position stability of an antenna array can be affected by the UE form factor, where current flow is affected by the physical design dimensions, materials used, and component mounting proximity. Thus, while an ideal standalone antenna array may not need to use phase center offset compensation, mounting such an antenna array in a UE form factor with coating materials, etc., may still result in the need for compensation to achieve centimeter-range positioning accuracy. Additionally, for multi-antenna panel UEs, panel-specific compensation may be required due to the unique physical placement of the panel on the UE form factor.

[0029] Some embodiments described herein may provide dynamic antenna array angle phase deviation compensation for wide-beam positioning. For example, some embodiments may provide multi-RTT positioning in which the UE may report a TOD compensation value to a serving gNB and / or LMF (which may also, in some embodiments, report a time-of-departure estimation accuracy (TOD-EA) value (e.g., a measure of the accuracy of the TOD compensation value)). The LMF may calibrate its RTT calculation using the received TOD compensation value (and / or the received TOD-EA value, if available). The LMF may perform an overall positioning accuracy assessment based on the received TOD-EA information.

[0030] As another example, some embodiments may provide UL-TDOA positioning in which the LMF may signal calculated assistance information to the UE to request a TOD compensation value (and / or, in some embodiments, a TOD-EA value). The UE may report the TOD and / or TOD-EA values ​​to the LMF, and the LMF may compensate the initial RTOA estimate using the TOD compensation value and / or TOD-EA value. Prior to performing either multi-RTT positioning or UL-TDOA positioning, the UE may signal to the serving gNB the capability to report the TOD compensation value. Additionally, the UE may, in some embodiments, signal the capability to report the TOD-EA value and / or TOD compensation value for the assigned SRS. The UL-TDOA procedure and the multi-RTT procedure may be two examples of positioning procedures that may be based on determining a positioning calculation (e.g., RTT or RTOA) as described herein.

[0031] In this manner, some embodiments described herein may provide network-assisted procedures to compensate for wide-beam dynamic antenna array phase center location for optimized UL positioning measurement accuracy, which may provide more accurate positioning of the UE, which may improve performance of UE and / or network node features that depend on accurate positioning estimates.

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an example APD 100 for a UE mmWave antenna array, according to some embodiments. The example 100 illustrates an antenna array 102 (e.g., an mmWave antenna array). With respect to the antenna array 102, FIG. 1 further illustrates the APD for a phase center offset at a given angle measured within a given area window. An APD estimation accuracy (APD-EA) parameter may be related to the APD (e.g., APD and APD-EA may be defined within a defined area window of the signal AOA / AOD). In the case of a narrow beam configuration, or in a narrow measurement window around the evaluation angle in the case of a wide beam configuration, the phase may be flat and the APD-EA may be zero or near zero. For example, the APD and APD-EA values ​​for the AOA may be characterized for each UE antenna array. If the characterization is performed with high resolution, for a given AOA, the APD-EA may approach zero for the associated APD value. A limiting value may be zero for infinitely high resolution, but a trade-off may occur between the characterization burden and the target accuracy. Therefore, the more accurately the AOA / AOD can be estimated, the more accurately the phase offset can be compensated.

[0033] As noted above, Figure 1 is provided as an example, and other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0034] 2 shows an example signal diagram 200 for multi-RTT positioning in accordance with some embodiments. The example of FIG. 2 shows a UE, a serving gNB, a neighboring gNB, and an LMF.

[0035] As shown in 202, the UE may transmit a UE reporting capability, and the serving gNB may receive the UE capability report. For example, the UE may signal its capability to report a TOD compensation value to the serving gNB. In some embodiments, the UE may further signal a TOD estimation accuracy (TOD-EA) value and / or a TOD compensation value for the assigned SRS. The serving gNB may transmit this report to the LMF. As shown in 204, the LMF may transmit a multi-RTT positioning request to x cells, and the gNB may receive the multi-RTT positioning request for x cells, where x may represent a set of cells. For example, the LMF may issue a multi-RTT positioning request to x cells. The serving gNB may transmit the multi-RTT request to the UE.

[0036] As shown in 206, the serving gNB may transmit an SRS resource configuration for x cells, and the UE may receive the SRS resource configuration. For example, signaling may configure the UE with x SRS resources. Additionally or alternatively, DL PRS transmission may be initiated from x cells. As shown in 208, the serving gNB may transmit information including the SRS configuration provided to the UE, and the LMF may receive it. As shown in 210, the LMF may transmit information comprising the SRS configuration, and a neighboring gNB may receive the information comprising the SRS configuration. As shown in 212, the serving gNB may transmit a DL PRS, and the UE may receive the DL PRS. Similarly, at 214, a neighboring gNB may transmit a DL PRS, and the UE may receive the DL PRS.

[0037] As shown in 216, the UE may measure the DL AOA of a gNB (e.g., a serving gNB and a neighboring gNB). In some embodiments, the UE may look up the associated APD for the DL AOA and compensate the PRS TOA based on the lookup results. For example, the UE may be configured for wide-beam Rx and may estimate the DL AOA for x cells. The UE may perform a lookup in a lookup table (LUT) of associated APDs for the cells and / or APD-EA values ​​for the cells. Continuing with the previous example, based on the lookup results, the UE may compensate the PRS TOA for the cells. Because the DL channel may be multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), the UE may compensate for dual-polarized reception. For example, the UE may capture the DL polarization and compensate for each polarization independently. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may capture the DL polarization and compensate for the DL polarization using an offset for the highest-energy polarization. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use sequential single-input single-output (SISO) for DL ​​PRS measurements (when the link budget allows).

[0038] As shown at 218, the UE may select UL polarization. In some embodiments, the UE may use the measured DL AOA for the cell to look up the associated APD. In some embodiments, the UE may calculate a TOD compensation value for the SRS from the cell. For example, the UE may be configured for wide beam Tx. Continuing with the previous example, the UE may select UL polarization and calculate a compensation value for TOD. In some embodiments, the UE may further calculate a TOD-EA value for the cell by indexing the associated APD and APD-EA values ​​from the LUT using the DL AOA value.

[0039] As shown at 220, the UE may transmit an SRS, and the serving gNB may receive the SRS. For example, the UE may transmit the SRS without applying APD timing compensation. As shown at 222, the serving gNB may calculate a gNB Rx-Tx delay and report this delay to the LMF. For example, the gNB Rx-Tx delay may be the time from when the gNB receives the SRS to when it transmits the PRS. The operations shown at 224 and 226 may be performed in a manner similar to those described at 220 and 222.

[0040] As shown in 228, the UE may send a report including the UE Rx-Tx delay for the cell, and the serving gNB may receive the report. The UE Rx-Tx delay may be the time between the UE receiving the PRS and sending the SRS. Subtracting the gNB Rx-Tx from the UE Rx-Tx may give the round trip time (RTT). The serving gNB may provide this report of the UE Rx-Tx delay, and the LMF may receive it.

[0041] As shown in 230, the UE may report the gNB's UL TOD compensation value and / or the TOD compensation values ​​of the x cells to the serving gNB. In some embodiments, the UE may further report TOD-EA values ​​for the x cells. The serving gNB may provide this report to the LMF. As shown in 232, the LMF may compensate the RTT calculation using the received UL TOD compensation value and TOD-EA value. In some embodiments, the LMF may perform positioning accuracy evaluation based on the TOD-EA values ​​reported by the UE.

[0042] As noted above, Figure 2 is provided as an example, and other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0043] 3 is an example signal diagram for uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning according to some embodiments. The example of FIG. 3 shows a UE, a serving gNB, a neighboring gNB, and an LMF.

[0044] As shown in 302, the UE may send a UE capability report, and the serving gNB may receive the UE capability report. For example, the UE may signal its capability to report a TOD compensation value to the serving gNB. In some embodiments, the UE may further signal a TOD estimation accuracy (TOD-EA) value for the assigned SRS. The serving gNB may send this report to the LMF. As shown in 304, the LMF may send an UL-TDOA positioning request for x cells, and the gNB may receive the UL-TDOA positioning request, where x may represent a set of cells. For example, the LMF may issue an UL-TDOA positioning request for x cells. The serving gNB may send the UL-TDOA request to the UE.

[0045] As shown in 306, the serving gNB may transmit a configuration of SRS resources for x cells, and the UE may receive the configuration of SRS resources. For example, the signaling may configure the UE with x SRS resources. As shown in 308, the serving gNB may transmit, and the LMF may receive, information including the SRS configuration provided to the UE. As shown in 310, the LMF may transmit, and neighboring gNBs may receive, the information including the SRS configuration.

[0046] As shown in 312, the UE may select UL polarization. For example, the UE may be configured with a wide beam Tx and may select UL polarization. As shown in 314, the UE may transmit an SRS, and the serving gNB may receive the SRS. For example, the UE may transmit an SRS to x cells without applying APD timing compensation. As shown in 316, the serving gNB may calculate an RTOA and report the calculated RTOA to the LMF. For example, a gNB associated with x cells may calculate an RTOA and report the calculated RTOA to the LMF. The operations at 318 and 320 may be performed in a manner similar to the operations at 314 and 316.

[0047] As shown at 322, the LMF may calculate an initial UE location (e.g., an initial position estimate for the UE). In some embodiments, the LMF may calculate assistance information. As shown at 324, the LMF may transmit, and the UE may receive, assistance information including a request for TOD compensation values. For example, the LMF may signal the calculated assistance information to the UE to request TOD compensation values ​​for x cells. In some embodiments, the LMF may request the UE for TOD-EA values ​​for x cells. If the UE knows the orientation, this assistance information may include the angle between the UE and the target gNB. If the UE does not know the orientation, this assistance information may include the initial, uncorrected UE location (e.g., the UE's exact location may not yet be known) and the gNB location. In some embodiments, the UE may separately calculate the AOD from the serving gNB based on DL signals (e.g., synchronization signal blocks (SSBs)). Based on this information, the UE can calculate the relative AOD of other cells.

[0048] As shown at 326, the UE may look up associated APD values ​​using the assistance information. For example, the UE may calculate TOD compensation values ​​for x cells. In some embodiments, the UE may calculate TOD-EA values ​​for x cells by indexing associated APD values ​​for x cells and APD-EA values ​​for x cells in the LUT. As shown at 328, the UE may report UL TOD compensation values. In some embodiments, the UE may further report TOD compensation values ​​and TOD-EA values. In some embodiments, the UE may report APD values ​​for x cells, and in some embodiments, may report APD-EA values ​​for x cells. As shown at 330, the LMF may compensate the RTOA calculation with the TOD UL compensation values ​​and TOD-EA values. For example, the LMF may compensate the initial RTOA estimates from 316 and 320 using the received TOD and / or TOD-EA values ​​for x cells.

[0049] As noted above, Figure 3 is provided as an example, and other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0050] 4 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method 400 according to some embodiments. For example, FIG. 4 illustrates an example operation of a network node (e.g., apparatus 10 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 8). For example, the network node may include an LMF. Some of the operations illustrated in FIG. 4 may be similar to some of the operations shown in and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0051] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 402, receiving an indication of a capability of the user equipment to report one or more departure time compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 202 of FIG. 2. The one or more departure time compensation values ​​may be associated with determining a round trip time calculation. A round trip time calculation may be an example of a positioning calculation, and the embodiments described herein may be applied to various positioning calculations and / or positioning procedures used to determine various positioning calculations. The method may include, at 404, receiving a report including one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 230 of FIG. 2. The method may include, at 406, determining a round trip time calculation based on at least one or more departure time compensation values, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 232 of FIG. 2.

[0052] The network node may perform one or more other operations in connection with the method shown in FIG. 4. In some embodiments, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In some embodiments, the indication may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals. In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, determining at 406 may include determining the round trip time calculation based on one or more time-of-departure compensation values. In some embodiments, determining at 406 may include determining the round trip time calculation by compensating the round trip time calculation with one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​and one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values.

[0053] In some embodiments, determining at 406 may include determining the round trip time calculation by compensating the round trip time calculation with one or more time of departure compensation values. In some embodiments, performing at 406 may include performing a positioning evaluation based on the one or more time of departure estimation accuracy values.

[0054] In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​associated with the one or more time of departure estimation accuracy values, or the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation values ​​associated with the one or more time of departure compensation values. In some embodiments, determining at 406 may include determining a round trip time calculation based on the one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​or the one or more indexed angular phase deviation values.

[0055] As noted above, Figure 4 is provided as an example. Other examples are possible, according to some embodiments.

[0056] 5 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method 500 according to some embodiments. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates example operations of a UE (e.g., apparatus 20 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 8). Some of the operations illustrated in FIG. 5 may be similar to some of the operations shown in and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0057] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 502, transmitting an indication of a capability to report one or more departure time compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 202 of FIG. 2. The one or more departure time compensation values ​​may be associated with a round trip time procedure. The method may include, at 504, determining one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 218 of FIG. 2. The method may include, at 506, transmitting a report including the one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 230 of FIG. 2.

[0058] The UE may perform one or more other operations in connection with the method shown in FIG. 5. In some embodiments, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In some embodiments, the indication may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, the UE may determine one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals in connection with determining one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

[0059] In some embodiments, the UE may determine one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​based on one or more angle-of-arrival values, one or more angular phase deviation values, and one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more angular phase deviation values ​​or one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values.

[0060] As noted above, Figure 5 is provided as an example. Other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0061] 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method 600 according to some embodiments. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates an example operation of a network node (e.g., apparatus 10 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 8). For example, the network node may include an LMF. Some of the operations illustrated in FIG. 6 may be similar to some of the operations shown in and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3.

[0062] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 602, receiving an indication of a user equipment capability to report one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 302 of FIG. 3 . The one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​may be associated with determining a relative time-of-arrival calculation. A relative time-of-arrival calculation may be an example of a positioning calculation, and the embodiments described herein may be applied to various positioning calculations and / or positioning procedures used to determine various positioning calculations. The method may include, at 604, receiving a report including one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 328 of FIG. 3 . The method may include, at 606, determining a relative time-of-arrival calculation based on at least one or more time-of-departure compensation values, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 330 of FIG. 3 .

[0063] The network node may perform one or more other operations in connection with the method shown in Figure 6. In some embodiments, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In some embodiments, the indication may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals. In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values.

[0064] In some embodiments, determining at 606 may include determining a relative time of arrival calculation based on one or more departure time estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, determining at 606 may include determining the relative time of arrival calculation by compensating the relative time of arrival calculation with one or more departure time estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, determining at 606 may include determining the relative time of arrival calculation by compensating the relative time of arrival calculation with one or more departure time compensation values.

[0065] In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​associated with the one or more time of departure estimation accuracy values, or the report may further include one or more indexed angular phase deviation values ​​associated with the one or more time of departure compensation values. In some embodiments, determining at 606 may include determining the relative time of arrival calculation based on the one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​or the one or more indexed angular phase deviation values.

[0066] In some embodiments, the network node may transmit a request for assistance information and one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​(e.g., in a manner similar to that at 324 of FIG. 3), and receiving 604 may include receiving a report after transmitting the assistance information. In some embodiments, the assistance information may include an angle between the user equipment and one or more target network nodes when the user equipment has heading information, or the assistance information may include an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and positions of one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not have heading information.

[0067] As noted above, Figure 6 is provided as an example. Other examples are possible according to some embodiments.

[0068] 7 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method 700 according to some embodiments. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates example operations of a UE (e.g., apparatus 20 shown in and described with respect to FIG. 8). Some of the operations illustrated in FIG. 7 may be similar to some of the operations shown in and described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 3.

[0069] In one embodiment, the method may include, at 702, transmitting an indication of a capability to report one or more departure time compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 302 of FIG. 3. The one or more departure time compensation values ​​may be associated with a relative time of arrival procedure. The method may include, at 704, determining one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals, e.g., in a manner similar to that described at 326 of FIG. 3. The method may include, at 706, transmitting a report including the one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals.

[0070] The UE may perform one or more other operations in connection with the method shown in FIG. 7. In some embodiments, the one or more reference signals may include one or more sounding reference signals. In some embodiments, the indication may further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, the method may further include determining one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals. In some embodiments, the UE may determine the one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​based on one or more angle-of-arrival values, one or more angular phase deviation values, and one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values. In some embodiments, the report may further include one or more angular phase deviation values ​​or one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values.

[0071] In some embodiments, the method may include receiving a request for assistance information and one or more departure time compensation values ​​(e.g., in a manner similar to the method at 324 of FIG. 3), and the determining of 704 may include determining the one or more departure time compensation values ​​based on the assistance information. In some embodiments, the assistance information may include an angle between the user equipment and the one or more target network nodes when the user equipment has orientation, or the assistance information may include an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and locations of the one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not have orientation.

[0072] In some embodiments, when the user equipment does not know its orientation, the UE may calculate an angle of arrival from the serving network node based on one or more downlink signals and may calculate relative angles of departure for one or more other network nodes based on the calculated angles of arrival.

[0073] As noted above, Figure 7 is provided as an example. Other examples are possible, according to some embodiments.

[0074] 8 illustrates an example of apparatus 10 according to one embodiment. In certain embodiments, apparatus 10 may be a node, host, or server within a communications network or providing services to such a network. For example, apparatus 10 may be a network node, LMF, satellite, base station, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), 5G Node B or access point, next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), and / or WLAN access point associated with a radio access network such as an LTE network, 5G, or NR. In some exemplary embodiments, apparatus 10 may be an eNB in ​​LTE or a gNB in ​​5G.

[0075] It should be understood that in some exemplary embodiments, apparatus 10 may comprise an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, and the server and wireless node may be standalone devices that communicate with each other via wireless paths or via wired connections, or may be located within the same entity that communicates via wired connections. For example, in some exemplary embodiments in which apparatus 10 represents a gNB, it may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides gNB functions. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functions such as user data forwarding, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and / or session management. The CU may control the operation of the DU via a fronthaul interface. The DU may be a logical node that includes a subset of gNB functions, depending on the functional division option. Note that those skilled in the art will understand that apparatus 10 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 8.

[0076] As shown in the example of FIG. 8, device 10 may include processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or application-specific processor. Indeed, processor 12 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. While a single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 8, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0077] Processor 12 may perform functions related to the operation of device 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 10, including processes related to communication or management of communication resources.

[0078] The device 10 may further include or be coupled to the processor 12 with a memory 14 (internal or external) for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 12. The memory 14 may be one or more memories and may be any type of memory suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 14 may be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of persistent machine- or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in the memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 12, enable the device 10 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0079] In some embodiments, device 10 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 12 and / or device 10.

[0080] In some embodiments, device 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting and receiving signals and / or data to and from device 10. Device 10 may further include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 18 may include multiple wireless interfaces, which may be coupled to antennas 15, for example. The wireless interfaces may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of GSM, NB-IoT, LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, radio frequency identification (RFID), ultra-wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The wireless interfaces may include components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters), mappers, fast Fourier transform (FFT) modules, etc., to generate symbols for transmission over one or more downlinks and receive symbols (e.g., over an uplink).

[0081] Thus, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 15 and to demodulate information received via antenna 15 for further processing by other elements of device 10. In other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices).

[0082] In one embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 10. Components of device 10 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0083] According to some embodiments, the processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or form part of processing or control circuitry. Additionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be included in or form part of transceiver circuitry.

[0084] The term “circuitry” as used herein may refer to a dedicated hardware circuit implementation (e.g., being analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor) that cooperates to cause a device (e.g., device 10) to perform various functions and / or a hardware circuit and / or processor, or portion thereof, that uses software for operation, which may not be present when software is not needed for operation. As a further example, the term “circuitry” as used herein may also encompass simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its associated software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuitry may also encompass, for example, a baseband integrated circuit within a server, a cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0085] As introduced above, in some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may be a network node or a RAN node, such as a base station, an access point, a Node B, an eNB, a gNB, a WLAN access point, an LMF, or the like.

[0086] According to certain embodiments, device 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as some of the operations shown in or described with respect to Figures 1-4 and 6. For example, device 10 may be controlled by memory 14 and processor 12 to perform the methods of Figures 4 and 6.

[0087] FIG. 8 further illustrates an example of apparatus 20 according to another embodiment. In an embodiment, apparatus 20 may be a node or element within or associated with a communications network, such as a UE, mobile equipment (ME), mobile station, mobile device, fixed device, IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE may alternatively be, for example, a mobile station, mobile equipment, mobile unit, mobile device, user device, subscriber station, wireless terminal, tablet, smartphone, IoT device, sensor or NB-IoT device, watch or other wearable, head-mounted display (HMD), vehicle, drone, medical device and its applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial device and its applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics device, device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, or the like. By way of example, apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, or the like.

[0088] In some demonstrative embodiments, device 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more wireless access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, device 20 may be configured to operate using one or more wireless access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other wireless access technology. Note that those skilled in the art will understand that device 20 may include components or features not shown in FIG. 8 .

[0089] As shown in the example of FIG. 8, device 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. Processor 22 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Indeed, processor 22 may include, by way of example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. While a single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 8, multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, device 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system capable of supporting multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0090] Processor 22 may perform functions related to the operation of device 20, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits forming communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 20, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0091] Apparatus 20 may further include or be coupled to processor 22 with memory 24 (internal or external) for storing information and instructions that may be executed by processor 22. Memory 24 may be one or more memories and may be any type of memory suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, memory 24 may be comprised of any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of persistent machine- or computer-readable medium. The instructions stored in memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by processor 22, enable apparatus 20 to perform the tasks described herein.

[0092] In some embodiments, device 20 may further include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by processor 22 and / or device 20.

[0093] In some embodiments, device 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals from device 20 and transmitting via the uplink. Device 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. Transceiver 28 may also include a wireless interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to antenna 25. The wireless interface may support multiple wireless access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The wireless interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols, such as OFDMA symbols, carried by the downlink or uplink.

[0094] For example, transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 25 and demodulate information received via antenna 25 for further processing by other elements of device 20. In other embodiments, transceiver 28 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In certain embodiments, device 20 may further include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0095] In an embodiment, memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 20. Components of device 20 may be implemented in hardware or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an exemplary embodiment, device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0096] According to some embodiments, the processor 22 and the memory 24 may be included in or form part of processing or control circuitry. Additionally, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be included in or form part of transceiver circuitry. As discussed above, according to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, an ME, an IoT device, and / or an NB-IoT device. According to particular embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as some of the operations shown or described with respect to FIGS. 1-3, 5, and 7. For example, in one embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform the methods of FIGS. 5 and 7.

[0097] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 and / or apparatus 20) may include means for performing any of the methods or variations described herein, e.g., the methods described with reference to Figures 4-7. Examples of means may include one or more processors, memory, and / or computer program code for causing the execution of operations.

[0098] Certain example embodiments therefore provide several technical improvements, enhancements, and / or advantages over existing technical processes. For example, one advantage of some example embodiments is to improve the location accuracy of UEs. Use of some example embodiments therefore results in improved functionality of communication networks and their nodes, and thus constitutes, among other things, an improvement to at least the technical field of UE location estimation.

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the functions of any of the methods, processes, signaling diagrams, algorithms, or flowcharts described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code, or portions of code, stored in memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium and executed by a processor.

[0100] In some exemplary embodiments, the device may be included in or associated with at least one software application, module, unit, or entity configured as an arithmetic operation executed by at least one computing processor, or as a program or portion thereof (including added or updated software routines). Programs, also referred to as program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets, and macros, may be stored on any device-readable data storage medium and may include program instructions for performing specific tasks.

[0101] The computer program product may include one or more computer-executable components configured to perform some exemplary embodiments when the program is executed. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portion of code. Modifications and configurations used to implement the functionality of the exemplary embodiments may be made as routines that may be implemented as additional or updated software routines. In one example, the software routines may be downloaded to a device.

[0102] For example, the software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and may be stored on some kind of carrier, distribution medium, or computer-readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying a program. Such a carrier may include, for example, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory, an optical and / or electrical carrier signal, a telecommunications signal, and / or a software distribution package. Depending on the processing power required, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer or distributed among several computers. The computer-readable medium or computer-readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0103] In other exemplary embodiments, the functions may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in a device (e.g., device 10 or device 20), for example, through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the functionality may be implemented as a signal by intangible means, such as may be conveyed by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network.

[0104] According to exemplary embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, device, or corresponding component may be configured as a circuit, computer, or microprocessor such as a single-chip computer element, or as a chipset, and may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for operations and / or a computing processor for performing operations.

[0105] The exemplary embodiments described herein apply equally to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural language is used in connection with describing a particular embodiment. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node applies equally to an embodiment including multiple instances of the network node, and vice versa.

[0106] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with operations in a different order and / or with hardware elements in different configurations than those disclosed. Thus, while several embodiments have been described based on these exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.

[0107] Partial glossary AoA: Angle of arrival APD: Angular phase deviation APD-EA:APD-estimation accuracy ARP: Antenna Reference Point BF: Beamforming DL PRS: Downlink positioning reference signal gNB:5G base station IoT: Internet of Things LCS: Location Services LMF: Location management function LPP: LTE Positioning Protocol NR: New radio (5G) NRPPa: New Radio Positioning Protocol A PCO: Phase center offset PCV: Phase center variation RS: Reference signal RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power RTT: Round Trip Time SRS: Sounding Reference Signal SRS-P: SRS for positioning UE: User Equipment UL: Uplink

Claims

1. transmitting, by the user equipment, an indication of a capability to report one or more departure time compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, the one or more departure time compensation values ​​being associated with a positioning procedure; determining the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals; and transmitting a report including the one or more departure time compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more reference signals include one or more sounding reference signals.

3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the indications further include an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimate accuracy values.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining the one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals in conjunction with determining the one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

5. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining the one or more time-of-departure estimate accuracy values ​​based on one or more angle-of-arrival values, one or more angular phase deviation values, and one or more of a plurality of angular phase deviation estimate accuracy values.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the report further includes the one or more angular phase deviation values ​​or the one or more angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values.

7. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the report further includes the one or more departure time estimate accuracy values.

8. receiving a request for assistance information and the one or more departure time compensation values; The step of determining one or more departure time compensation values ​​comprises: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising determining said one or more departure time compensation values ​​based on said aiding information.

9. the assistance information includes an angle between the user equipment and one or more target network nodes when the user equipment has a heading; 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the assistance information includes an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and the positions of one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not know its orientation.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: when the user equipment does not know its orientation, calculating an angle of arrival from a serving network node based on one or more downlink signals; and calculating relative angles of departure of one or more other network nodes based on the calculated angles of arrival.

11. receiving, by a network node, an indication of a capability of the user equipment to report one or more time of departure compensation values ​​for one or more reference signals, said one or more time of departure compensation values ​​being associated with determining a positioning calculation; receiving a report including the one or more time-of-departure compensation values ​​for the one or more reference signals; determining said positioning calculations based at least on said one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more reference signals include one or more sounding reference signals.

13. 13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the indication further comprises an indication of a capability to report one or more time-of-departure estimation accuracy values ​​for the one or more reference signals.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the report further includes the one or more time-of-departure estimate accuracy values.

15. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the positioning calculation further comprises determining the positioning calculation based on the one or more time-of-departure compensation values.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the positioning calculation further comprises determining the positioning calculation by compensating the positioning calculation with the one or more time of departure compensation values ​​and the one or more time of departure estimate accuracy values.

17. 17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein determining the positioning calculation further comprises determining the positioning calculation by compensating the positioning calculation with the one or more departure time compensation values.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, further comprising the step of performing a positioning evaluation based on the one or more departure time compensation values.

19. The step of performing positioning evaluation includes:

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising: performing the positioning assessment based on one or more time-of-departure estimate accuracy values.

20. the report further includes one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimation accuracy values ​​associated with one or more time of departure estimation accuracy values; or 20. The method of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the report further comprises one or more indexed angular phase deviation values ​​associated with the one or more departure time compensation values.

21. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining the positioning calculation further comprises determining the positioning calculation based on the one or more indexed angular phase deviation estimate accuracy values ​​or the one or more indexed angular phase deviation values.

22. transmitting a request for assistance information and the one or more departure time compensation values; The method according to any one of claims 11 to 21, wherein the step of receiving the report further comprises the step of receiving the report after transmitting the assistance information.

23. the assistance information includes an angle between the user equipment and one or more target network nodes when the user equipment has a heading; 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the assistance information includes an initial, uncorrected position of the user equipment and the positions of one or more network nodes when the user equipment does not know its orientation.

24. At least one processor; at least one memory containing computer program code, Apparatus, characterized in that said at least one memory and said computer program code, using said at least one processor, cause said apparatus to perform at least the methods according to claims 1 to 23.

25. Apparatus, characterised in that it comprises means for carrying out the method according to claims 1 to 23.

26. Apparatus comprising circuitry configured to carry out the method according to claims 1 to 23.

27. A computer readable medium having stored thereon program instructions for carrying out the method according to claims 1 to 23.

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