Reference signal for extended carrier phase measurements

Abstract

Systems, devices, processes, and computer-readable media for wireless communications are disclosed. For example, one example process includes receiving, at a device (e.g., a user equipment (UE) or a component of a UE), a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS). A combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks. The process includes transmitting a phase measurement report to a first network entity. The phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks. As described herein, a subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to carrier phase positioning. For example, aspects of the present disclosure relate to a reference signal for extended carrier phase measurements for carrier phase positioning. [Background technology]

[0002] 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 networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long-Term Evolution (LTE), 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 communication (GSM), etc.

[0003]

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard requires, among other improvements, higher data rates, more connections, and better coverage. The 5G standard (also called "New Radio" or "NR") is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with gigabit connection speeds for a few dozen users in a common location, such as on an office floor, according to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance. 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 / LTE standards. Furthermore, signaling efficiency must be increased and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standards. Summary of the Invention

[0004]

[0004] Systems and techniques for providing a reference signal for enhanced carrier phase measurement for carrier phase positioning using a wireless communication system are described herein. In one illustrative example, a process is provided for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE). The process includes receiving, at the UE, a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and transmitting a phase measurement report to a first network entity, where the phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0005] In another example, an apparatus (e.g., a UE or a component of a UE) for wireless communication is provided that includes a memory (e.g., configured to store data, such as virtual content data, one or more images, etc.) and one or more processors coupled to the memory (e.g., implemented in circuitry). The one or more processors are configured to receive, at the UE, a plurality of resource blocks associated with a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), where a combinatorial structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and transmit, to a first network entity, a phase measurement report, where the phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0006]

[0006] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium for a UE is provided having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive, at the UE, a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and transmit to a first network entity a phase measurement report, where the phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0007] In another example, an apparatus (e.g., a UE or a component of a UE) for wireless communications is provided, the apparatus including: means for receiving a plurality of resource blocks associated with a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), where a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and means for transmitting a phase measurement report to a first network entity, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0008] According to another example, a process for wireless communication in a first network entity is provided, the process including: transmitting to a second network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and receiving from a user equipment (UE) a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0009] In another example, an apparatus (e.g., a first network entity or a component of a first network entity) for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus including a memory (e.g., configured to store data, such as virtual content data, one or more images, etc.) and one or more processors coupled to the memory (e.g., implemented in circuitry). The one or more processors are configured to: transmit to a second network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; and receive from a user equipment (UE) a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0010]

[0010] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium of a first network entity is provided having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to send to a second network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and receive from a user equipment (UE) a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0011] In another example, an apparatus (e.g., a first network entity or a component of a first network entity) for wireless communication is provided, the apparatus including: means for transmitting, to a second network entity, a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and means for receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0012] In some aspects, the device is, is part of, and / or includes a wearable device, an extended reality device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a mixed reality (MR) device), a head-mounted display (HMD) device, a wireless communication device, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone and / or mobile handset and / or a so-called "smartphone" or other mobile device), a camera, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a server computer, a vehicle or a computing device or component of a vehicle, another device, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the device includes a camera or multiple cameras for capturing one or more images. In some aspects, the device further includes a display for displaying one or more images, notifications, and / or other displayable data. In some aspects, the devices described above may include one or more sensors (e.g., one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs), such as one or more gyroscopes, one or more gyrometers, one or more accelerometers, any combination thereof, and / or other sensors.

[0013]

[0013] This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used independently to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter, which should be understood by reference to the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and appropriate portions of each claim.

[0014]

[0014] The above, together with other features and aspects, will become more apparent with reference to the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015]

[0015] Exemplary aspects of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the following figures. [Figure 1]

[0016] 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3]

[0018] 1 is a diagram of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system that determines a location based on a distance from a terrestrial transmitting device, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4]

[0019] 1 is a diagram of a phase measurement for determining a distance between a transmitting device and a receiving device based on a combination of phase measurements in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. [Diagram 5]

[0020] 1 is a graph illustrating equivalent wavelengths of subcarrier pairs based on subcarrier spacing in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a resource block. [Figure 7]

[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an existing combi-structure for a reference signal. [Figure 8A]

[0023] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a group of resource blocks having a regular resource element structure (with one resource block boundary), in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B]

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a resource block having an irregular resource element structure (with X resource block boundaries), in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8C] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a resource block having an irregular resource element structure (with X resource block boundaries), in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 9A]

[0025] 1 illustrates an example of a resource block having eight consecutive symbols for four subcarriers, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 9B]

[0026] 1 illustrates an example of a resource block having 12 consecutive symbols for three subcarriers, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 10A]

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a resource block having resource elements allocated to four reference signal resources from four sources, in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure. [Figure 10B]

[0028] 10B illustrates an example of combining resource elements of the four reference signal resources of FIG. 10A in accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure. [Figure 10C]

[0029] FIG. 10C illustrates an example of frequency domain muting for the combined reference signal resources of FIG. 10B in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]

[0030] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]

[0031] 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a process for wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]

[0032] 1 illustrates an example block diagram of a computing system of a UE in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 14]

[0033] 1 illustrates an exemplary computing system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016]

[0034] Specific aspects of the present disclosure are provided below. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, some of these aspects can be applied independently, and some of them can be applied in combination. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the aspects of the present application. However, it will be apparent that various aspects can be practiced without these specific details. The figures and descriptions are not intended to be limiting.

[0017]

[0035] The following description provides only exemplary embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments provides those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0018]

[0036] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments provides those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing aspects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as set forth in the appended claims.

[0019]

[0037] The terms "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Similarly, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0020]

[0038] As mentioned above, the 5G mobile standard requires higher data rates, a larger number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. 5G is expected to support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. Thus, there is room to improve the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications by increasing signaling efficiency and reducing latency. One manner in which such signaling efficiency and reduced latency may be achieved is the communication of various uplink and downlink reference signals between user equipment and their respective serving base stations.

[0021]

[0039] A reference signal is a predefined signal that occupies a specific resource element in a time-frequency grid of resource blocks and may be exchanged over one or both of the downlink and uplink physical communication channels. Each reference signal is defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for a specific purpose, such as channel estimation, phase noise compensation, obtaining downlink / uplink channel state information, time and frequency tracking, among others. rd It is defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0022]

[0040] Exemplary reference signals include, but are not limited to, Positioning Reference Signals (PRS), Sounding Reference Signals (SRS), Channel State Information-Reference Signals (CSI-RS), and De-Modulation Reference Signals (DMRS), among others. Some reference signals (e.g., PRS, CSI-RS, etc.) are downlink-specific signals, while other reference signals, such as DMRS, are transmitted on both downlink and uplink communication channels. There are also uplink-specific reference signals defined by 3GPP.

[0023]

[0041] A combination structure (also referred to as a tone pattern) may be defined as a specific arrangement of resource elements in a given resource block for the transmission of a reference signal. The combination structure is currently predefined in 3GPP communication standards (e.g., 5G / NR, 4G / LTE, etc.) and may be known to both the user equipment (UE) and the corresponding network entity (e.g., a base station or a part thereof). The currently defined combination structure may not be optimized for all environments. For example, the arrangement or combination of resource elements used for the transmission of a PRS is defined for all of the PRS resource sets defined in a given positioning frequency layer (PFL). The existing combination structure provides a symmetric allocation of resource elements in the frequency domain. For example, in the case of the combination 2 structure, every other symbol of a resource block is given to a PRS resource. The existing combination structure also specifies a regular (or consistent) arrangement of resource elements across all resource blocks. For example, the existing combi structure for PRS has a single resource block boundary, in which case all of the resource blocks for the PRS will have the same resource elements assigned to the PRS resources. Furthermore, the existing combi structure does not specify that consecutive symbols in a resource block may be assigned to the PRS resources. A regular combi structure with a single resource block boundary and / or non-consecutive symbols (per resource) may not be optimal for certain operations, such as for performing carrier phase positioning. Symmetric allocation of resource elements in the frequency domain may also be undesirable for carrier phase positioning.

[0024]

[0042] Described herein are systems, apparatus, processes (also referred to as methods), and computer-readable media (collectively referred to herein as systems and techniques) for providing reference signals that may be more suitable for certain operations. For example, described herein are combination structures (or tone patterns) that provide extended carrier phase measurements for carrier phase positioning, and techniques for generating and supporting such combination structures (e.g., through signaling).

[0025]

[0043] In some aspects, the resource blocks are defined using an irregular resource element structure. For example, an X resource block boundary (X is an integer value greater than 1) is defined for resources of a reference signal, such as a PRS, SRS, or other reference signal that may be used for positioning. According to the X resource block boundary, the combi structure for the reference signal (specifying the arrangement of resource elements with the resource blocks of the reference signal) is repeated a certain number of times every X resource blocks. For example, the X resource block boundary may be a 4 resource block boundary, where the combi structure for the reference signal is repeated a certain number of times (e.g., 1, 2, or 3 times) every 4 resource blocks. For any resource block between the resource blocks where the combi pattern specifies resource elements for the reference signal, the resource element is not assigned to the reference signal. Such an irregular resource element structure for a position-based reference signal (e.g., PRS, SRS, etc.) may be useful for carrier phase positioning techniques, compared to the regular resource element structure given in the existing combi structure.

[0026]

[0044] In some additional or alternative aspects, resource blocks that are non-uniform in the frequency domain and / or contiguous in the time domain are defined. For example, consecutive numbers of symbols may be allocated to one or more resources (e.g., PRS resources) of a reference signal. Providing a resource block with consecutive symbols assigned to a PRS allows a device (e.g., UE) to more easily measure phase information (for carrier phase positioning) of multiple symbols when the subcarrier index numbers for the multiple symbols are constant (indicating that the symbols are associated with the same frequency subcarrier). Allowing the frequency domain components (e.g., subcarriers) of a resource block to be non-uniform also allows a network entity (e.g., a location server such as a location management function (LMF) or a base station such as a gNodeB (gNB)) to specify to a user device (e.g., UE) which subcarriers may be used in carrier phase positioning (e.g., to determine a phase difference between two subcarriers). In some cases, a network entity may transmit information (e.g., a bitmap) indicating particular resource elements (e.g., in the frequency domain) of a resource block allocated to a reference signal (e.g., a PRS). For example, a network entity (e.g., a location server such as an LMF, a base station, etc.) may signal (e.g., to another network entity, to a UE, etc.) a bitmap that specifies subcarriers in a resource block allocated to a reference signal.

[0027]

[0045] In some additional or alternative aspects, the systems and techniques can combine reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources) by combining resource elements of the reference signal resources. In some cases, the systems and techniques can perform frequency domain muting or suppression to remove certain resource elements from the combined reference signal resources.

[0028]

[0046] The systems and techniques described herein may apply to communications between network entities (e.g., base stations, location servers, etc.) and user devices (e.g., UEs), or between user devices (e.g., UEs, vehicles, etc.), using sidelink communications (e.g., a cellular-based PC5 sidelink interface, an 802.11p-defined Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) interface, or other direct interfaces).

[0029]

[0047] The systems and techniques described herein can improve user device (e.g., UE) location estimation or positioning based on the extended reference signals described herein. For example, as described above, the combi-structure described herein can provide extended carrier phase measurements for carrier phase positioning. As used herein, a location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, location measurement, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be urban and include a street address, postal address, or some other description of the location. A location estimate may further be defined relative to some other known location, or may be defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and / or 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 fall with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0030]

[0048] Additional features of the disclosure are described in greater detail below.

[0031]

[0049] The terms "user equipment" (UE) and "network entity" as used herein are not 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, and / or a tracking device, etc.), a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, a smart glass, a wearable ring, an extended reality (XR) device such as a virtual reality (VR) headset, an augmented reality (AR) headset or glasses, or a mixed reality (MR) headset), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), and / or an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc., used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or may be 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. In general, a UE may 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 IEEE 802.11 communications standard, etc.).

[0032]

[0050] The network entity may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively in a non-aggregated base station architecture and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. A base station (e.g., having an aggregated / monolithic base station architecture or a non-aggregated base station architecture) may operate according to one of multiple RATs in communication with a UE depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB (NB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a New Radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, the base station may provide edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication links through which a UE may send signals to a base station are referred to as uplink (UL) channels (e.g., reverse traffic channels, reverse control channels, access channels, etc.). The communication links through which a base station may send signals to a UE are referred to as downlink (DL) or forward link channels (e.g., paging channels, control channels, broadcast channels, forward traffic channels, etc.).The term traffic channel (TCH), as used herein, can refer to either an uplink, reverse or downlink, and / or forward traffic channel.

[0033]

[0051] The term "network entity" or "base station" (e.g., having an aggregated / monolithic or non-aggregated base station architecture) may refer to a single physical TRP or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "network entity" or "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or multiple cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "network entity" or "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, a non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and neighboring base stations whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals (or simply "reference 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.

[0034]

[0052] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a network entity or 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 instead may transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may 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).

[0035]

[0053] An RF signal includes electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that carry information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same RF signal transmitted over 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.

[0036]

[0054] In accordance with various aspects, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100, sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. In some aspects, the base stations 102 may be referred to as "network entities" or "network nodes." One or more of the base stations 102 may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the base stations 102 may be implemented in a separated base station architecture and may include one or more of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC. 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 one aspect, the macro cell base station may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to a Long Term Evolution (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 station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0037]

[0055] The base stations 102 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 through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170). 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, non-access stratum (NAS) message delivery, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and alert message delivery. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC or 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired and / or wireless.

[0038]

[0056] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 in each 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., physical cell identifier (PCI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI)) 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. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is typically the 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.

[0039]

[0057] 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' may have a coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the 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).

[0040]

[0058] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or a downlink (also referred to as a forward link) transmission 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 are allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0041]

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN AP 150 communicating with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 Gigahertz (GHz)). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 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. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include devices (e.g., UEs, etc.) that communicate with one or more UEs 104, base stations 102, APs 150, etc. utilizing an ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. The UWB spectrum may range from 3.1 GHz to 10.5 GHz.

[0042]

[0060] The small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in the 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 and / or 5G in the unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0043]

[0061] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a mmW base station 180 that may operate in millimeter wave (mmW) and / or sub-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. The mmW base station 180 may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture, or alternatively in a disaggregated base station architecture (e.g., including one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC). Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength of 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW may go down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band ranges from 3 GHz to 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW and / or sub-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss 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 very high path loss and short distance. It will be further understood that in an alternative configuration, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Thus, it will be understood that the above illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0044]

[0062] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a particular direction. Traditionally, when a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and launches 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 the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may 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. Specifically, RF currents from a transmitter are supplied to individual antennas in the proper phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas combine together to enhance radiation in the desired direction while suppressing or eliminating radiation in undesired directions.

[0045]

[0063] A transmit beam may be quasi-collocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically collocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a QCL relationship of a given type means that some 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 this 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.

[0046]

[0064] 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 certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher compared to the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains of other 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.

[0047]

[0065] The receive beams may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), etc.) from a network node or entity (e.g., a base station). The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.) to its network node or entity (e.g., base station) based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0048]

[0066] It should be noted that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, 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 a network node or entity (e.g., a base station) forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0049]

[0067] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450-6000 Megahertz (MHz)), FR2 (24250-52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). 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 "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". 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 among unlicensed frequencies. Since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, the secondary carrier may include only the necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., 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 can 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 a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency and / or component carrier over which several base stations are communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0050]

[0068] 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”). In carrier aggregation, the base station 102 and / or the UE 104 may use spectrum with bandwidth up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz) per carrier up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction. The component carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other in the frequency spectrum. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink). The simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz carriers aggregated 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.

[0051]

[0069] To operate on multiple carrier frequencies, the base station 102 and / or the UE 104 are equipped with multiple receivers and / or transmitters. For example, the UE 104 may have two receivers, "receiver 1" and "receiver 2", where "receiver 1" is a multi-band receiver that can be tuned to band (i.e., carrier frequency) "X" or band "Y", and "receiver 2" is a one-band receiver that can only be tuned to band "Z". In this example, if the UE 104 is served in band "X", band "X" would be referred to as a PCell or active carrier frequency, and "receiver 1" would need to tune from band "X" to band "Y" (SCell) (and vice versa) to measure band "Y". In contrast, regardless of whether the UE 104 is served in band "X" or band "Y", the UE 104 can measure band "Z" without interrupting service on band "X" or "Y" because of the separate "receiver 2".

[0052]

[0070] 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.

[0053]

[0071] 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 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). 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), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), Bluetooth, etc.

[0054]

[0072] In accordance with various aspects, FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data network, IP routing, etc.) that work together 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 control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. 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 new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both an ng-eNB 224 and a gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1).

[0055]

[0073] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to assist in locating the UE 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 across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that may connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated with components of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network. In some examples, the location server 230 may be operated by the carrier or provider of the 5GC 210, a third party, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), or other party. In some cases, multiple location servers may be provided, such as a location server for a carrier, a location server for an OEM of a particular device, and / or other location servers. In such cases, some location assistance data may be received from the carrier's location server and other assistance data may be received from the OEM's location server.

[0056]

[0074] According to various aspects, FIG. 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, the 5GC 260 can 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 work together to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via a control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and a user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223, with or without a gNB direct connection to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only 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 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). The network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations) of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via an N3 interface.

[0057]

[0075] The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and / or 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 universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The AMF 264 functions also include location service management for regulated services, transport of location service messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270 (acting as the location server 230), transport of location service messages between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identities for interworking with the EPS, and mobility event notification for the UE 204.In addition, AMF264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0058]

[0076] 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 and / or 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 location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server, such as a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) 272.

[0059]

[0077] 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, some control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0060]

[0078] In some aspects, location and positioning functions may be assisted by a location management function (LMF) 270 configured for communication with the 5GC 260, for example, 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 that may connect 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 New RAN 220, and the UE 204 via 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) via the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0061]

[0079] In one aspect, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be integrated with a network node or entity (e.g., a base station), such as the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224. When integrated with the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be referred to as a "Location Management Component" or "LMC." However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 include both cases where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a core network (e.g., the 5GC 260) and cases where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a network node or entity (e.g., a base station).

[0062]

[0080] As described herein, NR supports multiple cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. For example, the LMF 270 can enable positioning based on location measurements calculated for various positioning signal (PRS or SRS) resources. As used herein, a "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmission of PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource identifier (ID). In addition, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a particular TRP (e.g., identified by a TRP ID). In addition, PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor) across slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity is 2 μ×{4,5,8,10,16,20,32,40,64,80,160,320,640,1280,2560,5120,10240} slots, and μ=0,1,2,3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1,2,4,6,8,16,32} slots.

[0063]

[0081] In some cases, a PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (wherein a TRP may transmit one or multiple beams). For example, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and thus a "PRS resource" or simply a "resource" may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not have any implication as to whether the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0064]

[0082] A "PRS instance" or "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically recurring time period (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous slots) during which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be called a "PRS positioning occasion", "PRS positioning instance", "positioning occasion", "positioning instance", "positioning repetition", or simply an "occasion", "instance", or "repetition".

[0065]

[0083] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply called "frequency layer" or "layer") is a set of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs with the same values ​​for some parameters. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all numerologies supported for PDSCH are also supported for PRS), the same Point A, the same value of downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same combi size. The Point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "absolute radio frequency channel number"), which is an identifier and / or code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth may have a granularity of 4 PRB, with a minimum of 24 PRB and a maximum of 272 PRB. Currently, up to four frequency layers are defined, and up to two PRS resource sets per TRP can be configured per frequency layer.

[0066]

[0084] The concept of frequency layers is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but differs in that component carriers and BWPs are used by one network node or entity (e.g., a base station, or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit a data channel, whereas frequency layers are used by multiple (usually three or more) network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations) to transmit PRS. A UE may indicate the number of frequency layers that it can support when it transmits its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session. For example, a UE may indicate whether it can support one positioning frequency layer or four positioning frequency layers.

[0067]

[0085] Downlink-based location measurements can include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, the UE measures the differences between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, NRS, CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from a pair of network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations), referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference network node or entity (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations) in the assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference network node or entity (e.g., reference base station) and each of the non-reference network nodes or entities (e.g., non-reference base stations). Based on the known locations of the involved network nodes / entities (e.g., base stations) and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., LMF 270) can estimate the location of the UE. For DL-AoD positioning, a network node or entity (e.g., base station such as gNB 222) measures the angle and other channel characteristics (e.g., signal strength) of the downlink transmit beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0068]

[0086] 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., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, a network node or entity (e.g., base station) measures the angle and other channel characteristics (e.g., gain level) of the uplink receive beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0069]

[0087] Downlink and uplink based positioning methods include enhanced cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round-trip-time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as "multi-cell RTT or multi-RTT"). In the RTT procedure, an initiator (a network node or entity such as a base station, or a UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a responder (a UE or a base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called a reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) measurement. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called a "Tx-Rx" measurement. The propagation time (also called "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder may be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx measurements. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder may be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs RTT procedures with multiple network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations) to enable its location to be determined based on the known locations of the network nodes (e.g., base stations) (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods may be combined with other positioning techniques such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve location accuracy.

[0070]

[0088] To assist the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, or other location server) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include identifiers of network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations or base station cells and / or TRPs) from which the reference signal should be measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal ID, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations) themselves, such as in periodically broadcasted overhead messages. In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using the assistance data.

[0071]

[0089] In the case of DL-AoD, the UE 204 can provide DL-PRS beam RSRP measurements to the LMF 270, and the gNB 222 can provide beam azimuth and elevation angle information. When using the UL AoA positioning method, the position of the UE 204 is estimated based on UL SRS AoA measurements taken at different TRPs (not shown). For example, the TRPs can report AoA measurements directly to the LMF 270. Using the angle information (e.g., AoD or AoA) together with the TRP coordinate information and beam configuration details, the LMF 270 can estimate the location of the UE 204.

[0072]

[0090] In the case of multi-RTT location measurements, the LMF 270 can initiate procedures in which multiple TRPs (not shown) and UEs perform gNB Rx-Tx measurements and UE Rx-Tx measurements, respectively. For example, the gNB 222 and the UE 204 can transmit downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) and uplink sounding reference signals (UL-SRS), respectively, whereby the gNB 222 configures the UL-SRS to the UE 204, e.g., using an RRC protocol. The LMF 270 can then provide the DL-PRS configuration to the UE 204. The resulting location measurements are reported to the LMF 270 by the UE 204 and / or the gNB 222 to perform location estimation of the UE 204.

[0073]

[0091] The third generation partnership (3GPP) (e.g., Technical Specification (TS) TS22.261, etc.) requires location measurements of devices (e.g., UEs) with sub-meter level performance. Conventional approaches for determining location measurements using terrestrial systems use "code phase" or RSTD measurement techniques based on the time of arrival (ToA) of the signal to determine distance. In one example of RSTD measurement, the UE receives signals from multiple neighboring eNBs, and the ToA from each eNB is subtracted from the ToA of a reference eNB to produce an observed time difference of arrival (ODToA) for each neighboring eNB. Each ODToA determines a hyperbola based on a known function, and the point where the hyperbolae intersect corresponds to the location of the UE. At least three different timing measurements from geographically distributed eNBs with good geometry are required to solve for the two coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the UE. RSTD measurements cannot meet the requirements for location measurements with sub-meter level performance due to timing and location errors that propagate to each ODToA measurement and reduce the accuracy of the location measurement.

[0074]

[0092] Terrestrial-based systems may implement the angle of departure (AoD) or zenith angle of departure (ZoD) methods to provide better accuracy and resource utilization within 3GPP systems. There are contributions proposing the use of phase measurements to improve 5G / NR location measurements, but the feasibility and performance of such proposals have not been fully studied in 3GPP.

[0075]

[0093] In some cases, phase measurement-based location measurements may be achieved using non-terrestrial systems such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which employ carrier phase positioning techniques to provide centimeter-level accuracy. Carrier phase positioning may be performed by determining timing and / or distance measurements using the wavelengths of the subcarrier signals. In contrast to RSTD measurement techniques, carrier phase positioning estimates the phase of the subcarrier signals in the frequency domain.

[0076]

[0094] One example of a GNSS measurement technique that provides sub-meter level performance uses real-time kinematic positioning (RTK) to improve the accuracy of current satellite navigation (e.g., GNSS-based) systems by configuring a network entity (e.g., a base station such as an eNB, gNB, etc.) to measure a subcarrier signal, and the network entity retransmits the measured phase of the carrier signal to the UE. The UE also measures the phase of the carrier signal from the satellite and compares the phase measurement at the UE to the phase measurement at the network entity to determine the distance of the mobile device from the network entity. While RTK positioning provides better accuracy than traditional GNSS measurement techniques, the accuracy is limited based on the accuracy of the network entity (e.g., a base station), line of sight to the satellite, and environmental conditions that may affect measurements from the satellite system. For example, buildings can generate reflections that increase the phase error measured by the mobile device and cloudy conditions. RTK positioning is also limited to outdoor environments by requiring the receiver device to have line of sight to the satellite.

[0077]

[0095] Bluetooth can also use carrier phase measurements to provide centimeter-level high-precision positioning services, but is limited to indoor environments due to the limited range of Bluetooth communications. Carrier phase measurements using Bluetooth can be inaccurate because the reference device transmitting the carrier signal may not be fixed, and the inaccuracy of the reference device's location propagates to the carrier phase measurement.

[0078]

[0096] 3 is a diagram of a UE 305 in a wireless communication system 300 that determines a location based on a distance from a terrestrial transmitting device, in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Although FIG. 3 illustrates determining the location of the UE 305 in the wireless networking system relative to network entities 310, 315, and 320, this non-limiting diagram is for illustration purposes and the description herein may apply to other systems. In another illustrative example, the UE 305 may be a vehicle that employs vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications with other vehicles or UEs to determine a location relative to other vehicles or objects and perform various driving functions, such as lane assist, blind spot detection, autonomous driving functions, etc.

[0079]

[0097] As shown in FIG. 3, the wireless communication system 300 includes a UE 305 disposed relative to a network entity 310, a network entity 315, and a network entity 320. In some cases, one or more of the network entities 310, 315, and 320 may be implemented in an aggregated or monolithic base station architecture (e.g., including one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC), or in a non-aggregated base station architecture. Each of the network entities 310, 315, and 320 transmits a carrier signal that is received by the UE 305. In particular, the network entity 310 transmits a carrier signal 322, the network entity 315 transmits a carrier signal 324, and the network entity 320 transmits a carrier signal 326. In some aspects, the UE 305 may be configured to measure a distance L1 to the network entity 310, a distance L2 to the network entity 315, and a distance L3 to the network entity 320. In one illustrative example, the UE 305 may determine its location based on the distances L1, L2, and L3 and the locations of each of the network entities 310, 315, and 320. In another example, the UE may measure parameters such as carrier phase and transmit the measured parameters to another device, such as a location server (e.g., an LMF), which determines the location of the UE.

[0080]

[0098] In some aspects, the wireless communication system 300 is a system configured to transmit using subcarriers across a range of frequencies. For example, the wireless communication system 300 may be an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) system configured to transmit in a licensed or unlicensed frequency band using subcarriers spaced across the frequency band.

[0081]

[0099] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a transmitting device 405 communicating with a receiving device 410 via a signal 420 and a signal 425. The signals 420 and 425 may be subcarrier signals. The transmitting device or receiving device 410 may be configured to determine a carrier phase measurement that may be used to determine a distance between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 based on a combination of phase measurements. In some aspects, the transmitting device 405 or the receiving device 410 may determine the carrier phase measurement and / or the distance. For example, the receiving device 410 may determine a carrier phase measurement and transmit the carrier phase measurement to the transmitting device 405. In another example, the receiving device 410 may determine a carrier phase measurement and transmit the carrier phase measurement to another network entity, such as a location server (e.g., LMF). The location server may receive the carrier phase measurement and use the carrier phase measurement to determine the distance between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410. In some examples, the location server may receive the distance between one or more other receiving devices and the transmitting device 405. The location server can use the distance determined for the receiving device 410 and the distances between one or more other receiving devices and the transmitting device 405 to determine the location of the receiving device 410 and / or the other receiving devices (e.g., by performing triangulation using their locations).

[0082]

[0100] Signal 420 and signal 425 are sinusoidal signals. Signal 420 has a wavelength shown in FIG. 4 as λ1, and signal 422 has a wavelength shown as λ2. As shown in FIG. 4, there are an integer number of wavelength cycles for each of the signals (e.g., subcarrier signals), including an integer Nλ1 for signal 420 and an integer Nλ2 for signal 425. Receiving device 410 can measure phase 430 of signal 420 when signal 420 is received and can measure phase 435 of signal 425 when signal 425 is received. As shown, there is a fractional wavelength (fractional wavelength λ for signal 420) between the beginning of the last period or wavelength and when the signal is received by receiving device 410. i1 and λ for signal 425 i2 λ 1 or Nλ 2 ). The receiving device 410 can perform a carrier phase measurement by first determining the phase at which the signal is received (e.g., phase 430 of signal 420) and how many integer (e.g., Nλ1 or Nλ2) wavelengths have passed. For example, the distance ρ between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 can be determined by determining an integer (e.g., Nλ1 or Nλ2) and fractional wavelengths (e.g., λ 2 ) of wavelength cycles of the signal (e.g., signal 420 and / or signal 425). i1 or λ i2 In one illustrative example, if the wavelength λ1 is 10 centimeters (cm) and the integer number of wavelength cycles Nλ1 is 1000, the distance ρ between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 can be determined based on the fractional wavelength λ1 times 10 meters (m) (based on 0.01 m x 1000). i1 may be determined as the distance associated with

[0083]

[0101] As mentioned above, the general concept of carrier phase measurement (e.g., for carrier / subcarrier based positioning) is that any distance ρ between a transmitting device 405 (e.g., eNB, gNB, etc.) and a receiving device 410 (e.g., UE) is determined to be N full wavelengths λ and a remaining fractional wavelength λ of the subcarrier signal. iMathematically, the principle of estimating distance (ρ, also referred to as d) using carrier phase can be given as follows:

[0084]

number

[0085]

[0102] where N is an integer number of wavelength cycles,

[0086]

number

[0087] is the residual fractional wavelength of the subcarrier signal λ i (where the phase φ is divided by 2π if the phase is in radians). The wavelength λ of the signal is

[0088]

number

[0089] where c is the speed of light (299,792,458 meters per second) and f is the frequency of the signal. For example, a frequency of 3 gigahertz (GHz) has a wavelength of 10 centimeters (cm) and a frequency of 500 kilohertz (kHz) has a wavelength of 600 meters. Fractional wavelengths (e.g., λ in Figure 4) can be determined based on i1 or formula (1)

[0090]

number

[0091] ) can be determined using carrier phase measurements.

[0092]

[0103] Measuring the phase φ of the received subcarrier signal is a simple matter of measuring the fractional wavelength λ since the carrier phase is periodic. iAs described above, the distance ρ between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 is a distance associated with an integer (e.g., Nλ1 or Nλ2) and fractional wavelengths (e.g., λ i1 or λ i2 ) for a signal. However, typical carrier phase measurements of a signal can only be used to determine the fractional phase term, because the term N is ambiguous (cannot be measured directly) since the carrier phase is periodic. For example, a signal may be received by receiving device 410 with a carrier phase of 0.5π (e.g., 90°), or a length of 2.5 cm for a 3 GHz signal, but the signal may have traveled 2.5 cm, 12.5 cm, or 102.5 cm. The receiving device 410 may determine the fractional wavelength λ (e.g., based on a signal 420 having a higher frequency than signal 420, based on being transmitted at a different time, etc.) i1 Receive a signal 425 having a fractional wavelength λ i1 Fractional wavelength λ greater than i2 Thus, an estimation or inference (e.g., via different cycle counting techniques) is required to determine N, and thus the distance ρ, from the transmitting device 405 to the receiving device 410.

[0093]

[0104] In some aspects, the number N of integer cycles may be inferred and an unknown distance to the receiving device 410 may be determined based on carrier phase measurements using terrestrial transmitting devices (e.g., gNBs, beacons, etc.). If the receiving device 410 receives at least two terrestrial transmitting devices with known locations and determines their distances, the receiving device 410 may be able to determine the location of the receiving device 410 without a non-terrestrial source (e.g., satellite). As noted above, the systems and techniques described herein may be used to determine the unknown distance between the transmitting device and the receiving device using carrier phase measurements from terrestrial devices in both indoor and outdoor environments. In some aspects, the systems and techniques disclosed herein may be applied to other non-terrestrial devices in licensed or unlicensed bands.

[0094]

[0105] As mentioned above, the received phase φ of the i-th carrier or subcarrier signal i (eg, the phase 430 of the signal 420 shown in FIG. 4) may be measured at the receiving device 410. In particular, the carrier phase may be determined based on Equation 2 below.

[0095]

number

[0096]

[0106] In formula 2, N i is an ambiguous integer number of wavelength cycles (as described above), ρ is the distance between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410, and λ i is the wavelength of the i-th carrier or subcarrier signal,

[0097]

number

[0098] is the noise in the phase measurement. In some aspects, the received frequency domain resource elements (REs) of an OFDM-based reference signal (e.g., PRS, SRS, etc.) channel with a simple delay may be modeled by Equation 3 below.

[0099]

number

[0100]

[0107] In Equation 3, k corresponds to a subcarrier according to:

[0101]

number

[0102]

[0108] Here, N RB is the number of resource blocks (RBs). The term k can be considered as a subcarrier index that identifies the frequency of the signal. The term R k is the frequency domain RE transmitted on carrier k, and D k is the time domain representation of the symbol transmitted on carrier k, and W k is the noise at subcarrier k. Equation 3 can be further simplified to Equation 4 below.

[0103]

number

[0104]

[0109] In Equation 4, λ Δ is the wavelength difference between the two subcarrier frequencies. After the descrambling operation, the frequency domain PRS RE can be expressed by the following Equation 5 and Equation 6.

[0105]

number

[0106]

[0110] The carrier phase of the kth subcarrier may be determined based on the arctangent of the imaginary part of the frequency-domain PRS RE divided by the real part of the frequency-domain PRS RE, as identified in Equation 7 below.

[0107]

number

[0108]

[0111] in this case,

[0109]

number

[0110] is an ambiguous number of full wavelength cycles that cannot be measured directly, and φ k ∈(-π,π) is the phase observation of the kth subcarrier.

[0111]

[0112] In some aspects, by combining carrier phase measurements φ of different subcarriers, a measurement device (e.g., the transmitting device 405, the receiving device 410, or another network entity such as an LMF) may remove ambiguity over the integer number of cycles N. For example, instead of directly mapping a phase (e.g., the phase 430 of the signal 420) to a distance as described above, the device may use a combination of carrier phase measurements φ of different subcarriers to remove ambiguity over the integer number of cycles N. k -φ k-m, (denoted as φ ) or a pair of sets of subcarriers. A subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier. An example of a "set of subcarriers" is a set with a single subcarrier. In such examples, a pair of subcarriers is two subcarriers (since each set includes a single subcarrier). In some examples, "X subcarriers" (e.g., consecutive subcarriers) may be included in a set of subcarriers. In such examples, the measurement device may derive a single phase measurement for a set of subcarriers that includes X subcarriers. The measurement device may also derive a single phase measurement (e.g., an effective, average, median, or other representative phase for the set of subcarriers) for a second set of subcarriers that includes the same number (X) of subcarriers or a different number (e.g., Y) of subcarriers. Using the two phase measurements, the measurement device may determine the difference between the two phase measurements (e.g., φ ) as described below with respect to Equation 8. k -φ k-m , where φ k where P is an effective, average, median, or other representative phase of the set of subcarriers. The terms subcarrier pair (or pair of subcarriers) and subcarrier set pair (or pair of set of subcarriers) are used interchangeably herein.

[0112]

[0113] In one illustrative example, for a pair of subcarriers x1, x2, a measuring device (e.g., UE) can derive two phases φ1, φ2. For a pair of sets of subcarriers {x1a, x1b, x1c, ... x1w}, {x2a, x2b, x2c, ... x2w}, a measuring device can derive two phases as φ1, φ2, where φ1 is derived based on {x1a, x1b, x1c, ... x1w} and φ2 is derived based on {x2a, x2b, x2c, ... x2w}. The phase difference (e.g., φ k -φ k-m Further details regarding ) are provided below with respect to Equation 8.

[0113]

[0114] For two subcarriers close to each other in the frequency domain, the wavelengths of the two subcarriers are close to each other, in which case the number of cycles of the subcarriers between a transmitting device (e.g., transmitting device 405) and a receiving device (e.g., receiving device 410) will be similar.

[0114]

number

[0115] Subtracting the phases of each of the subcarriers (denoted as ) will therefore result in the number of wavelength cycles N being cancelled out or reduced to a negligible value, as shown by the following equation. As a result, the phase difference between the subcarriers can be directly mapped to the distance d between the transmitting device and the receiving device (e.g., the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410), as shown in the following equation (11). Thus, such a technique may be performed to determine the distance between the transmitting device and the receiving device, even considering the ambiguous number of cycles N. In some aspects, a pair of subcarriers (or a pair of sets of subcarriers) may be referred to as a "lane," and the operation of determining the distance from the transmitting device and the receiving device based on the difference in phase measurements of the pair of subcarriers (or a pair of sets of subcarriers) may be referred to as phase measurement combining or "wide-laning." Examples of various subcarrier pairs / subcarrier set pairs and corresponding wavelengths are shown in FIG. 5. Mathematical details of phase measurement combining (or wide-laning) using different subcarrier pairs are described in more detail below with reference to the description related to Equations 8-10.

[0116] In some aspects, an OFDM system transmits over a licensed or unlicensed frequency band (e.g., 5 GHz) that assigns each subcarrier a distinct center frequency with a fixed bandwidth, and the subcarriers are separated by a subcarrier spacing, such as 30 kHz. The subcarriers are associated with a subcarrier index that identifies a distinct center frequency of each distinct subcarrier based on the subcarrier spacing. In some communication systems, subcarriers of a particular frequency band may also be separated by a guard interval to address potential interference from communication devices communicating in the same frequency band. Equation 8 below defines φ k and φ k-m 7 shows how carrier phase measurements of two different subcarriers, subcarrier k and subcarrier km, having corresponding carrier phases denoted as

[0117]

number

[0118] In some embodiments, the number of cycles N k and N k-m may be equal or similar. The phases of subcarrier pairs (or subcarrier set pairs) separated by a subcarrier difference m may be compared to obtain a phase measurement difference Δφ m (as shown in Equation 9 below), which may be used to determine the distance d from the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 (as shown in Equation 10 below).

[0119]

number

[0120]

[0117] Based on Equation 9, the phase measurement difference Δφm determined using Equation 9 can be used in the following Equation 10 to determine the distance d from a transmitting device (e.g., transmitting device 405) to a receiving device (e.g., receiving device 410).

[0121]

number

[0122]

[0118] Here,

[0123]

number

[0124] is the equivalent wavelength of a subcarrier combination with a subcarrier separation of mΔf, where m is the subcarrier difference and Δf is the spacing between the subcarriers.

[0125] In one illustrative example, the first subcarrier of a subcarrier pair (or subcarrier set pair) has an index value of 1, which corresponds to a subcarrier frequency of 5000.03 MHz, and the second subcarrier of the subcarrier pair (or subcarrier set pair) has an index value of 2, which corresponds to a subcarrier frequency of 5000.06 MHz (e.g., an SCS of 30 kHz), and the subcarrier difference is 1. In this example, the subcarriers are spaced at 30 kHz intervals, and the equivalent wavelength of the subcarrier pair is

[0126]

number

[0127] teeth,

[0128]

number

[0129] That is, based on approximately 10 kilometers (km). The wavelengths of the subcarriers in this example are approximately equal based on a frequency difference of 30 kHz. Due to the similar wavelengths of the subcarrier frequencies, the subcarriers must travel a greater distance before the number of cycles of the higher frequency subcarrier increases and becomes different from the number of cycles of the lower frequency subcarrier.

[0130] In some aspects, a larger difference in frequency between subcarrier pairs (or subcarrier set pairs) is achieved by reducing the difference in wavelength (ΔN m ) will increase. However, ΔN m The value of ΔN for each subcarrier pair is m Since we know the value of , it does not have to be zero.

[0131] In some cases, there may be a maximum number of resource blocks (RBs) that can be allocated to a particular signal (e.g., Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), etc.). For example, there may be a maximum of 272 RBs that can be allocated to a PRS. In such an example, assuming a Combi-1, Symbol-1 RB structure with 12 allocatable tones, there are 272×12=3264 different subcarrier allocations. Assuming that the maximum subcarrier distance is used (e.g., the first subcarrier has an index value of 1 and the last subcarrier has an index value of 3264), the two subcarriers of a subcarrier pair (or subcarrier set pair) are separated by 3263 subcarriers and the equivalent wavelength is

[0132]

number

[0133] If the shortest subcarrier distance is used (e.g., the first subcarrier has an index of 1 and the next subcarrier has an index of 2), the two subcarriers in a subcarrier pair are separated by 3263 subcarriers, and the equivalent wavelength is

[0134]

number

[0135] (or 10km).

[0136] In some aspects, there are more subcarrier pairs (or subcarrier set pairs) with larger equivalent wavelengths than subcarrier pairs with shorter equivalent wavelengths. For example, there is a single subcarrier pair combination (e.g., subcarrier pair [1, 3264]) that results in a subcarrier distance of 3263, and there are 3263 subcarrier pairs (e.g., [1, 2], [2, 3], [3, 4], ..., [3263, 3264]) with a subcarrier spacing of 1. In some aspects, a narrow subcarrier pair (corresponding to a wide lane) refers to subcarriers that are relatively close to each other in frequency and have similar wavelengths, and a wide subcarrier pair (corresponding to a narrow lane) refers to subcarriers that are farther apart in frequency and have less similar wavelengths compared to a narrow subcarrier pair, which is described herein with reference to FIG. 5.

[0137]

[0123] Because narrow or wide subcarrier pairs cannot produce accurate initial results for all cases, different subcarrier combinations may be used to identify the unknown location of the device. For example, narrow subcarrier groups may be inaccurate because the receiving device may be close to the transmitting device (e.g., 200 m), in which case the phase difference of the narrow subcarrier pairs may be outside the measurement sensitivity of the phase measurement device on the receiving device, and the measured phase will be dominated by noise (e.g.,

[0138]

number

[0139] ). The phase of each subcarrier measurement is below the noise floor of the measurement (e.g.,

[0140]

number

[0141] ), if the difference in subcarrier phase is zero, the measured phase results in zero distance from the transmitting device to the receiving device. In some aspects, zero distance indicates that the transmitting device and the receiving device occupy the same physical space, which is not possible. In this case, the narrowest subcarrier group cannot be used to determine the distance between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410. The widest subcarrier group also cannot determine the distance between the transmitting device 405 and the receiving device 410 because the receiving device 410 is outside the minimum equivalent wavelength of 3 m and there is an ambiguous number of cycles N.

[0142] In some aspects, wide subcarrier pairs may be used when the initial location is known and the number of cycles can be determined. For example, if the location of the receiving device is known within a radius of 3 meters, the widest subcarrier pair identified above (e.g., subcarrier pair [1, 3264]) may be used to identify the location within that radius to the nearest centimeter. In some aspects, narrow subcarrier pairs may be used to identify a coarse location within a larger area but with less accuracy, and then a different subcarrier pair may be used to identify a location within a smaller area but with more accuracy.

[0143]

[0125] Figure 5 is a graph illustrating wavelengths of subcarrier pairs based on subcarrier spacing and wavelength difference of subcarrier pairs in an OFDM system in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 5, the equivalent wavelength of a subcarrier pair is indicated by reference numeral 505, and the wavelength difference is indicated by reference numeral 510. As mentioned above, narrower subcarrier pairs have larger equivalent wavelengths based on the closer wavelengths of their subcarriers than wider subcarrier pairs.

[0144]

[0126] As mentioned above, a reference signal is a predefined signal that occupies a specific resource element in a time-frequency grid of resource blocks (RBs) (sometimes referred to as physical resource blocks (PRBs)) and may be exchanged over one or both of the downlink and uplink physical communication channels. Exemplary reference signals include positioning reference signals (PRS), sounding reference signals (SRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), among others. In some cases, an RB may be the smallest unit of resource that may be allocated for communication.

[0145] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of an RB 602 (or PRB 602). The RB 602 is arranged in the time domain on the horizontal (or x-) axis and in the frequency domain on the vertical (or y-) axis. As shown, the RB 602 may be 180 kilohertz (kHz) wide in frequency and one slot long in time (a slot is one millisecond (ms) in time). In some cases, a slot may contain 14 symbols (e.g., in slot configuration 0). The RB 602 contains 12 subcarriers (along the y-axis) and 14 symbols (along the x-axis). The intersection of a symbol and a subcarrier may be referred to as a resource element (RE) or tone. For example, an RE is 1 subcarrier by 1 symbol, and is the smallest discrete portion of a subframe. An RE contains a single complex value that represents data from a physical channel or signal.

[0146] A combination structure (also referred to as a tone pattern) may be defined as a specific arrangement of REs in a given resource block for the transmission of reference signals. A combination structure may be predefined in 3GPP communication standards (e.g., 5G / NR, 4G / LTE, etc.) and known to both a user equipment (UE) and a corresponding network entity (e.g., a base station or a part thereof).

[0147]

[0129] An example of a combination structure for reference signals (e.g., PRS, SRS, etc.) is shown in Figure 7. For example, the combination structure 710 is a combination 2 structure with two symbols (shown as a combination 2 / 2 symbol structure). According to the combination 2 / 2 symbol structure of the combination structure 710, every other symbol is assigned to a reference signal resource. The combination pattern in Figure 7 is for one TRP. The combination structures 710, 712, 714, 716, 718, 720, 722, and 724 are summarized in Table 1 below.

[0148] [Table 1]

[0149]

[0130] The suggested bandwidth (in terms of number of PRBs or RBs) for the PRS signal is defined by the dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth field or parameter in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 37.355. The dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth parameter may be included in the assistance data (e.g., NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceData message) sent by the user device (e.g., UE) to a network entity (e.g., a location server such as an LMF or a base station). The dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth field or parameter may have a value from 1 to 63, as shown below in the NR-DL PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer-r16 field of the NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceData message:

[0150] [Table 2]

[0151]

[0131] The dl-PRS-ResourceBandwidth parameter can be defined as follows: This parameter indicates the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) allocated to downlink (DL) PRS resources (allocated DL PRS bandwidth). All DL PRS resources of a DL PRS resource set have the same bandwidth. All DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same positioning frequency layer have the same value of DL PRS bandwidth and starting PRB. Value 1 is equal to 24 PRBs, value 2 is equal to 28 PRBs, value 3 is equal to 32 PRBs, and so on. Based on this definition, the bandwidth range for a PRS is equal to 24:4:272, where the minimum is 24 PRBs and the maximum is 272 PRBs (based on multiplying 4 by 62 (=248) and adding 24, which is the minimum number of PRBs).

[0152]

[0132] The dl-PRS-CombSizeN parameter in the NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceData message mentioned above indicates the RE interval in each symbol of the downlink PRS resource, and indicates that all downlink PRS resource sets belonging to the same PFL (positioning frequency layer) have the same value of combSize. As mentioned above, the PRS positioning frequency layer is defined as a set of PRS resource sets, and each PRS resource set defines a set of PRS resources. For example, a PRS may be transmitted by a network entity (e.g., one or more transmit-receive points (TRPs) or parts thereof of a base station, such as one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC) in multiple beams, where a PRS beam may be referred to as a PRS resource, while a full set of PRS beams transmitted from a network entity (e.g., one or more TRPs or parts thereof of a base station) on the same frequency is referred to as a PRS resource set. Each PRS resource may have a PRS resource identifier (ID). In some cases, PRS resources in a PRS resource set may be associated with the same transmit-receive point (TRP). In some aspects, a PRS resource set may be identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a particular TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, PRS resources in a PRS resource set may have the same periodicity across slots, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor).

[0153]

[0133] The existing combination structure may not be optimized for carrier phase positioning. For example, the same combination size is defined for all of the PRS resource sets defined in a given PFL. The existing combination structure also provides symmetric allocation of REs in the frequency domain. For example, in the case of the combination 2 structure shown in Figure 7, every other symbol of the RB is given to the PRS resource.

[0154]

[0134] Furthermore, the existing combi structure specifies a regular (or consistent) arrangement of REs across all RBs. For example, the existing combi structure for PRS has a single RB boundary (denoted as 1-RB boundary), in which case all of the RBs for the PRS have the same REs assigned to PRS resources (e.g., the combi structure repeats for every RB). The existing combi structure also does not specify that consecutive symbols in an RB may be assigned to PRS resources.

[0155]

[0135] The systems and techniques described herein provide reference signals that are optimal for determining carrier phase measurements for carrier phase positioning. Figure 8A is a diagram 800 illustrating an example of a group of resource blocks (RBs) with a regular resource element (RE) structure according to the existing Combi-2 structure (with 1 resource block boundary). Figures 8B and 8C are diagrams 805 and 810, respectively, illustrating an example of RBs with an irregular RE structure (with X resource block boundaries). The RBs in Figures 8A-8C show resources for reference signals from two different sources, such as two TRPs (shown as TRP1 and TRP2). The reference signals may include any reference signals that may be used for carrier phase positioning, such as PRS, SRS, etc. The RBs shown in Figures 8A-8C include a first resource block (RB1), a second resource block (RB2), a third resource block (RB3), a fourth resource block (RB4), a fifth resource block (RB5), a sixth resource block (RB6), a seventh resource block (RB7), and an eighth resource block (RB8). The subcarriers associated with the RBs in Figures 8A-8C increase in frequency vertically (e.g., RB1 has the lowest frequency subcarrier, followed by RB2, followed by RB3, etc.). The resource blocks RB1-RB8 are a portion of the total number of resource blocks for the resources and / or resource sets of the reference signals from the two sources. For example, as noted above, the minimum bandwidth for the PRS is 24 RBs and the maximum bandwidth is 272 RBs.

[0156]

[0136] Referring to Figure 8A, as described above, the combination 2 structure of RBs has a 1-RB boundary. According to the 1-RB boundary, the combination pattern is repeated four times for every four RBs. As a result, the combination structure is repeated and therefore the same in all RBs of the reference signal. In such a case, all of the RBs of the reference signal have REs allocated to PRS resources, and the same REs are allocated in each RB.

[0157] 8B and 8C are associated with a reference signal (e.g., PRS, SRS, or other reference signal that may be used for carrier phase positioning) with X resource block boundaries, where X is an integer value greater than 1. The X resource block boundaries indicate that the combi structure (the arrangement of REs with RBs of the reference signal) for the reference signal is repeated a certain number of times (e.g., once, twice, or three times) per X resource block. At the X resource block boundaries, some RBs may not contain data for the reference signal or may not be assigned to the reference signal. For example, for any RBs between RBs where the combi pattern specifies a RE for the reference signal, the RE is not assigned to the reference signal.

[0158]

[0138] In one illustrative example, the X resource block boundary may be a 4-resource block boundary. Figures 8B and 8C show examples of RBs of a reference signal (e.g., PRS, etc.) with a 4-resource block boundary. In general, based on the 4-resource block boundary, the combi structure for the reference signal is repeated once, twice, or three times every 4 RBs. In Figure 8B, the combi structure 807 (or pattern) is repeated once every 4 RBs. In particular, the combi structure 807 is repeated in RB2 and RB6, but is not repeated in RB1, RB3, RB4, RB5, RB7, or RB8. In Figure 8C, the combi structure 811 (or pattern) is repeated twice every 4 RBs. As shown, the combi structure 811 is repeated in RB1, RB4, RB5, and RB8, but is not repeated in RB2, RB3, RB6, or RB7.

[0159]

[0139] The irregular resource element structure given by X resource block boundaries for reference signals (e.g., PRS, SRS, etc.) (compared to the regular resource element structure given in the existing combi-structure) may be useful for carrier phase positioning techniques and may also save bandwidth by transmitting fewer resources for reference signals. For example, the resource structure of FIG. 8B may be specified or signaled by a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or a part thereof) when the network entity desires that a device (e.g., UE) receiving a subcarrier signal use a subcarrier pair (or a subcarrier set pair) that is further apart (e.g., a narrower lane). In such a case, fewer consecutive subcarriers need to be signaled because the subcarrier pair (or subcarrier set pair) to be signaled is farther away from each other. Referring to FIG. 8B, data is signaled in the REs of RB2 and RB6 for a reference signal (e.g., a PRS) according to a combination pattern so that a device can calculate a phase measurement (e.g., a phase measurement difference Δφ) for a subcarrier pair (or subcarrier set pair) associated with the assigned REs in RB2 and RB6, but no data is signaled in any of the REs of RB1, RB3, RB4, RB5, RB7, and RB8 for the reference signal.

[0160] In another example, the resource structure of FIG. 8C may be specified or signaled by a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof) when the network entity desires that a device (e.g., UE) receiving a subcarrier signal use a subcarrier pair (or a subcarrier set pair) that is closer to each other (e.g., a wider lane). For example, subcarriers that are closer to each other (e.g., consecutive subcarriers) need to be signaled. In the example of FIG. 8C, data is signaled in REs such as RB1, RB4, RB5, RB8 for a reference signal (e.g., PRS) according to a combi pattern. The device can then calculate phase measurements (e.g., phase measurement difference Δφ m ) for subcarrier pairs (or subcarrier set pairs) associated with the assigned REs in RB1, RB4, RB5, RB8, etc. As shown, data is not signaled in any of REs of RB2, RB3, RB6, or RB7 for a reference signal.

[0161] By signaling less data (due to some of the RBs not containing data for a given reference signal), signaling overhead and bandwidth can be saved. Such an irregular combination structure can provide an opportunity for a network entity (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, or a part thereof such as one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC) to multiplex signaling from more TRPs or base stations.

[0162] In some aspects, the resource blocks may be given a pattern that is non-uniform in the frequency domain and / or continuous in the time domain. For example, consecutive numbers of symbols for a non-uniform number of subcarriers in an RB may be allocated to one or more resources of a reference signal (e.g., PRS resources). Figure 9A shows an example of an RB 902 with 8 consecutive symbols for 4 subcarriers (out of 12 available subcarriers) allocated to a resource of a reference signal (e.g., PRS resources). Figure 9B shows an example of an RB 904 with 12 consecutive symbols for 3 subcarriers (out of 12 available subcarriers) allocated to a resource of a reference signal (e.g., PRS resources).

[0163] RB 902 in FIG. 9A and RB 904 in FIG. 9B provide reference signal resources (e.g., subcarriers) that are continuous in the time domain. Block-type reference signal structures such as PRS structures are advantageous for phase measurement compared to current staggered patterns currently defined for reference signals (e.g., PRS structures shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8A). In one example, providing consecutive symbols assigned to a PRS or other reference signal in a resource block allows a device (e.g., UE) to more easily measure phase information (for carrier phase positioning) of multiple symbols when the subcarrier index numbers for the multiple symbols are constant (indicating that the symbols are associated with the same frequency subcarrier). For example, defining a structure for a PRS as shown in FIG. 9A or FIG. 9B (or a similar structure with consecutive REs in the time domain) allows a device to determine a simple sum of complex numbers in the same line of a block symbol. However, when using a staggered pattern for a PRS or other reference signal, phase estimation may involve complex calculations to compensate for frequency bias or timing error.

[0164]

[0144] Furthermore, orthogonality problems due to sampling window misalignment can be avoided by using a block type structure for the reference signal (e.g., PRS), such as that shown in Figures 9A and 9B. For example, when PRS signals from multiple neighboring gNBs arrive with different latencies, signals from one or more gNBs that are farther away from the receiving device (e.g., UE) may arrive after other signals, and only a portion of the signal may be included in the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window used in the phase measurement process. As a result, subcarrier interference may occur for certain symbols (e.g., the first and last symbols), causing corruption of the phase measurement. By repeating the data for the reference signal (e.g., PRS) several times in consecutive symbols in the time domain (e.g., as shown in Figures 9A and 9B), the receiving device can discard symbols with subcarrier interference (e.g., the first and last symbols) and use only the intermediate symbols that contain the full-length subcarrier wave.

[0165] Providing data in subcarriers consistently over time also provides more robustness with respect to Doppler. For example, for the combi2 / symbol12 structure 720 of FIG. 7, if a device determines a subcarrier pair or subcarrier set pair (e.g., lane) using the subcarrier corresponding to RE 730 in the third symbol minus the subcarrier corresponding to RE 732 in the fourth symbol, the data will be contained in different subcarriers at different times and will therefore be less robust to Doppler than if the device were to compare the same subcarriers consecutively over time.

[0166]

[0146] Allowing the frequency domain components (e.g., subcarriers) of a resource block to be non-uniform across an RB also allows a network entity (e.g., a location server such as an LMF or a base station such as a gNB or a portion thereof) to specify to a receiving device (e.g., a UE) which subcarriers may be used in carrier phase positioning (e.g., to determine the phase difference between two subcarriers). For example, referring to FIG. 9A, the network entity may select which subcarrier pairs (or subcarrier set pairs or lanes) the receiving device wants to use for phase measurement. The network device may send signaling or messaging (e.g., directly or via a base station or other network entity) to the receiving device indicating that data for a reference signal has been allocated to the REs corresponding to subcarriers 2, 5, 7, and 11 in the RB 902. An example of such signaling or messaging may include a frequency bin bitmap, which is described in more detail below. Such a mechanism may avoid the unnecessary overhead of having to transmit all of the subcarriers. Using the existing combi structure, the network entity would have to use the combi 2 structure to provide at least one set of subcarriers with a subcarrier distance (or gap or difference) of 2, and thus provide data in every other subcarrier. In the example of FIG. 9B, a first subcarrier pair or lane between subcarrier 9 and subcarrier 10 (with a subcarrier distance of 1), a second subcarrier pair or lane between subcarrier 9 and subcarrier 2 (with a subcarrier distance of 7), and a third subcarrier pair or lane between subcarrier 10 and subcarrier 2 (with a subcarrier distance of 8) may be used for carrier phase positioning. Such a scenario is not supported using the existing combi structure, since there is no combi structure with two subcarriers with a subcarrier distance of 1.Using existing combi structures, network entities must measure subcarriers across symbols, which introduces Doppler problems that reduce positioning accuracy.

[0167] In some examples, a network entity (e.g., a location server such as an LMF or a base station such as a gNB or a portion thereof) may generate information indicating a particular RE in a frequency region that is assigned to include data for a resource (e.g., a PRS resource) of a reference signal. For example, the network entity may generate a frequency bin bitmap (also referred to as a bitmap) indicating a particular subcarrier of an RB assigned to a reference signal (e.g., a PRS). The network entity may signal the bitmap to another network entity or a receiving device (e.g., a UE) to specify the subcarrier in the RB assigned to the reference signal. For example, when the bitmap is transmitted from a first network entity (e.g., a location server) to a second network entity (e.g., a base station such as a gNB or a portion thereof, such as one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC) configured to transmit a reference signal resource, the bitmap may indicate to the second network entity that data for the reference signal should be included in the subcarriers of the resource blocks specified in the bitmap. In another example, when a bitmap is transmitted from a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof) to a UE, the bitmap can indicate to the UE that subcarriers of resource blocks specified in the bitmap contain data for a reference signal.

[0168]

[0148] The frequency bin bitmap for an RB may include a value of 0 or 1 for each available subcarrier for that RB (e.g., a total value of 12 in the bitmap for an RB with 12 available subcarriers). Referring to FIG. 9A as an illustrative example, a corresponding bitmap may be represented as 010010100010 for RE in the frequency domain. The illustrative bitmap for FIG. 9A indicates that subcarriers corresponding to REs 2, 5, 7, and 11 (along the Y-axis of FIG. 9A) are assigned to reference signal resources (e.g., to a particular PRS resource). The illustrative example of the bitmap corresponding to FIG. 9B may be specified as 010000001100 for RE in the frequency domain, indicating that subcarriers corresponding to REs 2, 9, and 10 are provided to reference signal resources (e.g., to a particular PRS resource). In some examples, a frequency bin bitmap may be provided (e.g., signaled by a network entity, such as a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof) for each symbol index that may indicate to a user device (e.g., UE) the symbol to which the bitmap applies. For example, referring to the example of FIG. 9A, bitmap 010010100010 may be signaled for symbol indexes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

[0169] According to additional or alternative aspects described herein, a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof, such as one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC) or a receiving device (e.g., a UE) may combine reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources) by combining resource elements of the reference signal resources. In some cases, the network entity may perform frequency domain muting or suppression to remove certain resource elements from the combined reference signal resources. For example, to obtain an asymmetric structure, the network entity or receiving device may combine reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources) and, in some cases, enable frequency domain muting on the combined resources.

[0170] In some examples, a receiving device (e.g., UE) may receive signaling (e.g., from a network entity, such as from a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof) indicating that the receiving device can or should combine received signals across reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources). In some examples, a base station (e.g., a gNB or a portion thereof) may receive signaling from another network entity (e.g., a location server such as an LMF) indicating that the base station should or will transmit reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources) that enable the UE to combine received reference signal measurements (e.g., PRS measurements).

[0171] In some aspects, to combine reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources), a receiving device can coherently use all of the received signals across the reference signal resources (e.g., PRS resources) to derive phase measurements. In one illustrative example, two PRS resources having a Combi2 / Symbol2 structure (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7) can be combined to create a Combi1 / Symbol2 PRS configuration.

[0172]

[0152] In some cases, frequency domain muting may then be enabled to obtain an asymmetric RB structure. A network entity (e.g., LMF) may provide new signaling to another network entity (e.g., a base station or a portion thereof) specifying combining PRS resources in a resource set and / or performing frequency domain muting. Similar techniques may be performed for other reference signal resources, such as SRS resources. Illustrative examples of such techniques are described below with respect to Figures 10A-10C.

[0173] FIG. 10A illustrates an example of a resource block 1002 having REs allocated to four PRS resources from four sources, including a first TRP (TRP1), a second TRP (TRP2), a third TRP (TRP3), and a fourth TRP (TRP4). In FIG. 10A, the four PRS resources have a Combi2 / Symbol2 configuration spanning four consecutive symbols. In FIG. 10B, a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or a portion thereof, such as one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC) combines the REs of the four PRS resources to create a Combi1 / Symbol4 configuration. In some cases, assistance from a network entity (e.g., a location server or LMF assistance) may be required to combine the REs. For example, the location server may send configuration information to the base station (or a portion thereof) indicating which REs of different RBs should be combined into a common RB.

[0174]

[0154] Figure 10C illustrates an example of frequency domain muting on combined reference signal resources (e.g., combined PRS resources). For example, referring to RB 1004 in Figure 10B, a network entity (e.g., a base station such as a gNB or a portion thereof) can remove REs corresponding to subcarriers 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 11 to generate RB 1006 in Figure 10C. In particular, RE bins {2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11} are muted. In some cases, assistance from a network entity (e.g., location server or LMF assistance) may be required to perform frequency domain muting of REs. For example, a location server can send configuration information to a base station (or a portion thereof) indicating which REs of different RBs should be removed from the combined RB.

[0175]

[0155] Although examples are described herein based on signaling between a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station or portion thereof, etc.) and a user device (e.g., a UE, etc.), the systems and techniques described herein may apply to direct communications between devices (e.g., between UEs, vehicles, etc.) using sidelink communications (e.g., a cellular-based PC5 sidelink interface, an 802.11p Defined Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) interface, or other direct interfaces).

[0176]

[0156] Figure 11 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process 1100 for wireless communication. The process 1100 may be performed by a computing device or apparatus, such as a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE), or a component or system of a wireless communication device (e.g., a chipset). Operations of the process 1100 may be implemented as software components executed and operating on one or more processors (e.g., the processor(s) 1384 of Figure 13, the processor 1412 of Figure 14, or other processor(s)). Furthermore, transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device in the process 1100 may be enabled, for example, by one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 1387 of Figure 13) and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., the wireless transceiver(s) 1378 of Figure 13).

[0177]

[0157] In block 1102, a wireless communication device (or a component thereof) receives a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS). A combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks. For example, a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks according to the combination structure includes data for the PRS. In some cases, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks according to the combination structure does not include data for the PRS. In some illustrative examples, the combination structure of the PRS may be repeated across a plurality of resource blocks as shown in FIG. 8B or FIG. 8C, where some resource blocks include data for the PRS and some resource blocks do not include data for the PRS. The repetition may be based on X resource block boundaries for the PRS, where the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, etc. In one illustrative example, as shown in Figure 8B, combi structure 807 is repeated in RB2 and RB6 (which contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS), but is not repeated in RB1, RB3, RB4, RB5, RB7, or RB8 (which do not contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS). In another illustrative example, as shown in Figure 8C, combi structure 811 is repeated in RB1, RB4, RB5, and RB8 (which contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS), but is not repeated in RB2, RB3, RB6, or RB7 (which do not contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS).

[0178] In some aspects, the resource blocks are received from a first network entity. In some aspects, the resource blocks are received from a second network entity different from the first network entity. In one illustrative example, the first network entity is a location server (e.g., LMF) and the second network entity is a base station (e.g., an eNB, a gNB, or a portion thereof, such as one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a near-RT RIC, or a non-RT RIC).

[0179] In some aspects, a wireless communication device (or a component thereof) receives information from a first network entity indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks that include data associated with a PRS. For example, as described herein, the information may include a bitmap. The bitmap may also be referred to as a frequency bin bitmap and may include a value of 0 or 1 for each available subcarrier for a particular RB. In one illustrative example, with reference to FIG. 9A, the bitmap may be represented as 010010100010 for RE in the frequency domain, indicating that subcarriers corresponding to REs 2, 5, 7, and 11 (along the Y-axis of FIG. 9A) are assigned to reference signal resources (e.g., to a particular PRS resource).

[0180] In some examples, multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from the multiple resource blocks include data associated with a PRS. In some cases, the multiple consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index. Each resource block from the multiple resource blocks may include a non-uniform set of subcarriers that include data associated with a PRS. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, 8 consecutive symbols for a non-uniform set of subcarriers 2, 5, 7, 11, and 12 (out of 12 available subcarriers for resource block 902) are assigned to a corresponding reference signal resource (e.g., PRS resource).

[0181]

[0161] In some cases, a wireless communication device (or a component thereof) receives a message indicating that a resource element of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of a PRS is combined with a resource element of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS. Based on the message, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may combine the resource elements of the first resource block with the resource elements of the second resource block. In one illustrative example, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may combine the resource elements of the first resource block with the resource elements of the second resource block by coherently using all of the received signals across the reference signal PRS resource to derive a phase measurement. In some cases, one or more resource elements are removed (e.g., prior to combining) from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block. For example, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may remove one or more resource elements or network entities (e.g., the first network entity or the second network entity).

[0182]

[0162] In block 1104, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) transmits a phase measurement report to the first network entity. The phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of a plurality of resource blocks. As described above, a subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier. For example, as described above, an example of a "set of subcarriers" is a set having a single subcarrier. In such a case, a pair of subcarriers includes two subcarriers (as each set includes a single subcarrier). In some examples, "X subcarriers" (e.g., consecutive subcarriers) may be included in a set of subcarriers, in which case the wireless communication device may derive a single phase measurement value for the set of subcarriers including X subcarriers. The measurement report may include the measured phase difference(s) between at least one subcarrier set pair, or may include a measured phase (in which case the first network entity or another network entity may determine the phase difference(s)).

[0183] In some aspects, a wireless communication device (or a component thereof) receives a carrier phase measurement request from a first network entity (e.g., a location server or other network entity) to report phase measurements for one or more subcarrier set pairs of a plurality of resource blocks. In some cases, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) measures a phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the one or more subcarrier set pairs of the subcarriers based on the carrier phase measurement request. The wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may then transmit a phase measurement report to the first network entity based on the carrier phase measurement request from the first network entity.

[0184]

[0164] Figure 12 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a process 1200 for wireless communication. The process 1200 may be performed by a first network entity (e.g., a location server such as an eNB, gNB, LMF, or a portion thereof such as one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC), or by a component or system of the network entity (e.g., a chipset). The operations of the process 1200 may be implemented as software components executed and operating on one or more processors (e.g., the processor 1412 of Figure 14 or other processor(s)). Furthermore, the transmission and reception of signals by the wireless communication device in the process 1200 may be enabled, for example, by one or more antennas and / or one or more transceivers (e.g., wireless transceiver(s)).

[0185] In block 1202, a first network entity (or a component thereof) transmits a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a second network entity. In some cases, the first network entity is a location server (e.g., LMF) and the second network entity is a base station (e.g., eNB, gNB, or a portion thereof, such as one or more of a CU, DU, RU, near-RT RIC, or non-RT RIC). In some aspects, the plurality of resource blocks is transmitted from the first network entity to a user equipment (UE). In some aspects, the plurality of resource blocks is transmitted from the second network entity to the UE.

[0186]

[0166] Based on the configuration for the plurality of resource blocks associated with the PRS, the combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks. For example, according to the combination structure, a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks includes data for the PRS. In some cases, according to the combination structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS. In some illustrative examples, the combination structure of the PRS may be repeated across the plurality of resource blocks as shown in FIG. 8B or FIG. 8C, where some resource blocks include data for the PRS and some resource blocks do not include data for the PRS. The repetition may be based on X resource block boundaries for the PRS, where the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, etc. In one illustrative example, as shown in Figure 8B, combi structure 807 is repeated in RB2 and RB6 (which contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS), but is not repeated in RB1, RB3, RB4, RB5, RB7, or RB8 (which do not contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS). In another illustrative example, as shown in Figure 8C, combi structure 811 is repeated in RB1, RB4, RB5, and RB8 (which contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS), but is not repeated in RB2, RB3, RB6, or RB7 (which do not contain data for a reference signal, such as PRS).

[0187] In some aspects, the first network entity (or a component thereof) transmits information indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks that include data associated with a PRS for reception by the UE. For example, as described herein, the information may include a bitmap. The bitmap may also be referred to as a frequency bin bitmap and may include a value of 0 or 1 for each available subcarrier for a particular RB. In one illustrative example, with reference to FIG. 9B, the bitmap may be specified as 010000001100 for RE in the frequency domain, indicating that subcarriers corresponding to REs 2, 9, and 10 (along the Y-axis of FIG. 9B) are provided to the reference signal resource (e.g., to a particular PRS resource).

[0188] In some examples, multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from the multiple resource blocks include data associated with a PRS. In some cases, the multiple consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index. Each resource block from the multiple resource blocks may include a non-uniform set of subcarriers that include data associated with a PRS. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, 8 consecutive symbols for the non-uniform set of subcarriers 2, 5, 7, 11, and 12 (out of 12 available subcarriers for resource block 902) are assigned to the corresponding reference signal resource (e.g., PRS resource).

[0189] In some cases, the first network entity (or a component thereof) transmits a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS. Based on the message, the UE (or a component thereof) may combine the resource elements of the first resource block with the resource elements of the second resource block. In some cases, the message further indicates that one or more resource elements are removed (e.g., prior to combining) from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block. For example, the wireless communication device (or a component thereof) may delete one or more resource elements or network entities (e.g., the first network entity or the second network entity).

[0190] At block 1204, the first network entity (or a component thereof) receives a phase measurement report from the UE. The phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks. In some aspects, the first network entity (or a component thereof) transmits a carrier phase measurement request to report a phase measurement value for one or more subcarrier set pairs of the plurality of resource blocks for reception by the UE.

[0191] 13 illustrates an example of a computing system 1370 of a user equipment (UE) 1307. In some examples, the UE 1307 may include a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an XR device, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and / or other devices used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The computing system 1370 includes software and hardware components that may be electrically coupled (or communicate in other ways, as appropriate) via a bus 1389. For example, the computing system 1370 includes one or more processors 1384. The one or more processors 1384 may include one or more CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, APs, GPUs, VPUs, NSPs, microcontrollers, dedicated hardware, any combination thereof, and / or other processing devices or systems. A bus 1389 may be used by one or more processors 1384 to communicate between the cores and / or with one or more memory devices 1386.

[0192] The computing system 1370 may also include one or more memory devices 1386, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 1382, one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) 1374, one or more modems 1376, one or more wireless transceivers 1378, an antenna 1387, one or more input devices 1372 (e.g., a camera, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch-sensitive screen, a touchpad, a keypad, a microphone, etc.), and one or more output devices 1380 (e.g., a display, a speaker, a printer, etc.). As used herein, the one or more wireless transceivers 1378 may include one or more receiving devices (e.g., receivers) and / or one or more transmitting devices (e.g., transmitters).

[0193]

[0173] The one or more wireless transceivers 1378 may transmit and receive wireless signals (e.g., signals 1388) via antenna 1387 to and from one or more other devices, such as one or more other UEs, network nodes or entities (e.g., base stations such as eNBs and / or gNBs, WiFi routers, etc.), cloud networks, etc. As described herein, the one or more wireless transceivers 1378 may include a combined transmitter / receiver, separate transmitters, separate receivers, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the computing system 1370 may include multiple antennas. The wireless signals 1388 may be transmitted over a wireless network. The wireless network may be any wireless network, such as a cellular or telecommunications network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), a wireless local area network (e.g., a WiFi network), a Bluetooth™ network, and / or other network. In some examples, the one or more wireless transceivers 1378 may include a radio frequency (RF) front end that includes one or more components such as amplifiers, mixers (also referred to as signal multipliers) for signal downconversion, synthesizers (also referred to as oscillators) that provide signals to the mixers, baseband filters, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), one or more power amplifiers, etc. The RF front end can generally handle the selection and conversion of the wireless signals 1388 to baseband or an intermediate frequency, and can convert the RF signals to the digital domain, among other components.

[0194] In some cases, the computing system 1370 may include an encoding-decoding device (or CODEC) configured to encode and / or decode data transmitted and / or received using the one or more wireless transceivers 1378. In some cases, the computing system 1370 may include an encryption-decryption device or component configured to encrypt and / or decrypt (e.g., according to the AES and / or DES standards) data transmitted and / or received by the one or more wireless transceivers 1378.

[0195]

[0175] The one or more SIMs 1374 may each securely store an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and associated keys assigned to a user of the UE 1307. The IMSI and keys may be used to identify and authenticate a subscriber when accessing a network provided by a network service provider or operator associated with the one or more SIMs 1374. The one or more modems 1376 may modulate one or more signals to encode information for transmission using the one or more wireless transceivers 1378. The one or more modems 1376 may also demodulate signals received by the one or more wireless transceivers 1378 to decode the transmitted information. In some examples, the one or more modems 1376 may include a 4G (or LTE) modem, a 5G (or NR) modem, a Bluetooth™ modem, a modem configured for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and / or other types of modems. In some examples, one or more modems 1376 and one or more wireless transceivers 1378 may be used to communicate data for one or more SIMs 1374.

[0196]

[0176] The computing system 1370 may also include (and / or communicate with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media or storage devices (e.g., one or more memory devices 1386), which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash updatable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage system, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, and the like.

[0197] In various aspects, functions may be stored as one or more computer program products (e.g., instructions or code) in memory device(s) 1386 and executed by one or more processor(s) 1384 and / or one or more DSPs 1382. Computing system 1370 may also include software elements (e.g., located in one or more memory devices 1386) including other code, such as, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, which may include computer programs that implement functions provided by various aspects and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems as described herein.

[0198] In some aspects, the UE 1307 may include means for performing the operations described herein. The means may include one or more of the components of the computing system 1370. For example, the means for performing the operations described herein may include one or more of the input device(s) 1372, the SIM(s) 1374, the modem(s) 1376, the wireless transceiver(s) 1378, the output device(s) (1380), the DSP(s) 1382, the processor (1384), the memory device(s) 1386, and / or the antenna(s) 1387.

[0199] In some aspects, the UE 1307 may include means for receiving resource configuration information, the resource configuration information based on a threshold associated with the device, the resource configuration information indicating a time gap for transmission of Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) resources. In some aspects, the UE 1307 may further include means for transmitting one or more SRS resources based on the time gap indicated by the resource configuration information.

[0200] In some examples, the means for receiving may include one or more wireless transceivers 1378, one or more modems 1376, one or more SIMs 1374, one or more processors 1384, one or more DSPs 1382, one or more memory devices 1386, any combination thereof, or other component(s) of the client device. In some examples, the means for determining may include one or more processors 1384, one or more DSPs 1382, one or more memory devices 1386, any combination thereof, or other component(s) of the client device. In some examples, the means for transmitting may include one or more wireless transceivers 1378, one or more modems 1376, one or more SIMs 1374, one or more processors 1384, one or more DSPs 1382, one or more memory devices 1386, any combination thereof, or other component(s) of the client device.

[0201] In some cases, a computing device or apparatus may include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other component(s) configured to perform steps of processes described herein. In some examples, a computing device may include a display, one or more network interfaces configured to communicate and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. The one or more network interfaces may be configured to communicate and / or receive wired and / or wireless data, including data according to 3G, 4G, 5G, and / or other cellular standards, data according to Wi-Fi (802.11x) standards, data according to Bluetooth™ standards, data according to Internet Protocol (IP) standards, and / or other types of data.

[0202]

[0182] Components of a computing device may be implemented with circuits. For example, components may include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs), DSPs, central processing units (CPUs), and / or other suitable electronic circuits) and / or may include and / or be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof to perform various operations described herein.

[0203]

[0183] Figure 14 illustrates an example of a system for implementing certain aspects of the present technology. In particular, Figure 14 illustrates an example of a computing system 1400, which may be, for example, any computing device constituting an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any of its components whose components communicate with each other using a connection 1405. The connection 1405 may be a physical connection using a bus, or a direct connection to a processor 1410, such as in a chipset architecture. The connection 1405 may also be a virtual connection, a network connection, or a logical connection.

[0204] In some aspects, computing system 1400 is a distributed system in which the functionality described in this disclosure may be distributed among a data center, multiple data centers, a peer network, etc. In some aspects, one or more of the system components described represent many such components, each performing some or all of the functionality described. In some aspects, these components may be physical or virtual devices.

[0205] The exemplary system 1400 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 1410 and connections 1405 coupling various system components to the processor 1410, including system memory 1415, such as read only memory (ROM) 1420 and random access memory (RAM) 1425. The computing system 1400 may include a cache 1411 of high speed memory directly connected to, adjacent to, or integrated as part of the processor 1410.

[0206] The processor 1410 may include any general-purpose processor, hardware or software services such as services 1432, 1434, and 1436 stored in a storage device 1430 configured to control the processor 1410, and special-purpose processors where software instructions are embedded in the actual processor design. The processor 1410 may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system including multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. Multi-core processors may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0207] To enable user interaction, the computing system 1400 includes an input device 1445, which may represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, speech, etc. The computing system 1400 may also include an output device 1435, which may be one or more of a number of output mechanisms. In some cases, a multimodal system may allow a user to provide multiple types of input / output to communicate with the computing system 1400. The computing system 1400 may include a communication interface 1440, which may generally govern and manage user input and system output.

[0208]

[0188] The communication interface may be an audio jack / plug, a microphone jack / plug, a universal serial bus (USB) port / plug, an Apple® Lightning® port / plug, an Ethernet port / plug, a fiber optic port / plug, a proprietary wired port / plug, BLUETOOTH® wireless signal transmission, BLUETOOTH® low energy (BLE) wireless signal transmission, IBEACON® wireless signal transmission, radio-frequency identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, near-field communications (NFC) wireless signal transmission, dedicated short range communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, WLAN signal transmission, Visible Light Communication (VLC), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WLAN), or a combination of these. The wireless communication device may perform or facilitate the reception and / or transmission of wired or wireless communications using wired and / or wireless transceivers, including those utilizing WiMAX (Wireless Access), infrared (IR) communications wireless signal transmission, Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) signal transmission, Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) signal transmission, 3G / 4G / 5G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular data network wireless signal transmission, ad-hoc network signal transmission, radio wave signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or any combination thereof.

[0209]

[0189] The communication interface 1440 may also include one or more GNSS receivers or transceivers used to determine the location of the computing system 1400 based on receiving one or more signals from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the United States Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite system (BDS), and the European Galileo GNSS. There is no constraint to operate with any particular hardware configuration, and therefore the basic features herein may be easily substituted for improved hardware or firmware configurations as they are developed.

[0210]

[0190] The storage device 1430 may be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer readable memory device, and may be a magnetic cassette, a flash memory card, a solid state memory device, a digital versatile disk, a cartridge, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magnetic strip / stripe, any other magnetic storage medium, a flash memory, a memristor memory, any other solid state memory, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) optical disk, a rewritable compact disc (CD) optical disk, a digital video disk (DVD) optical disk, a blu-ray disc (BDD) optical disk, a holographic optical disk, another optical medium, a secure digital (SD) card, a micro secure digital (microSD) card, a memory stick (registered trademark) card, a smart card chip, a Europay Mastercard and Visa (EMV) chip, a subscriber identity module (SIEM), a module (SIM) cards, mini / micro / nano / pico SIM cards, separate integrated circuit (IC) chips / cards, RAM, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROMIt may be a hard disk or other type of computer readable medium capable of storing data that is accessible by a computer, such as EPROM, FLASHEPROM, cache memory (L1 / L2 / L3 / L4 / L5 / L#), resistive random-access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cartridge, and / or a combination thereof.

[0211]

[0191] The storage device 1430 may include software services, servers, services, etc., where code defining such software, when executed by the processor 1410, causes the system to perform a function. In some aspects, a hardware service performing a particular function may include software components stored in a computer-readable medium in association with necessary hardware components, such as the processor 1410, the connections 1405, the output devices 1435, etc., to perform that function. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media that may store, store, or convey instructions and / or data. The computer-readable medium may also include non-transitory media in which data may be stored and that do not include carrier waves and / or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over wired connections.

[0212]

[0192] The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, storing, or transporting instruction(s) and / or data. Computer-readable media may also include non-transitory media on which data may be stored and which do not include carrier waves and / or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or via wired connections. Examples of non-transitory media include, but are not limited to, magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media, flash memory, memory or memory devices. Computer-readable media may have code and / or machine-executable instructions stored on the computer-readable medium, which may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted using any suitable means including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0213] In some aspects, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories can include cables or wireless signals containing bit streams, etc. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readable storage media specifically excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and the signals themselves.

[0214]

[0194] Specific details are provided in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the aspects and examples provided herein. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the aspects can be practiced without these specific details. For ease of explanation, in some cases, the present technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks, including devices, device components, steps or routines in a method embodied in software, or functional blocks comprising a combination of hardware and software. Additional components other than those shown in the figures and / or described herein may be used. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form so as not to obscure the aspects in unnecessary detail. In other cases, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail so as to avoid obscuring the aspects.

[0215]

[0195] Each aspect may be described above as a process or method that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to the calling function or to a main function.

[0216]

[0196] The processes and methods according to the examples described above may be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored on or otherwise available from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a function or group of functions, or in some cases configure a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processing device to perform a function or group of functions. Portions of the computer resources used may be accessible over a network. The computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions, such as assembly language, firmware, source code, etc. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during the methods according to the described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices with non-volatile memory, network-attached storage devices, etc.

[0217]

[0197] A device implementing the processes and methods according to these disclosures may include hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and may take any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., computer program products) performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a computer-readable medium or machine-readable medium. A processor or processors may perform the necessary tasks. Typical examples of form factors include laptops, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other small-footprint personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, stand-alone devices, and the like. The functionality described herein may also be embodied in a peripheral device or an add-in card. Such functionality may also be implemented on a circuit board among different chips, or on different processes executing in a single device, as further examples.

[0218]

[0198] The instructions, media for propagating such instructions, computing resources for executing such instructions, and other structures supporting such computing resources are exemplary means for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0219]

[0199] In the foregoing description, the aspects of the present application have been described with reference to certain aspects thereof, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the present application is not limited thereto. Thus, while exemplary aspects of the present application have been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the inventive concept may be variously implemented and utilized in other ways, and the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except as limited by conventional techniques. The various features and aspects of the present application described above may be used individually or jointly. Moreover, the aspects may be utilized in any number of environments and applications other than those described herein, without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present specification. Thus, the present specification and drawings should be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. For illustrative purposes, the methods have been described in a particular order. It should be understood that in alternative aspects, the methods may be performed in an order different from that described.

[0220]

[0200] Those skilled in the art will understand that the less than ("<") and greater than (">") symbols or terminology used in this specification may be replaced with the less than or equal to ("≦") and greater than or equal to ("≧") symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of this specification.

[0221]

[0201] When a component is described as being "configured to" perform a certain operation, such configuration may be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuitry or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming a programmable electronic circuitry (e.g., a microprocessor or other suitable electronic circuitry) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof.

[0222]

[0202] The phrase "coupled to" refers to any component that is physically connected to another component, either directly or indirectly, and / or any component that is in communication with another component, either directly or indirectly (e.g., connected to the other component via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0223]

[0203] Claim language or other language reciting "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set indicates that one member of the set or multiple members of the set (in any combination) satisfy the claim. For example, a claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, a claim language reciting "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. The language "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" can mean A, B, or A and B, and can additionally include unrecited items in the set of A and B.

[0224]

[0204] Various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in relation to the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or a combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this compatibility between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, and such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as a cause for departing from the scope of this application.

[0225]

[0205] The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as a general purpose computer, a wireless communication device handset, or an integrated circuit device having multiple uses, including applications in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device, or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, perform one or more of the methods described above. The computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable medium may include a memory or data storage medium, such as a RAM, such as a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a ROM, a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), an EEPROM, a flash memory, a magnetic or optical data storage medium, etc. The techniques may additionally or alternatively be realized at least in part by a computer-readable communications medium, such as a propagated signal or wave, that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer.

[0226]

[0206] The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more DSPs, general-purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Such a processor may be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but the processor may also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Thus, the term "processor" as used herein may refer to any of the above structures, any combination of the above structures, or any other structure or apparatus suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0227]

[0207] Illustrative examples of the present disclosure include the following:

[0228]

[0208] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication in a first user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, in the UE, a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; and transmitting a phase measurement report to a first network entity, where the phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0229]

[0209] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks according to the combination structure includes data for a PRS.

[0230]

[0210] Aspect 3: The method of aspect 1 or 2, wherein according to the combination structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS.

[0231]

[0211] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0232]

[0212] Example 5: The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 4, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0233]

[0213] Aspect 6: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 5, further comprising receiving, in the UE, information from the first network entity indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks that include data associated with the PRS.

[0234]

[0214] Aspect 7: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the information includes a bitmap.

[0235]

[0215] Example 8: The method of any one of examples 1 to 7, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS.

[0236]

[0216] Aspect 9: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index.

[0237]

[0217] Example 10: The method of any one of examples 1 to 9, wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers that includes data associated with a PRS.

[0238]

[0218] Aspect 11: A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, wherein multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS, and each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with the PRS.

[0239]

[0219] Aspect 12: A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, further comprising: receiving, in a UE, a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS; and combining, based on the message, the resource elements of the first resource block with the resource elements of the second resource block.

[0240]

[0220] Aspect 13: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein one or more resource elements are removed from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block.

[0241]

[0221] Aspect 14: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of resource blocks are received from a first network entity.

[0242]

[0222] Aspect 15: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 14, wherein the first network entity is a location server.

[0243]

[0223] Aspect 16: The method of any one of aspects 1 to 15, wherein the plurality of resource blocks is received from a second network entity, the second network entity being different from the first network entity.

[0244]

[0224] Aspect 17: The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 16, wherein the first network entity is a location server and the second network entity is a base station.

[0245]

[0225] Aspect 18: A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 17, further comprising: in a UE, receiving a carrier phase measurement request from a first network entity to report phase measurement values ​​for one or more subcarrier set pairs of a plurality of resource blocks; and transmitting a phase measurement report to the first network entity based on the carrier phase measurement request.

[0246]

[0226] Aspect 19: A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 18, further comprising, in the UE, measuring a phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of one or more subcarrier set pairs of subcarriers based on a carrier phase measurement request.

[0247]

[0227] Aspect 20: A method for wireless communications in a first network entity, the method including: transmitting to a second network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; and receiving from a user equipment (UE) a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0248]

[0228] Aspect 21: The method of aspect 20, wherein the first network entity is a location server and the second network entity is a base station.

[0249]

[0229] Aspect 22: The method of aspect 20 or 21, wherein according to the combinatorial structure, a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks includes data for the PRS.

[0250]

[0230] Example 23: The method of any one of examples 20 to 22, wherein according to the combinatorial structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS.

[0251]

[0231] Example 24: The method according to any one of Examples 20 to 23, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0252]

[0232] Example 25: The method according to any one of examples 20 to 24, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0253]

[0233] Aspect 26: A method according to any one of aspects 20 to 25, further comprising transmitting, at the first network entity, information indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks including data associated with the PRS for reception by the UE.

[0254]

[0234] Aspect 27: The method of any one of aspects 20 to 26, wherein the information includes a bitmap.

[0255]

[0235] Example 28: The method of any one of examples 20 to 27, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS.

[0256]

[0236] Example 29: The method of any one of Examples 20 to 28, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index.

[0257]

[0237] Example 30: The method of any one of examples 20 to 29, wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers that includes data associated with a PRS.

[0258]

[0238] Aspect 31: A method according to any one of aspects 20 to 30, wherein multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS, and each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with the PRS.

[0259]

[0239] Aspect 32: A method according to any one of aspects 20 to 31, further comprising transmitting, in a first network entity, a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS.

[0260]

[0240] Aspect 33: The method of any one of aspects 20 to 32, wherein the message further indicates that one or more resource elements are removed from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block.

[0261]

[0241] Example 34: The method of any one of Examples 20 to 33, wherein the plurality of resource blocks are transmitted from a second network entity to the UE.

[0262]

[0242] Aspect 35: A method as described in any one of aspects 20 to 34, further comprising: sending, at a first network entity, a carrier phase measurement request to report phase measurement values ​​for one or more subcarrier set pairs of a plurality of resource blocks for reception by the UE.

[0263]

[0243] Aspect 36: An apparatus for wireless communications, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and to transmit a phase measurement report to a first network entity, where the phase measurement report includes information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks, where the subcarrier set includes at least one subcarrier.

[0264]

[0244] Aspect 37: The apparatus of aspect 36, wherein a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks includes data for a PRS according to a combination structure.

[0265]

[0245] Aspect 38: The apparatus of aspect 36 or 37, wherein according to the combination structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS.

[0266]

[0246] Example 39: The apparatus of any one of examples 36 to 38, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0267]

[0247] Example 40: The apparatus of any one of examples 36 to 39, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0268]

[0248] Aspect 41: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 40, wherein one or more processors are configured to receive, in a UE, information from a first network entity indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks that include data associated with the PRS.

[0269]

[0249] Aspect 42: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 41, wherein the information includes a bitmap.

[0270]

[0250] Example 43: The apparatus of any one of examples 36-42, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS.

[0271]

[0251] Aspect 44: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 43, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index.

[0272]

[0252] Example 45: The apparatus of any one of examples 36-44, wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with a PRS.

[0273]

[0253] Aspect 46: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 45, wherein multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS, and each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with the PRS.

[0274]

[0254] Aspect 47: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 46, wherein one or more processors are configured to receive a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS, and to combine resource elements of the first resource block with resource elements of the second resource block based on the message.

[0275]

[0255] Aspect 48: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 47, wherein one or more resource elements are removed from resource elements of the first resource block combined with resource elements of the second resource block.

[0276]

[0256] Aspect 49: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 48, wherein the plurality of resource blocks are received from a first network entity.

[0277]

[0257] Aspect 50: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 49, wherein the first network entity is a location server.

[0278]

[0258] Aspect 51: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 50, wherein the plurality of resource blocks are received from a second network entity, the second network entity being different from the first network entity.

[0279]

[0259] Aspect 52: The apparatus of any one of aspects 36 to 51, wherein the first network entity is a location server and the second network entity is a base station.

[0280]

[0260] Aspect 53: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 52, wherein one or more processors are configured to receive a carrier phase measurement request from a first network entity for a reported phase measurement value for one or more subcarrier set pairs of a plurality of resource blocks, and to transmit a phase measurement report to the first network entity based on the carrier phase measurement request.

[0281]

[0261] Aspect 54: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 36 to 53, wherein the one or more processors are configured to measure a phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of one or more subcarrier set pairs of subcarriers based on a carrier phase measurement request.

[0282]

[0262] Aspect 55: An apparatus for wireless communications comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: transmit to a network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), where based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; and receive from a user equipment (UE) a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one subcarrier set pair of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0283]

[0263] Aspect 56: The apparatus of aspect 55, wherein the apparatus is implemented as a location server and the network entity is a base station.

[0284]

[0264] Aspect 57: The apparatus of aspect 55 or 56, wherein according to the combination structure, a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks includes data for a PRS.

[0285]

[0265] Example 58: The apparatus of any one of examples 55 to 57, wherein according to the combination structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS.

[0286]

[0266] Example 59: The apparatus of any one of examples 55 to 58, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0287]

[0267] Example 60: The apparatus of any one of examples 55 to 59, wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

[0288]

[0268] Aspect 61: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 55 to 60, wherein one or more processors are configured to transmit information indicating resource elements of a plurality of resource blocks including data associated with a PRS for reception by a UE.

[0289]

[0269] Aspect 62: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 55 to 61, wherein the information includes a bitmap.

[0290]

[0270] Example 63: The apparatus of any one of examples 55-62, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS.

[0291]

[0271] Aspect 64: The apparatus of any one of aspects 55 to 63, wherein a plurality of consecutive symbols are associated with a common subcarrier index.

[0292]

[0272] Example 65: The apparatus of any one of examples 55-64, wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with a PRS.

[0293]

[0273] Aspect 66: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 55 to 65, wherein multiple consecutive symbols of a resource block from a plurality of resource blocks include data associated with a PRS, and each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers including data associated with a PRS.

[0294]

[0274] Aspect 67: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 55 to 66, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS.

[0295]

[0275] Aspect 68: The apparatus of any one of aspects 55 to 67, wherein the message further indicates that one or more resource elements are removed from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block.

[0296]

[0276] Aspect 69: The apparatus of any one of aspects 55 to 68, wherein the plurality of resource blocks are transmitted from a network entity to the UE.

[0297]

[0277] Aspect 70: An apparatus described in any one of aspects 55 to 69, wherein one or more processors are configured to transmit a carrier phase measurement request for reporting phase measurement values ​​for one or more subcarrier set pairs of a plurality of resource blocks for reception by a UE.

[0298]

[0278] Aspect 71: At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method according to any of aspects 1 to 19.

[0299]

[0279] Embodiment 72: An apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any of embodiments 1 to 19.

[0300]

[0280] Aspect 73: At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method according to any of aspects 20-35.

[0301]

[0281] Embodiment 74: An apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any of embodiments 20 to 35.

Claims

1. 1. A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, at the UE, a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; transmitting to a first network entity a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one pair of subcarrier sets of the plurality of resource blocks, the subcarrier set including at least one subcarrier; 10. The method of claim 9, wherein in a resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, the data associated with the PRS is contained in multiple consecutive symbols at one or more common subcarrier indices and is not staggered across multiple subcarrier indices between consecutive slots of the resource block.

2. a first subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks according to the combination structure includes data for the PRS; The method of claim 1 , wherein according to the combination structure, a second subset of resource blocks from the plurality of resource blocks does not include data for the PRS.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated once for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the combination structure of the PRS is repeated twice for every four consecutive resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks.

5. and receiving, at the UE, from the first network entity, information indicating resource elements of the plurality of resource blocks that contain data associated with the PRS; The method of claim 1 , wherein the information comprises a bitmap.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers that includes data associated with the PRS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each resource block from the plurality of resource blocks includes a non-uniform set of subcarriers containing data associated with the PRS.

8. receiving, at the UE, a message indicating that resource elements of a first resource block associated with a first PRS resource of the PRS are combined with resource elements of a second resource block associated with a second PRS resource of the PRS; combining the resource elements of the first resource block with the resource elements of the second resource block based on the message; The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more resource elements are removed from the resource elements of the first resource block combined with the resource elements of the second resource block.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resource blocks is received from the first network entity.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network entity is a location server.

11. the plurality of resource blocks are received from a second network entity, the second network entity being different from the first network entity; The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network entity is a location server and the second network entity is a base station.

12. receiving, at the UE, from the first network entity, a carrier phase measurement request for reporting phase measurements for one or more subcarrier set pairs of the plurality of resource blocks; At the UE, measuring the phase difference between the at least one subcarrier set pair of subcarriers among the one or more subcarrier set pairs based on the carrier phase measurement request; The method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting the phase measurement report to the first network entity based on the carrier phase measurement request.

13. 1. A method for wireless communication in a first network entity, the method comprising: transmitting to a second network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and in resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, data associated with the PRS is contained in a plurality of consecutive symbols at one or more common subcarrier indexes, and is not staggered across a plurality of subcarrier indexes between consecutive slots of the resource blocks; receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one pair of subcarrier sets of the plurality of resource blocks.

14. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors: receiving a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks; configured to transmit to a first network entity a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one pair of subcarrier sets of the plurality of resource blocks, the subcarrier set including at least one subcarrier; 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein in a resource block of the plurality of resource blocks, data associated with the PRS is contained in multiple consecutive symbols at one or more common subcarrier indices and is not staggered across multiple subcarrier indices between consecutive slots of the resource block.

15. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus comprising: Memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, wherein the one or more processors: transmitting to a network entity a message including a configuration for a plurality of resource blocks associated with a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein based on the configuration, a combination structure of the PRS is repeated in fewer than all of the plurality of resource blocks, and in resource blocks of the plurality of resource blocks, data associated with the PRS is contained in a plurality of consecutive symbols at one or more common subcarrier indexes, and is not staggered across a plurality of subcarrier indexes between consecutive slots of the resource blocks; 1. The apparatus, configured to receive, from a user equipment (UE), a phase measurement report, the phase measurement report including information associated with a measured phase difference between at least one pair of subcarrier sets of the plurality of resource blocks.

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