Determining the positioning anchor

Abstract

A method is disclosed that includes receiving, by a device, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtaining, by the device, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams; and determining, by the device, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The following exemplary embodiments relate to wireless communication and positioning. [Background technology]

[0002] Positioning techniques can be used to estimate the physical location of a user device. It is desirable to improve positioning accuracy to more accurately estimate the location of a user device.

[0003] The scope of protection sought for various exemplary embodiments is set forth in the following claims. The exemplary embodiments and features described herein that do not fall under the scope of the claims, if any, should be construed as useful examples for understanding various embodiments. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to one aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following steps: receive a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtain a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0005] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes: means for receiving a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; means for obtaining a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; and means for determining, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method is provided that includes receiving, by an apparatus, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtaining, by the apparatus, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on one or more second beams of the network element; and determining, by the apparatus, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0007] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided that includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following steps: receive a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtain a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0008] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes program instructions that, when executed by the apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following steps: receive a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtain a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0009] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following steps: receive a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element; obtain a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device.

[0010] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform the following steps: obtain a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams of the network element; receive a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element from a candidate positioning anchor; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for the apparatus.

[0011] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes: means for obtaining a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams; means for receiving a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element from a candidate positioning anchor; and means for determining, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for a device.

[0012] According to another aspect, a method is provided that includes: obtaining, by a device, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams of the network element; receiving, by the device, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element from a candidate positioning anchor; and determining, by the device, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for the device.

[0013] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided that includes instructions that, when executed by the device, cause the device to at least: obtain a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams of the network element; receive a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element from a candidate positioning anchor; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for the device.

[0014] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided that includes program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: obtain a first set of information associated with one or more first beams by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the first beams on one or two of the network elements; receive a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network elements from a candidate positioning anchor; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for the apparatus.

[0015] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least: obtain a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams of the network element; receive a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element from a candidate positioning anchor; and determine, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to operate as a positioning anchor for the device.

[0016] Various exemplary embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a cellular communication network. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 shows three different examples of geometric dilution of precision. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary scenario in which a target user device selects an appropriate anchor node. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of selecting an appropriate anchor node according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The following embodiments are illustrative. Although this specification may refer to "an," "one," or "some" embodiments in several places in the document, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is to the same embodiment or that a particular feature applies only to a single embodiment. Single features of various embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0019] In the following, various exemplary embodiments are described using radio access architectures based on Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A), New Radio (NR, 5G), Beyond 5G, or Sixth Generation (6G) as examples of access architectures to which the exemplary embodiments can be applied, but the exemplary embodiments are not limited to such architectures. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments can also be applied to other types of communication networks having appropriate means by appropriately adjusting parameters and procedures. Some examples of alternatives to suitable systems may be Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Networks (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, similar to E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN or Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Bluetooth, Personal Communications Services (PCS), ZigBee, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof.

[0020] 1 shows a simplified system architecture example showing some elements and functional entities, all of which are logical units, and the implementation may differ from those shown. The connections shown in FIG. 1 are logical connections, and the actual physical connections may differ. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system may include other functions and structures other than those shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited to the system given as an example, but a person skilled in the art can apply the solution to other communication systems with the required properties.

[0022] The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an example radio access network.

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates user devices 100 and 102 configured to be wirelessly connected to one or more communication channels in a radio cell 104 that includes an access node, such as an evolved Node B (eNB or abbreviated as eNodeB) or a next generation Node B (gNB or abbreviated as gNodeB), providing the radio cell. The physical link from the user device to the access node can be referred to as an uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the physical link from the access node to the user device can be referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link. A user device can also communicate directly with another user device via sidelink (SL) communication. It should be understood that the access node or this functionality can be implemented using any node, host, server, access point, or other entity suitable for such use.

[0024] A communication system may include two or more access nodes, in which case the access nodes may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes. An access node may be a computing device configured to control radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. An access node may be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, or any other type of interfacing device, including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. An access node may include or be coupled to a transceiver. Connection may be provided from the access node's transceiver to an antenna unit that establishes a bidirectional wireless link to a user device. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. An access node may further be connected to a core network 110 (CN or Next Generation Core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side may be a Serving Gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) for providing connectivity of user devices to external packet data networks, a User Plane Function (UPF), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), or a Location Management Function (LMF), etc.

[0025] A user device represents one type of device that can allocate and assign air interface resources, and therefore any features described herein with respect to a user device can also be implemented by a corresponding device, such as a relay node.

[0026] An example of such a relay node can be a Layer 3 relay (self-backhauling relay) towards an access node. A self-backhauling relay node can also be called an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. An IAB node can include two logical parts: a mobile terminal (MT) part that manages the backhaul link (i.e., the link between the IAB node and the donor node, also known as the parent node), and a distributed unit (DU) part that manages the access link, i.e., the child link between the IAB node and the user device and / or between the IAB node and other IAB nodes (in a multi-hop scenario).

[0027] Another example of such a relay node may be a Layer 1 relay, called a repeater, which may amplify signals received from an access node and forward them to a user device and / or may amplify signals received from a user device and forward them to an access node.

[0028] A user device may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, or user equipment (UE), which refers to only a few names or devices. A user device may refer to portable computing devices including wireless mobile communication devices that operate with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including, but not limited to, the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handsets, devices that use wireless modems (such as alarms or measurement devices), laptops and / or touchscreen computers, tablets, game consoles, notebooks, multimedia devices, reduced capability (RedCap) devices, wireless sensor devices, or any devices integrated into vehicles.

[0029] It should be understood that a user device can also be an almost exclusively uplink-only device, an example of which could be a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips onto a network. A user device can also be a device capable of operating in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, a scenario in which objects can be provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. A user device can also utilize the cloud. In some applications, a user device can include a small portable or wearable device (watch, earphones, or glasses) with a radio portion, and computations can be performed in the cloud or another user device. A user device (or in some exemplary embodiments, a Layer 3 relay node) can be configured to perform one or more of the user equipment functions.

[0030] The various techniques described herein can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS), systems of cooperating computational elements that control physical entities. CPS can enable the implementation and exploitation of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects in various locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems, in which such physical systems can have inherent mobility, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices carried by humans or animals.

[0031] In addition, although the device has been shown as a single entity, it may be implemented with various units, processors and / or memory units (not all of which are shown in FIG. 1).

[0032] 5G is enabled by the use of many more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) antennas and macro sites that operate in cooperation with smaller base stations and utilize a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases, and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications can support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, various methods of data sharing, and various forms of machine-type applications (e.g., (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC)) including vehicle safety, various sensors, and real-time control. 5G can have multiple air interfaces, i.e., below 6 GHz, cm-wave, and mm-wave, and can be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE. Integration with LTE can be implemented, at least in the early stages, and as a system, macro coverage can be provided by LTE, while 5G air interface access can occur from small cells through aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G can support both inter-RAT operability (e.g., LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (operability between air interfaces below 6 GHz, e.g., cm-wave-mm-wave). One concept that may be used in 5G networks may be network slicing, where multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within substantially the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements regarding latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0033] The current architecture in LTE networks can be fully distributed across radios or fully centralized in the core network. Low latency applications and services in 5G may require bringing content closer to the radios, which brings local breakout and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G can enable analytics and knowledge generation to occur at the source of the data. This approach may require utilizing resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC can provide a distributed computing environment for a host of applications and services. MEC can also have the ability to store and process content closer to the cellular subscriber for faster response times. Edge computing can cover a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, cooperative distributed peer-to-peer ad-hoc networking and processing which can also be categorized as local cloud / fog computing and grid / mesh computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlets, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, healthcare applications), etc.

[0034] The communications system may also communicate with or use services provided by other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet 112. The communications network may also support the use of cloud services, e.g., perform at least a portion of the core network operations as cloud services (this is illustrated in FIG. 1 by "cloud" 114). The communications system may also include a central control entity, etc., and may provide facilities for cooperation between networks of various operators, e.g., in spectrum sharing.

[0035] An edge cloud can participate in a radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN). Using an edge cloud can mean that access node operations are performed, at least in part, on a server, host, or node operatively coupled to a remote radio head (RRH) or radio unit (RU), or an access node including a radio portion. Also, node operations can be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. Performing RAN real-time functions on the RAN side (in the distributed unit, DU 104) and non-real-time functions in a centralized manner (in the central unit, CU 108) can be enabled, for example, by the application of a Cloud RAN architecture.

[0036] It should also be understood that the division of labor between core network operations and access node operations may be different from LTE or may not exist. Some other technological advances that can be used include big data and all-IP, which can change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio, NR) networks can be designed to support multiple tiers, where MEC servers can be located between the core and access nodes. It should be understood that MEC can be applied to 4G networks as well.

[0037] 5G can also utilize non-terrestrial communications, such as satellite communications, to extend or complement 5G service coverage, for example, by providing backhaul. Possible use cases include providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or passengers on vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications and future rail, maritime, and aviation communications. Satellite communications can utilize geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems as well as low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, particularly megaconstellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). At least one satellite 106 in a megaconstellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities, generating on-ground cells. The on-ground cells can be generated via on-ground relay nodes 104 or by gNBs located on-ground or on the satellite.

[0038] 6G networks are expected to employ flexible decentralized and / or distributed computing systems and architectures and ubiquitous computing with intelligent automated management, artificial intelligence, short packet communication, and blackchain technologies underpinned by local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and mobile edge computing. Key features of 6G include intelligent connection management and control capabilities, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduced energy footprint, reliable infrastructure, scalability, and affordability. In addition, 6G also targets new use cases covering the integration of localization and sensor capabilities into system definitions that unify user experiences across the physical and digital worlds.

[0039] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated system is only some examples of a wireless access system, and that in practice the system may include multiple access nodes, a user device may have access to multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, at least one of the access nodes may be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB.

[0040] Furthermore, an access node can be divided into a radio unit (RU) including a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx), one or more distributed units (DUs) that can be used for so-called Layer 1 (L1) processing and real-time Layer 2 (L2) processing, and a central unit (CU) (also known as a centralized unit) that can be used for non-real-time L2 and Layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU can be connected to one or more DUs, for example, by using an F1 interface. Such a division can allow for centralization of the CU to the cell site and the DU, but the DU can be further distributed and even reside at the cell site. The CU and DU together can be referred to as baseband or baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU can also be included in a wireless access point (RAP).

[0041] A CU may be defined as a logical node that hosts higher layer protocols, such as the Radio Resource Control (PRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and / or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) of an access node. A DU may be defined as a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and / or Physical (PHY) layers of an access node. The operation of the DU may be controlled, at least in part, by the CU. A CU may include a control plane (CU-CP), which may be defined as a logical node that hosts the RRC of the CU toward the access node and the control plane portion of the PDCP protocol of the CU. A CU may further include a user plane (CU-UP), which may be defined as a logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the PDCP protocol and SDAP protocol of the CU toward the access node.

[0042] A cloud computing platform can also be used to execute the CU and / or DU. The CU can execute on the cloud computing platform and can be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there can also be a virtualized DU (vDU) executing on the cloud computing platform. Furthermore, combinations can also exist, where the DU can use so-called bare metal solutions, such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or customer specific standard products (CSSPs) system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. It should also be understood that the division of work between the above-mentioned access node units, or various core network operations and access node operations, can differ.

[0043] In addition, several different types of radio cells as well as several radio cells can be provided in the geographical area of ​​a wireless communication system. The radio cells can be macrocells (or umbrella cells), large cells with diameters up to tens of kilometers, or small cells such as micro, femto, or picocells. The access node of FIG. 1 can provide any of these cell types. A cellular wireless system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several types of radio cells. In a multi-layer network, one access node can provide one or more radio cells of one type, and therefore multiple access nodes are required to provide such a network structure.

[0044] To satisfy the need for improved deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug and play" access nodes can be introduced. Networks that can use "plug and play" access nodes can include a Home Node B Gateway, or HNB-GW (not shown in Figure 1), in addition to Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs. The HNB-GW, which can be installed within an operator's network, can aggregate traffic from multiple Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs back to the core network.

[0045] Positioning techniques can be used to estimate the physical location of a user device. A positioned user device is denoted herein as a target UE. For example, the following positioning techniques can be used in NR: Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDoA), Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDoA), Downlink Angle of Arrival (DL-AoD), Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), and / or Multi-Cell Round Trip Time (Multi-RTT).

[0046] In wireless positioning, multiple positioning anchors at known locations can transmit and / or receive one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) to and from a target UE. For example, multilateration techniques can be used to localize (i.e., position) the target UE relative to the positioning anchors. A positioning anchor may also be referred to herein as an anchor, anchor node, multilateration anchor, or reference point. A positioning anchor may be, for example, a radio access node (in uplink / downlink positioning) or another UE (in sidelink positioning). While at least three positioning anchors are required to locate a target UE, positioning accuracy can be improved by using a larger number of positioning anchors (e.g., 5 to 10 positioning anchors).

[0047] Sidelink (SL) positioning refers to a positioning method in which a target UE utilizes a sidelink (i.e., a direct device-to-device link) to locate itself, either in an absolute manner (in the case of absolute positioning, the coordinates of the target UE are obtained in the form of global or local Cartesian coordinates) or in a relative manner (in the case of relative positioning, the location of the target UE is estimated with respect to an anchor entity, e.g., another non-static UE).

[0048] Sidelink positioning involves the use of a supporting UE or set of supporting UEs, called "anchor UEs," that assist the target UE in its positioning session. Anchor UE support can be implemented in a variety of ways, including the anchor UE estimating the target UE's location, the target UE obtaining positioning assistance data from the anchor UE, and the target UE measuring reference signals from the anchor UE for positioning purposes (or vice versa).

[0049] Some exemplary embodiments refer to the case where the anchor UE's last identified means of supporting the target UE in sidelink positioning, i.e., the target UE, measures reference signals from the anchor UE for positioning purposes (or vice versa). In an exemplary scenario, a moving target UE needs to be positioned, but there are not enough static gNBs or transmission and reception points (TRPs) to transmit and / or receive positioning reference signals. Therefore, one or more other moving devices (anchor UEs) need to be recruited to act as positioning anchors for the target UE. In such a case, the anchor UE can transmit a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-RPS) on the sidelink toward the target UE and / or receive a SL-RPS from the target UE.

[0050] In view of the above information, when an anchor UE or a set of anchor UEs is employed to assist in the positioning of at least one target UE via sidelink, the problem that arises is how to select an optimal set of anchor UEs. This problem may affect a decentralized setup, especially when network support is not available (e.g., for out-of-coverage UEs in SL autonomous resource selection mode).

[0051] Anchor UE candidates may be required to satisfy a set of criteria before being selected as a positioning anchor, which may include, for example, resource availability, energy supply, interference, and / or relative location.

[0052] The accuracy of the positioning estimate depends on the relative positions of the anchor UEs with respect to each other and with respect to the target UE. This effect is called the Global Direction of Position (GDOP) and is illustrated in Figure 2.

[0053] 2 shows three different implementations of GDOP 210, 220, 230. Assuming two anchor nodes 201, 202 are used to locate a target UE and utilize ranging techniques, the accuracy of the estimated location of the target UE decreases as the geometries of the anchor nodes and target UE move away from forming a triangle (illustrated in block 220 with low GDOP) and conversely become collinear with high GDOP (illustrated in block 230).

[0054] In block 210, the distances to two landmarks are measured, and these points are measured as the intersection of two circles with the measured radii. In block 220, the measurements have some error bounds, and their true locations can lie anywhere within the area where the various circles intersect. In block 230, the measurement error is likely the same as in block 220, but the error in these locations (i.e., the area where the circles intersect) is significantly larger due to the alignment of the landmarks.

[0055] Therefore, if there are not enough gNBs / TRPs for positioning the target UE, the target UE may be required to consider the (approximate) locations of candidate anchor nodes relative to its own location before selecting an anchor node in the positioning process. If the target UE is not aware of its location before the positioning session begins, the target UE cannot simply request absolute location information of candidate anchor nodes because this is not in any (obvious) use by the target UE. Instead, the target UE can consider relative location information of candidate anchor nodes relative to the target UE and static gNBs / TRPs. However, in this specification, the term "candidate anchor node" refers to a potential anchor node that has not yet acted as an anchor node. The candidate anchor node in the embodiments can be a UE or a gNB, and the following describes an embodiment when the candidate anchor node is a UE. However, the embodiments can also be applied when the candidate anchor node is a gNB.

[0056] 3 illustrates an exemplary scenario of target UE 300 selecting a suitable anchor node. In this exemplary scenario, target UE 300 is using a first gNB 310 and a second gNB 320 as positioning anchors for its positioning session (i.e., the target UE measures PRS from the first gNB and the second gNB). However, target UE 300 requires an additional positioning anchor node to complete positioning (when two gNBs are not sufficient), and therefore needs to activate the additional anchor node for this purpose. Target UE 300 considers relative location information of candidate anchors A, B, C, and D (301, 302, 303, 304) to evaluate the suitability of the candidate anchor to act as an anchor node under the role of the additional positioning anchor.

[0057] In this example, anchor B 302 is not suitable because its relative location results in a high GDOP. This is because anchor B is located between the target UE and at least one TRP (gNB1 in this example). Therefore, if selected, anchor B would result in low positioning accuracy. On the other hand, anchor C 303, anchor D 304, and anchor A 301 have suitable relative locations that result in high positioning accuracy. However, the target UE does not have prior knowledge of any of the relative locations of the candidate anchor nodes (e.g., the target UE cannot tell whether anchor B is between gNB1 and the target UE). Therefore, "blind" activation of anchor B would result in degraded positioning performance.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the target UE may obtain relative location information of candidate anchor UEs to evaluate their suitability to be anchor UEs. In this manner, the target UE may select anchor UEs that have a low level of collinearity with the target UE.

[0059] However, without limiting the example embodiments to 5G communication systems, some example embodiments using principles and terminology of 5G technology are described below.

[0060] Some example embodiments are based on the principle that a candidate anchor node can be identified as being in a suitable relative position with respect to the target UE and at least one gNB based on DL measurements of a gNB beam and a relationship with the same measurements made on the target UE. In example embodiments, the target UE broadcasts, via sidelink, DL (gNB-specific and beam-specific) measurements of the target UE that are used by the candidate anchor node to evaluate whether it is in a suitable relative position with respect to the target UE.

[0061] The target UE can collect DL measurements in a similar way as DL-AoD measurements are collected. However, in contrast to DL-AoD positioning, the target UE can broadcast information of the DL-AoD measurements on the sidelink (instead of reporting them to the network) with the aim of identifying suitable anchor UEs for positioning using the sidelink.

[0062] 4 shows an example of the steps for selecting a suitable anchor node according to an exemplary embodiment. In this example, the target UE 400 is using a first gNB 410 and a second gNB 420 as positioning anchors for the positioning session (i.e., the target UE measures PRS from the first gNB and the second gNB). However, the target UE 400 needs additional positioning anchors to complete this positioning (when two gNBs are not sufficient) and therefore needs to activate anchor nodes for this purpose. The target UE 400 transmits beam-specific DL measurements, and the candidate anchor nodes 401, 402, 403, and 404 declare their suitability based on a comparison of the candidate anchor nodes' own measurements with the target UE's measurements.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 4, the target UE 400 may, for example, measure as part of the DL-AoD measurements a first reference signal received power (RSRP) of the second beam 412 of the first gNB 410, a first RSRP level of the second beam 422 of the second gNB 420, a second RSRP level of the first beam 411 of the first gNB 410, and a second RSRP level of the first beam 421 of the second gNB 420.

[0064] The target UE 400 may broadcast such measurements (e.g., unprocessed RSRP measurements or processed AoD information) on the sidelink based on thresholds or ranges associated with the measurements, for example a) as part of a request to the anchor UE, or b) together with one or more thresholds that indicate whether a candidate anchor UE should declare suitability when compared to the candidate anchor UE's own measurements.

[0065] Candidate anchor nodes 401, 402, 403, 404 can process the (gNB-specific and beam-specific) measurement information broadcast by target UE 400 and compare it to candidate anchor node-specific measurements. In this example, for anchor node A401, anchor node C403, and anchor node D404, these DL-AoD beam measurements result in significantly different beam RSRP level relationships than target UE 400. For example, anchor node A401 can measure the second beam 412 of the first gNB 410 and the second beam 422 of the second gNB 420 at significantly lower RSRP levels than target UE 400, and anchor node A401 additionally measures the second RSRP level of the third beam 413 of the first gNB 410 and the first RSRP level of the third beam 423 of the second gNB 420. This is an indication to anchor node A401 that it is not located between target UE 400 and any of the gNBs 410, 420, and therefore anchor node A401 can declare itself as a suitable positioning anchor for target UE 400. The same applies to anchor node C403 and anchor node D404.

[0066] On the other hand, the anchor Node B 402 measures the second beam 412 of the first gNB 410, the second beam 422 of the second gNB 420, the first beam 411 of the first gNB 410, and the first beam 421 of the second gNB 420 with similar RSRP levels (within the configured threshold) to the target UE 400, and therefore infers unsuitability. As a result, the anchor Node B 402 may back away from the positioning anchor of the target UE 400 (e.g., not transmit SL-PRS) and declare itself as an unsuitable positioning anchor due to the unsuitable relative position between the target UE 400 and the first gNB 410.

[0067] The term "beam" herein may refer to a communication resource. Different beams may be considered as different resources. A beam may also be represented as a spatial filter, a spatial direction, or an angle. A technique for forming a beam may be a beamforming technique or another technique. The beamforming technique may be, in particular, a digital beamforming technique, an analog beamforming technique, or a hybrid digital / analog beamforming technique. A communication device (e.g., a UE or a gNB) may communicate with another communication device via one or more beams. A beam may include one or more antenna ports and may be configured for a data channel, a control channel, etc. One or more antenna ports forming a beam may be considered as an antenna port set. A beam may be configured by a set of resources or a set of resources for measurement. One example is a synchronization signal block (SSB) resource configuration and / or a channel state information (CSI) resource configuration, which may include a CSI-resource configuration ID and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) resource set.

[0068] FIG. 5 shows a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment, in which a target UE broadcasts its specific DL measurements (raw gNB-specific and beam-specific measurements) and lets candidate anchor UEs determine whether they are in a suitable position to act as positioning anchors for the target UE.

[0069] It should be noted that although two candidate anchor UEs are shown in Figure 5, the number of candidate anchor UEs can be other than two. In other words, there can be one or more candidate anchor UEs. In addition, the signaling procedure shown in Figure 5 can be extended and applied according to the actual number of candidate anchor UEs.

[0070] 5, in block 501, the target UE performs beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more first beams of the network element to obtain a first set of information associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. In other words, the first set of information may include first beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. The network element may be, for example, a base station, such as a gNB or TRP, that acts as a positioning anchor for the target UE. The one or more first beams refer to one or more beams received by the target UE.

[0071] In block 502, the target UE transmits or broadcasts a first set of information including first beam-specific DL measurement information to the first candidate anchor UE and the second candidate anchor UE via the sidelink, and the first candidate anchor UE and the second candidate anchor UE receive the first set of information via the sidelink from the target UE.

[0072] For example, the target UE may send a first set of information indicating its request for a positioning anchor in an anchor UE request message. Such a combined message may be resource-efficient for efficiently indicating the anchor UE request to candidate anchor UEs, while also (indirectly) indicating where the anchor UE should be located.

[0073] The target UE can also indicate one or more thresholds to be used in the comparison between the target UE measurements and the candidate anchor UE measurements. That is, the target UE can indicate, in the SL broadcast signal, for example, along with the first beam-specific DL measurements, an acceptable range within which the candidate anchor UE must consider flagging itself as being in a suitable or unsuitable position based on a comparison between the candidate anchor UE's own measurements and a ranging estimate (e.g., based on SL RSRP measurements) between the target UE and the candidate anchor UE. The comparison between the beam-specific DL measurements (or AoD comparison) may result in a certain difference in the angular domain. For example, if the difference is about 10 degrees, this 10-degree difference may or may not be sufficient depending on a) the distance between the devices (the candidate anchor UE and the target UE) and the performance requirements. This corresponds to a range of acceptable angle values ​​(e.g., a difference of -15 degrees to +15 degrees). The one or more thresholds can be configured by the target UE or by the network.

[0074] Alternatively or additionally, the target UE may transmit information of one or more location zones to the candidate anchor UE together with (or separately from) the first set of information to help determine whether the candidate anchor UE is in a suitable location relative to the target UE. For example, the target UE may define one or more exclusion and / or inclusion zones, which are absolute location zones based on the absolute location of the target UE and exclusion (or inclusion) areas that are unfavorable (or favorable) for other UEs selected as anchor UEs for the target UE. In this case, the network may also (pre)configure the exclusion and / or inclusion zones for the target UE and / or candidate anchor UEs. For example, the network may define an exclusion zone relative to the latest location of the target UE.

[0075] If a given candidate anchor UE is inside the exclusion zone, this means that the candidate anchor UE is not in a suitable position relative to the target UE, whereas if the candidate anchor UE is inside the inclusion zone, this means that the candidate anchor UE is in a suitable position relative to the target UE.

[0076] For example, there may be several location zones around the target UE, and a candidate anchor UE that happens to be in one of these zones corresponds to relative AoD information that results in an unsuitable anchor UE. Referring to FIG. 4 , for example, the area around target UE 400 where beams 412, 422 (i.e., the second beam from gNB1 and the second beam from gNB2) are strongest would be an exclusion zone. The exclusion zone may be defined as the AoD range measured from the gNBs. As a non-limiting example, if a candidate anchor UE measures an AoD from gNB1 between 15 and 25 degrees and an AoD from gNB2 between 35 and 45 degrees, the candidate anchor UE may be in the exclusion zone (i.e., an unsuitable location). In a similar manner, inclusion zones may be defined in areas where beams 412, 422 are weak, for example. These zones may be dynamically adjusted as the target UE moves.

[0077] In block 503, the first candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP, on one or more second beams of the network element to obtain a second set of information associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. In other words, the second set of information may include second beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. The one or more second beams refer to one or more beams received by the first candidate anchor UE. The one or more second beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams and the one or more second beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0078] In block 504, the first candidate anchor UE compares the first set of information perceived at the target UE with the second set of information perceived at the first candidate anchor UE.

[0079] For example, a first candidate anchor UE can infer whether it is located halfway between the network element and the target UE (without extracting AoD information from measurements), so that the first candidate anchor UE can estimate the level of GDOP to infer whether it is in a good position relative to the target UE.

[0080] Alternatively, the first candidate anchor UE can extract or derive the first AoD information from first beam-specific downlink measurement information (received from the target UE) associated with one or more first beams of the network element. The first candidate anchor UE can also extract or derive the second AoD information based on its own beam-specific DL measurements, i.e., from second beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more second beams of the network element (i.e., for the same network element as the first AoD information). The AoD information can be extracted by converting different RSRP levels per beam into the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element. The first candidate anchor UE can compare the AoD information of the target UE with its own AoD information of the network element. This alternative can be applied, for example, when the first candidate anchor UE is in a UE-based positioning mode, allowing the first candidate anchor UE to estimate its own AoD with respect to the network element. In such a case, the first candidate anchor UE may receive, from a network element, location calculation assistance information that enables the first candidate anchor UE to interpret the beam-specific DL measurements into DL-AoD information.

[0081] In block 505, based on a comparison of the first beam-specific downlink measurement information with the second beam-specific downlink measurement information or a comparison of the first AoD information with the second AoD information, it is determined whether the first candidate anchor UE is in a suitable position relative to the target UE to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0082] The determination may also be based at least in part on one or more thresholds, which may be received from the target UE or from a network element. Alternatively or additionally, the determination may be based at least in part on one or more location zones, which may be defined by the target UE or by the network.

[0083] In block 506, the first candidate anchor UE may send an indication to the target UE indicating whether the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE and / or is suitably located to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE. For example, if the first candidate anchor UE receives an anchor UE request message from the target UE (e.g., in block 502), then the first candidate anchor UE may send a response message in response to the anchor UE request message, where the response message indicates whether the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE and / or is suitably located.

[0084] The response message may further include a second set of information (e.g., second beam-specific downlink measurement information or second AoD information based on its own measurements). In this way, a responding candidate anchor UE may include its beam-specific DL measurement or AoD information as additional information in the response message, thereby limiting the responses of other candidate anchor UEs in the same area. This reduces the possibility of multiple candidate anchor UEs being in close proximity to each other when responding to the request. This may be advantageous, for example, when not all candidate anchor UEs respond at the same time.

[0085] Block 506 may be performed by all of the candidate anchor UEs that received the anchor UE request message or the first set of information from the target UE.

[0086] In block 507, the target UE may select a first candidate anchor UE as a positioning anchor from among the candidate anchor UEs (if the first candidate anchor UE indicates that it is in a suitable location). The target UE may then send an indication to the first candidate anchor UE that it will activate as a positioning anchor for the target UE. If there are multiple suitable candidate anchor UEs, the target UE may select one or more of them based on its positioning requirements. If the positioning requirements are high, the target UE may activate all of the available candidate anchor UEs. Otherwise, the target UE may narrow down the available candidate anchor UEs.

[0087] In response to being selected / activated as a positioning anchor for the target UE in block 508, the first candidate anchor UE may begin broadcasting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals to support positioning of the target UE. Alternatively, the first candidate anchor UE may autonomously begin broadcasting SL-PRS in response to determining that it is in a suitable position (i.e., without being separately selected by the target UE).

[0088] When the first candidate anchor UE transmits an SL-PRS for positioning a target UE, the first candidate anchor UE may also configure the directionality of the SL-PRS based on the first beam-specific DL measurement information (or based on the first AoD information) received from the target UE. This means that the first candidate anchor UE does not transmit the SL PRS in all directions (omnidirectionally), but transmits it in a direction defined based on the processing result of the information transmitted by the target UE. In other words, the first candidate anchor UE may transmit one or more sidelink positioning reference signals in one or more directions, and the one or more directions may be based on the first set of information received from the target UE. The term "direction" in this specification may refer to a spatial direction or an angle.

[0089] In block 509, the second candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more third beams of the network element to obtain a third set of information associated with the one or more third beams of the network element. In other words, the third set of information may include third beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more third beams of the network element. The one or more third beams refer to one or more beams received by the second candidate anchor UE. The one or more third beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams and the one or more third beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0090] In block 510, the second candidate anchor UE compares the first set of information perceived at the target UE and the third set of information perceived at the second candidate anchor UE in a manner similar to that described above in block 504.

[0091] In block 511, based on a comparison of unprocessed beam-specific DL measurements or processed AoD information of the target UE and second candidate anchor UE, it is determined whether the second candidate anchor UE is in a suitable position relative to the target UE and network elements to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0092] The determination may also be based at least in part on one or more thresholds, which may be received from the target UE or from the network. Alternatively or additionally, the determination may be based at least in part on one or more location zones, which may be defined by the target UE or by the network.

[0093] If the second candidate anchor UE determines that it is an unsuitable anchor UE or is in an unsuitable location, it refrains from transmitting the SL-PRS and declares itself an unsuitable anchor UE. In this case, the second candidate anchor UE may explicitly indicate its unsuitability by, for example, a response message sent in response to an anchor UE request message that may be received from the target UE. Alternatively, the second candidate anchor UE may explicitly indicate its unsuitability by, for example, not responding to an anchor UE request message that may be received from the target UE.

[0094] 6 shows a signaling diagram according to another exemplary embodiment, in which a target UE processes beam-specific RSRP measurements to extract AoD information for one or more gNBs. The target UE then broadcasts its processed AoD information over the sidelink. This exemplary embodiment also applies, for example, when the target UE is in UE-based positioning mode.

[0095] It should be noted that although two candidate anchor UEs are shown in Figure 6, the number of candidate anchor UEs can be different from two. In other words, there can be one or more candidate anchor UEs. In addition, the signaling procedure shown in Figure 6 can be extended and applied according to the actual number of candidate anchor UEs.

[0096] 6, in block 601, a target UE performs beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more first beams of a network element to obtain first beam-specific downlink measurements associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. The network element may be, for example, a base station, such as a gNB or TRP, acting as a positioning anchor for the target UE. The one or more first beams refer to one or more beams received by the target UE. The one or more first beams and the one or more second beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0097] In block 602, the target UE extracts or derives first AoD information from first beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more first beams of the network element. The first AoD information can be extracted by varying different RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0098] In block 603, the target UE transmits or broadcasts a first set of information, including the first AoD information, to the first candidate anchor UE and to the second candidate anchor UE via the sidelink. The first candidate anchor UE and the second candidate anchor UE receive the first set of information from the target UE via the sidelink.

[0099] For example, the target UE may send a first set of information indicating its request for a positioning anchor in an anchor UE request message. Such a combined message may (indirectly) indicate where the anchor UE should be located, while at the same time increasing resource efficiency for efficiently indicating the anchor UE request to candidate anchor UEs.

[0100] The target UE may also indicate one or more thresholds for the comparison between the first AoD information (as perceived at the target UE) and the AoD information perceived at a given candidate anchor UE, i.e., the target UE may indicate, in the SL broadcast signal, for example together with the first AoD information, an acceptable range within which the candidate anchor UE should consider flagging itself as being in a suitable or unsuitable position based on a comparison with the candidate anchor UE's own measurements and ranging estimates between the target UE and the candidate anchor UE.

[0101] Alternatively or additionally, the target UE may transmit information of one or more location zones to the candidate anchor UEs together with (or separately from) the first set of information to help the candidate anchor UEs determine whether they are in a suitable location relative to the target UE. For example, the target UE may define one or more exclusion and / or inclusion zones that are absolute location zones based on the absolute location of the target UE and exclusion (or inclusion) areas that are unfavorable (or favorable) for other UEs selected as anchor UEs for the target UE. In this case, the network may (pre-)configure the exclusion and / or inclusion zones for the target UE and / or for the candidate anchor UEs. For example, the network may define an exclusion zone relative to the latest location of the target UE.

[0102] In block 604, the first candidate anchor UE performs its beam-specific downlink measurements, such as RSRP measurements, on one or more second beams of the network element to obtain second beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. The one or more second beams refer to one or more beams received by the first candidate anchor UE. The one or more second beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0103] In block 605, the first candidate anchor UE extracts or retrieves second AoD information from second beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more second beams of the network element. The second AoD information can be extracted by varying different RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0104] In block 606, the first candidate anchor UE compares the first AoD information perceived at the target UE with the second AoD information perceived at the first candidate anchor UE.

[0105] In block 607, based on a comparison of the first AoD information and the second AoD information, it is determined whether the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE or is in a suitable location relative to the target UE and network elements to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0106] The decision may also be based at least in part on one or more thresholds that may be received from the target UE or from the network. For example, the first candidate anchor UE may check whether a difference between the first AoD information and the second AoD information is outside a range defined by one or more thresholds. The first AoD information refers to the AoD between the network element and the target UE, and the second AoD information refers to the AoD between the network element and the first candidate anchor UE.

[0107] As a non-limiting example, the first AoD information may indicate an AoD of 21-23 degrees between the network element and the target UE, and one or more thresholds may indicate that the AoD between the network element and the first candidate anchor UE (the second AoD information) should be at least 10 degrees greater or less than the AoD between the network element and the target UE. In other words, in this case, if the AoD between the network element and the first candidate anchor UE is greater than 31-33 degrees or less than 11-13 degrees, then the first candidate anchor UE may be determined to be in a suitable position relative to the target UE.

[0108] Alternatively or additionally, the determination may be based at least in part on one or more location zones, which may be defined by the target UE or by the network.

[0109] In block 608, the first candidate anchor UE may transmit an indication to the target UE indicating whether the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE or is in a suitable location based on the determination. For example, if the first candidate anchor UE receives an anchor UE request message from the target UE, then the first candidate anchor UE may transmit a response message in response to the anchor UE request message, where the response message indicates whether the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE and / or is in a suitable location.

[0110] The response message may further include second beam-specific downlink measurement information or second AoD information.

[0111] In block 609, the target UE may select the first candidate anchor UE as a positioning anchor (if the first candidate anchor UE indicates that it is in a suitable location), and the target UE may send an indication to the first candidate anchor UE to activate it as a positioning anchor for the target UE. If there are multiple suitable candidate anchor UEs, the target UE may select one or more of the multiple suitable candidate anchor UEs based on the positioning requirements of the target UE. If the positioning requirements are high, the target UE may activate all available candidate anchor UEs. Otherwise, the target UE may narrow down the available candidate anchor UEs.

[0112] In block 610, in response to being selected / activated as a positioning anchor for the target UE, the first candidate anchor UE may begin broadcasting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals to assist in locating the target UE. Alternatively, the first candidate anchor UE may autonomously begin broadcasting the SL-PRS in response to determining that it is in a suitable position (i.e., without being separately selected by the target UE).

[0113] When the first candidate anchor UE transmits an SL-PRS for positioning a target UE, the first candidate anchor UE may configure the directionality of the SL-PRS based on the first beam-specific DL measurement information received from the target UE. This means that the first candidate anchor UE does not transmit the SL PRS in all directions (omnidirectionally), but transmits in a direction defined based on the processing result of the information transmitted by the target UE. In other words, the first candidate anchor UE may transmit one or more sidelink positioning reference signals in one or more directions, and the one or more directions may be based on the first set of information received from the target UE. The term "direction" herein may refer to a spatial direction or an angle.

[0114] In block 611, the second candidate anchor UE performs its beam-specific downlink measurements, such as RSRP measurements, on one or more tertiary beams of the network element to obtain third beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with the one or more tertiary beams of the network element. The one or more tertiary beams refer to one or more beams received by the second candidate anchor UE. The one or more tertiary beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more tertiary beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0115] In block 612, the second candidate anchor UE extracts or retrieves third AoD information from third beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more third beams of the network element. The third AoD information can be extracted by varying various RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0116] In block 613, the second candidate anchor UE compares the first AoD information perceived at the target UE with the third AoD information perceived at the second candidate anchor UE.

[0117] In block 614, based on a comparison of the first AoD information and the third AoD information, it is determined whether the second candidate anchor UE is in a suitable location relative to the target UE and the network elements to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0118] The decision may also be based at least in part on one or more thresholds, which may be received from the target UE or from the network. For example, the second candidate anchor UE may check whether a difference between the first AoD information and the third AoD information is outside a range defined by one or more thresholds. The first AoD information indicates the AoD between the network element and the target UE, and the third AoD information indicates the AoD between the network element and the second candidate anchor UE. Alternatively or additionally, the decision may be based at least in part on one or more location zones, which may be defined by the target UE.

[0119] If the second candidate anchor UE determines that it is an unsuitable anchor UE or is in an unsuitable location, it refrains from transmitting the SL-PRS and declares itself as an unsuitable anchor UE. In this case, the second candidate anchor UE may explicitly indicate its unsuitability, for example, by a response message sent in response to an anchor UE request message that may be received from the target UE. Alternatively, the second candidate anchor UE may explicitly indicate that it is not a suitable anchor UE and / or is not in a suitable location, for example, by not responding to an anchor UE request message that may be received from the target UE.

[0120] 7 shows a signaling diagram according to another example embodiment, where anchor UE selection is performed at the target UE (instead of the candidate anchor UE itself). In this example embodiment, the responding candidate anchor UE may include one or more measurements of the indicated gNB / TRP beams, allowing the target UE to consider its measurements in selecting an anchor UE with a low GDOP.

[0121] It should be noted that although two candidate anchor UEs are shown in Figure 7, the number of candidate anchor UEs can be different from two. In other words, there can be one or more candidate anchor UEs. In addition, the signaling procedure shown in Figure 7 can be extended and applied according to the actual number of candidate anchor UEs.

[0122] 7, in block 701, the target UE performs beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more first beams of the network element to obtain a first set of information associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. In other words, the first set of information may include first beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. The network element may be, for example, a base station, such as a gNB or TRP, that acts as a positioning anchor for the target UE. The one or more first beams refer to one or more beams received by the target UE.

[0123] In block 702, the target UE transmits or broadcasts a request for beam-specific DL measurement information associated with a network element to a first candidate anchor UE and a second candidate anchor UE via a sidelink, and the first candidate anchor UE and the second candidate anchor UE receive the request from the target UE via the sidelink.

[0124] In block 703, the first candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more second beams of the network element to obtain a second set of information associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. In other words, the second set of information may include second beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. The one or more second beams refer to one or more beams received by the first candidate anchor UE. The one or more second beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams and the one or more second beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0125] At block 704, the first candidate anchor UE transmits a second set of information including second beam-specific downlink measurement information to the target UE in response to the request received from the target UE.

[0126] In block 705, the second candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more third beams of the network element to obtain a third set of information associated with the one or more third beams of the network element. In other words, the third set of information may include third beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more third beams of the network element. The one or more third beams refer to one or more beams received by the second candidate anchor UE. The one or more third beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more third beams may be different from the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams and the one or more third beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0127] At block 706, the second candidate anchor UE transmits a third set of information including third beam-specific downlink measurement information to the target UE in response to the request received from the target UE.

[0128] In block 707, the target UE compares the first set of information perceived at the target UE with the second set of information perceived at the first candidate anchor UE. The target UE further compares the first set of information perceived at the target UE with the third set of information perceived at the second candidate anchor UE.

[0129] For example, the target UE can infer / determine whether a given candidate anchor UE is located halfway between the network element and the target UE (without extracting AoD information from measurements), which allows the target UE to estimate the level of GDOP and further infer / determine whether the candidate anchor UE is in a suitable relative position to the target UE.

[0130] Alternatively, the target UE can extract or derive the first AoD information from first beam-specific downlink measurement information (measured by the target UE) associated with one or more first beams of the network element. The target UE can also extract or derive the second AoD information from second beam-specific DL measurement information provided by the first candidate anchor UE (i.e., for the same network element as the first AoD information). The target UE can also extract or derive the third AoD information based on third beam-specific DL measurement information provided by the second candidate anchor UE (i.e., for the same network element as the first AoD information). The AoD information can be extracted by varying the RSRP level per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element. The target UE can compare the first AoD information with the second AoD information and the first AoD information with the third AoD information.

[0131] In block 708, based on a comparison of beam-specific downlink measurement information of the target UE and the given candidate anchor UE, or a comparison of the AoD information of the target UE and the AoD information of the given candidate anchor UE, the target UE determines whether the candidate anchor UE is in a suitable position relative to the target UE and network elements to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0132] The determination may also be based at least in part on one or more predefined thresholds of difference between the target UE measurements and the candidate anchor UE measurements. Alternatively or additionally, the determination may be based at least in part on one or more predefined location zones.

[0133] In block 709, the target UE may send an indication to the first candidate anchor UE and / or the second candidate anchor UE indicating whether this particular candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE or is in a suitable location based on the determination.

[0134] In block 710, if the target UE indicates that the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE or is in a suitable location relative to the target UE, then the first candidate anchor UE may become the anchor UE for the target UE, and the first candidate anchor UE may start broadcasting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals.

[0135] FIG. 8 shows a signaling diagram according to another example embodiment, where anchor UE selection is made at the target UE based on AoD information received from candidate anchor UEs.

[0136] It should be noted that although two candidate anchor UEs are shown in Figure 8, the number of candidate anchor UEs can be different from two. In other words, there can be one or more candidate anchor UEs. In addition, the signaling procedure shown in Figure 8 can be extended and applied according to the actual number of candidate anchor UEs.

[0137] 8, in block 801, a target UE performs beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more first beams of a network element to obtain first beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. The network element may be, for example, a base station, such as a gNB or a TRP, that acts as a positioning anchor for the target UE. The one or more first beams refer to one or more beams received by the target UE.

[0138] In block 802, the target UE extracts or derives first AoD information from first beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more first beams of the network element. The first AoD information can be extracted by varying different RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0139] In block 803, the target UE transmits or broadcasts a request for AoD information associated with a network element to the first candidate anchor UE and to the second candidate anchor UE over the sidelink, and the first candidate anchor UE and the second candidate anchor UE receive the request from the target UE over the sidelink.

[0140] In block 804, the first candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more second beams of the network element to obtain second beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. The one or more second beams refer to one or more beams received by the first candidate anchor UE. The one or more second beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams and the one or more second beams may be transmitted from the same network element.

[0141] In block 805, the first candidate anchor UE extracts or derives second AoD information from second beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more second beams of the network element. The second AoD information can be extracted by varying different RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0142] At block 806, the first candidate anchor UE transmits a second set of information including the second AoD information to the target UE in response to the request received from the target UE.

[0143] In block 807, the second candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more third beams of the network element to obtain third beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more third beams of the network element. The one or more third beams refer to one or more beams received by the second candidate anchor UE. The one or more third beams may be part of one or more first beams, or the one or more third beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0144] In block 808, the first candidate anchor UE extracts or derives third AoD information from third beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more third beams of the network element. The third AoD information can be extracted by varying different RSRP levels per beam in the direction of the transmitted signal from the network element.

[0145] At block 809, the second candidate anchor UE transmits a third set of information including the third AoD information to the target UE in response to the request received from the target UE.

[0146] In block 810, the target UE compares a first set of information perceived at the target UE (first AoD information) with a second set of information perceived at the first candidate anchor UE (second AoD information). The target UE further compares the first set of information perceived at the target UE (first AoD information) with a third set of information perceived at the second candidate anchor UE (third AoD information).

[0147] In block 811, based on the comparison, the target UE determines whether each of the candidate anchor UEs is a suitable anchor UE to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE or is in a suitable location relative to the target UE and network elements.

[0148] The determination may also be based at least in part on one or more predefined thresholds of the comparison between the target UE measurements and the candidate anchor UE measurements. Alternatively or additionally, the determination may be based at least in part on one or more predefined location zones.

[0149] In block 812, the target UE may send an indication to the first candidate anchor UE and / or the second candidate anchor UE indicating whether this particular candidate anchor UE is in a suitable location based on the determination.

[0150] In block 813, if the target UE indicates that the first candidate anchor UE is a suitable anchor UE or is in a suitable location relative to the target UE, then the first candidate anchor UE may become the anchor UE for the target UE, and the first candidate anchor UE may start broadcasting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals.

[0151] FIG. 9 illustrates a signaling diagram according to another exemplary embodiment, in which at least one “learning” UE can help the target UE and the anchor UE generate lookup tables used by the anchor UE to infer whether the target UE and the candidate anchor UEs are suitable anchor UEs or are in suitable locations. The learning UE can be a “pseudo target UE,” i.e., a UE that is not intended to localize or is not localized but acts as a target UE to collect beam measurement data (e.g., in a drive test). In other words, the learning UE can be a user device that is not the target UE for this positioning session but performs measurements to help the target UE find a suitable anchor UE. The learning UE can, for example, be a UE moving parallel to the target UE (e.g., on the same highway or in the same vehicle). Thus, this “learning UE” can provide / suggest the target UE with an appropriate set of anchor UE information. In this way, the target UE can skip or reduce its own beam measurements if the target UE has previously been performed by the “learning UE.”

[0152] It should be noted that although one candidate anchor UE is shown in Figure 9, the number of candidate anchor UEs can be different from 1. In other words, there can be one or more candidate anchor UEs. In addition, the signaling procedure shown in Figure 9 can be extended and applied according to the actual number of candidate anchor UEs.

[0153] 9, in block 901, the target UE performs (at least in part) beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more first beams of the network element to obtain a first set of information associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. In other words, the first set of information may include first beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more first beams of the network element. The network element may be, for example, a base station, such as a gNB or TRP, acting as a positioning anchor for the target UE. The one or more first beams refer to one or more beams received by the target UE.

[0154] In block 902, the learning UE performs (at least in part) beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more fourth beams of the network element to obtain a fourth set of information associated with the one or more fourth beams of the network element. In other words, the fourth set of information may include fourth beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more fourth beams of the network element. The one or more fourth beams refer to one or more beams received by the learning UE. The one or more fourth beams may be the same as the one or more first beams, or the one or more fourth beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0155] In block 903, the training UE and the target UE perform inter-UE measurement coordination with each other.

[0156] In block 904, the learning UE transmits or broadcasts a fourth set of information including the fourth beam-specific DL measurement information to the first candidate anchor UE via the sidelink. The first candidate anchor UE receives the fourth set of information from the learning UE via the sidelink.

[0157] In block 905, the target UE transmits or broadcasts a first set of information including first beam-specific DL measurement information to a first candidate anchor UE via the sidelink, and the first candidate anchor UE receives the first set of information from the target UE via the sidelink.

[0158] In block 906, the first candidate anchor UE performs its own beam-specific downlink measurements, e.g., RSRP measurements, on one or more second beams of the network element to obtain a second set of information associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. In other words, the second set of information may include second beam-specific downlink measurement information, e.g., RSRP measurement information, associated with the one or more second beams of the network element. The one or more second beams refer to one or more beams received by the first candidate anchor UE. The one or more second beams may be the same as the one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0159] In block 907, the first candidate anchor UE generates a lookup table based at least in part on the first set of information, the second set of information, and the fourth set of information. As used herein, a lookup table can refer to a list summarizing decision-making inputs. The lookup table can define one or more location zones, e.g., exclusion and / or inclusion zones, which are absolute location zones based on the absolute location of the target UE and exclusion (or inclusion) areas that are unfavorable (or favorable) for other UEs selected as anchor UEs for the target UE. The lookup table can remain unchanged as long as the target UE is not relocated sufficiently. Each time there is a relocation of the target UE, the lookup table can be updated accordingly. This can be a UE-initiated action or can be configured by the network to follow the movement of the target UE.

[0160] At block 908, by using a lookup table, it is determined whether the first candidate anchor UE is in a suitable location relative to the target UE and the network elements to act as a positioning anchor for the target UE.

[0161] In block 909, the first candidate anchor UE may transmit or broadcast the lookup table to one or more other candidate anchor UEs via the sidelink. In this manner, the first candidate anchor UE may share the lookup table with other UEs via the sidelink broadcast channel, thereby allowing the other UEs to utilize this information when generating their own lookup tables for their own exclusion (or inclusion) zones, as defined above.

[0162] In block 910, the first candidate anchor UE may transmit an indication to the learning UE and / or the target UE indicating whether the first candidate anchor UE is in a suitable location based on the determination. This indication may be transmitted together with the lookup table or separately from the lookup table.

[0163] 10 illustrates a flow diagram according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus, such as one including a candidate anchor UE or included in a candidate anchor UE, which may be referred to herein as a first candidate anchor UE, a second candidate anchor UE, a candidate anchor user device, or a candidate positioning anchor.

[0164] 10, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element is received at block 1001. The one or more first beams may refer to one or more beams received by a target user device from the network element.

[0165] The first set of information may include, for example, first beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or first radiation angle information associated with one or more first beams of the network element perceived by the target user device. The first beam-specific downlink measurement information may include any type of measurement, for example, at least one of a power-based measurement, a time-based measurement, an angle-based measurement, and / or a phase-based measurement.

[0166] At block 1002, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element is obtained by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams. The one or more second beams may refer to one or more beams received by the device from the network element. In other words, the one or more first beams and the one or more second beams emanate from the same network element. The one or more second beams may be the same as the one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0167] The second set of information may include, for example, second beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or second radiation angle information associated with one or more second beams of the network element as perceived by the device. The second beam-specific downlink measurement information may include any type of measurement, for example, at least one of a power-based measurement, a time-based measurement, an angle-based measurement, and / or a phase-based measurement.

[0168] At block 1003, the device determines, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for the target user device.

[0169] 11 illustrates a flow chart according to another exemplary embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus, such as a device, including or included in a candidate anchor UE, which may also be referred to herein as a first candidate anchor UE, a second candidate anchor UE, a candidate anchor user device, or a candidate positioning anchor.

[0170] Referring to FIG. 11, at block 1101, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element is received from a target user device.

[0171] At block 1102, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element is obtained by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams.

[0172] At block 1103, the device determines, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the device is in a suitable location to act as a positioning anchor for the target user device.

[0173] In block 1104, the device identifies one or more non-line-of-sight (NLOS) beams from the one or more secondary beams of the network element. In other words, since NLOS measurements can degrade positioning accuracy, the device can determine a set of beams with a dominant NLOS component (i.e., beams scattered by reflectors or scatterers or obstructions) and report this set of NLOS beams.

[0174] In block 1105, the apparatus reports one or more non-line-of-sight beams to the target user device. The target UE can add NLOS beams to an exclusion list (and / or add line-of-sight beams to an inclusion list) so that measurements from such NLOS beams are not taken into account.

[0175] 12 illustrates a flow chart according to another exemplary embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus, such as one including or included in a candidate anchor UE, which may also be referred to herein as a first candidate anchor UE, a second candidate anchor UE, a candidate anchor user device, or a candidate positioning anchor.

[0176] Referring to FIG. 12, at block 1201, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element is received from a target user device.

[0177] At block 1202, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element is obtained by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams.

[0178] At block 1203, the device determines, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for the target user device.

[0179] At block 1204, the device may transmit an indication that the device is in a suitable location based on the determination.

[0180] In block 1205, the device collaborates with the target user device and / or one or more positioning anchors of the target user device to update the set of positioning anchors for the target user device. In other words, the device (selected as the positioning anchor for the target user device based on the above process) can collaborate with one or more other positioning anchors and / or with the target UE to update one or more other positioning anchors participating in the positioning session of the target user device. In this case, the newly added anchor UE serves as a positioning anchor for the target UE. Thus, with this new addition, any new candidate anchor UEs must also be considered in addition to the positioning anchors of the initial process when determining whether the relative positions of the candidate anchor UEs are appropriate.

[0181] 13 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus, such as that including or included in a target UE, which may also be referred to herein as a target user device.

[0182] 13, in block 1301, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element is obtained by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams. The one or more first beams may refer to one or more beams received by a device from the network element.

[0183] The first set of information may include, for example, first beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or first radiation angle information associated with one or more first beams of the network element as perceived by the device. The first beam-specific downlink measurement information may include any type of measurement, for example, at least one of a power-based measurement, a time-based measurement, an angle-based measurement, and / or a phase-based measurement.

[0184] At block 1302, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element is received from a candidate positioning anchor. The one or more second beams may refer to one or more beams received by the candidate positioning anchor from the network element. In other words, the one or more first beams and the one or more second beams originate from the same network element. The one or more second beams may be the same as the one or more first beams, or the one or more second beams may be different from the one or more first beams.

[0185] The second set of information may include, for example, second beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or second radiation angle information associated with one or more second beams of the network element as perceived at the candidate positioning anchor. The second beam-specific downlink measurement information may include any type of measurement, for example, at least one of a power-based measurement, a time-based measurement, an angle-based measurement, and / or a phase-based measurement.

[0186] At block 1303, the device determines, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable location to act as a positioning anchor for the device.

[0187] As used herein, the terms "at least one of below" and "at least one of " and similar phrases, when a list of two or more elements is followed by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0188] The blocks, associated functions, and information exchanges (messages) described above with reference to Figures 5-13 are not in absolute chronological order; some of them may be performed simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions may also be performed between or within them, other information may be transmitted, and / or other rules may apply. Some of the blocks or portions of blocks or one or more pieces of information may also be omitted or replaced by a corresponding block or portion of a block or one or more pieces of information.

[0189] 14 illustrates an example of an apparatus 1400 including means for performing any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. The apparatus 1400 may be, for example, an apparatus that includes or is included in a user device. A user device may also be referred to herein as a target UE, a target user device, a candidate anchor UE, a first candidate anchor UE, a second candidate anchor UE, a candidate anchor user device, or a candidate positioning anchor.

[0190] The device 1400 includes at least one processor 1410. The at least one processor 1410 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The at least one processor 1410 may include one or more programmable processors. The at least one processor 1410 may include programmable hardware with embedded firmware, and alternatively or additionally may include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0191] At least one processor 1410 is coupled to at least one memory 1420. The at least one processor is configured to read and write data from and to the at least one memory 1420. The at least one memory 1420 may include one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or nonvolatile. It should be noted that in some exemplary embodiments, there may be one or more units of nonvolatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory, or alternatively, one or more units of nonvolatile memory, or alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. The volatile memory may be, for example, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The nonvolatile memory may be, for example, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage, or magnetic storage. Generally, memory may refer to a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The at least one memory 1420 stores computer-readable instructions that are executed by the at least one processor 1410 to perform one or more of the above-described exemplary embodiments. For example, a non-volatile memory stores the computer-readable instructions, and the at least one processor 1410 executes the instructions using a volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions.

[0192] The computer-readable instructions may be pre-stored in at least one memory 1420, or alternatively or additionally, the computer-readable instructions may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be reproduced from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions by the at least one processor 1410 causes the device 1400 to perform one or more of the exemplary embodiments described above. That is, the at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide a means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0193] In the context of this document, "memory" or "computer-readable medium" or "computer-readable mediums" can be any one or more non-transitory media or means capable of containing, storing, transmitting, propagating or transferring instructions used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation of the permanence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0194] The device 1400 may further include or be connected to an input unit 1430. The input unit 1430 may include one or more interfaces for receiving input. The one or more interfaces may include, for example, one or more temperature, motion, and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons, and / or one or more touch detection units. Furthermore, the input unit 1430 may include an interface to which external devices can be connected.

[0195] The device 1400 may also include an output unit 1440. The output unit may include or be connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and / or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 1440 may further include one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be, for example, loudspeakers.

[0196] The device 1400 further includes a connection unit 1450. The connection unit 1450 enables wireless connection with one or more external devices. The connection unit 1450 includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, which may be integrated into the device 1400 or connected to the device 1400. The at least one transmitter includes at least one transmitting antenna, and the at least one receiver includes at least one receiving antenna. The connection unit 1450 may include an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide wireless communication functionality for the device 1400. Alternatively, the wireless connection may be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The connection unit 1450 may include one or more components, such as a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a (de)modulator, and / or an encoder / decoder circuit, controlled by a corresponding control unit.

[0197] It should be noted that the device 1400 may further include various components not shown in Figure 14. The various components may be hardware and / or software components.

[0198] The term "circuit" as used in this application may refer to one or more or all of the following: a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only circuit implementations); b) combinations of hardware circuitry and software (where applicable), such as i) combinations of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone to perform various functions); and c) hardware circuits and / or processors, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate; However, software does not have to be present when it is not required for operation.

[0199] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, the term circuit as used in this application covers merely a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. The term circuit also covers, for example, and where applicable to certain claim elements, a baseband or processor integrated circuit in a mobile device or similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0200] The techniques and methods described herein may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. In a hardware implementation, an apparatus of an exemplary embodiment may be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. In firmware or software, the implementation may be via modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) of at least one chipset that performs the functions described herein. Software code may be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor. In the latter case, the memory unit may be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means, as is well known in the art. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein may be reconfigured and / or completed with additional components to facilitate, for example, the accomplishment of the various aspects described therewith, and are not limited to the configurations depicted in the given drawings, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0201] It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that as technology advances, the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various ways. The embodiments are not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but can be varied within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all terms and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments, not to limit them. [Explanation of symbols]

[0202] 1001 Receive first set of information 1002 Get the second set of information 1003 Determine if the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for the target user device

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, receiving a first set of information associated with one or more first beams from a network element; obtaining a second set of information associated with the one or more second beams by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; determining, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device; The apparatus causes the apparatus to perform at least the following.

2. and further causing the device to transmit an indication indicating whether the device is in the proper location based on the determination.

10. The apparatus of claim 1.

3. the first set of information includes at least one of first beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or first radiation angle information associated with one or more first beams of the network element; the second set of information includes at least one of second beam-specific downlink measurement information and / or second radiation angle information associated with one or more second beams of the network element; 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. extracting the first radiation angle information from the first beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more first beams of the network element; extracting second radiation angle information from second beam-specific downlink measurement information associated with one or more second beams of the network element; Further, the determination is based on a comparison of the first radiation angle information and the second radiation angle information.

4. The apparatus of claim 3.

5. receiving one or more thresholds for comparing the first set of information to the second set of information; the determination is based at least in part on the one or more threshold values.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. receiving information regarding one or more location zones; the determination is based at least in part on the one or more location zones.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. receiving a message including a request for a positioning anchor, the message further including the first set of information. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. transmitting a response message in response to the request, the response message indicating whether the device is in a suitable location; the response message further includes the second set of information.

8. The apparatus of claim 7.

9. and explicitly indicating that the device is not in the proper location. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. receiving, from another user device, a third set of information associated with one or more third beams of the network element, the third set of information including at least one of third beam-specific measurement information and / or third radiation angle information; the determination is based at least in part on the third set of information.

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. generating a lookup table based at least in part on the first set of information, the second set of information, and the third set of information, the lookup table being used to determine whether the device is in the proper location; transmitting the lookup table; Further carry out 11. The apparatus of claim 10.

12. and further causing the device to perform the step of cooperating with the target user device and / or one or more positioning anchors of the target user device to update a set of positioning anchors for the target user device. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

13. identifying one or more non-line-of-sight beams from one or more second beams of the network element; reporting the one or more non-line-of-sight beams; Further carry out An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. transmitting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals in one or more directions, the one or more directions being based on the first set of information. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, obtaining a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams; receiving, from a candidate positioning anchor, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element; determining whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable location to act as a positioning anchor for the device based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information; The apparatus causes the apparatus to perform at least the following.

16. transmitting an indication to the candidate positioning anchor indicating whether the candidate positioning anchor is in the proper location based on the determination.

16. The apparatus of claim 15.

17. sending a request for the second set of information to the candidate positioning anchor; 17. Apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 16.

18. receiving, by the device, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of the network element; obtaining, by the device, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams; determining, by the device, whether the device is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information; A method comprising:

19. obtaining, by an apparatus, a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams; receiving, by the device, from a candidate positioning anchor, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element; determining, by the device, whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for the device based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information; A method comprising:

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions that, when executed by a device, receiving a first set of information associated with one or more first beams from a network element; obtaining a second set of information associated with the one or more second beams by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more second beams of the network element; determining, based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information, whether the apparatus is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for a target user device; a non-transitory computer-readable medium that causes the device to perform at least the steps of:

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions that, when executed by a device, obtaining a first set of information associated with one or more first beams of a network element by performing beam-specific downlink measurements on the one or more first beams; receiving, from a candidate positioning anchor, a second set of information associated with one or more second beams of the network element; determining whether the candidate positioning anchor is in a suitable position to act as a positioning anchor for the device based at least in part on the first set of information and the second set of information; a non-transitory computer-readable medium that causes the device to perform at least the steps of:

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