Scheduling Limit Intervals for Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) Muting

Abstract

In one aspect, a first transmission / reception point (TRP) receives a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, and refrains from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

[0003]

[0003] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), enables higher data rates, more connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, as well as the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS processes and technologies, and dense deployments for 5G, enable highly accurate 5G-based positioning. Summary of the Invention

[0004]

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

[0005]

[0005] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication implemented by user equipment (UE) includes receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission-reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted; and obtaining first measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0006]

[0006] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a first transmission / reception point (TRP) includes receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP; and refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval including a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0007]

[0007] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, wherein the PRS configuration indicates at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicates a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted, and obtain positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0008]

[0008] In one aspect, a first transmission / reception point (TRP) includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, and to refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval including a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0009]

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted, and means for obtaining positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0010]

[0010] In one aspect, a first transmission / reception point (TRP) includes means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, and means for refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval including a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0011]

[0011] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted, and to obtain positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0012]

[0012] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), cause the first TRP to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, and refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval including a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0013]

[0013] Other objects and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014]

[0014] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided only to illustrate the aspects, not to limit the aspects. [Figure 1]

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2C] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0017] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a base station and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support communications as taught herein; [Figure 4]

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR), according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a time difference of arrival (TDOA) based positioning procedure in an exemplary wireless communication system, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary positioning reference signal (PRS) resource repetition and beam sweeping options, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0022] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of PRS transmission by two transmission / reception points (TRPs), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of inter-instance PRS muting, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0024] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of intra-instance PRS muting, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]

[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates example latencies for different locations of non-terrestrial network (NTN) transmission points relative to a UE's location, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an aspect of PRS muting in an NTN positioning scenario, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a first PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14]

[0028] FIG. 10 illustrates a second PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15]

[0029] FIG. 10 illustrates a third PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16]

[0030] FIG. 10 illustrates a specific example of a third PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17]

[0031] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the use of scheduling restriction intervals, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 18]

[0032] FIG. 10 illustrates an example comparison between symmetric and asymmetric scheduling restriction intervals, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 19]

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary method of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary method of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015]

[0034] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0016]

[0035] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0017]

[0036] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, desired design, corresponding technology, etc.

[0018]

[0037] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence(s) of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied entirely in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described actions.

[0019]

[0038] The terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station,” as used herein, are not intended to be specific to or limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer location device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or stationary (e.g., at a given time) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE may be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0020]

[0039] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs with which it communicates with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link over which a UE can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication links through which a base station may transmit signals to a UE are called downlink (DL) channels or forward link channels (e.g., paging channels, control channels, broadcast channels, forward traffic channels, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0021]

[0040] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the base station's cell (or several cell sectors). When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. A TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and therefore, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as referring to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0022]

[0041] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., if it transmits signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., if it receives and measures signals from the UE).

[0023]

[0042] An "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that propagate information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same RF signal transmitted over different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0024]

[0043] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled “BS”) and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0025]

[0044] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5G core, 5GC)) through backhaul links 122, and may interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The location server(s) 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170. The location server 172 may be integrated with the base station 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 through the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location server 172 through another path, such as through an application server (not shown), through another network, such as through a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between the UE 104 and the location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through the core network 170), or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intervening nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagrams for clarity.

[0026]

[0045] In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of the following: forwarding user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, non-access stratum (NAS) message delivery, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and alert message delivery. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0027]

[0046] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 within each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resources referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish between cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0028]

[0047] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover regions), and some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be significantly overlapped by larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which may serve closed groups known as closed subscriber groups (CSGs).

[0029]

[0048] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0030]

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (WLAN) 150 communicating with wireless local area network (WLAN) stations (STAs) 152 over a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0031]

[0050] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may utilize LTE or NR technology and may use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. A small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to and / or increase the capacity of an access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MultiFire.

[0032]

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a mmW base station 180, which may operate at millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or sub-mmW frequencies, in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 10 millimeters. Radio waves within this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW may go down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band ranges from 3 GHz to 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / sub-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. It will further be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0033]

[0052] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and emits a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster and more powerful RF signal (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (also referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are supplied to individual antennas with the appropriate phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas are combined to cancel and suppress radiation in undesired directions while increasing radiation in desired directions.

[0034]

[0053] A transmit beam may be quasi-colocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., a UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antenna is physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters for a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0035]

[0054] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a particular direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of RF signals received from that direction.

[0036]

[0055] The transmit beam and the receive beam may be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal may be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0037]

[0056] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0038]

[0057] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, although a portion of FR1 is above 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as the “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and papers. Similar nomenclature issues may arise with respect to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and papers, even though it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

[0039]

[0058] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified the operating band for these mid-band frequencies as a frequency range designated FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). Frequency bands included within FR3 may inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to the mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges designated FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands is included within the EHF band.

[0040]

[0059] With the above aspects in mind, it should be understood that unless specifically stated otherwise, terms such as "sub-6 GHz," as used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that may be below 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that terms such as "mmWave," as used herein, may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within the ranges of FR2, FR4, FR4-a, or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0041]

[0060] In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell on which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels and may (but is not always) be a carrier among licensed frequencies. The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier among unlicensed frequencies. Since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, the secondary carrier shall contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; e.g., there shall be no UE-specific signaling information and signals in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network may change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This may be done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which several base stations are communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0042]

[0061] For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz carriers aggregated in a multi-carrier system would theoretically provide a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0043]

[0062] Wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164 that may communicate with macrocell base station 102 via communications link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 via mmW communications link 184. For example, macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0044]

[0063] In some cases, the UE 164 and the UE 182 may be capable of sidelink communication. Sidelink-capable UEs (SL-UEs) can communicate with the base station 102 via a communication link 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., the UE 164, the UE 182) may also communicate directly with each other via a wireless sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). Wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of the core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that enables direct communication between two or more UEs without the communication having to go through a base station. Sidelink communications may be unicast or multicast and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) medium sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, a group of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to all other SL-UEs in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications are performed between SL-UEs without the involvement of the base station 102.

[0045]

[0064] In one aspect, the sidelink 160 may operate over a target wireless communication medium, which may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other wireless communications between other RATs. The "medium" may consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In one aspect, the target medium may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended operation into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi." Exemplary systems of this type include CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and various variants thereof.

[0046]

[0065] 1 illustrates only two of the UEs as SL-UEs (i.e., UEs 164 and 182), it should be noted that any of the illustrated UEs may be SL-UEs. Additionally, while only UE 182 has been described as being beamforming capable, any of the illustrated UEs, including UE 164, may be beamforming capable. If SL-UEs are beamforming capable, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward a base station (e.g., base station 102, 180, small cell 102′, access point 150), etc. Thus, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may utilize beamforming over sidelink 160.

[0047]

[0066] In the example of FIG. 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in FIG. 1 as UEs 114 and 116 for simplicity) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that the UEs 114 and / or 116 (or any other UE) can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., the SVs 112) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., the UEs 114 and / or 116) to determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code with a set number of chips. While typically located within the SVs 112, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UE (eg, UE 114 and / or 116) may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive the signals 124 from the SV 112 to derive geolocation information.

[0048]

[0067] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 may be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, the SBAS may include augmentation system(s) that provide integrity information, error correction, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS)-aided Geo-Augmented Navigation, or the GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0049]

[0068] In one aspect, the SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SV 112 is connected to an earth station (ES) 118 (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5G network (e.g., core network 170). This element then provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In this manner, the UE 114 and / or 116 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from the SV 112 instead of or in addition to communication signals from the terrestrial base station 102. The wireless link between the UE (e.g., UE 114, 116) and the SV 112 is referred to as a “service link” (e.g., service link 124). The radio link between the SV 112 and the earth station 118 is referred to as the "feeder link" (eg, feeder link 126).

[0050]

[0069] NTNs can also be used to enhance 5G service reliability by providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) devices and / or IoT devices, or for passengers on moving platforms (e.g., passenger vehicles such as airplanes, ships, high-speed trains, buses, etc.), or by ensuring service availability everywhere, especially for critical communications. NTNs can also enable 5G network scalability by providing efficient multicast / broadcast resources for data delivery towards the network edge or even to the UEs (e.g., UEs 114 and / or 116).

[0051]

[0070] 1, SV 112 is in communication with UE 114 (representing a UE in an area not served by the terrestrial 5G network) outside the coverage area of ​​base station 102, and with UE 116 (representing a UE not fully served by the terrestrial 5G network) inside the coverage area of ​​base station 102. SV 112 may therefore function as a serving base station to UE 114 and as a primary or secondary cell to UE 116 depending on the services provided to UE 116 by base station 102.

[0052]

[0071] Note that while FIG. 1 shows only a single SV 112 and a single earth station 118, it should be understood that this is merely an example and that there can be any number of SVs 112 connected to any number of earth stations 118.

[0053]

[0072] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as a UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). In the example of FIG. 1 , the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc.

[0054]

[0073] 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be functionally considered as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, data network access, IP routing, etc.) that operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect a gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, an ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0055]

[0074] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that may communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE(s) 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into components of the core network or alternatively may be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0056]

[0075] 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 240. A 5GC 260 (which may correspond to 5GC 210 in FIG. 2A) may be viewed functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept, transport for session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. AMF264 functionality also includes security context management (SCM).The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulated services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which functions as the location server 230), transport for location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interworking with an evolved packet system (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0057]

[0076] The functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the SLP 272.

[0058]

[0077] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, some control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is referred to as the N11 interface.

[0059]

[0078] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that may communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that may connect to the LMF 270 via a core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, while the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) via the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0060]

[0079] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that may communicate with the LMF 270, the SLP 272, the 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or the UPF 262), the NG-RAN 220, and / or the UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) for the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or an external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0061]

[0080] A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and in particular the UPF 262 and AMF 264, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224, respectively, in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, and the interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223, referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of the gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 may communicate with one or more UE204 via a wireless interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0062]

[0081] The functionality of the gNB 222 may be divided between a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as user data forwarding, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, except for those functions allocated exclusively to the gNB-DU(s) 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that generally hosts the radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or multiple cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB 222 is generally hosted by one or more standalone gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0063]

[0082] The deployment of a communication system, such as a 5G NR system, can be configured in multiple ways using various components or components. In a 5G NR system or network, network equipment, such as a network node, network entity, network mobility element, RAN node, core network node, network element, or base station, or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, can be implemented in an aggregated or separated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR base station, 5G NB, access point (AP), transmit / receive point (TRP), or cell) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone base station or monolithic base station) or a separated base station.

[0064]

[0083] A centralized base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A separated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (e.g., one or more centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU or alternatively be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0065]

[0084] The operation of a base station type or network design may take into account the aggregation characteristics of base station functions. For example, a separated base station may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN, such as the network configuration supported by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation may include distributing functions across two or more units in different physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functions for at least one unit, which may allow flexibility in network design. Various units of a separated base station or separated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0066]

[0085] 2C illustrates an exemplary separated base station architecture 250 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The separated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CU 226) that can communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more separated base station units (e.g., a near-real time (RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, or a non-real time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both). The CU 280 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DU 228) via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RU 229) via respective fronthaul links. The RU 287 may communicate with each UE 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 may be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0067]

[0086] Each of the units, i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and quasi-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO framework 255, may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the unit's communication interface, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, a unit may include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally, the units may include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive, transmit, or transmit signals via a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0068]

[0087] In some aspects, the CU 280 can host one or more upper layer control functions. Such control functions may include Radio Resource Control (RRC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 may be configured to handle user plane functions (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functions (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 may be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP units, when implemented in an O-RAN configuration, may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface, such as an E1 interface. The CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 as needed for network control and signaling.

[0069]

[0088] The DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit including one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more upper physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.), at least in part according to a functional division such as that defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 285 may further host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285 or with control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0070]

[0089] Lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, the RUs 287 controlled by the DUs 285 may correspond to logical nodes hosting RF processing functions, lower PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transforms (FFTs), inverse FFTs (iFFTs), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional division, such as a lower layer functional division. In such an architecture, the RU(s) 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU(s) 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DUs 285. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU(s) 285 and CU 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0071]

[0090] The SMO framework 255 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 may be configured to support deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-cloud) 269) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, the CU 280, the DU 285, the RU 287, and the quasi-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 may communicate with hardware aspects of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 261, via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via an O1 interface. The SMO framework 255 can also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 255.

[0072]

[0091] The non-RT RIC 257 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the quasi-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 may be coupled to or in communication with the quasi-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The quasi-RT RIC 259 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources by data collection and action via interfaces (e.g., via an E2 interface) that connect one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and the O-eNB to the quasi-RT RIC 259.

[0073]

[0092] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate AI / ML models that are deployed to the quasi-RT RIC 259. Such information may be utilized by the quasi-RT RIC 259 and may be received from non-network data sources or from network functions in the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the quasi-RT RIC 259 may be configured to adjust RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may employ AI / ML models to monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and implement corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (e.g., reconfiguration via O1) or through the creation of RAN management policies (e.g., A1 policies).

[0074]

[0093] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated within a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including a location server 230 and an LMF 270, or alternatively, may be independent of the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, such as a private network) to support the operations described herein. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., within an ASIC, within a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the illustrated components to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0075]

[0094] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communications medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, in accordance with a designated RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively, and include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0076]

[0095] The UE 302 and base station 304 also each, at least in some cases, include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, Z-Wave®, PC5, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.) over a target wireless communication medium. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively, and include one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth® transceivers, Zigbee® and / or Z-Wave® transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0077]

[0096] UE 302 and base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and action from other systems as appropriate and, at least in some cases, perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using the obtained measurements according to any suitable satellite positioning system algorithms.

[0078]

[0097] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, that provide a means for communicating (e.g., a means for transmitting, a means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, a base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, a network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links or with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0079]

[0098] A transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired link or a wireless link. The transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., embodying the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry within a single device), in some implementations, may comprise separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other implementations may be embodied in other ways. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. The wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array that enables the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, the wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array that enables the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share multiple identical antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not both at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0080]

[0099] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a “transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being implemented. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers generally involve signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involve signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0081]

[0100] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, e.g., to provide functionality related to wireless communications and to provide other processing functions. Accordingly, the processors 332, 384, and 394 can provide processing means, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, and means for directing. In one aspect, the processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, e.g., one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0082]

[0101] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, the memories 340, 386, and 396 may provide storage means, retrieval means, maintenance means, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A illustrates possible locations of the positioning component 342, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3B shows possible locations of a positioning component 388, which may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.FIG. 3C illustrates possible locations of a positioning component 398, which may be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0083]

[0102] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0084]

[0103] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides a means for providing instructions (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) to a user and / or receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0085]

[0104] Referring more particularly to the one or more processors 384, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with forwarding upper layer PDUs, error correction via automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0086]

[0105] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0087]

[0106] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto RF carriers and provides the information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functions.

[0088]

[0107] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0089]

[0108] Similar to the functionality described in connection with downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with forwarding upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0090]

[0109] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0091]

[0110] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals via its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0092]

[0111] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0093]

[0112] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated components may have different functions in different designs. In particular, various components in FIGS. 3A-3C are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, device use, or other considerations. For example, in FIG. 3A, a particular implementation of the UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, etc. 3B, a particular implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular only), or may omit satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein but would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0094]

[0113] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are embodied within the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality integrated within the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0095]

[0114] The components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, functions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it should be understood that such operations, functions, and / or functions may actually be performed by particular components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0096]

[0115] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be separate from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0097]

[0116] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) in NR. FIG. 4 illustrates examples of various positioning methods according to aspects of the present disclosure. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure illustrated by scenario 410, a UE measures the differences between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from pairs of base stations, referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., the UE in the case of UE-based positioning or a location server in the case of UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the location of the UE.

[0098]

[0117] For DL-AoD positioning, as illustrated by scenario 420, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station(s). The positioning entity can then estimate the location(s) of the UE based on the determined angle(s) and the known locations of the transmitting base station(s).

[0099]

[0118] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) transmitted by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE transmits one or more uplink reference signals that are measured by the reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the reception time (referred to as the relative time of arrival (RTOA)) of the reference signal(s) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server), which knows the locations and relative timing of the participating base stations. Based on the reception-to-reception (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known locations of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location using TDOA.

[0100]

[0119] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle(s) of the receive beam(s) to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the base station(s). Based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the base station(s), the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0101]

[0120] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and multiple round-trip-time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In an RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), and the second entity transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as the reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement may be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest slot boundaries for the received and transmitted signals. Both entities may then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities may be determined from the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). In the case of multi-RTT positioning illustrated by scenario 430, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) conducts RTT positioning procedures with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to allow the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known locations of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). As illustrated by scenario 440, RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve location accuracy.

[0102]

[0121] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identities, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known location of the base station(s).

[0103]

[0122] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier of the base station (or base station's cell / TRP) from which to measure the reference signal, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive slots containing the PRS, the periodicity of the consecutive slots containing the PRS, a muting sequence, a frequency hopping sequence, a reference signal identifier, a reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may be obtained directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using assistance data.

[0104]

[0123] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or urban and include a street address, postal address, or some other linguistic description of the location. A location estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location or defined absolutely (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume that the location is expected to be within with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0105]

[0124] 5 illustrates a time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning procedure in an example wireless communication system 500, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The TDOA-based positioning procedure may be an observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) positioning procedure, as in LTE, or a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) positioning procedure, as in 5G NR. In the example of FIG. 5, a UE 504 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location (referred to as "UE-based" positioning) or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location (referred to as "UE-assisted" positioning). The UE 504 may communicate with (e.g., transmit information to and receive information from) one or more of a plurality of transmission points 502 (e.g., any combination of base stations, TRPs, SVs, etc. described herein) labeled "TP1" 502-1, "TP2" 502-2, and "TP3" 502-3.

[0106]

[0125] To support location estimation, the transmission points 502 may be configured to broadcast positioning signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc.) to UEs 504 within their coverage areas to allow the UEs 504 to measure characteristics of such reference signals. In a TDOA-based positioning procedure, the UE 504 measures the relative time difference, known as the reference signal time difference (RSTD) or TDOA, between the reference transmission point 502 and each of two or more non-reference transmission points 502. The UE 504 may determine the relative time difference as the difference between the start of a subframe (or slot) from the non-reference transmission point 502 and the start of the subframe (or slot) from the reference transmission point 502 that is closest in time to the subframe received from the reference transmission point 502.

[0107]

[0126] More specifically, the RSTD of a non-reference transmission point "j" relative to a reference transmission point "i" may be given as T_SubframeRx,j-T_SubframeRx,i, where T_SubframeRx,j is the time when the UE 504 received the start of a subframe from transmission point j, and T_SubframeRx,i is the time when the UE 504 received the corresponding start of a subframe from transmission point i that is closest in time to the subframe received from transmission point j. In the example of FIG. 5, the measured RSTD between transmission point 502-1 (the reference transmission point) and transmission points 502-2 and 502-3 may be represented as T2-T1 and T3-T1, where T1, T2, and T3 represent the time when the UE 504 received the start of a subframe from transmission points 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. The UE 504 may determine the start of a subframe (or slot) based on measurements of one or more downlink reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by each transmission point 502.

[0108]

[0127] For FR1, the reference point for RSTD measurements is the antenna connector of the UE 504. For FR2, the reference point for RSTD measurements is the antenna of the UE 504. The reference transmission point 502 remains the same for all RSTD measured by the UE 504 for any single positioning use of TDOA and will typically correspond to the serving cell for the UE 504 or another nearby cell that has good signal strength at the UE 504. In one aspect, the non-reference transmission points 502 will typically be cells supported by a different base station than the base station for the reference cell and may have good or poor signal strength at the UE 504.

[0109]

[0128] To assist in TDOA-based positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE 504 regarding the reference transmission point 502 and non-reference transmission points 502 relative to the transmission point 502. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier (e.g., PCI, VCI, CGI, etc.) for each transmission point 502 in the set of transmission points 502 that the UE 504 is expected to measure. The assistance data may also provide the center channel frequency of each transmission point 502, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning slots, periodicity of the positioning slots, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth), and / or other transmission point-related parameters applicable to TDOA-based positioning procedures. The assistance data may also indicate the serving cell for the UE 504 as the reference transmission point 502.

[0110]

[0129] In some cases, the assistance data may also include an “expected RSTD” parameter that provides the UE 504 with information about the RSTD value the UE 504 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference transmission point 502 and each non-reference transmission point 502, along with the uncertainty of the expected RSTD parameter. The expected RSTD may define a search window for the UE 504, along with associated uncertainties, within which the UE 504 is expected to measure the RSTD value. In some cases, the value range for the expected RSTD may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). That is, the full reporting range for RSTD measurements is [-0.5 ms, 0.5 ms]. In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are within FR1, the value range for the expected RSTD uncertainty may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for positioning measurement(s) are within FR2, the value range for the expected RSTD uncertainty may be + / - 8 μs.

[0111]

[0130] In certain aspects, however, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may send assistance data to the UE 504. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the transmission point 502 itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, the UE 504 may detect non-reference transmission points (e.g., neighboring cells) on its own without using assistance data.

[0112]

[0131] The UE 504 may either report the RSTD measurements to a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) or calculate a location estimate itself from the RSTD measurements. The location of the UE 504 may be determined (by either the UE 504 or a location server) using (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) the known absolute or relative transmit timing of each transmission point 502 (e.g., whether the transmission points 502 are precisely synchronized or whether each transmission point 502 transmits at some known time offset relative to the other transmission points 502), (iii) the known location(s) of the transmission points 502, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics such as the direction of transmission (if known).

[0113]

[0132] In one aspect, the location estimate may specify the location of the UE 504 in a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system. However, the aspects disclosed herein are not so limited and may also be applicable to determining a location estimate using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system if additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, while FIG. 5 shows one UE 504 and three transmission points 502, it will be appreciated that there may be more UEs 504 and more transmission points 502.

[0114]

[0133] 5, when the UE 504 obtains a location estimate using RSTD, necessary additional data (e.g., the locations and relative transmission timing of the transmission points 502) may be provided to the UE 504 by a location server. In some implementations, a location estimate for the UE 504 may be obtained (e.g., by the UE 504 itself or by a location server) from RSTD and from other measurements made by the UE 504 (e.g., measurements of signal timing from satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) or other global navigation satellite system (GNSS)). In these implementations, known as hybrid positioning, the RSTD measurements may contribute to obtaining a location estimate for the UE 504 but may not completely determine the location estimate.

[0115]

[0134] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating example frame structures according to aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0116]

[0135] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0117]

[0136] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (μ=0), 30 kHz (μ=1), 60 kHz (μ=2), 120 kHz (μ=3), and 240 kHz (μ=4) or greater may be available. At each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, i.e., 10 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with an FFT size of 4K. For a 30 kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, i.e., 20 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 for a 4K FFT size. For a 60 kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, i.e., 40 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.25 ms, a symbol duration of 16.7 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 200 for a 4K FFT size. For a 120 kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, i.e., 80 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.125 ms, a symbol duration of 8.33 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 400 for a 4K FFT size. For a 240 kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, i.e., 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625 ms, the symbol duration is 4.17 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with an FFT size of 4K is 800.

[0118]

[0137] In the example of Figure 6, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figure 6, time is represented horizontally (X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0119]

[0138] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, with each time slot including one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs, PRBs) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of FIG. 6, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0120]

[0139] Some of the REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). The reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communications. Figure 6 shows example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R").

[0121]

[0140] A set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting a PRS is referred to as a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" consecutive symbol(s) within a slot (e.g., one or more) in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0122]

[0141] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a particular comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N," a PRS is transmitted on every N subcarriers of the PRB symbol. For example, for comb 4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, an RE corresponding to every four subcarriers (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb 2, comb 4, comb 6, and comb 12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 6 shows an example PRS resource configuration for comb 4 (spanning four symbols). That is, the location of the shaded RE (labeled "R") indicates the comb 4 PRS resource configuration.

[0123]

[0142] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot with a staggered pattern across the frequency domain. DL-PRS resources can be configured within any higher layer configured downlink or flexible (FL) symbols of a slot. There can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. Below are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12 across 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols: 2-symbol comb2: {0,1}, 4-symbol comb2: {0,1,0,1}, 6-symbol comb2: {0,1,0,1,0,1}, 12-symbol comb2: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}, (in the example of Figure 6) 4-symbol comb4: {0,2,1,3}, 12-symbol comb4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, 6-symbol comb6: {0,3,1,4,2,5}, 12-symbol comb6: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}, and 12-symbol comb12: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0124]

[0143] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, PRS resources within a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, PRS resources within a PRS resource set have the same periodicity across slots, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (e.g., "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor"). Periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity is 2^μ * The repetition factor may have a length selected from {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, and μ=0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0125]

[0144] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP may transmit one or multiple beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam and may therefore be referred to as a "PRS resource" or simply a "resource" or a "beam." Note that this does not have any implications regarding whether the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0126]

[0145] A "PRS instance" or "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous slots) during which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning occasion," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning occasion," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply an "occasion," "instance," or "repetition."

[0127]

[0146] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply referred to as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for certain parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all numerologies supported for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported for PRS), the same Point A, the same value of downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The Point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" ("ARFCN" stands for "absolute radio-frequency channel number"), which is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers are defined, and up to two PRS resource sets per TRP can be configured per frequency layer.

[0128]

[0147] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of a component carrier and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but differs in that a component carrier and BWP are used by one base station (or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit a data channel, while a frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. A UE may indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when it transmits its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session. For example, a UE may indicate whether it can support one positioning frequency layer or four positioning frequency layers.

[0129]

[0148] It should be noted that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS defined in LTE and NR, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. Furthermore, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink, uplink, or sidelink positioning reference signals, unless otherwise indicated by the context. When necessary to further distinguish between types of PRS, downlink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "DL-PRS," uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., SRS for positioning, PTRS) may be referred to as "UL-PRS," and sidelink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "SL-PRS." Additionally, for signals that may be transmitted in the downlink, uplink, and / or sidelink (e.g., DMRS), "DL," "UL," or "SL" may be prepended to the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" is different from "DL-DMRS."

[0130]

[0149] 7 is a diagram illustrating example PRS resource repetition and beam sweeping options according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 7, time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. Each block represents a slot in the time domain and some bandwidth in the frequency domain.

[0131]

[0150] 7 shows two DL-PRS resource set instances (or occasions): a first DL-PRS resource set 710 and a second DL-PRS resource set 750. Each DL-PRS resource set 710 and 750 comprises four PRS resources (labeled "Resource 1," "Resource 2," "Resource 3," and "Resource 4") and has a repetition factor of four. The repetition factor of four means that each of the four PRS resources is repeated (i.e., transmitted four times) within the DL-PRS resource set. That is, there are four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources within the DL-PRS resource set. The repetition factor may be configured in the UE by a higher layer parameter "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor" and may have a value selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32}. It should be noted that the duration spanned by one DL-PRS resource set containing repeated DL-PRS resources as shown in FIG. 7 should not exceed the PRS periodicity.

[0132]

[0151] 7, DL-PRS resource set 710 and DL-PRS resource set 750 have different time gaps. The time gap is the offset in slots between two repeated instances of DL-PRS resources corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of a DL-PRS resource set. The time gap may be configured in the UE by a higher layer parameter "PRS-ResourceTimeGap" and may have a value selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32}.

[0133]

[0152] 7, DL-PRS resource set 710 has a one-slot time gap, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "resource 1") starts on the first slot after the previous repetition of that PRS resource. Thus, as shown for DL-PRS resource set 710, the four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are grouped together. Specifically, the four repetitions of PRS resource "resource 1" occupy the first four slots of DL-PRS resource set 710 (i.e., slots n through n+3), the four repetitions of PRS resource "resource 2" occupy the second four slots (i.e., slots n+4 through n+7), the four repetitions of PRS resource "resource 3" occupy the third four slots (i.e., slots n+8 through n+11), and the four repetitions of PRS resource "resource 4" occupy the last four slots (i.e., slots n+12 through n+15).

[0134]

[0153] In contrast, DL-PRS resource set 750 has a four-slot time gap, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "resource 2") starts on the fourth slot after the previous repetition of that PRS resource. Thus, as shown by DL-PRS resource set 750, the four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are scheduled every four slots. For example, the four repetitions of PRS resource "resource 1" occupy the first, fifth, ninth, and thirteenth slots of DL-PRS resource set 750 (i.e., slots n, n+4, n+8, and n+12).

[0135]

[0154] The purpose of PRS resource repetition is to allow receive beam sweeping (e.g., by the UE) across the PRS resource repetitions, to allow the receiver to combine signal gains for coverage extension, and to allow in-instance muting (e.g., if one repetition is muted, there are further repetitions for the receiver to measure). Note that UE receive beam sweeping is up to the UE implementation.

[0136]

[0155] PRS muting can be signaled using one or more bitmaps to indicate which PRS resources are transmitted at zero power. Currently, the bitmap(s) can be {2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} bits in length. NR supports inter-instance muting and intra-instance muting. For inter-instance muting, muting is applied to each transmission instance of a PRS resource set. Each bit in the muting bitmap corresponds to a configurable number of consecutive instances of the PRS resource set, controlled by a higher layer (e.g., RRC or LPP) parameter "PRS Muting-Bit Repetition Factor," which can have a value of {1, 2, 4, 8}. For intra-instance muting, each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a single repetition of a PRS resource within an instance of a PRS resource set. Inter-instance and intra-instance muting can also be used together. In that case, the UE is provided with an inter-instance muting bitmap and an intra-instance muting bitmap. If a PRS muting pattern (bitmap) is provided for both inter-instance muting and intra-instance muting, the UE applies a logical AND operation.

[0137]

[0156] FIG. 8 is a diagram 800 illustrating an example of PRS transmission by two TRPs according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 8, each block represents a slot, and each shaded block represents a slot that includes PRS resources. Each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 8, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes a single PRS resource, but it should be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots and may include two or more PRS resources. The start of each instance (labeled "Instance i" and "Instance i+1") is separated by a PRS periodicity (e.g., 160 ms). As shown in FIG. 8, a first TRP (labeled "TRP1") and a second TRP (labeled "TRP2") transmit PRS resources in the first two slots of their respective PRS resource set instances. That is, the PRS resource has a repetition factor of "2" for each PRS resource set instance, which means that the PRS resource is transmitted twice for each instance.

[0138]

[0157] FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 illustrating an example of inter-instance PRS muting according to an aspect of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 9, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 9, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes a single PRS resource, but it will be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots and may include two or more PRS resources. The start of each instance (labeled "Instance i" and "Instance i+1") is separated by a PRS periodicity (e.g., 160 ms).

[0139]

[0158] As in the example of FIG. 8, in the example of FIG. 9, two TRPs (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2") are scheduled to transmit PRS resources in the first two slots of each respective PRS resource set instance. However, to avoid PRS resource interference at the UE, the second TRP (TRP2) mutes its PRS resources (i.e., transmits with zero power) during the first PRS resource set instance, and the first TRP (TRP1) mutes its PRS resources during the second PRS resource set instance. Thus, the UE is signaled a bitmap pattern of "10" for the first TRP and a bitmap pattern of "01" for the second TRP. Because there are two TRPs, one muted in each instance, the UE needs to receive two instances to measure all PRS resources from each TRP.

[0140]

[0159] FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 illustrating an example of intra-instance PRS muting according to an aspect of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 10, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 10, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes a single PRS resource, but it will be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots and may include two or more PRS resources. The start of each instance (labeled "Instance i" and "Instance i+1") is separated by a PRS periodicity (e.g., 160 ms).

[0141]

[0160] As in the example of FIG. 9, in the example of FIG. 10, two TRPs (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2") are scheduled to transmit PRS resources in the first two slots of each respective PRS resource set instance. However, to avoid PRS resource interference at the UE, the second TRP (TRP2) mutes its PRS resources during the first slot of each PRS resource set instance, and the first TRP (TRP1) mutes its PRS resources during the second slot of each PRS resource set instance. Thus, the UE is signaled a bitmap pattern of "10" for the first TRP and a bitmap pattern of "01" for the second TRP. Because only one PRS resource repetition of the two repetitions per instance is muted in each instance, the UE only needs to receive one instance to measure all PRS resources from each TRP.

[0142]

[0161] Network operators may be mandated to cross-check the UE location reported by the UE to meet regulatory requirements regarding network-verified UE location (e.g., lawful interception, emergency calls, public warning systems, etc.). That is, network operators should be able to check the UE's reported location information and specify whether mechanisms are necessary to meet regulatory requirements, for example, by estimating the UE's location on the network side. Currently, to determine network-verified UE location, an NTN-enabled UE may report its GNSS location (since NTN-enabled UEs are required to have GNSS), and the network (e.g., a location server) may verify or refine the UE's GNSS report through NTN positioning techniques.

[0143]

[0162] A problem with NR-based NTN positioning techniques, such as TDOA-based techniques, is the longer propagation delay (latency) between the NTN transmission point (e.g., SV112) and the UE. As mentioned above, the reporting range for RSTD measurements is [-0.5 ms, 0.5 ms], which means that the RSTD measurement needs to be less than or equal to 1 ms (e.g., the duration of a subframe). However, in NTN scenarios, the RSTD measurement may be much longer than 1 ms due to the propagation delay between different NTN transmission points. Figure 11 is a diagram 1100 illustrating example latencies for different positions of NTN transmission points (e.g., satellites) relative to the location of a UE, according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

[0144]

[0163] Because latency in an NTN positioning scenario is larger, there is a problem of how to ensure that PRSs from other transmission points are heard at the UE. Figure 12 is a diagram 1200 illustrating an aspect of PRS muting in an NTN positioning scenario according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 12, each block represents a slot, and each shaded block represents a slot that includes PRS resources. Furthermore, assume that the actual RSTD measurements are within the range of [-2, 2] ms. Furthermore, for a 15 KHz SCS, one slot is 1 ms long.

[0145]

[0164] In the example of FIG. 12, a first TRP (labeled "TRP1") transmits a PRS resource in the fourth slot (i.e., slot 3) of an eight-slot PRS resource set. As shown, because the expected RSTD measurement is within a [-2, 2] ms range around the slot in which the PRS resource is transmitted (i.e., the fourth slot, slot 3), the range of slots from a second TRP (labeled "TRP2") that may interfere with the PRS resource from the first TRP (TRP1) at the UE is the second slot (i.e., slot 1) through the sixth slot (i.e., slot 5). Therefore, to avoid interfering with the PRS resource transmission from the first TRP, the second TRP (TRP2) would need to mute any transmissions from slots 2 through 6.

[0146]

[0165] There are various solutions within currently enabled PRS configurations that can be used to address the scenario illustrated with respect to FIG. 12 (e.g., a single PRS resource transmitted per PRS resource set and an RSTD range of [-2, 2]). FIG. 13 is a diagram 1300 illustrating a first PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an aspect of the present disclosure. For the first muting technique, consecutive slots may be allocated for PRS resources using combined inter-instance and intra-instance muting. The PRS resources are then muted based on the AND of the two muting patterns. Referring to the example of FIG. 13, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 13, the PRS resource set has a length of eight slots and includes five PRS resource repetitions, although it should be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than eight slots. The start of each instance (labeled "instance i" and "instance i+1") is separated by the PRS periodicity (eg, 160 ms).

[0147]

[0166] In the example of FIG. 13, two TRPs (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2") are scheduled to transmit five PRS resource repetitions in the second through sixth slots of each respective PRS resource set instance. That is, the PRS resources have a repetition factor of 5. However, to accommodate the possible RSTD range of [-2, 2] and avoid PRS resource interference at the UE, the second TRP (TRP2) mutes PRS resource repetitions during the first PRS resource set instance, and the first TRP (TRP1) mutes PRS resource repetitions during the second PRS resource set instance. During the first PRS resource set instance, the first TRP mutes two PRS resource repetitions around the desired PRS resource repetition (in the fourth slot). Similarly, during the second PRS resource set instance, the second TRP mutes two PRS resource repetitions around the desired PRS resource repetition (in the fourth slot). Thus, the UE is signaled with an intra-instance bitmap pattern for each TRP of "00100" and an inter-instance bitmap pattern of "10" for the first TRP and "01" for the second TRP.

[0148]

[0167] FIG. 14 is a diagram 1400 illustrating a second PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the second muting technique, two PRS resources are allocated to the same instance with different resource repetition factors and offsets across two TRPs. The first PRS resource of both TRPs is always unmuted, and the second PRS resource of both TRPs is always muted. Referring to the example of FIG. 14, each block represents a slot, and each block group represents a PRS resource set including one or more PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 14, the PRS resource set has a length of eight slots, but it should be understood that the PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than eight slots. In FIG. 14, the two PRS resource sets are a single PRS resource set instance.

[0149]

[0168] In the example of FIG. 14, a first TRP (labeled "TRP1") is scheduled to transmit a first PRS resource in the fourth slot of a first PRS resource set, and a second TRP (labeled "TRP2") is scheduled to transmit a first PRS resource in the fourth slot of a second PRS resource set. The first TRP is also scheduled to transmit five repetitions of a second PRS resource across slots two through six of the second PRS resource set. The second TRP is scheduled to transmit five repetitions of a second PRS resource across slots two through six of the first PRS resource set. As shown in FIG. 14, the first and second TRPs transmit the first PRS resource (on the fourth slot) and mute the second PRS resource (on slots two through six).

[0150]

[0169] FIG. 15 is a diagram 1500 illustrating a third PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the third muting technique, consecutive slots are allocated to PRS resources, and only inter-instance PRS muting is used. In this case, the UE searches only some of the repetitions based on the expected RSTD (e.g., [-2, 2] ms) or uses only some of the PRS repetitions based on signal power. Referring to the example of FIG. 15, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 15, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes 5 PRS resource repetitions, although it should be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots. The start of each instance (labeled "Instance i" and "Instance i+1") is separated by a PRS periodicity (e.g., 160 ms).

[0151]

[0170] In the example of FIG. 15, two TRPs (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2") are scheduled to transmit five PRS resource repetitions in the second through sixth slots of each respective PRS resource set instance. That is, the PRS resources have a repetition factor of five. Here, the second TRP (TRP2) mutes PRS resource repetitions during the first PRS resource set instance, and the first TRP (TRP1) mutes PRS resource repetitions during the second PRS resource set instance. However, the first TRP does not mute any of the PRS resource repetitions during the first instance, and the second TRP does not mute any of the PRS resource repetitions during the second instance. In this way, the UE can search for only some of the unmuted PRS resource repetitions based on the expected RSTD (e.g., [-2, 2] ms) or use only some of the PRS repetitions based on their measured signal power.

[0152]

[0171] 16 is a diagram 1600 illustrating an example of a third PRS muting technique for an NTN positioning scenario according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 16, each block represents a slot, and each block group represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 16, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes 5 PRS resource repetitions, although it should be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots.

[0153]

[0172] 16, the actual RSTD of a second TRP (labeled "TRP2") relative to a first TRP (labeled "TRP1") is 0.9 ms, the expected RSTD is 0.95 ms, and the RSTD uncertainty is 0.1 ms. In this case, the UE may search only the PRS resource repetitions corresponding to the third through sixth slots (i.e., slots 2, 3, 4, and 5) because transmissions from TRP2 may be muted for those slots.

[0154]

[0173] The above solutions have various drawbacks. In the first solution (Figure 13), the PRS resource repeat(s) next to the unmuted PRS resource repeat(s) are always muted. Unmuting these PRS resource repeats is useless because downlink transmissions from neighboring TRPs may interfere with them. This leads to insufficient resource utilization. In the second solution (Figure 14), PRS resources with different repetition factors must be in different PRS resource sets. However, currently, only a maximum of two PRS resource sets are supported per positioning frequency layer. In the third solution (Figures 15 and 16), the data transmission efficiency is the same as the first solution, but the TRP is forced to transmit PRS resource repeats consecutively.

[0155]

[0174] This disclosure proposes a "scheduling restriction" interval for each PRS resource. When a particular occasion of a PRS resource is muted, slots belonging to that "scheduling restriction" interval (if defined) are also muted / blanked unless they are high priority. High priority signals may include SSB, high priority PDSCH, etc. The high priority classification may be defined in the applicable wireless communication standard or may be indicated by a flag to designate which signals are high priority. Such a flag may be included for each PRS resource, PRS resource set, positioning frequency layer, and / or TRP. The advantage of the scheduling restriction interval is that neighboring slots do not need to be reserved for PRS but can instead be used for other purposes. Therefore, neighboring slots can be muted only when necessary.

[0156]

[0175] FIG. 17 is a diagram 1700 illustrating an example use of scheduling constraint intervals according to an aspect of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 17, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 17, the PRS resource set has a length of 8 slots and includes one PRS resource, but it will be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than 8 slots and may include two or more PRS resources or multiple PRS resource repetitions. The start of each instance (labeled "Instance i" and "Instance i+1") is separated by a PRS periodicity (e.g., 160 ms).

[0157]

[0176] In the example of Figure 17, only one repetition of the PRS resource is allocated for each TRP (labeled "TRP1" and "TRP2"). Slots adjacent to the PRS resource are non-PRS resources. A scheduling restriction interval of [-2,2] ms (slot for 15 kHz SCS) can be allocated for the PRS resource based on the expected RSTD range of [-2,2] ms. When the PRS resource (in the fourth slot) is muted, other slots in the scheduling restriction interval are also muted if they do not carry high priority traffic (here, slots 1, 2, 4, and 5). In this way, inter-instance muting with a guard interval (the guard interval can be used as the scheduling restriction interval) can be used. Specifically, in the example of Figure 17, the UE would be configured with an inter-instance muting pattern of "10" for the first TRP (TRP1) and "01" for the second TRP (TRP2).

[0158]

[0177] Note that currently, slots 1, 2, 4, and 5 need to be reserved for transmitting PRS resource repetitions to be muted. In contrast, with the scheduling restriction interval disclosed herein, these slots can be used unconditionally when the associated PRS is unmuted, and can be used only for high priority downlink traffic when the associated PRS is muted. Furthermore, the size of the scheduling restriction interval can be determined by the estimated locations of the involved TRPs and UEs, as well as the expected RSTD and RSTD uncertainty.

[0159]

[0178] In one aspect, the scheduling restriction interval may be symmetric or asymmetric around each PRS resource. Figure 18 illustrates an example comparison between symmetric and asymmetric scheduling restriction intervals according to aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 18, each block represents a slot, and each group of blocks represents an instance of a PRS resource set that includes PRS resources. In the example of Figure 18, the PRS resource set has a length of eight slots and includes one PRS resource, but it should be understood that a PRS resource set may be shorter or longer than eight slots and may include two or more PRS resources or multiple PRS resource repetitions.

[0160]

[0179] Diagram 1800 shows an example of a symmetric scheduling restriction interval around a PRS resource. The symmetric scheduling restriction interval may be specified by a single value that applies to both the left (before) and right (after) sides of the PRS resource. This value may be specified as a number of symbols, slots, subframes, milliseconds, etc. In the example of diagram 1800, the value is 2 slots.

[0161]

[0180] Diagram 1850 shows an example of an asymmetric scheduling restriction interval around a PRS resource. The asymmetric scheduling restriction interval can be specified using two separate values ​​for the left (before) and right (after) sides of the PRS resource. These values ​​can be specified as a number of symbols, slots, subframes, milliseconds, etc. In the example of diagram 1850, the value for the left (before) side of the PRS resource is 2 slots, and the value for the right (after) side of the PRS resource is 1 slot.

[0162]

[0181] There are various techniques for indicating the PRS scheduling restriction interval. First, the PRS definition can be modified. As a first option, the guard interval (here, the scheduling restriction interval) can be PRS resource specific and signaled in the PRS resource configuration. For example, the scheduling restriction interval can be added to the higher layer (e.g., RRC, LPP) information element "NR-DL-PRS-Resource", similar to the comb size. As a second option, the guard interval can be PRS resource set specific and signaled in the PRS resource set configuration. For example, the scheduling restriction interval can be added to the higher layer information element "NR-DL-PRS-ResourceSet", similar to the muting pattern. With this technique, the UE will be aware of the scheduling restriction interval.

[0163]

[0182] As a second technique, the scheduling restriction interval can be handled entirely by the network side without impacting the UE side. As a first option, each TRP may be aware of the scheduling of neighboring TRPs' PRS transmissions and may avoid scheduling transmissions on slots before and after those PRS transmissions according to the scheduling restriction interval. As a second option, the location server (e.g., LMF 270) may signal the scheduling restriction interval for each of the PRS resources to each TRP (e.g., via NR Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa)), and the TRP may avoid scheduling in those slots accordingly. In these cases, the UE does not need to be aware of the scheduling restriction, and this solution reduces the amount of unnecessary information transmitted.

[0164]

[0183] Note that although the scheduling restriction interval is generally referred to above as a number of slots of 1 millisecond duration, it will be appreciated that the scheduling restriction interval may be indicated by a length in symbols, slots, subframes, milliseconds, etc. Similarly, the length of a slot may have a duration different from 1 millisecond depending on the numerology (e.g., SCS) of the PRS resource.

[0165]

[0184] 19 illustrates an example method 1900 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1900 may be performed by a UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0166]

[0185] At 1910, the UE receives a PRS configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first TRP (e.g., a base station, an AP, an SV, etc.), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted. In an aspect, operation 1910 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0167]

[0186] The UE obtains first measurements of one or more first PRS resources at 1920. In one aspect, operation 1920 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0168]

[0187] 20 illustrates an example method 2000 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 2000 may be performed by a first TRP (e.g., any of the TRPs described herein).

[0169]

[0188] At 2010, a first TRP receives a PRS configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP. In one aspect, operation 2010 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memories 386, and / or positioning components 388, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0170]

[0189] In 2020, the first TRP refrains from scheduling a downlink transmission during a scheduling restriction interval for one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of contiguous time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources. In one aspect, operation 2020 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0171]

[0190] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of methods 1900 and 2000 is that slots (or other time intervals) of a scheduling restriction interval do not need to be reserved for a PRS, but may instead be used for other purposes.

[0172]

[0191] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than are expressly stated in each clause. Rather, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer than all features of each disclosed exemplary clause. Accordingly, the following clauses should be considered incorporated into the description, and each clause may stand alone as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses within that clause, the aspect(s) of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be understood that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of the aspect(s) of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein expressly include specific combinations (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor) unless such combinations are expressly expressed or can be readily inferred. It is further contemplated that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0173]

[0192] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0174]

[0193] Clause 1. A method of wireless communications implemented by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval comprising a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted; and obtaining positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0175]

[0194] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by a first TRP during a first set of adjacent time intervals is not muted based on one or more first PRS resources being muted.

[0176]

[0195] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0177]

[0196] Clause 4. The method of clause 2 or 3, wherein the high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP is indicated in a PRS configuration, a wireless communication standard, or both.

[0178]

[0197] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 2 to 4, wherein one or more first flags associated with one or more first PRS resources, one or more first PRS resource sets including one or more first PRS resources, a first positioning frequency layer associated with the first TRP, or the first TRP indicates a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP.

[0179]

[0198] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the first set of contiguous time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0180]

[0199] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0181]

[0200] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the PRS configuration indicating the first scheduling restriction interval includes the PRS configuration indicating a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources and a number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0182]

[0201] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the first set of contiguous time intervals comprises a first plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0183]

[0202] Clause 10. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource configuration for one or more first PRS resources, and wherein the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource configuration for the one or more first PRS resources.

[0184]

[0203] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource set configuration for a first PRS resource set including one or more first PRS resources, and the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource set configuration.

[0185]

[0204] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 1 to 11, wherein the one or more first PRS resources comprise a first plurality of repetitions of the first PRS resource.

[0186]

[0205] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the positioning session comprises a time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning session, an angle-based positioning session, a round trip time (RTT)-based positioning session, or a signal strength-based positioning session.

[0187]

[0206] Clause 14. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 13, wherein the PRS configuration further indicates one or more second PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, the PRS configuration further indicates a second scheduling restriction interval for the one or more second PRS resources, the second scheduling restriction interval including a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more second PRS resources being configured to be muted, and positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources are obtained based on the one or more second PRS resources and the second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more muted second PRS resources.

[0188]

[0207] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the positioning measurements include a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between a first TRP and a second TRP, and the RSTD measurement is greater than 1 millisecond.

[0189]

[0208] Clause 16. The method of clause 14 or 15, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are or are located on a space vehicle.

[0190]

[0209] Clause 17. A method of wireless communications implemented by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the method comprising: receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP; and refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0191]

[0210] Clause 18. The method of clause 17, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by a first TRP during a set of adjacent time intervals is not muted.

[0192]

[0211] Clause 19. The method of clause 18, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0193]

[0212] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 17 to 19, further comprising receiving a scheduling restriction interval from a location server or a second TRP.

[0194]

[0213] Clause 21. A method according to any of clauses 17 to 20, wherein the PRS configuration is received from a location server or a second TRP.

[0195]

[0214] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 17 to 21, further comprising muting PRS resource transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources or refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources.

[0196]

[0215] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 17 to 22, wherein the set of contiguous time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0197]

[0216] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 17 to 22, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0198]

[0217] Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 17 to 24, wherein the set of contiguous time intervals comprises a plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0199]

[0218] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 17 to 25, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for one or more PRS resources, and a scheduling restriction interval is indicated for the one or more PRS resources.

[0200]

[0219] Clause 27. The method of any of clauses 17 to 26, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource set configuration for a PRS resource set including one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the PRS resource set configuration.

[0201]

[0220] Clause 28. The method of any of clauses 17 to 27, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are or are located on a space vehicle.

[0202]

[0221] Clause 29. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted; and obtain positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0203]

[0222] Clause 30. The UE of clause 29, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by a first TRP during a first set of adjacent time intervals is not muted based on one or more first PRS resources being muted.

[0204]

[0223] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0205]

[0224] Clause 32. The UE of clause 30 or 31, wherein the high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP is indicated in a PRS configuration, a wireless communication standard, or both.

[0206]

[0225] Clause 33. A UE as described in any of clauses 30 to 32, wherein one or more first flags associated with one or more first PRS resources, one or more first PRS resource sets including one or more first PRS resources, a first positioning frequency layer associated with the first TRP, or the first TRP indicates a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP.

[0207]

[0226] Clause 34. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 33, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes an equal number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0208]

[0227] Clause 35. A UE as described in any of clauses 29 to 33, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0209]

[0228] Clause 36. The UE of Clause 35, wherein the PRS configuration indicating the first scheduling restriction interval includes the PRS configuration indicating a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources and a number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0210]

[0229] Clause 37. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 36, wherein the first set of contiguous time intervals includes a first plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0211]

[0230] Clause 38. A UE as described in any of clauses 29 to 37, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource configuration for one or more first PRS resources, and the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource configuration for the one or more first PRS resources.

[0212]

[0231] Clause 39. A UE as described in any of clauses 29 to 38, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource set configuration for a first PRS resource set including one or more first PRS resources, and wherein the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource set configuration.

[0213]

[0232] Clause 40. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 39, wherein the one or more first PRS resources include a first plurality of repetitions of the first PRS resource.

[0214]

[0233] Clause 41. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 40, wherein the positioning session includes a time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning session, an angle-based positioning session, a round trip time (RTT)-based positioning session, or a signal strength-based positioning session.

[0215]

[0234] Clause 42. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 41, wherein the PRS configuration further indicates one or more second PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, the PRS configuration further indicates a second scheduling restriction interval for the one or more second PRS resources, the second scheduling restriction interval including a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more second PRS resources being configured to be muted, and positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources are obtained based on the one or more second PRS resources and the second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more muted second PRS resources.

[0216]

[0235] Clause 43. The UE of clause 42, wherein the positioning measurements include a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between the first TRP and the second TRP, and the RSTD measurement is greater than 1 millisecond.

[0217]

[0236] Clause 44. The UE of clause 42 or 43, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on space vehicles.

[0218]

[0237] Clause 45. A first transmission / reception point (TRP), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP; and to refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0219]

[0238] Clause 46. The first TRP according to clause 45, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP during a set of adjacent time intervals is not muted.

[0220]

[0239] Clause 47. The first TRP according to clause 46, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0221]

[0240] Clause 48. A first TRP according to any of clauses 45 to 47, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a scheduling restriction interval from the location server or the second TRP.

[0222]

[0241] Clause 49. The first TRP according to any of clauses 45 to 48, wherein the PRS configuration is received from a location server or a second TRP.

[0223]

[0242] Clause 50. The first TRP of any of clauses 45 to 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to mute PRS resource transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources or refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources.

[0224]

[0243] Clause 51. A first TRP according to any of clauses 45 to 50, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0225]

[0244] Clause 52. A first TRP as described in any of clauses 45 to 50, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0226]

[0245] Clause 53. The first TRP according to any one of clauses 45 to 52, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals comprises a plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0227]

[0246] Clause 54. The first TRP according to any of clauses 45 to 53, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for one or more PRS resources, and a scheduling restriction interval is indicated for the one or more PRS resources.

[0228]

[0247] Clause 55. The first TRP according to any of clauses 45 to 54, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource set configuration for a PRS resource set including one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the PRS resource set configuration.

[0229]

[0248] Clause 56. A first TRP according to any one of clauses 45 to 55, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on space vehicles.

[0230]

[0249] Clause 57. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval comprising a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted; and means for obtaining positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0231]

[0250] Clause 58. The UE of clause 57, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by a first TRP during a first set of adjacent time intervals is not muted based on one or more first PRS resources being muted.

[0232]

[0251] Clause 59. The UE of clause 58, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0233]

[0252] Clause 60. The UE of clause 58 or 59, wherein the high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP is indicated in a PRS configuration, a wireless communication standard, or both.

[0234]

[0253] Clause 61. A UE as described in any of clauses 58 to 60, wherein one or more first flags associated with one or more first PRS resources, one or more first PRS resource sets including one or more first PRS resources, a first positioning frequency layer associated with the first TRP, or the first TRP indicates a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP.

[0235]

[0254] Clause 62. The UE of any of clauses 57 to 61, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes an equal number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0236]

[0255] Clause 63. A UE as described in any of clauses 57 to 61, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0237]

[0256] Clause 64. The UE of Clause 63, wherein the PRS configuration indicating the first scheduling restriction interval includes the PRS configuration indicating a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources and a number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0238]

[0257] Clause 65. The UE of any of clauses 57-64, wherein the first set of contiguous time intervals includes a first plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0239]

[0258] Clause 66. A UE as described in any of Clauses 57 to 65, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource configuration for one or more first PRS resources, and the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource configuration for the one or more first PRS resources.

[0240]

[0259] Clause 67. A UE as described in any of Clauses 57 to 66, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource set configuration for a first PRS resource set including one or more first PRS resources, and the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource set configuration.

[0241]

[0260] Clause 68. The UE of any of clauses 57 to 67, wherein the one or more first PRS resources include a first plurality of repetitions of the first PRS resource.

[0242]

[0261] Clause 69. The UE of any of clauses 57 to 68, wherein the positioning session comprises a time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning session, an angle-based positioning session, a round trip time (RTT)-based positioning session, or a signal strength-based positioning session.

[0243]

[0262] Clause 70. A UE as described in any of Clauses 57 to 69, wherein the PRS configuration further indicates one or more second PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, the PRS configuration further indicates a second scheduling restriction interval for the one or more second PRS resources, the second scheduling restriction interval including a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more second PRS resources being configured to be muted, and positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources are obtained based on the one or more second PRS resources and the second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more muted second PRS resources.

[0244]

[0263] Clause 71. The UE of clause 70, wherein the positioning measurements include a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between the first TRP and the second TRP, and the RSTD measurement is greater than 1 millisecond.

[0245]

[0264] Clause 72. The UE of clause 70 or 71, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on space vehicles.

[0246]

[0265] Clause 73. A first transmission / reception point (TRP), comprising: means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP; and means for refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0247]

[0266] Clause 74. The first TRP according to clause 73, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP during a set of adjacent time intervals is not muted.

[0248]

[0267] Clause 75. The first TRP of clause 74, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0249]

[0268] Clause 76. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 75, further comprising means for receiving a scheduling restriction interval from a location server or a second TRP.

[0250]

[0269] Clause 77. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 76, wherein the PRS configuration is received from a location server or a second TRP.

[0251]

[0270] Clause 78. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 77, further comprising means for muting PRS resource transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources, or means for refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources.

[0252]

[0271] Clause 79. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 78, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0253]

[0272] Clause 80. A first TRP as described in any of clauses 73 to 78, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0254]

[0273] Clause 81. The first TRP according to any one of clauses 73 to 80, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals comprises a plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0255]

[0274] Clause 82. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 81, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for one or more PRS resources, and a scheduling restriction interval is indicated for the one or more PRS resources.

[0256]

[0275] Clause 83. The first TRP according to any of clauses 73 to 82, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource set configuration for a PRS resource set including one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the PRS resource set configuration.

[0257]

[0276] Clause 84. A first TRP according to any one of clauses 73 to 83, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on space vehicles.

[0258]

[0277] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources to be transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted. The non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, when executed by a user equipment (UE), causes the UE to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more first PRS resources to be transmitted by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicating a first scheduling restriction interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling restriction interval including a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted.

[0259]

[0278] Clause 86. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 85, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by a first TRP during a first set of adjacent time intervals is not muted based on one or more first PRS resources being muted.

[0260]

[0279] Clause 87. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 86, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0261]

[0280] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 86 or 87, wherein the high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP is indicated in a PRS configuration, a wireless communication standard, or both.

[0262]

[0281] Clause 89. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 86 to 88, wherein one or more first flags associated with one or more first PRS resources, one or more first PRS resource sets including one or more first PRS resources, a first positioning frequency layer associated with the first TRP, or the first TRP indicates a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP.

[0263]

[0282] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85-89, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes an equal number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0264]

[0283] Clause 91. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 89, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0265]

[0284] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 91, wherein the PRS configuration indicating the first scheduling restriction interval includes the PRS configuration indicating a number of time intervals before each of the one or more first PRS resources and a number of time intervals after each of the one or more first PRS resources.

[0266]

[0285] Clause 93. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 92, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a first plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0267]

[0286] Clause 94. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 85 to 93, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource configuration for one or more first PRS resources, and wherein the first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource configuration for the one or more first PRS resources.

[0268]

[0287] Clause 95. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85-94, wherein the PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource set configuration for a first PRS resource set including one or more first PRS resources, and a first scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the first PRS resource set configuration.

[0269]

[0288] Clause 96. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85-95, wherein the one or more first PRS resources include a first plurality of iterations of the first PRS resource.

[0270]

[0289] Clause 97. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 96, wherein the positioning session includes a time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning session, an angle-based positioning session, a round trip time (RTT)-based positioning session, or a signal strength-based positioning session.

[0271]

[0290] Clause 98. A non-transitory computer-readable medium described in any of Clauses 85 to 97, wherein the PRS configuration further indicates one or more second PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, the PRS configuration further indicates a second scheduling restriction interval for the one or more second PRS resources, the second scheduling restriction interval including a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more second PRS resources being configured to be muted, and positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources are obtained based on the one or more second PRS resources and the second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources that are muted.

[0272]

[0291] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 98, wherein the positioning measurements include a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between a first TRP and a second TRP, and the RSTD measurement is greater than 1 millisecond.

[0273]

[0292] Clause 100. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 98 or 99, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are or are located on a space vehicle.

[0274]

[0293] Clause 101. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a first transmission / reception point (TRP), cause the first TRP to receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, the PRS configuration indicating at least one or more PRS resources to be transmitted by the second TRP, and refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a scheduling restriction interval for the one or more PRS resources, the scheduling restriction interval comprising a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted based on downlink transmissions being muted during the one or more PRS resources.

[0275]

[0294] Clause 102. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 101, wherein a high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP during a set of adjacent time intervals is not muted.

[0276]

[0295] Clause 103. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 102, wherein the high priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

[0277]

[0296] Clause 104. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 101 to 103, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the first TRP, cause the first TRP to receive a scheduling restriction interval from the location server or the second TRP.

[0278]

[0297] Clause 105. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-104, wherein the PRS configuration is received from a location server or a second TRP.

[0279]

[0298] Clause 106. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 101 to 105, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the first TRP, cause the first TRP to mute PRS resource transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources or refrain from scheduling downlink transmissions during a time interval comprising one or more PRS resources.

[0280]

[0299] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-106, wherein the set of contiguous time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0281]

[0300] Clause 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-106, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals before each of the one or more PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals after each of the one or more PRS resources.

[0282]

[0301] Clause 109. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101 to 108, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals comprises a plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

[0283]

[0302] Clause 110. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-109, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for one or more PRS resources, and a scheduling restriction interval is indicated for the one or more PRS resources.

[0284]

[0303] Clause 111. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-110, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource set configuration for a PRS resource set including one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling restriction interval is indicated in the PRS resource set configuration.

[0285]

[0304] Clause 112. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 101-111, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on space vehicles.

[0286]

[0305] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0287]

[0306] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0288]

[0307] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0289]

[0308] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0290]

[0309] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0291]

[0310] While the above disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims in accordance with the aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by user equipment (UE), Receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session, wherein the PRS configuration indicates at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmit / receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicates a first scheduling limit interval for the one or more first PRS resources, and the first scheduling limit interval includes a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the fact that the one or more first PRS resources are configured to be muted; This includes obtaining positioning measurements of one or more of the first PRS resources, The first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals preceding each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals following each of the one or more first PRS resources. A method wherein the PRS configuration indicating the first scheduling limit interval includes the PRS configuration indicating the number of time intervals preceding each of the one or more first PRS resources, and the number of time intervals following each of the one or more first PRS resources.

2. During the first set of adjacent time intervals, the high-priority signals transmitted by the first TRP are not muted based on the fact that one or more first PRS resources are muted, optionally The high-priority signals transmitted by the first TRP include, or optionally include, synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high-priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both, transmitted by the first TRP. The high-priority signal transmitted by the first TRP is indicated in the PRS configuration, the wireless communication standard, or both, or optionally The method according to claim 1, wherein one or more first flags associated with one or more first PRS resources, one or more first PRS resource sets including the one or more first PRS resources, a first positioning frequency layer associated with the first TRP, or the first TRP indicates the high priority signal transmitted by the first TRP.

3. The first set of adjacent time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more first PRS resources, or optionally, The method according to claim 1, wherein the first set of adjacent time intervals includes a first plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

4. The PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource configuration for one or more first PRS resources, The first scheduling limit interval is indicated in the first PRS resource configuration for the one or more first PRS resources, or optionally, The PRS configuration includes a first PRS resource set configuration for a first PRS resource set containing one or more first PRS resources, The method according to claim 1, wherein the first scheduling limit interval is shown in the first PRS resource set configuration.

5. The one or more first PRS resources include a first or more repetitions of the first PRS resource, or optionally, The method according to claim 1, wherein the positioning session includes a time difference in arrival (TDOA) based positioning session, an angle-based positioning session, a round-trip time (RTT) based positioning session, or a signal strength-based positioning session.

6. The PRS configuration further indicates one or more second PRS resources transmitted by the second TRP, The PRS configuration further indicates a second scheduling limit interval for the one or more second PRS resources, The second scheduling limit interval includes a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more second PRS resources configured to be muted based on the fact that the one or more second PRS resources are configured to be muted, The positioning measurements of the one or more first PRS resources are obtained based on the one or more second PRS resources and a second set of adjacent time intervals around each of the muted one or more second PRS resources, optionally The positioning measurement includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between the first TRP and the second TRP. The aforementioned RSTD measurement is greater than 1 millisecond, or optionally, The method according to claim 1, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on a space vehicle.

7. A method of wireless communication performed by a first transmitting / receiving point (TRP), A positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP, wherein the PRS configuration receives a PRS configuration that indicates at least one or more PRS resources transmitted by the second TRP, A scheduling restriction interval for one or more PRS resources, which includes refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during the scheduling restriction interval, the scheduling restriction interval includes a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to be muted on the basis that downlink transmissions are muted in the one or more PRS resources, A method wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for the one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling limit interval is specified for the one or more PRS resources.

8. During the set of adjacent time intervals, the high-priority signals transmitted by the first TRP are not muted, and optionally, The method according to claim 7, wherein the high-priority signal transmitted by the first TRP includes synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), high-priority physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs), or both transmitted by the first TRP.

9. This further includes receiving the scheduling limit interval from the location server or the second TRP, or optionally, The method according to claim 7, wherein the PRS configuration is received from the location server or the second TRP.

10. Muting PRS resource transmissions during a time interval containing one or more of the aforementioned PRS resources, or This further includes refraining from scheduling downlink transmissions during the time interval that includes one or more of the aforementioned PRS resources, or optionally, The set of adjacent time intervals includes the same number of time intervals before and after each of the one or more PRS resources, or optionally, The set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals preceding each of the one or more PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals following each of the one or more PRS resources, or optionally, The method according to claim 7, wherein the set of adjacent time intervals includes a plurality of symbols, slots, subframes, or milliseconds.

11. The PRS configuration includes a PRS resource set configuration for a PRS resource set containing the one or more PRS resources, The scheduling limit interval is as shown in the PRS resource set configuration, or optionally, The method according to claim 7, wherein the first TRP and the second TRP are space vehicles or are located on a space vehicle.

12. User equipment (UE), Memory and At least one transceiver, The system comprises the memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is A positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a positioning session is received via the at least one transceiver, wherein the PRS configuration indicates at least one or more first PRS resources transmitted by a first transmit / receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration further indicates a first scheduling limit interval for the one or more first PRS resources, the first scheduling limit interval includes a first set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more first PRS resources configured to be muted based on the one or more first PRS resources being configured to be muted. It is configured to acquire positioning measurements of one or more first PRS resources, The first set of adjacent time intervals includes a number of time intervals preceding each of the one or more first PRS resources that is different from the number of time intervals following each of the one or more first PRS resources. A UE in which the PRS configuration indicates the first scheduling limit interval, wherein the PRS configuration indicates the number of time intervals preceding each of the one or more first PRS resources, and the number of time intervals following each of the one or more first PRS resources.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 2 to 6.

14. The first transmit / receive point (TRP), Memory and At least one transceiver, The system comprises the memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is A positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a second TRP is received via the at least one transceiver, wherein the PRS configuration indicates at least one or more PRS resources transmitted by the second TRP. A scheduling restriction interval for one or more PRS resources, wherein the scheduling restriction interval includes a set of adjacent time intervals around each of the one or more PRS resources configured to mute downlink transmissions on the basis that the downlink transmissions are muted in the one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling restriction interval is configured to refrain from scheduling the downlink transmissions during the scheduling restriction interval. A first TRP, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS resource configuration for the one or more PRS resources, and the scheduling limit interval is specified for the one or more PRS resources.

15. The first TRP according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 8 to 11.

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