Identification of sidelink positioning reference signals

Abstract

Sidelink (SL) positioning of user equipment (UEs) is supported by providing an indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and an SL PRS source identifier along with the SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE may transmit a payload-based or sequence-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and source identifier. The payload-based indication is included, for example, in a Layer 1 (L1) control message and / or a Layer 2 (L2) control message associated with the SL PRS. The sequence-based indication may be generated using the indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and the source identifier to initialize or seed the generation of the identity of the PRS sequence, to scramble the PRS sequence, or to generate a cover code to be applied to the PRS sequence.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (Related Applications)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17 / 874,151, entitled "IDENTIFICATION OF SIDELINK POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNALS," filed on July 26, 2022, which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] (Technology) BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly to systems, methods, and devices that support positioning.

[0003] (Background technology) Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, positioning, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may utilize multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems.

[0004] In some examples, a wireless multiple-access communication system may include several base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, otherwise known as user equipment (UEs). In an LTE or LTE-A network, a set of one or more base stations may define an eNodeB (eNB). In another example (e.g., in next-generation or 5G networks), a wireless multiple-access communication system may include a number of distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmit / receive points (TRPs), etc.) in communication with a number of central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), and a set of one or more distributed units in communication with the central unit may define an access node (e.g., a new radio base station (NR BS), a new radio node-B (NR NB), a network node, a 5G NB, a gNB, etc.). A base station or a DU may communicate with a set of UEs over a downlink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the base station or to the UEs) and an uplink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the UEs to the base station or the distributed unit). In addition, UEs may communicate directly with each other using sidelink channels.

[0005] The location of a UE may be useful or essential for several applications, including emergency calls, navigation, direction finding, asset tracking, and Internet services. The location of a UE may be estimated based on information collected from various systems. For example, in a cellular network implemented according to LTE or 5G NR, a base station may send downlink reference signals on which positioning measurements are performed by the UE, and / or the UE may send uplink reference signals on which positioning measurements are performed by the base station. The UE may calculate an estimate of its own location using the positioning measurements in UE-based positioning, or may send positioning measurements to a network entity, e.g., a location server, which may calculate the UE's location based on the positioning measurements in UE-assisted positioning. Support for sidelink positioning is desirable. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Sidelink (SL) positioning of user equipment (UEs) is supported by providing an indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and an SL PRS source identifier along with the SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE may transmit a payload-based or sequence-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and source identifier. The payload-based indication is included, for example, in a Layer 1 (L1) control message and / or a Layer 2 (L2) control message associated with the SL PRS. The sequence-based indication may be generated using the indication of the identity of the SL positioning session and the source identifier to initialize or seed the generation of the identity of the PRS sequence, to scramble the PRS sequence, or to generate a cover code to be applied to the PRS sequence.

[0007]

[0007] In one implementation, a method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE) includes transmitting a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including identification information of the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, and transmitting the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0008]

[0008] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: send a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including identification information of the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, and send the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0009]

[0009] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes means for transmitting a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including identification information of the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, and means for transmitting the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0010]

[0010] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code including instructions to: transmit in a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including identification of the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, and transmit the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0011]

[0011] In one implementation, a method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE) includes obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, generating an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE, and transmitting the SL PRS.

[0012]

[0012] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity, at least one memory, and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; generate an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE; and transmit the SL PRS.

[0013]

[0013] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes means for obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, means for generating an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE, and means for transmitting the SL PRS.

[0014]

[0014] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code including instructions to obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier, generate an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE, and transmit the SL PRS. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]

[0015] The architecture of a communication system including several UEs, a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a 5G Core Network (5GC). [Figure 2]

[0016] 1 shows a signal flow for signaling between UEs for pairwise sidelink positioning. [Figure 3A]

[0017] 10A-10C each illustrate a slotted sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, and various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission, respectively; [Figure 3B] 10A-10C each illustrate a slotted sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, and various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission, respectively; [Figure 3C] 10A-10C each illustrate a slotted sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, and various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission, respectively; [Figure 3D] 10A-10C each illustrate a slotted sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, and various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission, respectively; [Figure 4]

[0018] 10 shows a signal flow for procedures and signaling between UEs to support sidelink (SL) positioning, where a payload-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session is provided along with the transmitted SL PRS. [Figure 5]

[0019] 10 shows a signal flow for procedures and signaling between UEs to support sidelink (SL) positioning, where a sequence-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session is provided along with the transmitted SL PRS. [Figure 6]

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of a UE configured to support sidelink positioning operations using payload-based or sequence-based indication of identity of a SL positioning session and source ID. [Figure 7]

[0021] 1 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for supporting SL positioning using payload-based indication of SL positioning session identification information. [Figure 8]

[0022] 1 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for supporting SL positioning using payload-based indication of SL positioning session identification information.

[0016]

[0023] Elements are designated in the figures by numerical labels, with like-numbered elements in various figures representing the same or similar elements. Different instances of a common element are designated by following the numerical label of the common element with a different numerical suffix. In this case, referring to the numerical label without the suffix refers to every instance of the common element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017]

[0024] 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.

[0018]

[0025] The description may refer to sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. The various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. The sequences of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause an associated processor to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, the various aspects described herein may be embodied in several different forms, all of which are within the scope of the present disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0019]

[0026] The terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” as used herein are not specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. Generally, such a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Industrial IoT (IIoT), etc.) used to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or may be stationary (e.g., at a particular time) and may communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). For example, as used herein, a UE may be an infrastructure node such as a roadside unit (RSU), a Positioning Reference Unit (PRU), etc. As used herein, the term "UE" may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT," a "client device," a "wireless device," a "subscriber device," a "subscriber terminal," a "subscriber station," a "user terminal" or UT, a "mobile terminal," a "mobile station," an RSU, a PRU, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can connect 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 WiFi network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0020]

[0027] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs while communicating with UEs and may alternatively be referred to as an Access Point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), general Node B (gNodeB, gNB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, the base station may simply provide edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems the base station may provide additional control and / or network management functionality.

[0021]

[0028] A UE may be embodied by any of several types of devices, including, but not limited to, a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wireline phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a tracking device, an asset tag, etc. A communication link through which a UE can transmit signals to a RAN is called an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a RAN can send signals to a UE is called a downlink channel or a forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). A communication link through which a UE can send signals to other UEs is called a sidelink channel. As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward or sidelink traffic channel.

[0022]

[0029] The terms "cell" or "sector" as used herein may correspond to one of multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself, depending on the context. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., via a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish between adjacent cells operating over the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area over which the logical entity operates.

[0023]

[0030] Standardization of cellular systems, such as Fifth Generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) network systems, is underway in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 3GPP Release 16 and Release 17 have introduced standardization and support for several technologies that enable and enhance positioning in cellular systems. As examples, RAT-dependent positioning systems that have undergone standardization include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) (using Received Signal Strength (RSS) and Round-Trip Time (RTT), optionally using Angle of Arrival (AoA)), downlink (DL) positioning such as Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), and uplink (UL) positioning such as Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA). RAT-independent positioning systems that have undergone standardization include the Enhanced Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and other technologies such as Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Bluetooth, Terrestrial Beason System (TBS), and sensor-based positioning including barometric and motion sensors. In addition, hybrid positioning is undergoing standardization that includes the use of multiple methods for positioning, for example, A-GNSS+OT-DOA hybrid positioning.

[0024]

[0031] Standardization of sidelink (SL) positioning may occur in the future, for example, in 3GPP Release 18. SL positioning may use reference signals, such as positioning reference signals (PRS), transmitted and received by UEs over sidelink channels, which may be measured to determine distances between UEs, angles of arrival of signals, relative positions of UEs, etc., which may be used to further determine absolute positions of UEs, if desired, based on the known positions of one or more UEs.

[0025]

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system 100 including a first UE 105A, a second UE 105B, a Radio Access Network (RAN) 135, here a fifth generation (5G) Next Generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN), and a 5G Core Network (5GC) 140. The 5GC 140 may be, for example, a public land mobile network (PLMN). The UEs 105A and 105B may be individually referred to as UEs 105 or collectively referred to as UEs 105 herein. The UEs 105 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracking device, a mobile phone, a vehicle, an on-board unit (OBU), or other similar types of devices. The UEs 105 may additionally be considered an RSU or a PRU. The 5G network may also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network, the NG-RAN 135 may also be referred to as a 5G RAN or an NR RAN, and the 5GC 140 may also be referred to as an NG Core network (NGC). Standardization of the NG-RAN and 5GC is underway in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Thus, the NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may conform to current and future standards for 5G support from 3GPP. The RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The UE 105B may be configured to send and / or receive signals to / from similar other entities in the system 100 and may be similarly coupled to the UE 105A.Communications system 100 may utilize information from a constellation of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190 for a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou, or some other local or regional SPS, such as the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of communications system 100 are described below. Communications system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0026]

[0033] As shown in FIG. 1 , the NG-RAN 135 includes NR NodeBs (gNBs) 110a, 110b, and a next generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) 114, and the 5GC 140 includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, a Session Management Function (SMF) 117, a Location Management Function (LMF) 120, a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, a User Plane Function (UPF) 118, and a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SUPL SLP) 119. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to wirelessly communicate bidirectionally with the UE 105, and are communicatively coupled to and configured to communicate bidirectionally with the AMF 115 and UPF 118. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are sometimes referred to as base stations (BSs). The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC 125 is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, and SUPL SLP 119 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the SUPL SLP 119 is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The SMF 117 may further serve as an initial point of contact for a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown), which creates, controls, and deletes media sessions.The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may be macrocells (e.g., high-power cellular base stations), or small cells (e.g., low-power cellular base stations), or access points (e.g., short-range base stations configured to communicate with short-range technologies such as WiFi, WiFi-Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Bluetooth-low energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may be configured to communicate with the UE 105 over multiple carriers. Each of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic area, e.g., a cell. Each cell may be partitioned into multiple sectors depending on the base station antenna.

[0027]

[0034] 1 provides a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as desired. In particular, while only the UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communications system 100. Similarly, the communications system 100 may include many more (or fewer) SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190 shown), gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external clients 130, and / or other components. The connections shown connecting the various components in the communications system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0028]

[0035] 1 shows a 5G-based network, similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (whether for 5G technology and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure the directional signals at a UE (e.g., the UE 105) or base station 110a, 110b, 114, and / or provide location assistance to the UE 105 (via the LMF 120 or SUPL SLP 119 or other location server), and / or calculate the location of one or both of the UEs 105 at a location-enabled device such as the UE 105, base station 110a, 110b, LMF 120, or SUPL SLP 119 based on measurements received at the UE 105 or base station 110a, 110b, 114 of such directionally transmitted signals. The GMLC 125, LMF 120, AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, SUPL SLP 119, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNBs (gNodeBs) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other entities, including location server functionality and / or base station functionality, in various embodiments.

[0029]

[0036] System 100 is capable of wireless communication in that components of system 100 can communicate with one another (at least sometimes using a wireless connection) directly or indirectly, for example, via base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and / or network 140 (and / or one or more other devices, not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). In the case of indirect communication, the communication may be altered during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to alter header information of data packets, to change format, etc. UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communication device, but may communicate wirelessly and via a wired connection. UE 105 may be any of a variety of devices, such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., although these are merely examples and other configurations of UE may be used, as UE 105 is not required to be any of these configurations. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or headsets, etc.). Still other UEs, whether currently existing or developed in the future, may be used. Additionally, other wireless devices (mobile or not) may be implemented within the system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, the core network 140, and / or the external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include IoT or IIoT devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The core network 140 may communicate with the external clients 130 (e.g., computer systems), for example, to enable the external clients 130 to request and / or receive location information regarding the UE 105 (e.g., via the GMLC 125 or the SUPL SLP 119).

[0030]

[0037] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi® communications, multiple frequencies of Wi-Fi communications, satellite positioning, one or more types of communications (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobiles)), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (e.g., V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian), V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure), V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). The V2X communications may be cellular (Cellular-V2X, C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Connection)). System 100 may support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals at different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can simultaneously transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal, a Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal may be transmitted on a different carrier and may carry pilot, overhead information, data, etc.The UEs 105 may communicate with each other via UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a sidelink channel state information reference signal (SL-CSIRS), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), or a sidelink sounding reference signal (SL-SRS).

[0031]

[0038] The UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), or by some other name. Furthermore, the UE 105 may correspond to a cell phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a PDA, a tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an asset tracker, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or movable device. Typically, although not necessarily, the UE 105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also referred to as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. The UE 105 may support wireless communications using, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or packet cable.Use of one or more of these RATs may enable UE 105 to communicate with external client 130 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 not shown in FIG. 1 or possibly GMLC 125) and / or may enable external client 130 to receive location information regarding UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125 or SUPL SLP 119).

[0032]

[0039] Each UE 105 may comprise a single entity or may comprise multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices and / or body sensors and a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of the location of a UE, e.g., UE 105, may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic and thus provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the UE that may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height or depth above ground, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or as a designation of some point or small area in a building, such as a particular room or floor). The location of the UE may be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geographically or urbanically) within which the UE is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of a UE may be expressed as a relative location comprising, for example, a distance and a direction from a known location. The relative location may also be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin in the known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in terms of a city, or by reference to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to determine the local x-, y-, and possibly z-coordinates and then convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level) if desired.

[0033]

[0040] The UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. The UE 105 may be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, etc. One or more of a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a Transmission / Reception Point (TRP), such as one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without the involvement of a TRP. One or more of a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from a base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without the involvement of a TRP.

[0034]

[0041] The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 include NR Node Bs referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. The pair of gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other through one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communication between the UE and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and the gNBs 110a, 110b may provide wireless communication access to the 5G Grid Control System 140 for UEs using 5G. In FIG. 1, the serving gNB for UE 105A is assumed to be gNB 110b, while the serving gNB for UE 105B is assumed to be gNB 110a; however, another gNB may serve as the serving gNB if the UE 105 moves to another location, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE 105, and the UEs 105 may share the same serving gNB.

[0035]

[0042] 1 may include the ng-eNB 114, also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons that may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105 but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or from other UEs.

[0036]

[0043] Each of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within the base station's cell may include a TRP, or the multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., share a processor but have separate antennas). The system 100 may include only macro TRPs, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro, pico, and / or femto TRPs. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a few kilometers in radius) and allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A femto TRP or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and allow restricted access by terminals associated with the femto cell (e.g., a terminal for a user in a home).

[0037]

[0044] The communications system 100 may support NR and may support communications between one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and supported UEs 105. The UEs may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. As part of the communications, each of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and the UEs 105 may support reference signal transmissions for operations including channel estimation, beam management and scheduling, and wireless device positioning within the coverage area of ​​one or more base stations.

[0038]

[0045] For example, the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more downlink reference signals for NR communications, including channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmissions. Each CSI-RS transmission may be configured for a particular UE 105 to estimate the channel and report channel quality information. The reported channel quality information may be used for scheduling or link adaptation at the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, or as part of mobility or beam management procedures for directional transmissions associated with extended channel resources. Similarly, the UE 105 may be configured to transmit uplink signals to one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and sidelink transmissions between the UEs 105.

[0039]

[0046] The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more additional downlink reference signals, including positioning reference signal (PRS) transmissions. The PRS transmissions may be configured for a particular UE 105 to measure and report one or more reporting parameters (e.g., reporting quantities) associated with positioning and location information. The PRS transmissions and reporting parameter feedback may support various location services (e.g., navigation systems, emergency communications). In some examples, the reporting parameters augment one or more additional location systems (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS) technology) supported by the UE 105.

[0040]

[0047] The base station 110a, 110b, 114 may configure PRS transmissions on one or more PRS resources of a channel. A PRS resource may span resource elements of multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) within one or more OFDM symbols of a slot, depending on the configured number of ports. For example, a PRS resource may span one symbol of a slot and include one port for transmission. In any OFDM symbol, a PRS resource may occupy consecutive PRBs. In some examples, PRS transmissions may be mapped to consecutive OFDM symbols of a slot. In other examples, PRS transmissions may be mapped to interspersed OFDM symbols of a slot. Additionally, PRS transmissions may support frequency hopping within a PRB of a channel.

[0041]

[0048] One or more PRS resources may span several PRS resource sets according to the PRS resource configuration of the base station 110 a, 110 b, 114. The structure of one or more PRS resources, PRS resource sets, and PRS resource configurations within a PRS transmission may be referred to as a multi-level resource configuration. For example, the multi-level PRS resource configuration of the base station 110 a, 110 b, 114 may include multiple PRS resource sets, and each PRS resource set may include a set of PRS resources (such as a set of four PRS resources).

[0042]

[0049] The UE 105 may receive a PRS transmission via one or more PRS resources of the slot. The UE 105 may determine reporting parameters for at least some, if not each PRS resource included in the transmission. The reporting parameters (which may include a reporting quantity) for each PRS resource may include one or more of a time of arrival (TOA), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a reference signal receive power (RSRP), an angle, a PRS identification number, a receive-to-transmit difference (UE Rx-Tx), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a reference signal receive quality (RSRQ).

[0043]

[0050] Similarly, the UE 105 may be configured to transmit one or more additional uplink reference signals that can be received by the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and used for positioning. For example, the UE 105 may transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning. The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 that receive the uplink reference signals from the UE 105 may perform positioning measurements such as one or more of a time of arrival (TOA), a difference between receive and transmit (UE Rx-Tx), etc.

[0044]

[0051] Aspects of the wireless communication system 100 may include the use of downlink PRS transmissions by the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or uplink SRS transmissions by the UE, e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B, for UE location determination. For downlink-based UE location determination, a location server in an NR network, e.g., the LMF 120 or the E-SMLC in LTE (sometimes referred to as location server 120), may be used to provide positioning assistance such as PRS assistance data (AD) to the UE. For uplink-based UE location determination, the location server 120 and / or a serving base station, e.g., the gNB 110a, may be used to provide positioning assistance such as SRS assistance data to receiving entities, such as base stations (e.g., the gNBs 110a, 110b, and other UE(s)). The SRS assistance data may include, for example, SRS transmission opportunities and other parameters, such as a reference signal pattern, power if different from nominal, number of repetitions, etc.

[0045]

[0052] A UE's position estimate may be determined using reference signals, such as PRS or SRS for positioning signals or other reference signals from one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or the UE. Positioning methods such as time difference of arrival (TDOA), DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), DL angle of departure (DL AoD), and extended cell ID (ECID) are positioning methods that may be used to estimate a UE's position using reference signals from base stations. For example, TDOA relies on measuring reference signal time differences (RSTDs) between a downlink (DL) signal received from a base station for a reference cell and a DL signal received from a base station(s) for one or more neighboring cells. DL signals from which RTSDs may be obtained comprise cell-specific reference signals (CRSs) and positioning reference signals (PRSs), for example, as defined in 3GPP TS36.211.

[0046]

[0053] Other positioning methods may use reference signals transmitted by the UE, including uplink-based positioning methods and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. For example, uplink-based positioning methods include, for example, UL Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDOA), UL Angle of Arrival (UL AoA), and UL Relative Time of Arrival (UL-RTOA), while downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include, for example, round-trip time (RTT) with one or more neighbor base stations. In addition, sidelink-based positioning may be used, in which the UE transmits and / or receives sidelink positioning reference signals that are measured and used for positioning.

[0047]

[0054] As noted, while FIG. 1 illustrates nodes configured to communicate according to 5G communication protocols, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, the LTE protocol or the IEEE 802.11x protocol, may also be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to the UE 105, the RAN may include an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where in FIG. 1, the E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN 135 and the EPC corresponds to the 5G Node B 140.

[0048]

[0055] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115, which in turn communicates with the LMF 120 for positioning functions. The AMF 115 may support mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and may be responsible for supporting signaling connections to the UE 105 and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly or indirectly with the UE 105 or with the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, for example, via wireless communication. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135 and may support positioning procedures / methods such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) (e.g., downlink (DL) TDOA or uplink (UL) TDOA), Real Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Extended Cell ID (E-CID), angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 may process location service requests for the UE 105, for example, received from the AMF 115 or from the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a commercial LMF (CLMF), or a value added LMF (VLMF).A node / system implementing the LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SUPL SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including derivation of the UE's location) may be performed in the UE (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE for signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as the gNBs 110a, 110b and / or the ng-eNB 114 and / or assistance data provided to the UE by the LMF 120). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including derivation of the UE's location) may alternatively be performed in the LMF 120 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the gNBs 110a, 110b and / or the ng-eNB 114). The AMF 115 may act as a control node that handles signaling between the UE 105 and the core network 140 and provides quality of service (QoS) flow and session management. The AMF 115 may support the mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and may be responsible for supporting signaling connections to the UE 105.

[0049]

[0056] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 and may forward such location requests to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location request directly to the LMF 120. A location response (e.g., including a location estimate for the UE 105) from the LMF 120 may be returned to the GMLC 125 either directly or via the AMF 115, which may then return the location response (e.g., including the location estimate) to the external client 130. Although the GMLC 125 is shown connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, in some implementations, only one of these connections may be supported by the 5GC 140.

[0050]

[0057] The User Plane Function (UPF) 118 may support voice and data bearers for the UE 105 and enable voice and data access for the UE 105 to other networks, such as the Internet. The UPF 118 may be connected to the gNB 110 and the ng-eNB 114. The UPF 118's functions may include external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session points for interconnection to data networks, packet (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP)) routing and forwarding, the user plane portion of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement, Quality of Service (QoS) handling for the user plane, downlink packet buffering, and triggering of downlink data notifications. The UPF 118 may be connected to the SUPL SLP 119 to enable support for positioning of the UE 105 using SUPL. The SUPL SLP 119 may further be connected to or accessible by the external client 130.

[0051]

[0058] As shown, a session management function (SMF) 117 connects the AMF 115 and the UPF 118. The SMF 117 may have the ability to control both the local UPF and the central UPF within a PDU session. The SMF 117 may manage the establishment, modification, and release of PDU sessions for the UE 105, perform IP address allocation and management for the UE 105, act as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for the UE 105, and select and control the UPF 118 for the UE 105.

[0052]

[0059] 1, the LMF 120 may communicate with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 using the New Radio Position Protocol A (sometimes referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa), which is defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, and NRPPa messages are transferred between the gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120 and / or between the ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115. As further shown in FIG. 1, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. Here, LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b, or the serving ng-eNB 114 for the UE 105. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and may be transferred between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. Because the messages are transparent to the serving gNB, i.e., the serving gNB does not need to understand the content of the messages and simply forwards the communication between the LMF 120 and the UE 105, communication between the LMF 120 and the UE 105 using the LPP protocol may be referred to herein as direct communication.In contrast, during communication using an NPP protocol such as NRPPa, the serving gNB unpacks the messages and extracts the content that is packed and sent to the UE over the Uu air interface, e.g., via Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), etc. The NPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, AOA, AOD, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using network-based positioning methods such as E-CID (e.g., when used in conjunction with measurements obtained by the gNBs 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional synchronization signal (SS) transmissions from the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. While the LMF 120 is shown in FIG. 1 as being located in the core network 140, it may also be outside the core network 140, e.g., in the NG-RAN. For example, the LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with a gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0053]

[0060] In a UE-assisted positioning method, a UE, e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B, may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculation of a location estimate for the UE. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), a Round Trip Signal Propagation Time (RTT), a Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and / or a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), an AOA, and an AOD for the gNB 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB 114, and / or a WLAN AP. The location measurements may also or instead include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and / or carrier phase for SV 190-193.

[0054]

[0061] In a UE-based positioning method, a UE, for example, UE 105A or UE 105B, may obtain location measurements (which may, for example, be the same as or similar to location measurements for a UE-assisted positioning method) and may calculate the location of the UE (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as LMF 120 or broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, or other base station or AP).

[0055]

[0062] In a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114), sidelink UEs, or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or Time of Arrival (ToA) measurements for signals transmitted by a UE, e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B) and / or receive measurements obtained by the UE. The one or more base stations or APs may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculation of a location estimate for the UE.

[0056]

[0063] Using the NRPPa, information provided by the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 to the LMF 120 may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions, as well as location coordinates. The LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to the UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140.

[0057]

[0064] An LPP or NPP message sent from the LMF 120 to the UE 105 may instruct the UE 105 to do any of a variety of things depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for the UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or TDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct the UE 105 to obtain one or more measurements (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE 105 may send the measurement quantities back to the LMF 120 in an LPP message or an NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0058]

[0065] As mentioned, although communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., used to support and interact with mobile devices such as UE 105 (e.g., to perform voice, data, positioning, and other functions). In some such embodiments, 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC 140 may be connected to a WLAN using a Non-3GPP InterWorking Function (N3IWF, not shown in FIG. 1 ) in 5GC 150. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and may comprise one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and to other elements in 5GC 140, such as AMF 115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may be replaced with one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in an EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including eNBs, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in place of the AMF 115, an E-SMLC in place of the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send and receive location information to and from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of the UE 105 using a directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for a 5G network, except that the functions and procedures described herein for the gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may alternatively apply to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs, in some cases.

[0059]

[0066] Positioning for UEs in a wireless network, such as the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1, typically uses the Uu interface, i.e., the air interface between the UE and the radio access network, to support uplink-based positioning and downlink-based positioning. In uplink-based positioning, the UE 105 transmits an SRS, and a base station (e.g., gNB(s)) 110 receives the SRS and performs measurements. The SRS is transmitted by the UE 105 without other signals in the same OFDM symbol. In downlink-based positioning, the base station (e.g., gNB(s)) 110 transmits a PRS, and the UE 105 receives the PRS and performs measurements. The PRS is transmitted by the base station 110 without other signals in the same OFDM symbol. In uplink-based or downlink-based positioning, the network, e.g., the gNB 110 (or a location server), schedules or configures transmission times for the SRS and / or PRS, and both the transmitting and receiving entities are aware of the scheduled or configured transmission times.

[0060]

[0067] Positioning for a UE may use a sidelink PRS (sometimes referred to as SL-PRS), which may be a specific sidelink-defined reference signal for positioning, or may reuse a Uu PRS, e.g., an UL PRS, which may be referred to as a Sounding Reference Signal for positioning (SRSPos), or other reference signals may be transmitted in the sidelink channel. Sidelink positioning may extend UE positioning by providing additional transmitting (or receiving) nodes. UEs, such as sidelink UE 105B, with known locations may be used to support position determination of a target UE, such as UE 105, and sidelink UEs may be referred to as anchor nodes.

[0061]

[0068] The SL PRS may be transmitted on the same carrier as the sidelink communication used to initiate or configure the sidelink positioning or ranging session. Alternatively, the SL PRS may be transmitted on a different carrier than the sidelink communication used to initiate or configure the sidelink positioning or ranging session. For example, the different carriers may be in the same frequency band or in different frequency bands. The frequency band(s) used for SL positioning may be unlicensed, in addition to licensed and dedicated bands. For example, the frequency band(s) used to transmit the SL PRS may be unlicensed, but a licensed or dedicated band may be used to initiate or configure the sidelink positioning or ranging session.

[0062]

[0069] Using a sidelink positioning method, for example, UE 105A may transmit a sidelink PRS or SRS signal that is received and measured by UE 105B. Additionally or alternatively, UE 105B may transmit a sidelink PRS or SRS signal that is received and measured by UE 105A. Measurements of SL PRS or SRS signals may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSRP, RSRQ, and AOA. SL positioning methods may include SL RTT (also called ranging), SL AOA, and SL AOD. In some scenarios, a group of UEs (not shown in FIG. 1) may support SL positioning. In this case, one UE in the group may transmit a SL PRS or SRS signal that can be measured by some or all of the other UEs in the group. Some or all of the other UEs in the group may also transmit SL PRS or SRS signals that can be measured by some or all of the other UEs in the group different from the UE transmitting the UL PRS or ULS SRS (e.g., each UE transmits the SL SRS or PRS at one or more times different from the times at which other UEs in the group transmit the SL PRS or SRS). Measurements made by the UE applicable to the SL PRS or SRS transmission by the group of UEs may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSTD, AOA, RSRP, and RSRQ. Positioning methods supported by these measurements may include sidelink RTT (e.g., ranging), sidelink AOA, sidelink AOD, and sidelink TDOA (SL-TDOA). Based on the measurements and the positioning method(s), each UE may determine its own or the other UE's relative or absolute location. For example, the relative location of a UE may include the locations of one or more other UEs in the group.

[0063]

[0070] Sidelink positioning can be used for positioning UEs independently of the core network. One example implementation of sidelink positioning can be found in vehicular communication systems such as V2X, which can be used for safety-related applications such as safety warnings, traffic congestion (e.g., automated traffic control), and cooperative or automated vehicle steering. Sidelink positioning can be used between UEs, including between UEs, RSUs, and PRUs with network access independence. Sidelink positioning can be used between pairs of UEs (e.g., ranging), groups of UEs (V2X), and with UE membership in multiple groups. By way of example, sidelink positioning can provide support for various positioning technologies currently standardized, e.g., in Release 18, such as PRS RTT, AoA, DAoA, AoD, and DAoD, but can also allow for the addition of other PRS capabilities and non-PRS methods in later releases. Standardization of sidelink positioning may occur in the future.

[0064]

[0071] Figure 2 is a signal flow 200 illustrating, by way of example, signaling between a UE 105A and a UE 105B for pair-wise sidelink positioning. For example, the UEs 105A and 105B may be the UEs shown in Figure 1. The sidelink positioning shown in Figure 2 is network independent.

[0065]

[0072] In stage 0 of FIG. 2, UE discovery and sidelink communication session establishment are performed. The discovery process can be request-response or announcement-based. The discovery phase can be performed by one or both of the UEs 105A and 105B, for example, to detect other UEs available for sidelink positioning. For example, discovery messages can be exchanged between the UEs 105A and / or 105B to determine nearby UEs available to participate in sidelink positioning. Additional messages can be exchanged to establish a sidelink positioning session between the UEs 105A and 105B. For example, the UEs can exchange one or more group criteria parameters for group formation, such as the relative distance between the UEs, the duration the UEs have been communicating with the other UEs, the direction and / or speed of the UEs' movement, etc. Based on the group criteria parameters, the UE can determine whether to form a group and can determine a group status indication for the other UE, e.g., indicating inclusion in or exclusion of the other UE from the group with the UE. In FIG. 2, for example, it is assumed that UEs 105A and 105B meet one or more group criteria and are included in a group (eg, a group of two UEs).

[0066]

[0073] In stage 1, the UEs 105A and 105B may exchange SLP capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include QoS, using, for example, capability and resource request messages and capability and resource provision messages, as described above. The exchanged capabilities may define what each of the UEs 105A and 105B is implemented to support. The exchanged resources define which capabilities each of the UEs 105A and 105B is authorized to support, which capabilities each of the UEs 105A and 105B is not authorized to support, or both. The sidelink positioning capabilities that the UE is or is not allowed to support may include permissions or restrictions on one or more of the following: sidelink PRS transmission time, sidelink PRS measurement time, sidelink PRS transmission duration, sidelink PRS measurement duration, sidelink PRS transmission bandwidth, measured sidelink PRS bandwidth, sidelink PRS transmission RF frequency, measured sidelink PRS RF frequency, sidelink PRS signal coding, measured sidelink PRS signal coding, sidelink PRS transmission periodicity, measured sidelink PRS periodicity, transmit power for sidelink PRS transmissions, transmit power for measured sidelink PRS, or any combination thereof. The service requirements include an indication of at least one of instant location, deferred location, periodic location, triggered location, relative location, global location, location accuracy, location latency, location periodicity, location reliability, or any combination thereof. The exchanged Quality of Service (QoS) defines the type of location (e.g., single or periodic), accuracy, latency, periodicity, and reliability that each UE requests or expects in a sidelink positioning session.

[0067]

[0074] In stage 2, the UE 105A transmits a positioning signal PRS1. The PRS1 configuration may be defined based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include, for example, QoS, of the UEs 105A and 105B. The PRS1 configuration may be the same as or similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS37.355 for LPP, except that the PRS1 configuration may refer to a PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or a group of UEs, for example.

[0068]

[0075] In stage 3, the UE 105B measures the positioning signal PRS1. The UE 105B may measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS1 transmitted by the UE 105A.

[0069]

[0076] In stage 4, the UE 105B transmits a positioning signal PRS2. Similar to PRS1 described in stage 2, the configuration of PRS2 may be defined based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include, for example, QoS, of the UEs 105A and 105B. The PRS2 configuration may be the same as or similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS37.355 for LPP, except that the PRS2 configuration may refer to a PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or between a group of UEs, for example.

[0070]

[0077] In step 5, the UE 105A measures the positioning signal PRS2. The UE 105A may measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS2 transmitted by the UE 105B.

[0071]

[0078] In step 6, the UE 105A and the UE 105B exchange measurements, which may indicate, for example, the time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide the measurements generated in steps 3 and 5.

[0072]

[0079] In step 7, the UE 105A and the UE 105B may determine their relative locations, e.g., the distance and velocity between the UEs 105A and 105B, based on the measurements generated in steps 3 and 5 and received in step 6. For example, the UEs may determine the distance based on the TOD and TOA of the PRS signals. For example, the distance may be determined based on TODi and TOAi for the PRSi signals as follows (i=1 for the PRS transmitted by the UE 105A in step 2, i=2 for the PRS transmitted by the UE 105B in step 4, and c represents the speed of transmission of electromagnetic waves, e.g., the speed of light):

[0073]

number

[0074]

[0080] As shown in step 8, steps 2 through 7 can be repeated if desired.

[0075]

[0081] 3A-3D each illustrate a slotted sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, respectively, and illustrate various options for the structure of sidelink positioning signal transmission. As described above in steps 2 and 4, the configuration of the positioning signals (PRS1 and PRS2) used in sidelink positioning is similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 for LPP. For example, NR radio resources are defined in the time and frequency domains, and the sidelink may have the same or similar radio frames, subframes, and slots as the NR uplink / downlink, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.211. Sidelink communication may also support different numerologies with shorter slot times, e.g., for low latency requirements.

[0076]

[0082] 3A illustrates a sidelink transmission structure 300 with a PRS 301, e.g., from a single UE (e.g., UE0). The sidelink transmission structure 300 is an example of a slot format for sidelink transmissions, which may be the same as or similar to the NR slot format for downlink and uplink transmissions. As shown, each slot of the sidelink transmission structure 300 may include a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) 304, a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) 306, an automatic gain control (AGC) 308, and a guard (gap) symbol 310. In some implementations, the sidelink transmission structure 300 may include additional or other channels, such as a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS), etc. Each PSSCH 304, e.g., contains user data traffic and is associated with a PSCCH 306. The PSCCH 306 may be transmitted on the same slot as the PSSCH 306 and includes control information, i.e., sidelink control information (SCI), which is divided into two phases. The first phase (SCI-1) is transmitted on the PSCCH 306 associated with the PSSCH 304, and the second phase (SCI-2) is transmitted on the corresponding PSSCH 304. The second phase (SCI-2) may be mapped to consecutive resource blocks (RBs) in the PSSCH, for example, starting from the first symbol bearing the PSSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS). The SCI in the first phase may include, for example, control information for resource allocation and resource reservation period, such as priority, frequency, and time resource allocation, as well as decoding of second phase control, among others. The SCI in the second phase may include control information for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID, new data indicator, redundancy version, source ID, and destination ID, among others.

[0077]

[0083] As shown in FIG. 3A, in a positioning operation, a PRS 301 from a single UE may be included in one or more slots of the sidelink transmission structure 300, e.g., the PRS 301 is transmitted together with at least a PSCCH 306 and possibly a PSSCH 304.

[0078]

[0084] 3B shows another sidelink transmission structure 320 with standalone PRSs from several UEs. The standalone PRSs from each UE, e.g., PRS0 321 from UE0, PRS1 323 from UE1, and PRS2 325 from UE2, may be transmitted in multiple slots without other signaling, for example.

[0079]

[0085] 3C shows another sidelink transmission structure 340 similar to the sidelink transmission structure 300 shown in FIG. 3A but involving transmission of PRSs from multiple UEs. For example, a PRS from each UE, e.g., PRS0 from UE0 341, PRS1 from UE1 343, and PRS2 from UE2 345, is transmitted in multiple slots along with PSSCH 344, PSCCH 346, AGC 348, and guard (gap) symbols 350.

[0080]

[0086] Figure 3D shows another sidelink transmission structure 360 ​​similar to the sidelink transmission structure 340 shown in Figure 3C, but with transmission of PRSs from multiple UEs. For example, a PRS from each UE, e.g., PRSO 361 from UE0, PRSI 363 from UE1, PRS2 365 from UE2, and PRS3 367 from UE3, is transmitted in multiple slots along with PSCCH 366, AGC 368, and guard (gap) symbols 370.

[0081]

[0087] One aspect of sidelink positioning that requires a solution is how to identify the source of a PRS transmission or the positioning or ranging session associated with a PRS transmission.

[0082]

[0088] In one implementation, a payload-based indication sent in L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling, such as SCL2 or MAC-CE, may be used to identify the SL positioning session. For example, when SL PRS are transmitted with a PSCCH and PRSs from a single UE are transmitted in a slot, a source ID provided in L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling, such as SCI-2 or MAC-CE, may be used to identify the transmitter of the SL PRS, as shown in FIG. 3A. In addition, an indication of the positioning / ranging session identifier associated with the SL PRS may also be sent in L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling, such as SCI-2 or MAC-CE.

[0083]

[0089] Figure 4 is a signal flow 400 illustrating procedures and signaling between UEs 105A and 105B for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, where, by way of example, a payload-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session is provided along with the transmitted SL PRS. For example, UEs 105A and 105B may be, for example, the UEs shown in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 4 may be an extension of Figure 2. Also, in some implementations, additional signaling and / or additional UEs may be included in signal flow 400.

[0084]

[0090] As shown in FIG. 4, in stage 1, UE 105A may transmit a message including session information, which may be received by UE 105B. Stage 1 of FIG. 4 may be similar to stage 1 of FIG. 2, for example, and may include an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and identifiers of one or more UEs involved in the SL positioning session. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, an SL positioning session ID, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a direct frame number (DFN) or a system frame number (SFN), or both), an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof. The message may further include the number of UEs involved in the positioning / ranging session, which may be an indication of an SL positioning session identifier. It should be understood that multiple messages may be transmitted to provide one or more of the SL positioning session identifier indications. In some implementations, additional UEs may transmit and / or receive session information in stage 1. For example, the UE 105B may transmit session information that is received by the UE 105A.

[0085]

[0091] In stage 2, the UE 105A transmits a positioning signal, e.g., an SL PRS, associated with the SL PRS and a message including a payload with an indication of the SL positioning session identifier associated with the SL PRS, which is received by the UE 105B. The payload further includes an identification of the UE 105A as the source of the SL PRS transmission in stage 2. As in stage 2 of FIG. 2, the configuration of the SL PRS may be the same as or similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 for LPP, except that it may refer to a PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or a group of UEs. The message with the payload may be provided in L1 control signaling, L2 control signaling, or higher layer signaling, such as SCI stage 2 (SCI-2) or MAC-CE.

[0086]

[0092] The payload in stage 2 may include an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. For example, in some implementations, the SL positioning session identifier may be provided in the payload. Additionally or alternatively, other indications of the SL positioning session identifier may be provided. For example, the number of UEs involved in the positioning / ranging session may be transmitted in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In one implementation, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE may be transmitted in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In one implementation, a time indicator (e.g., slot index, DFN / SFN index, or both) when the ranging / positioning session is initiated may be transmitted in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In one implementation, an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session is initiated may be transmitted and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier.

[0087]

[0093] In step 3, the UE 105B measures the positioning signal PRS received in step 2. As described in FIG. 2, the UE 105B may measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS transmitted by the UE 105A.

[0088]

[0094] In stage 4, as in stage 2, UE 105B may transmit a positioning signal, e.g., an SL PRS, and a message associated with the SL PRS, including a payload having an indication of the SL positioning session identifier associated with the SL PRS and identification of UE 105B as the source of the transmission of the SL PRS in stage 4, which is received by UE 105A.

[0089]

[0095] In step 5, the UE 105A measures the positioning signal PRS received in step 4. The UE 105A may measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS transmitted by the UE 105B.

[0090]

[0096] In step 6, the UE 105A and the UE 105B may exchange measurements. The exchange of measurements may indicate, for example, the time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide the measurements generated in steps 3 and 5. The UEs 105A and 105B may determine a distance based on the measurements, for example, as described in step 7 of FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, the UEs 105A and 105B may determine a relative or absolute location based on the measurements. The UEs 105A and 105B may also repeat steps 2-6 if desired.

[0091]

[0097] In one implementation, a sequence-based indication may be used to identify the SL positioning session. The sequence-based indication in the SL PRS may be generated, for example, based on the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identity, which may be decoded by the receiving UE. For example, the SL PRS may be generated using a PRS sequence generator, which may be initialized or seeded based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier. In another example, the PRS sequence may be scrambled based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier. In another example, a cover code may be used with the PRS sequence, and the cover code is based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier.

[0092]

[0098] Figure 5 is a signal flow 500 illustrating procedures and signaling between UEs 105A and 105B for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, where, by way of example, a sequence-based indication of the identity of the SL positioning session is provided along with the transmitted SL PRS. For example, UEs 105A and 105B may be the UEs shown in Figures 1 and 2, and Figure 5 may be an extension of Figure 2. Also, in some implementations, additional signaling and / or additional UEs may be included in signal flow 500.

[0093]

[0099] As shown in FIG. 5, in stage 1, UE 105A may transmit a message including session information, which may be received by UE 105B. Stage 1 of FIG. 4 may be similar to stage 1 of FIG. 2, for example, and may include an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identifier of one or more UEs involved in the SL positioning session. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, an SL positioning session ID, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof. It should be understood that multiple messages may be transmitted to provide one or more of the indications of the SL positioning session identifier. In some implementations, additional UEs may transmit and / or receive session information in stage 1. For example, UE 105B may transmit session information that is received by UE 105A.

[0094]

[0100] In stage 2, the UE 105A generates a PRS based on session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and a source ID, e.g., identification information of the UE 105A. For example, the UE 105A may generate the PRS using a PRS sequence generator initialized or seeded based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID. In another example, the PRS sequence may be scrambled based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID. In another example, a cover code based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID may be applied to the PRS. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, one or more of the following: an ID of the positioning session initiator UE; an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE; a positioning / ranging session identifier; a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both); an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the positioning session was initiated; or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, (pre-)configured or otherwise indicated values ​​may be used.

[0095]

[0101] In stage 3, the UE 105A transmits a positioning signal, eg, a SL PRS, which is generated in stage 2 based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and / or the source ID.

[0096]

[0102] In step 4, UE 105B decodes the PRS and measures the positioning signal PRS received in step 3. UE 105B decodes the PRS based on the session information received in step 1 and may therefore determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS transmitting UE ID. As described in Figure 2, UE 105B may measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS transmitted by UE 105A.

[0097]

[0103] In stage 5, the UE 105B generates a PRS based on session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and a source ID, e.g., identification information of the UE 105B. The generation of the PRS by the UE 105B in stage 5 may be the same as or similar to that described with reference to stage 2.

[0098]

[0104] In step 6, the UE 105B transmits a positioning signal, for example a SL PRS, which is generated in step 5 based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and / or the source ID.

[0099]

[0105] In step 7, UE 105A decodes the PRS and measures the positioning signal PRS received in step 6. UE 105A decodes the PRS based on the session information received in step 1 and can therefore determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS transmitting UE ID. As described in Figure 2, UE 105A can measure, for example, the RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS transmitted by UE 105B.

[0100]

[0106] In step 8, the UE 105A and the UE 105B may exchange measurements. The exchange of measurements may indicate, for example, the time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide the measurements generated in steps 3 and 5. The UEs 105A and 105B may determine a distance based on the measurements, for example, as described in step 7 of FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, the UEs 105A and 105B may determine a relative or absolute location based on the measurements. The UEs 105A and 105B may also repeat steps 2-6 if desired.

[0101]

[0107] 6 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of a UE 600, which may be, for example, the UE 105 shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, configured to support sidelink positioning operations using payload-based or sequence-based indication of SL positioning session identification information and source ID, as described herein. The UE 600 may perform, for example, the signal flows 400 and 500 shown in Figures 4 and 5, the process flows 600 and 700 shown in Figures 6 and 7, and the accompanying techniques described herein. The UE 600 may include, for example, one or more processors 602, memory 604, an external interface such as at least one wireless transceiver (e.g., wireless network interface) illustrated as a WWAN transceiver 610, a WLAN transceiver 611, an Ultra-Wideband (UWB) transceiver 612, and a Bluetooth (BT) transceiver 613, an SPS receiver 614, and one or more sensors 615, which may be operatively coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 and the memory 604 using one or more connections 606 (e.g., buses, wires, fibers, links, etc.). The SPS receiver 614 may receive and process SPS signals, for example, from the satellite vehicle 190 shown in FIG. 1. The one or more sensors 615 may be, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, a magnetometer, etc. UE 600 may further include additional items not shown, such as a user interface through which a user may interface with the UE, which may include a display, a keypad, or other input devices such as a virtual keypad on a display. In certain example implementations, all or part of UE 600 may be in the form of a chipset and / or the like.

[0102]

[0108] The UE 600 may include at least one wireless transceiver, such as a wireless transceiver 610 for a WWAN communication system and a wireless transceiver 611 for a WLAN communication system, a UWB transceiver 612 for a UWB communication system, a BT transceiver 613 for a Bluetooth communication system, or a combined transceiver for any of WWAN, WLAN, UWB, and BT. The WWAN transceiver 610 may include a transmitter 610t and a receiver 610r coupled to one or more antennas 609 to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and convert signals from wireless to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The WLAN transceiver 611 may include a transmitter 611t and a receiver 611r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and convert signals from wireless to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The UWB transceiver 612 may include a transmitter 612t and a receiver 612r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and convert signals from wireless to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals.The BT transceiver 613 may include a transmitter 613t and a receiver 613r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas to transmit (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receive (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and convert signals from wireless to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The transmitters 610t, 611t, 612t, and 613t may include multiple transmitters, which may be separate components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receivers 610r, 611r, 612r, and 613r may include multiple receivers, which may be separate components or combined / integrated components. The WWAN transceiver 610 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with base stations and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 6G New Radio (NR), Global System for Mobiles (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), etc. New Radio (NR) may use mmWave and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies.The WLAN transceiver 611 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with access points and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 1102.11 (including IEEE 1102.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi D), Zigbee, etc. The UWB transceiver 612 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with access points and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as a personal area network (PAN), including IEEE 802.15.3, IEEE 802.15.4, etc. The BT transceiver 613 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with access points and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as a Bluetooth network. The transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613 may be communicatively coupled, for example, by optical and / or electrical connections, to a transceiver interface that may be at least partially integrated with the transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613.

[0103]

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE 600 may include an antenna 609, which may be internal or external. The UE antenna 609 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals that are processed by the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 609 may be coupled to the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by the UE 600 may be performed at the connection points of the UE antenna 609 and the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613. For example, the measurement reference points for the received (transmitted) RF signal may be the input (output) UE of the receiver 610r (transmitter 610t) and the output (input) UE of the UE antenna 609. In a UE 600 with multiple UE antennas 609 or an antenna array, the antenna connectors may appear as virtual points representing the aggregate output (input) of the multiple UE antennas.

[0104]

[0110] The one or more processors 602 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to perform the functions described herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 620 and / or the memory 604. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 602 may represent one or more circuits configurable to execute at least a portion of a data signal computation procedure or process associated with the operation of the UE 600.

[0105]

[0111] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may store instructions or program code 608, including executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 602, cause the one or more processors 602 to operate as special-purpose computers programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in the UE 600, the medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by the one or more processors 602 to perform the methods described herein. While a component or module is shown as software in the medium 620 executable by the one or more processors 602, it should be understood that the component or module may be stored in the memory 604 or may be dedicated hardware residing either within or external to the one or more processors 602.

[0106]

[0112] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the medium 620 and / or memory 604 and be utilized by the one or more processors 602 to manage both the communications and functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the medium 620 and / or memory 604 as shown in the UE 600 is exemplary only, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of the UE 600.

[0107]

[0113] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a session information module 621 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to transmit or receive session information via the transceivers 610-613, which may include, for example, an indication of an SL positioning session identifier. The indication of an SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, an SL positioning session ID, a number of UEs involved in the positioning / ranging session, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof.

[0108]

[0114] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a payload module 622 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to generate a payload associated with the SL PRS that includes, for example, an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the SL PRS as a sender. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to transmit the payload or receive the payload from another UE, e.g., via the transceivers 610-613, using L1 or L2 control signaling, e.g., an SCI-Phase 2 message or a MAC-CE message. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, an SL positioning session ID, a number of UEs involved in the positioning / ranging session, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof.

[0109]

[0115] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a PRS sequence module 624 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to generate a PRS. In some implementations, the one or more processors 602 may be configured to generate the SL PRS based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE. For example, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, an SL positioning session ID, a number of UEs involved in the positioning / ranging session, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier on which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to generate the SL PRS by initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE, for example, or to scramble the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE, or to generate a cover code based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE to be applied to the SL PRS sequence. The one or more processors 602 may be further configured to determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS source identifier from the received SL PRS, for example, encoded with the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the transmitting UE.

[0110]

[0116] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a PRS module 626 that, when implemented by one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to transmit or receive SL PRSs, for example, via the transceivers 610-613.

[0111]

[0117] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a measurement module 628 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to generate measurements of received SL PRS. The measurements may include, for example, RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA, etc.

[0112]

[0118] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include a measurement exchange module 630 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to transmit an indication of a measurement value of the SL PRS, e.g., via the transceivers 610-613. The one or more processors 602 may be further configured to receive an indication of a measurement value of the SL PRS from another UE, e.g., via the transceivers 610-613.

[0113]

[0119] The methods described herein may be implemented by various means, depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. In a hardware implementation, the one or more processors 602 may be implemented with one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0114]

[0120] For a firmware and / or software implementation, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in memory 604 or non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 coupled to and executed by one or more processors 602. Memory may be implemented within the one or more processors or external to the one or more processors. The term "memory," as used herein, may refer to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to a particular type or number of memories, or to a particular type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0115]

[0121] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 620 and / or the memory 604. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer program code 608. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code 608 stored thereon may include program code 608 for supporting sidelink positioning using an indication of an SL positioning session identification and a source ID, in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 includes physical computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include 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 store the desired program code 608 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, "disk" and "disc" include a compact disc (CD), a laser disc, an optical disc, a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, and a Blu-ray disc, although a "disk" typically reproduces data magnetically and a "disc" reproduces data optically using a laser. Combinations of the above are also intended to be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0116]

[0122] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 620, the instructions and / or data may be provided as signals on a transmission medium contained within the communications device. For example, the communications device may include an external interface including one or more of wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613 having signals indicative of the instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to perform the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communications device includes a transmission medium bearing signals indicative of information to perform the disclosed functions.

[0117]

[0123] Memory 604 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 604 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. While shown in this example as being separate from one or more processors 602, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within one or more processors 602 or may otherwise be co-located / coupled with one or more processors 602. Secondary memory may include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as the primary memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid-state memory drives, etc.

[0118]

[0124] In particular implementations, the secondary memory may operably receive or otherwise be configurable to couple to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620. Thus, in certain example implementations, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form, in whole or in part, of a computer-readable medium 620 having stored thereon computer-implementable program code 608, which, when executed by one or more processors 602, may be operably enabled to perform all or a portion of the example operations as described herein. The computer-readable medium 620 may be part of the memory 604.

[0119]

[0125] FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 performed by a UE, such as UE 105 or UE 600 of FIGS. 1, 4, and 6, to support sidelink (SL) positioning, e.g., using payload-based indication of SL positioning session identification information, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementations.

[0120]

[0126] In block 702, the UE transmits a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE as the source of the SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 2 of FIG. 4. In one implementation, the message can be transmitted using Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control signaling, or higher layer signaling. The L1 or L2 control signaling can be, for example, a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) second phase message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message. The means for transmitting a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), including an indication of the UE's identification as the source of the SL PRS and an SL positioning session identifier, may include, for example, one of the transceivers 610-613 and one or more processors 602 configured in dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a payload module 622 of the UE 600.

[0121]

[0127] In block 704, the UE transmits the SL PRS associated with the message, e.g., as described in step 2 of Figure 4. The means for transmitting the SL PRS associated with the message may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as PRS module 626 of the UE 600.

[0122]

[0128] In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may be an identifier associated with the SL positioning session, as described in stage 2 of FIG. 4. In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE that initiated the SL positioning session, as described in stage 2 of FIG. 4. In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator when the SL positioning session was initiated, as described in stage 2 of FIG. 4. In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the SL positioning session was initiated, as described in stage 2 of FIG. 4. In one implementation, the message may further include the number of UEs involved in the SL positioning session.

[0123]

[0129] In one implementation, the UE may receive a second message associated with a second SL PRS, where the second message may include an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE as the source of the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 4 of FIG. 4. The UE may further receive the second SL PRS associated with the message, e.g., as described in step 4 of FIG. 4. The UE may generate measurements of the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 5 of FIG. 4. The UE may send an indication of the measurements of the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 6 of FIG. 4. In some implementations, the UE may include an indication of a session ID along with the measurements of the second SL PRS. The means for receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identity of the second UE as the source of the second SL PRS, may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a payload module 622 of the UE 600. The means for receiving the second SL PRS associated with the message may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS module 626 of the UE 600. The means for generating measurements of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured in dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as in a measurement module 628 of the UE 600. The means for transmitting an indication of measurements of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured in dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as in a measurement exchange module 630 of the UE 600.

[0124]

[0130] FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 800 performed by a UE, such as UE 105 or UE 600 of FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, to support sidelink (SL) positioning, e.g., using sequence-based indication of SL positioning session identification information, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementations.

[0125]

[0131] In block 802, the UE obtains SL positioning session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier, e.g., as described in step 1 of Figure 5. The means for obtaining the SL positioning session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as session information module 621 of the UE 600.

[0126]

[0132] In block 804, the UE generates an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE, e.g., as described in stage 2 of Figure 5. In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may be any of an identifier associated with the SL positioning session, an expected PRS transmission time of a second UE that initiated the SL positioning session, a time indicator when the SL positioning session was initiated, an indicator of the carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session was initiated, or any combination thereof, e.g., as described in stage 2 of Figure 5. The means for generating an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as PRS sequence module 624 of UE 600.

[0127]

[0133] In block 806, the UE transmits the SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 3 of Figure 5. The means for transmitting the SL PRS may include, e.g., one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS module 626 of the UE 600.

[0128]

[0134] In one implementation, the SL PRS is generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification information, for example, by initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification information, as described in step 2 of Figure 5. The means for initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification information may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as PRS sequence module 624 of UE 600.

[0129]

[0135] In one implementation, the SL PRS is generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification, e.g., by scrambling the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification, as described in stage 2 of Figure 5. The means for scrambling the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE's identification may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as PRS sequence module 624 of UE 600.

[0130]

[0136] In one implementation, the SL PRS is generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE by applying a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, for example, as described in step 2 of Figure 5, where the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE. The means for applying the cover code to the SL PRS sequence, where the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE, may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as PRS sequence module 624 of UE 600.

[0131]

[0137] In one implementation, the UE may receive a second SL PRS from a second UE, where the second SL PRS is generated based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE, e.g., as described in steps 5 and 6 of Figure 5. The UE may determine the SL positioning session from the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 6 of Figure 5. The UE may generate measurements of the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 7 of Figure 5. The UE may transmit an indication of the measurements of the second SL PRS, e.g., as described in step 8 of Figure 5. The means for receiving a second SL PRS from the second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE, may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS module 626 of the UE 600. The means for determining the SL positioning session from the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600. The means for generating measurements of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a measurement module 628 of the UE 600. The means for transmitting an indication of the measurement value of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one of the transceivers 510-513 and one or more processors 602 configured in dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in a memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a measurement value exchange module 630 of the UE 600.

[0132]

[0138] Substantial variations may be made according to particular needs. For example, customized hardware may be used and / or particular elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be utilized.

[0133]

[0139] The configurations may be described as processes that are depicted as flow diagrams or block diagrams. While the flow diagrams or block diagrams may describe operations as sequential processes, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Additionally, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process may have additional steps not included in the diagrams. Furthermore, the example methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a storage medium. A processor may perform the described tasks.

[0134]

[0140] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly or conventionally understood. As used herein, the articles "a" and "an" refer to one or to more than one (i.e., at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, "an element" means one element or more than one element. As used herein, "about" and / or "approximately" when referring to a measurable value, such as an amount, duration, or the like, encompass variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or ±0.1% from the specified value, when such variations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. As used herein, "substantially" when referring to a measurable value such as quantity, duration, physical attribute (such as frequency), etc., also encompasses variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, where such variations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0135]

[0141] As used herein, including the claims, "or" when used in a list of items ending with "at least one of" or "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive list, such as, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or a combination of two or more features (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Also, as used herein, unless expressly stated otherwise, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the stated item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions in addition to the stated item or condition.

[0136]

[0142] While some of the techniques, processes, and / or implementations presented herein may comply with all or part of one or more standards, such techniques, processes, and / or implementations may, in some embodiments, not comply with all or part of such one or more standards.

[0137]

[0143] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0138]

[0144] Clause 1. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE as the source of the SL PRS; and transmitting the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0139]

[0145] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the message is transmitted using Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control signaling, or higher layer signaling.

[0140]

[0146] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the L1 control signaling or L2 control signaling comprises a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) second phase message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

[0141]

[0147] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0142]

[0148] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an expected PRS transmission time of a second UE that has initiated the SL positioning session.

[0143]

[0149] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator of when the SL positioning session started.

[0144]

[0150] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0145]

[0151] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the message further includes the number of UEs involved in the SL positioning session.

[0146]

[0152] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, further comprising: receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE as the source of the second SL PRS; receiving the second SL PRS associated with the message; generating measurements for the second SL PRS; and transmitting an indication of the measurements for the second SL PRS.

[0147]

[0153] Clause 10. A user equipment (UE) configured to support side link (SL) positioning, the UE comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: transmit a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE as a source of the SL PRS, and transmit the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0148]

[0154] Clause 11. The UE of clause 10, wherein the message is transmitted using Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control signaling, or higher layer signaling.

[0149]

[0155] Clause 12. The UE of clause 11, wherein the L1 control signaling or L2 control signaling comprises a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) second phase message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

[0150]

[0156] Clause 13. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 12, wherein the indication of an SL positioning session identifier includes an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0151]

[0157] Clause 14. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 13, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of a second UE that has initiated the SL positioning session.

[0152]

[0158] Clause 15. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 14, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator of when the SL positioning session started.

[0153]

[0159] Clause 16. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 15, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0154]

[0160] Clause 17. The UE of any of clauses 10 to 16, wherein the message further includes the number of UEs involved in the SL positioning session.

[0155]

[0161] Clause 18. The UE of any one of clauses 10 to 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE as the source of the second SL PRS; receive the second SL PRS associated with the message; generate measurements for the second SL PRS; and transmit an indication of the measurements for the second SL PRS.

[0156]

[0162] Clause 19. A user equipment (UE) configured to support side link (SL) positioning, the UE comprising: means for transmitting a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE as the source of the SL PRS; and means for transmitting the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0157]

[0163] Clause 20. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon program code operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions to: transmit in a message associated with an SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message comprising an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE as the source of the SL PRS; and transmit the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0158]

[0164] Clause 21. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; generating an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and transmitting the SL PRS.

[0159]

[0165] Clause 22. The method of clause 21, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0160]

[0166] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 21 to 22, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an expected PRS transmission time of a second UE that has initiated the SL positioning session.

[0161]

[0167] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 21 to 23, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator of when the SL positioning session started.

[0162]

[0168] Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 21 to 24, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0163]

[0169] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 21 to 25, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE comprises initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE.

[0164]

[0170] Clause 27. The method of any of clauses 21 to 26, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE identity comprises scrambling the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the UE identity.

[0165]

[0171] Clause 28. A method according to any one of clauses 21 to 27, wherein generating an SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE comprises applying a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, the cover code being based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE.

[0166]

[0172] Clause 29. The method of any of clauses 21 to 28, further comprising: receiving a second SL PRS from a second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the second UE; determining an SL positioning session from the second SL PRS; generating measurements for the second SL PRS; and transmitting an indication of the measurements for the second SL PRS.

[0167]

[0173] Clause 30. A user equipment (UE) configured to support side link (SL) positioning, the UE comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; generate an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE; and transmit the SL PRS.

[0168]

[0174] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein the indication of an SL positioning session identifier includes an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0169]

[0175] Clause 32. The UE of any of clauses 30-31, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of a second UE that has initiated the SL positioning session.

[0170]

[0176] Clause 33. The UE of any of clauses 30 to 32, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator when the SL positioning session started.

[0171]

[0177] Clause 34. The UE of any of clauses 30 to 33, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency on which the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0172]

[0178] Clause 35. A UE according to any of clauses 30 to 34, wherein at least one processor is configured to generate an SL PRS sequence based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, by being configured to initialize or seed the generation of an SL PRS sequence based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE.

[0173]

[0179] Clause 36. A UE according to any of clauses 30 to 35, wherein at least one processor is configured to generate an SL PRS based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, by being configured to scramble the generation of an SL PRS sequence based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE.

[0174]

[0180] Clause 37. A UE according to any of clauses 30 to 36, wherein at least one processor is configured to apply a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, thereby generating the SL PRS based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identity of the UE, the cover code being based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identity of the UE.

[0175]

[0181] Clause 38. A UE as described in any one of clauses 30 to 37, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a second SL PRS from a second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the second UE; determine the SL positioning session from the second SL PRS; generate measurements for the second SL PRS; and transmit an indication of the measurements for the second SL PRS.

[0176]

[0182] Clause 39. A user equipment (UE) configured to support side link (SL) positioning, the UE comprising: means for obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; means for generating an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identification information of the UE; and means for transmitting the SL PRS.

[0177]

[0183] Clause 40. A non-transitory storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions to: obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; generate an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and transmit the SL PRS.

[0178]

[0184] Although particular embodiments have been disclosed in detail herein, this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as a limitation on the scope of the appended claims. It is specifically contemplated that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the following claims. The claims presented are representative of the embodiments and features disclosed herein. Other unclaimed embodiments and features are also contemplated. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by user equipment (UE), The UE transmits information identifying the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an instruction for the SL positioning session identifier in a message associated with the SL positioning reference signal (PRS), The UE transmits the SL PRS associated with the message, Methods that include...

2. The aforementioned message is transmitted using Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control signaling, or higher layer signaling. The method according to claim 1, wherein optionally, the L1 control signaling or L2 control signaling includes a sidelink control information (SCI) second stage message or a media access control-control element (MAC-CE) message.

3. The instruction for the SL positioning session identifier is, The identifier associated with the SL positioning session, or The expected PRS transmission time of the second UE that initiated the SL positioning session, or The time indicator when the SL positioning session starts, or Indicator of the carrier frequency at which the aforementioned SL positioning session was initiated The method according to claim 1, including the method described in claim 1.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message further includes the number of UEs involved in the SL positioning session.

5. Receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, wherein the second message includes information identifying a second UE as the source of the second SL PRS and the instruction for the SL positioning session identifier, Receiving the second SL PRS associated with the aforementioned message, To generate the second SL PRS measurement value, Transmitting the measurement value instruction of the second SL PRS, The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. A user device (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, A wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity, At least one memory, The system comprises the wireless transceiver and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is The UE transmits information identifying the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an instruction for the SL positioning session identifier in a message associated with the SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE transmits the SL PRS associated with the message. UE is structured in such a way.

7. A non-temporary storage medium storing program code, wherein the program code is operable to constitute at least one processor in a user device (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, The UE transmits information identifying the UE as the source of the SL PRS and an instruction for the SL positioning session identifier in a message associated with the SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE transmits the SL PRS associated with the message. A non-temporary storage medium that contains commands.

8. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by user equipment (UE), The aforementioned UE obtains SL positioning session information, including an instruction for the SL positioning session identifier. The UE generates an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE, The UE transmits the SL PRS, Methods that include...

9. The instruction for the SL positioning session identifier is, The identifier associated with the SL positioning session, or The expected PRS transmission time of the second UE that initiated the SL positioning session, or The time indicator when the SL positioning session starts, or Indicator of the carrier frequency at which the aforementioned SL positioning session was initiated The method according to claim 8, including the method described in claim 8.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE includes initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE includes scrambling the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE includes applying a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, the cover code being based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE.

13. Receiving a second SL PRS from a second UE, wherein the second SL PRS is generated based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the second UE, Determining the SL positioning session from the second SL PRS, To generate the second SL PRS measurement value, Transmitting the measurement value instruction of the second SL PRS, The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

14. A user device (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, A wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity, At least one memory, The system comprises the wireless transceiver and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is Obtain SL positioning session information including the SL positioning session identifier, Based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE, an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) is generated. The SL PRS is transmitted. UE is structured in such a way.

15. A non-temporary storage medium storing program code, wherein the program code is operable to constitute at least one processor in a user device (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, Obtain SL positioning session information including the SL positioning session identifier, Based on the instruction of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification information of the UE, an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) is generated. The SL PRS is transmitted. A non-temporary storage medium that contains commands.

Images