Techniques for transferring status indications in user equipment positioning - Patents.com

Abstract

In some implementations, a user equipment (UE) may determine a non-positioning status of the UE, where the non-positioning status comprises a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the UE's capabilities and is unrelated to the UE's positioning. The UE may send an indication of the UE's non-positioning status in at least one of the messages during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with at least one entity (e.g., another UE, a group of UEs, or a location server) to enable positioning of the UE. The at least one entity may then take action to improve the UE's positioning based on the non-positioning status, such as using a particular positioning method or modifying other positioning operations.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related Applications

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 18 / 366,472, filed August 7, 2023, entitled "SIDELINK POSITIONING PROTOCOL (SLPP) PROCEDURES," which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 377,530, filed September 28, 2022, entitled "SIDELINK POSITIONING PROTOCOL (SLPP) PROCEDURES," all of which are assigned to the same assignee and are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein. [Background technology]

[0002] 1. Field of Disclosure 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] 2. Description of Related 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). A base station may communicate with a set of UEs on a downlink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the base station to the UEs) and an uplink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the UEs to the base station). In addition, the UEs may communicate directly with each other using sidelink channels.

[0005]

[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. For example, in a cellular network, a base station may send downlink reference signals using which positioning measurements are obtained by the UE, and / or the UE may send uplink reference signals using which positioning measurements are obtained 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 the 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. The location of a UE may also be obtained using sidelink positioning, in which pairs of UEs or groups of UEs exchange messages and signals on a sidelink channel to perform positioning. Summary of the Invention

[0006] An exemplary method for positioning a user equipment (UE) performed by the UE according to the present disclosure may include determining a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and unrelated to positioning of the UE. The method may also include sending an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in at least one of messages to at least one entity during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with the at least one entity to enable positioning of the UE.

[0007] An exemplary method for positioning a user equipment (UE) performed by an entity according to the present disclosure may include receiving, during a positioning procedure in which the entity exchanges messages with the UE to enable positioning of the UE, an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and unrelated to positioning of the UE. The method may also include, in response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, performing one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0008]

[0008] An exemplary user equipment (UE) comprising one or more transceivers and one or more memories. The one or more processors may be further configured for one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to determine a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and unrelated to positioning of the UE. The one or more processors may be further configured to send an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in at least one of the messages via the one or more transceivers to the at least one entity during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with the at least one entity to enable positioning of the UE.

[0009] An exemplary device for positioning user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure may include one or more transceivers, one or more memories, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages during a positioning procedure in which the device exchanges messages with the UE to enable positioning of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and unrelated to positioning of the UE. In response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, the one or more processors may be further configured to perform one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0010]

[0010] An exemplary user equipment according to the present disclosure may include a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to perform any of the aforementioned methods.

[0011]

[0011] An exemplary apparatus according to the present disclosure may comprise means for performing any of the aforementioned methods.

[0012]

[0012] In accordance with the present disclosure, an exemplary non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions comprising code for performing any of the aforementioned methods.

[0013]

[0013] This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to the entire specification, any or all drawings, and appropriate portions of each claim of this disclosure. The above, together with other features and examples, are described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1]

[0014] The architecture of a communication system including several UEs, a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a 5G Core Network (5GC) is shown. [Figure 2]

[0015] 1 shows a communication system architecture for network-supported sidelink positioning. [Figure 3]

[0016] 10 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between a UE and a location server for network-supported sidelink positioning. [Figure 4A]

[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) message structure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an implementation of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) message structure. [Figure 5]

[0018] 1 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between a pair of UEs for pair-wise sidelink positioning. [Figure 6A]

[0019] 10 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for sidelink positioning capability exchange, including the exchange of capabilities, resources, and service requirements. [Figure 6B]

[0020] 1 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for positioning signal configuration and confirmation exchange. [Figure 6C]

[0021] 1 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for measurement exchange. [Figure 7]

[0022] 10 is a signal flow illustrating signaling for group operation of sidelink positioning for multiple UEs. [Figure 8]

[0023] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an embodiment of an SLPP positioning session between UEs in UE-based or “autonomous” mode. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an embodiment of an SLPP positioning session between UEs in UE-based or “autonomous” mode. [Figure 10]

[0024] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an embodiment of a SLPP positioning session in network-assisted mode. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an embodiment of a SLPP positioning session in network-assisted mode. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram of an embodiment of a SLPP positioning session in network-assisted mode. [Figure 13]

[0025] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE. [Figure 14]

[0026] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system. [Figure 15]

[0027] FIG. 1 is a signal flow diagram of one embodiment of an SLPP and LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) positioning session between a UE and an LMF. [Figure 16]

[0028] 1 is a signal flow diagram of a technique for improving positioning by transferring a status indication from a UE to another entity, according to one embodiment. [Figure 17]

[0029] 2 is a flow diagram of a method for positioning a UE performed by a UE according to one embodiment. [Figure 18]

[0030] 4 is a flow diagram of a method for positioning a UE performed by an entity according to one embodiment;

[0015]

[0031] According to some example implementations, like reference numerals in various figures refer to like elements. Additionally, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by the first numeral of that element followed by a letter or a hyphen and a second numeral. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When referring to such an element using only the first numeral, it should be understood to be any instance of that element (e.g., element 110 in the previous example refers to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c). Additionally, operations within some procedures shown in the figures may be indicated as numerals and referred to herein as steps (the steps may or may not be separately labeled in the figures). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016]

[0032] Described herein are embodiments for improving UE positioning using techniques in which a temporary or semi-permanent status or state of a UE (e.g., non-positioning status or state) may be signaled to another positioning entity. For joint Uu and SL positioning, a positioning protocol (e.g., any combination of LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), SLPP, or New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa)) may be used depending on the desired positioning method(s). Among various advantages, embodiments may provide higher positioning accuracy, higher reliability, less resource usage (e.g., less signaling, less processing, or both), lower latency, higher security (e.g., where unauthorized parties cannot obtain information about the location of the UE and / or other UEs), or some combination thereof.

[0017]

[0033] 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.

[0018]

[0034] 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) device, an In-Vehicle System (IVS), 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, an IVS, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for a UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet are contemplated, such as via a wired access network, a Wi-Fi network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0019]

[0035] 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.

[0020]

[0036] 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 send 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.

[0021]

[0037] 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.

[0022]

[0038] Additionally, unless otherwise specified, the term "positioning" as used herein may include absolute location determination, relative location determination, ranging, or a combination thereof. Accordingly, positioning measurements described herein may include range measurements. Such positioning may include and / or be based on timing, angle, phase, or power measurements, or a combination thereof (which may include RF sensing measurements), for purposes of location or sensing services.

[0023]

[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication system 100 including a first UE 105A, a second UE 105B, a third UE 105C, 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, 105B, and 105C may be individually referred to as UEs 105 or collectively referred to as UEs 105 herein. The UEs 105 may be, for example, IoT devices, location tracking devices, mobile phones, vehicles, on-board units (OBUs), or other similar types of devices. The UEs 105 may additionally be considered RSUs or PRUs. 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). The RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc.The communication system 100 may utilize a constellation of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190 that may support 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), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). In some embodiments, the UE 105 may communicate with a RAN node (e.g., gNB 110) or a 5GC 140 node via the SV 190 and an earth station (not shown in FIG. 1 ), in which case the UE 105 may not communicate directly with the RAN node but only via the SV 190. This may be used to increase the coverage and / or capacity of the NG-RAN 135. Additional components of the communications system 100 are described below. The communications system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0024]

[0040] 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 (SLP) 119. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and the ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to each communicate wirelessly bidirectionally with the UE 105, and are communicatively coupled to and configured to each communicate bidirectionally with the AMF 115 and the UPF 118. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs) or RAN nodes. The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC 125 is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. The AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, and SLP 119 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the SLP 119 is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. According to some embodiments, the server 121, the Internet 122, and the server 123 may be communicatively coupled to the UPF 118 to facilitate SL positioning. 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 Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 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.

[0025]

[0041] 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.

[0026]

[0042] 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 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 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, 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.

[0027]

[0043] The communications system 100 is capable of wireless communications in that components of the system 100 may communicate with one another (at least sometimes using wireless connections) directly or indirectly, e.g., via the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and / or the 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 communications, communications may be altered during transmission from one entity to another, e.g., to alter header information of data packets, to change formatting, etc. The UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communications device, but may communicate wirelessly and via wired connections. The UE 105 may be any of a variety of devices, e.g., a smartphone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., although these are merely examples and other configurations of UEs may be used, as the UE 105 is not required to be any of these configurations. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., a smart watch, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or a headset, etc.). Still other UEs, whether currently existing or developed in the future, may be used. Additionally, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) may be implemented within system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with UE 105, base stations 110a, 110b, 114, core network 140, and / or external client 130. For example, such other devices may include IoT or IIoT devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. Core network 140 may communicate with external client 130, server 123, or server 121 (e.g., each of which may be a computer system) to, for example, enable external client 130, server 123, or server 121 to request and / or receive location information regarding UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125, SLP 119, or UPF 118).

[0028]

[0044] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in different networks and / or for different purposes and / or using different technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communications, multiple frequencies of Wi-Fi communications, satellite positioning, satellite communications, one or more types of communications (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE)), V2X (e.g., V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian), V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure), V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle), etc.), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). V2X communications may be implemented using cellular (Cellular-V2X, C-V2X) and / or Wi-Fi (e.g., Dedicated Short-Range Radio Communication (DSRC)). The system 100 may be a dedicated short-range connection. The 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 sent 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 synchronization 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).

[0029]

[0045] 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 Wi-Fi (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, server 121, and / or server 123 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 and possibly the Internet 122) and / or enable external client 130, server 121, and / or server 123 to receive location-related information regarding UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125, SLP 119, or UPF 118).

[0030]

[0046] 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 geodesically 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 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, geodesically, in terms of cities, 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.

[0031]

[0047] When sidelink positioning is used, an absolute (e.g., global) or relative location of the UE may not always be obtained. Instead, location results may be obtained for the UE, which may include the range or distance between the UE and each of one or more other UEs, the direction from the UE to each of the one or more other UEs, the location of the UE relative to the locations of some other UEs, the locations of one or more other UEs relative to the UE's location, the velocity of the UE, and / or the velocity of each of the one or more other UEs. The velocity of a UE may be absolute (e.g., with respect to the Earth) or relative to some other UE and may then be referred to as a "relative velocity." The relative velocity of UE B with respect to another UE A may include a "radial velocity" component, which may be equal to the rate of change of range from UE A to UE B, and a "lateral velocity" component, which may be orthogonal to the radial velocity component from the perspective of UE A and may be equal to the angular rate of change of the direction from UE A to UE B multiplied by the range from UE A to UE B. In the description contained herein, the use of the term "location result(s)" for sidelink positioning of a UE or group of UEs may include any of these variations, unless otherwise indicated.

[0032]

[0048] 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 communicate with one or more other UEs (e.g., other UEs 105) via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. A D2D P2P link may be an example of (or may be supported by) a sidelink and may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi 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.

[0033]

[0049] 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.

[0034]

[0050] 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 a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the position of the UE 105 but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or from other UEs.

[0035]

[0051] The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more 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.

[0036]

[0052] 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.

[0037]

[0053] 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).

[0038]

[0054] The UE 105 may receive a PRS transmission over one or more PRS resources of the slot. The UE 105 may determine one reporting parameter for at least some of the PRS resources included in the transmission. The reporting parameter (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).

[0039]

[0055] 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.

[0040]

[0056] 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 downlink (DL) time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), DL angle of departure (DL AOD), and enhanced cell ID (ECID) are positioning methods that may be used to estimate a UE's position using reference signals from base stations. For example, DL-TDOA relies on measuring reference signal time differences (RSTDs) between downlink (DL) signals received from a base station for a reference cell and DL signals received from base station(s) for one or more neighboring cells. DL signals from which RTSDs may be obtained include cell-specific reference signals (CRS) and positioning reference signals (PRS).

[0041]

[0057] 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.

[0042]

[0058] As noted, while FIG. 1 illustrates nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an 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 5GC 140.

[0043]

[0059] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNBs 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 Kinematic (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. A node / system running LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively run 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 (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 due to 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, for example). 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.

[0044]

[0060] 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 from the LMF 120 (e.g., including a location estimate or sidelink location result for the UE 105) may be returned to the GMLC 125 either directly or via the AMF 115, which may then return a location response (e.g., including the location estimate or sidelink location result) to the external client 130. Although the GMLC 125 is shown as 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.

[0045]

[0061] 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 122, and servers, such as server 121 and server 123. The UPF 118 may be connected to the gNB 110 and the ng-eNB 114. The functions of the UPF 118 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 SLP 119 to enable support for positioning of the UE 105 using SUPL. The SLP 119 may further be connected to or accessible by the external client 130.

[0046]

[0062] 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.

[0047]

[0063] 1, the LMF 120 may communicate with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 using the New Radio Position Protocol A (NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa messages may be 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 37.355. 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 serving ng-eNB 114 for the UE 105. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using service operations based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and may be transferred between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocols.

[0048]

[0064] The LPP 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 of the core network 140, e.g., in the NG-RAN. For example, the LMF120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB, or may be located remotely from the gNB, and may be configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB.

[0049]

[0065] 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 SV190.

[0050]

[0066] 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).

[0051]

[0067] In a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) 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 may receive measurements obtained by the UE. 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.

[0052]

[0068] As mentioned, although the communications system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communications system 100 may be implemented to support other communications technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., used to support and interact with mobile devices such as the UEs 105 (e.g., to perform voice, data, positioning, and other functions). For example, in an EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced with an E-UTRAN including an eNB, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced with 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, which may be similar to the GMLC 125.

[0053]

[0069] Positioning for a UE 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 105 and the radio access network, for DL ​​PRS and / or UL PRS. Positioning for a UE may also or instead use sidelink PRS (SL-PRS), which may be a specific sidelink-defined reference signal for positioning, or may reuse Uu PRS, e.g., UL PRS, sometimes referred to as Sounding Reference Signals for positioning (SRSPos), or other reference signals may be transmitted in the sidelink channel. Sidelink positioning may extend the positioning of a UE by providing additional transmitting (or receiving) nodes. A UE, such as UE 105B, with a known location may be used to support the position determination of another target UE, such as UE 105A, and UE 105B may be referred to as an anchor node.

[0054]

[0070] Using the sidelink positioning method, the UE 105A may transmit, for example, a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal to be received and measured by another UE 105B. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 105B may transmit, for example, a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal to be received and measured by the UE 105A. The sidelink PRS may be similar to the PRS (e.g., DL PRS) transmitted by the gNB 110, for example, as described above. The sidelink SRS may be similar to the SRS (e.g., uplink) transmitted by the UE 105 for measurement by the gNB 110, for example, as described above. Measurements of the SL PRS or SL SRS signal may include reception to transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), time of arrival (TOA), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), angle of arrival (AOA), and reference signal time difference (RSTD). SL positioning methods may include SL round trip signal propagation time (RTT) (also called ranging), SL AOA, SL AOD, or any combination thereof.

[0055]

[0071] 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 an SL PRS or SL 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 an SL PRS or SL SRS signal that can be measured by some or all of the other UEs in the group that are different from the UE that transmits the UL PRS or UL SRS, respectively (e.g., each UE transmits the SL SRS or SL PRS at one or more times that are different from the times at which other UEs in the group transmit the SL PRS or SL SRS). Measurements made by the UEs that are applicable to the transmission of the SL PRS or SL SRS by the group of UEs may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSTD, AOA, RSRP, RSRQ, or any combination thereof. Positioning methods supported by these measurements may include sidelink RTT (e.g., ranging), sidelink AOA, sidelink AOD, sidelink TDOA (SL-TDOA), or any combination thereof. Based on the measurements and the positioning method(s), each UE may determine a location result for itself and / or one or more other UEs in the group. As mentioned above, the location result for a UE may include the range or distance between the UE and each of the one or more other UEs in the group, the direction from the UE to each of the one or more other UEs in the group, the direction from each of the one or more other UEs in the group to the UE, the location of the UE relative to the locations of any other UEs in the group, the location of the UE relative to some other known location, the absolute location of the UE, the velocity of the UE, or the velocity of the UE relative to some other UEs.

[0056]

[0072] Sidelink positioning can be used for positioning a UE independent of the core network (e.g., 5GC 140) or the serving PLMN. 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. One aspect of sidelink positioning that may require a standardization solution is the Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP), which can be used between a UE and a location server, including between an RSU and a UE. SLPP can support sidelink positioning, for example, between a UE, an RSU, and a PRU with network access independence. SLPP can provide support for sidelink positioning for pairs of UEs (e.g., ranging), groups of UEs (V2X), and UEs that are members of multiple different groups. For example, SLPP may provide support for various positioning techniques currently standardized for UE-based and UE-assisted support by location servers (e.g., LMF 120), such as PRS RTT, AOA, Differential AOA (DAOA), AOD, and Differential AOD (DAOD), but may also enable support for other PRS- and SRS-based positioning methods and, later, non-PRS methods such as RTK. By allowing the addition of new capabilities and methods later, SLPP may avoid the need to define a new positioning protocol separate from SLPP. For example, additional positioning methods that may later be included in SLPP may include RTK, Wi-Fi, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), and Bluetooth positioning methods. SLPP may initially enable direct sidelink operation (UEs communicate and coordinate positioning by exchanging SLPP messages using sidelink signaling) and may later be extended to sidelink operation via relays and network-mediated operation, where UEs may exchange SLPP messages via the network or via intermediate relay UEs.For example, this may be used to coordinate the positioning of two vehicles on a collision course at a corner where direct SL signaling between the two vehicles is not possible. Therefore, SLPP may initially define support for SL PRS-based positioning in a general manner to simplify later extension to support for other positioning methods. For example, SLPP may define general SLPP messages similar to the general LPP messages defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355. SLPP may support distinct positioning methods (e.g., SL PRS RTT, SL PRS AOA, SL PRS AOD) using common procedures and common parameters, where feasible. SLPP may define procedures that can be reused for multiple positioning methods and is not limited to just one or a few positioning methods. SLPP may be enabled to be transferred and used by various entities, such as UEs, RSUs, PRUs, and location servers such as LMFs and SUPL SLPs. Location servers (e.g., LMF and SUPL SLPs) may forward SLPP messages within LPP messages to enable UE-assisted positioning by the LMF or SUPL SLP. Alternatively, location servers (e.g., LMF and SUPL SLPs) may forward SLPP messages that are not associated with LPP messages to enable UE-assisted positioning by the LMF or SUPL SLP. SLPP may also support relative (local) and global positioning.

[0057]

[0073] FIG. 2 illustrates, by way of example, the architecture of a communication system 200 capable of network-supported sidelink positioning. As illustrated in FIG. 2, several UEs may be combined into the same group 210 for sidelink positioning. Within the group 210, there may be various subgroups of UEs. For example, the group 210 of UEs may include a first subgroup 212 of UEs served by a first network (PLMN1 140a), a second subgroup 214 of UEs served by a second (different) network (PLMN2 140b), and a third subgroup 216 of UEs that are outside the coverage of either network and are not served by either network. One or more of the UEs served by the network, e.g., the UEs in the subgroup 212 served by PLMN1 140a or the UEs in the subgroup 214 served by PLMN2 140b, may include RSUs.

[0058]

[0074] Location servers in the serving networks, e.g., LMF1 120a, SUPL SLP1 119a, or Server 1 121a in serving PLMN1 140a, LMF2 120b, SUPL SLP2 119b, or Server 2 121b in serving PLMN2 140b, and Server 3 123 (which communicates to the UEs via PLMN1 140a and / or PLMN2 140b), may support some or all UEs in a group served by the network (PLMN), e.g., subgroups 212 and 214, respectively. As shown, the location servers may support the UEs by communicating with the UEs using "LPP / SLPP," which refers to communicating using LPP, SLPP, embedding SLPP in LPP, or a combination thereof. For example, LMF1 120a and LMF2 120b may embed SLPP in LPP while supporting UEs in subgroups 212 and 214, respectively (e.g., where each SLPP message transferred between a UE and LMF1 120a or LMF2 120b is embedded in one LPP message, and one LPP message may contain one or more embedded SLPP messages). Similarly, SUPL SLP1 119a and SUPL SLP2 119b may embed SLPP in LPP using LPP messages embedded in SUPL User Plane Location Protocol (ULP) messages while supporting UEs in subgroups 212 and 214, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, LPP and / or SLPP messages may be used, with SLPP messages not embedded in LPP messages (although LPP or SLPP messages may still be embedded in SUPL ULP messages). Additionally, UEs in each subgroup, and UEs in different subgroups, may exchange SLPP messages with each other to support and coordinate SL positioning.

[0059]

[0075] Location server (e.g., LMF / SUPL SLP / Server1 / Server2 / Server3) support for a particular UE or UEs may not be visible to other UEs in the group. For example, location server support from PLMN1 140a for UEs in subgroup 212 may not be visible to UEs in subgroup 214, and may not be visible to out-of-coverage UEs in subgroup 216. The support provided by the location server to the UEs may include determining or verifying SL PRS configurations and calculating location results for UEs, including supported and unsupported UEs (e.g., calculating location results for UEs in the supported subgroup and, if location information for UEs in the unsupported subgroup is provided to the location server, location results for UEs in the unsupported subgroup). In some implementations, signaling between location servers in separate networks can be used to provide more complete network support. As shown, LMF-LMF or SUPL SLP-SUPL SLP signaling may be used (e.g., SLPP in FIG. 2) to enable more complete network support. ** An extension to SLPP (called

[0060]

[0076] SLPP message types may be consistent with LPP message types to allow LPP messages to include embedded SLPP messages and / or to allow SLPP procedures to be consistent with LPP procedures, which may reduce implementation and / or testing. Figure 2 shows signaling (e.g., SLPP messages or SLPP messages embedded in LPP messages) between LMF1 120a and one or more of the UEs in subgroup 212, and signaling between LMF2 120b and one or more of the UEs in subgroup 214. Figure 2 also shows LPP messages, or LPP messages including embedded SLPP messages, embedded in SUPL ULP messages exchanged between SUPL SLP1 119a and one or more of the UEs in subgroup 212, and between SUPL SLP2 119b and one or more of the UEs in subgroup 214. SLPP may include messages similar to the LPP capability request and capability provision messages, which may be referred to, for example, in SLPP as "capability and resource requests" and "capability and resource provision." Capability and resource requests / provisions in SLPP may initially be limited to NR SL PRS capabilities and resources, but may later be expanded to capabilities and resources for LTE SL PRS, RTK, Wi-Fi, BT, etc.

[0061]

[0077] In another example, the SLPP may include messages similar to the LPP Provide Assistance Data message, which may be referred to in SLPP as a "positioning signal configuration provide" (or simply as an "assistance data provide"). A positioning signal configuration provide in SLPP may include, for example, one or more of the SL PRS configurations to be transmitted by each UE and measured by other UEs, the start time and duration of transmission and the status for the end of transmission, and the type of SL PRS measurement requested, such as Rx-Tx, AOA, RSRP, RSRD, TOA, TDOA, etc. In some implementations, the positioning signal configuration provide in SLPP may be extended to define other types of signals, such as RTK signals to be measured, Wi-Fi signals to be transmitted and measured, etc. The positioning signal configuration provide in SLPP may include additional information, for example, to assist the UE in acquiring and measuring signals (e.g., SL PRS signals) and to determine the times of transmission and measurement.

[0062]

[0078] In another example, SLPP may include messages such as "positioning signal configuration confirm" (or "assistance data confirmation provide"), which do not have an analogous LPP message. The positioning signal configuration confirm in SLPP may, for example, confirm whether the positioning signal configuration provide (or assistance data provide) is agreeable. If the positioning signal configuration provide is not (partially) agreeable, a different configuration may be provided as the positioning signal configuration provide. Since LPP does not have an analogous message, if SLPP messages are embedded in LPP messages, a new LPP message type may be added to carry the positioning signal configuration confirm SLPP message. However, such a new LPP message type may not be needed when SLPP messages are not embedded in LPP messages.

[0063]

[0079] In another example, SLPP may include messages similar to LPP Provide Location Information messages, which may be referred to as "Provide Location Information" messages in SLPP. Provide Location Information messages in SLPP may include and provide SL PRS measurements obtained by the UE for SL PRS transmitted by one or more other UEs and / or may include and provide location results obtained for the UE and / or other UEs. Provide Location Information in SLPP may be extended to include and provide other measurements, such as measurements of RTK, Wi-Fi, BT, etc.

[0064]

[0080] As shown in FIG. 2 , UEs in each subgroup and UEs in different subgroups may signal each other using SLPP (e.g., when a UE sends an SLPP message to one or more other UEs). In addition, a location server (e.g., an LMF, a SUPL SLP, or Servers 1-3) may support UEs using SLPP (as described above). As previously mentioned, according to some embodiments, SLPP may be embedded in LPP, or embedded in both LPP and SUPL, or may be transmitted without being embedded in LPP. Thus, a first UE may receive a first SLPP message from a second UE and may send the first SLPP message to a location server supporting the first UE. The first UE may receive a second SLPP message from the location server in response to the first SLPP message and may send the second SLPP message to the second UE.

[0065]

[0081] Figure 3 is a signal flow 300 illustrating signaling between UE 105A, UEs 105B, 105C, and 105D, and a location server 302 for network-supported sidelink positioning as described herein, by way of example. UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, and 105D may belong to the same group, e.g., UE 105 shown in Figure 1, or any of the UEs shown in network-supported subgroups 212 and 214 of Figure 2. Location server 302 may be LMF 120, SUPL SLP 119, server 121, or server 123 shown in Figure 1, or LMF1 120a or SUPL SLP1 119a shown in Figure 2.

[0066]

[0082] As shown in FIG. 3, at 310, the UE 105A receives a first sidelink positioning message from the UE 105B. The first sidelink positioning message may be, for example, an SLPP message as described above, or any of the message types described above. The first sidelink positioning message may be sent based on SL multicasting (also called SL groupcasting) or SL unicasting, for example, if the group includes three or more UEs, as shown in FIG. 3. In SL multicasting (also called SL groupcasting), a sidelink positioning message (e.g., an SLPP message) may be transmitted that includes a group destination address (e.g., that may be partially or completely included in a Layer 1 protocol header and / or a Layer 2 protocol header in the sidelink positioning message). A receiving UE (e.g., the UE 105A) belonging to the group with this group destination address then recognizes the group destination address in the sidelink positioning message and receives, decodes, and processes the sidelink positioning message. In SL unicast, the sidelink positioning message may be sent including a UE destination address (e.g., a Layer 2 address assigned to UE 105A) and will only be received, decoded, and processed by the UE (e.g., UE 105A) whose destination address is included.

[0067]

[0083] At 320, the UE 105A sends a first LPP / SLPP message (e.g., a first SLPP message or a first SLPP message embedded in an LPP message, as described above) to the location server 302, where the first SLPP message is based on or comprises the first sidelink positioning message.

[0068]

[0084] At 330, UE 105A receives a second LPP / SLPP message from location server 302 in response to the first LPP / SLPP message from 320. The second LPP / SLPP message may be a second SLPP message or a second SLPP message embedded in an LPP message, as described above, and may be any of the message types described above. The second LPP / SLPP message (e.g., the second SLPP message) may include a location result for at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B). For example, the location result for at least one UE in the group may include at least one of a range between the at least one UE and another UE, a direction from the at least one UE to another UE, a location of the at least one UE relative to a location of another UE, a velocity of the at least one UE, a relative velocity of the at least one UE relative to the velocity of another UE, or some combination thereof.

[0069]

[0085] At 340, the UE 105A may send a second sidelink positioning message to one or more of the UEs 105B, 105C, and 105D in the group. The second sidelink positioning message may be an SLPP message and may be based on or include the second SLPP message received at 330. The second sidelink positioning message may be sent based on SL multicast, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, if the group includes three or more UEs.

[0070]

[0086] The sidelink positioning messages in the signal flow 300 may be any of the message types described above. For example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include sidelink positioning capabilities, sidelink positioning resources, or both for at least one UE in the group, e.g., UE 105B. The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP capability provision message and / or an SLPP capability provision message (e.g., if the SLPP capability provision message can be embedded in the LPP capability provision message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 and the second sidelink positioning message at 340 may include sidelink positioning capabilities, sidelink positioning resources, or both for UE 105A. The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include an LPP capability provision message and / or an SLPP capability provision message.

[0071]

[0087] In another example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least one UE in the group, e.g., UE 105A and / or UE 105B. The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP Request Assistance Data message, an LPP Provide Assistance Data message, an SLPP Request Assistance Data message, and / or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message (e.g., where SLPP messages may be embedded in the same type of LPP message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 and the second sidelink positioning message at 340 may include an SL positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least one UE in the group, e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B. The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include an LPP Provide Assistance Data message and / or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message (eg, where an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message may be embedded in an LPP Provide Assistance Data message).

[0072]

[0088] In another example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include sidelink positioning measurements obtained by at least one UE in the group, e.g., UE 105B. The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP Provide Location Information message and / or an SLPP Provide Location Information message (e.g., if the SLPP Provide Location Information message can be embedded in the LPP Provide Location Information message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include location results for at least one UE in the group, and the second LPP / SLPP message may include an LPP Provide Location Information message and / or an SLPP Provide Location Information message (e.g., if the SLPP Provide Location Information message can be embedded in the LPP Provide Location Information message).

[0073]

[0089] The location server 302 may be, for example, an LMF or a SUPL SLP. If the location server 302 is a SUPL SLP, the first LPP / SLPP message is sent by the UE 105A to the location server 302 as part of a first SUPL message at 320, and the second LPP / SLPP message is received by the UE 105A from the location server 302 as part of a second SUPL message at 330. The first SUPL message and the second SUPL message may each include a SUPL POS message.

[0074]

[0090] 4A is a block diagram 400A illustrating, by way of example, one implementation of the structure of an SLPP message 410. As shown, the SLPP message 410 includes a header 412 that may include a session ID, a transaction ID, a sequence number (seq no), an acknowledgment (or acknowledgement) sequence number (acknowledgment seq no), etc. The SLPP message 410 allows for one or more positioning methods or positioning method types. For example, the SLPP message 410 includes entries for positioning method / type 1 414, positioning method / type 2 416, and positioning method / type M 418 (e.g., where M may be equal to 3 or greater). A positioning method may, for example, use one or more specific signal types (e.g., SL NR PRS, SL LTE PRS, Wi-Fi, GPS L1-L5, or any combination thereof) and support one method of determining location for the specific signal types (e.g., one of RTT, AOA, RSRP, or TDOA). On the other hand, a positioning method type uses one or more specific signal types and supports multiple positioning methods for the one or more signal types. For example, a positioning method type may use SL PRS signals (e.g., either SL NR PRS signals or both SL NR PRS signals and SL LTE PRS signals) and support multiple positioning methods using these SL PRS signals (e.g., support all of RTT, AOA, RSRP, and TDOA). Another positioning method type may use GNSS signals and support multiple positioning methods using GNSS signals (e.g., support GNSS code phase-based positioning and GNSS carrier phase-based positioning such as RTK).

[0075]

[0091] The SLPP message 410 may be configured to support a positioning method or positioning method type (also referred to as a positioning type), or both a positioning method and a positioning method type. As shown, each positioning method / type 414, 416, and 418 in the SLPP message 410 may include parameters for each UE in the group, shown as identified by a member ID, e.g., UE1, UE2, ...UEn. It is possible that not all UEs in a group support the same positioning method / type, which may mean that parameters for UEs that do not support positioning method / type 414, 416, or 418 may not be present for that positioning method / type in the SLPP message 410. Support for multiple positioning methods or positioning method types in the SLPP message 410 may be advantageous when UEs do not all support the same positioning method or the same positioning method type, for example, some UEs may support positioning using RTK and SL PRS, while some other UEs support only RTK. However, in some implementations, the SLPP message 410 may provide support for only one positioning method (e.g., NR SL PRS RTT) or one positioning method type (e.g., NR SL PRS).

[0076]

[0092] Figure 4B is a block diagram 400B illustrating another implementation of the structure of an SLPP message 420. Similar to block diagram 400A of Figure 4A, SLPP message 420 includes a header 422 that may contain information similar to header 412 in Figure 4A. However, here the data may be structured so that each UE in a group of n UEs has separate message sections 424, 426, and 428 in SLPP message 420, each containing that UE's parameters for each positioning method / type 1 through M supported by that UE.

[0077]

[0093] Figure 5 is a signal flow 500 illustrating, by way of example, signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for pair-wise sidelink positioning involving only two UEs. UE 105A and UE 105B may be, for example, the UEs shown in Figure 1 or any two of the UEs shown in group 210 shown in Figure 2. The sidelink positioning shown in Figure 5 may be network independent, and therefore the UEs shown in Figure 5 may be out-of-coverage UEs in subgroup 216. The signaling performed in signal flow 500 may be similar or the same as the SLPP signaling described above with reference to Figure 2.

[0078]

[0094] In stage 0 of FIG. 5, UE discovery and establishment of a sidelink communication session or a sidelink positioning session 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 UE 105A and / or the UE 105B to determine nearby UEs available to participate in sidelink positioning. For example, the UE 105A can broadcast a discovery-based message using sidelink signaling, and the UE 105B can receive and respond to the discovery-based message by sending a similar discovery-based response message back to the UE 105A using sidelink signaling. Additional messages can be exchanged between the UE 105A and the UE 105B to establish a sidelink communication or positioning session between the UEs 105A and 105B. For example, UE 105A may send a request (e.g., SLPP request) to UE 105B to initiate an SLPP positioning session, and UE 105B may return a response (e.g., SLPP response) to UE 105A agreeing to initiate the SLPP positioning session.

[0079]

[0095] In stage 1, the UEs 105A and 105B may exchange SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include quality of service (QoS), using, for example, SLPP capability and resource request messages and SLPP capability and resource provision messages, as described above. Exchanging SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements may include both the UE 105A and the UE 105B sending their capabilities, resources, and service requirements to the other UE, or only one of the UE 105A or the UE 105B sending its capabilities, resources, and service requirements to the other UE. The exchanged capabilities may define what each of the UEs 105A and 105B is implemented to support. The exchanged resources may define which capabilities each of the UEs 105A and 105B is authorized to support and / or which capabilities each of the UEs 105A and 105B is not authorized to support. The sidelink positioning capabilities that a 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, bandwidth of sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, bandwidth of sidelink PRS that may be measured, RF frequency of sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, RF frequency of sidelink PRS that may be measured, signal coding of sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, signal coding of sidelink PRS that may be measured, periodicity of sidelink PRS transmission, periodicity of measured sidelink PRS, transmit power for sidelink PRS transmission, transmit power for sidelink PRS that may be measured, or any combination thereof.

[0080]

[0096] Sidelink positioning capabilities may be fixed and static (e.g., dependent on the UE implementation, never changed or infrequently changed via software upgrades to the UE). Sidelink positioning resources may depend on the spectrum available for SL PRS (e.g., whether PLMN-licensed spectrum for V2X, unlicensed spectrum, or Intelligent Transport System (ITS) spectrum is available and permitted for use) and / or on existing positioning sessions and / or procedures that the UE may already support or be part of. Existing positioning sessions and / or procedures may mean that the UE cannot transmit and / or measure SL PRS at certain times for a new SL positioning session because at these times the UE would need to be transmitting and / or measuring SL PRS for the existing positioning session and / or procedure. Similarly, certain SL PRS characteristics, such as frequencies or coding, already used for an existing positioning session may not be available for use for a new SL (or SLPP) positioning session. For example, the use of certain SL PRS characteristics for a new positioning session that are already in use for an existing positioning session may prevent the SL PRS transmissions for the new or existing positioning session from being uniquely identified by the UEs involved in the new or existing positioning session, which may then cause errors in location measurements and results. Controlling the use of SL PRS characteristics for the new positioning session by exchanging allowed and / or disallowed sidelink positioning resources may prevent such errors from occurring.

[0081]

[0097] The service requirements exchanged in stage 1 may include an indication of at least one of: an immediate (e.g., single) location at the current time, a deferred location (e.g., at a later time), a periodic location, a triggered location, one or more types of location results (e.g., relative location, global location, range, direction), a QoS of the location results (e.g., location result accuracy, location result response time or latency, location periodicity, location reliability), or any combination thereof. The exchanged service requirements may define the type(s) of location (e.g., single or periodic), accuracy, latency, periodicity, reliability, or any combination thereof, that each UE requires or expects in the sidelink positioning session.

[0082]

[0098] In stage 2, the UE 105A may send a proposed sidelink positioning signal configuration, e.g., PRS1 and PRS2 configurations, to the UE 105B, e.g., using an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as described above. The PRS1 configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by the UE 105A, and the PRS2 configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by the UE 105B. The PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may be defined and proposed by the UE 105A based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements exchanged in stage 1, which may include, e.g., the QoS of the UEs 105A and 105B. The PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may be the same as or similar to the PRS configurations defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 for LPP, except that they may refer to SL PRS transmissions on the sidelink communication channel between the UEs 105A and 105B. For example, the PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may each include specifications for the SL PRS transmission start time, SL PRS transmission duration, SL PRS bandwidth, SL PRS RF frequency (or frequencies), SL PRS signal coding, SL PRS transmission periodicity, SL PRS transmit power, SL PRS muting, and / or SL PRS frequency hopping. Rules and guidelines may be standardized to ensure that the proposed PRS configurations PRS1 and PRS2 are compatible with the capabilities, resource, and service requirements of UEs 105A and 105B, which may include the QoS of both UEs.

[0083]

[0099] In stage 3, UE 105B may send a message to UE 105A to confirm the proposed positioning signal configuration, e.g., the PRS1, PRS2 configuration, using, for example, an SLPP positioning signal configuration confirmation or an SLPP assistance data provision confirmation, as described above. In some implementations, UE 105B may instead reject the proposed positioning signal configuration in stage 3, and UE 105A may then propose a different positioning signal configuration until UE 105A confirms the positioning signal configuration. In some implementations, UE 105B may send a modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105A, and UE 105A may confirm the modified positioning signal configuration or send another modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105B. In some implementations, when the PRS1, PRS2 configuration sent in stage 2 is acceptable to UE 105B, stage 3 may be omitted, which may reduce signaling.

[0084]

[0100] In stage 4, UE 105A transmits SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS1 configuration, and UE 105B measures these positioning signals (e.g., based on UE 105B's prior knowledge of the PRS1 configuration). UE 105B may measure, for example, one or more of the RTT, Rx-Tx, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or TOA of the PRS1 transmitted by UE 105A.

[0085]

[0101] In stage 5, UE 105B transmits SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS2 configuration, and UE 105A measures these positioning signals (e.g., based on UE 105A's prior knowledge of the PRS2 configuration). UE 105A may measure, for example, one or more of the RTT, Rx-Tx, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or TOA of the PRS2 transmitted by UE 105B.

[0086]

[0102] In step 6, UE 105A and UE 105B exchange measurements obtained in steps 4 and 5. The exchange of measurements may indicate the exact SL PRS configuration to be used in step 4 or step 5 for transmission of the SL PRS, and may further provide the measurements generated in step 4 or step 5, for example, if there were any differences to the PRS1 and / or PRS2 configurations (e.g., with respect to the exact time or duration of the SL PRS transmission). As an example, if the SL positioning signal (SL PRS) transmitted by UE 105A in step 4, which corresponds to the PRS1 configuration sent by UE 105A in step 2, does not exactly match the PRS1 configuration (e.g., because UE 105A slightly delayed its SL PRS transmission because some other UE was transmitting at the transmission time(s) indicated in the PRS1 configuration), UE 105A may include the transmission time(s) actually used by UE 105A in step 4 as part of the measurements sent by UE 105A in step 6. UE 105B may then use the correct transmit time(s) for UE 105A received in step 6 when calculating any location results later (e.g., in step 7). Exchanging measurements in step 6 may include both UE 105A and UE 105B sending their measurements to the other UE, or only one of UE 105A or UE 105B sending its measurements to the other UE.

[0087]

[0103] In step 7, UE 105A and UE 105B may each calculate a location result, e.g., a distance and / or direction, a relative location, an absolute location, a velocity, a relative velocity, or any combination thereof, between UE 105A and 105B based on the measurements generated in steps 4 and 5 and received in step 6. For example, the UE may determine the range between UE 105A and UE 105B based on the Rx-Tx measurements of the PRS signals, or based on the equivalent TODi and TOAi measurements for the PRSi signals, as follows (where i=1 for the PRS transmitted by UE 105A in step 4 and i=2 for the PRS transmitted by UE 105B in step 5, and c represents the speed of transmission of electromagnetic waves, e.g., the speed of light):

[0088]

number

[0089]

[0104] The location result(s) determined in step 7 may then be exchanged in step 8. Exchanging location results in step 8 may involve both UE 105A and UE 105B sending their location results to the other UE, or only one of UE 105A or UE 105B sending its location result to the other UE. In the latter case, only the UE that sends its location result to the other UE may calculate its location result in step 7.

[0090]

[0105] As shown in step 9, steps 4-8 may be repeated as needed by UE 105A and UE 105B. For example, steps 4-8 may be repeated in step 9 to allow for periodic or triggered location results for UE 105A and UE 105B.

[0091]

[0106] 6A is a signal flow 600 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for sidelink positioning capability exchange, including an exchange of capability, resource, and service requirements that may include QoS, which may correspond to stage 1 of FIG. 5. As shown in signal flow 600, in stage 1, UE 105A may send a (e.g., SLPP) capability request message, an (e.g., SLPP) capability provision message, or an (e.g., SLPP) capability, resource, and service requirement provision message, which may include QoS, to UE 105B. In stage 2, in response to the capability request message, capability provision message, or capability, resource, and service requirement provision message, UE 105B may send a (e.g., SLPP) capability provision message, or an (e.g., SLPP) capability, resource, and service requirement provision message, which may include QoS, to UE 105A.

[0092]

[0107] 6B is a signal flow 620 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for a positioning signal configuration and confirmation exchange, which may correspond to steps 2 and 3 of FIG. 5. As shown, in step 1 of signal flow 620, UE 105A sends a proposed positioning signal configuration, e.g., PRS1, PRS2 configuration, to UE 105B, which corresponds to step 2 of FIG. 5 and may be included in an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message or an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message. In step 2a, UE 105B may send to UE 105A a configuration confirm message, which corresponds to step 3 of FIG. 5 and may be an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration Confirm message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data Confirm message. Alternatively, in step 2b, UE 105B may send to UE 105A a configuration reject message, which may be an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration Reject message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data Reject message. In response to the configuration reject message from step 2b, UE 105A may prepare another positioning signal configuration, and steps 1 and 2a or 2b are repeated. In another implementation, in step 2c, UE 105B may provide UE 105A with the proposed modified PRS1 configuration, which may be included, for example, in a Provide SLPP Assistance Data message or a Provide SLPP Positioning Signal Configuration message. * , PRS2 *In response to step 2c, UE 105A may send a configuration confirmation message, which may be an SLPP positioning signal configuration confirmation message or an SLPP assistance data provision confirmation message, to UE 105B in step 3. Alternatively, UE 105A may further modify the positioning signal configuration by repeating steps 1 and 2a or 2b.

[0093]

[0108] Figure 6C is a signal flow 660 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for a measurement exchange, which may correspond to stage 6 of Figure 5. As shown in signal flow 660, in stage 1, UE 105A may send a measurement report to UE 105B, which may include information about the PRS transmitted by UE 105A in stage 4 of Figure 5, such as one or more precise times of transmission, and may further include measurements made by UE 105A of the PRS transmitted by UE 105B in stage 5 of Figure 5. The measurement report for stage 1 may be an SLPP Provide Location Information message.

[0094]

[0109] Similarly, in stage 2, UE 105B may send a measurement report to UE 105A, which may include information about the PRS transmitted by UE 105B in stage 5 of Figure 5, such as one or more precise times of transmission, and may further include measurements made by UE 105B of the PRS transmitted by UE 105A in stage 4 of Figure 5. The measurement report for stage 2 may be an SLPP Provide Location Information message.

[0095]

[0110] Therefore, the sidelink positioning message sent by the UE 105A may include the sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources of the UE 105A, as described for stage 1 of Fig. 5 and as described for stage 1 shown in Fig. 6A. The sidelink positioning message may further include the sidelink positioning service requirements of the UE 105A, as described for stage 1 of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6A.

[0096]

[0111] Additionally, the UE 105A may receive a second sidelink positioning message from the UE 105B. For example, the second sidelink positioning message received from the UE 105B may include the sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources of the UE 105B, as described for step 1 of FIG. 5 and step 2 of FIG. 6A. The second sidelink positioning message received from the UE 105B may further include the sidelink positioning service requirements of the UE 105B, as described for step 1 of FIG. 5 and step 2 of FIG. 6A.

[0097]

[0112] As shown for steps 2-8 of Figure 5, the UE 105A may exchange additional sidelink positioning messages with the UE 105B, which may be based on the UE 105B's sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources. Each of the additional sidelink positioning messages may be further based on the UE 105B's sidelink positioning service requirements. For example, as described for steps 2-8 of Figure 5 and in signal flows 620 and 660 of Figures 6B and 6C, the additional sidelink positioning messages exchanged with the UE 105B may include a proposed positioning signal configuration, a confirmation (or rejection or modification) of the proposed positioning signal configuration, a request for measurements and / or measurements of the sidelink positioning PRS, and a location result determined from the sidelink positioning PRS measurements.

[0098]

[0113] As indicated by step 7 of FIG. 5, the UE 105A may determine the location of the UE 105B based on the additional sidelink positioning message.

[0099]

[0114] The pairwise sidelink positioning illustrated in Figures 5, 6A, 6B, and 6C can be expanded and extended for group operation, e.g., with a group of UEs, as illustrated by UE group 210 in Figure 2. The group of UEs may be small enough to allow direct discovery and direct sidelink signaling between the UEs in the group. The various sidelink positioning messages transmitted by the UEs in the group can be transmitted using groupcast or multicast, such that each sidelink positioning message is broadcast once to all receiving UEs using sidelink signaling.

[0100]

[0115] FIG. 7 is a signal flow 700 illustrating signaling for group operation of sidelink positioning for multiple UEs, shown by way of example as UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, ..., 105Z, sometimes collectively referred to as UEs 105. The group of UEs may include a small number of UEs (e.g., up to 20) for which direct discovery and direct SL signaling are possible. The UEs 105 may be, for example, any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1 or any of the UEs shown in group 210 shown in FIG. 2. The sidelink positioning shown in FIG. 7 is network-independent; therefore, the UEs shown in FIG. 7 may be out-of-coverage UEs in subgroup 216 of FIG. 2. The signaling performed in signal flow 700 may be similar to or the same as the SLPP signaling described above with reference to FIG. 2 and shown in signal flow 500 of FIG. 5, except that the SLPP signaling may involve a larger number of UEs. If desired, the signaling may be performed directly as shown, or via a relay and / or via the network. Note that the number of UEs in signal flow 700 is typically greater than two, but may be two in limiting cases (where two of the UEs shown in FIG. 7 are not present).

[0101]

[0116] In stage 0 of FIG. 7, UE discovery, group formation, and establishment of a multicast sidelink communication session are performed. The discovery process can be request-response or announcement-based. The discovery phase can be performed by one or more UEs 105 to detect other UEs 105 that are available for sidelink positioning and suitable to join a group. For example, discovery messages can be exchanged between UEs 105 to determine nearby UEs 105 that are available to participate in sidelink positioning. For example, UE 105A can broadcast a discovery-based message using sidelink signaling, and UEs 105B, 105C, and 105Z can each receive and respond to the discovery-based message by each transmitting a similar discovery-based response message back to UE 105A using sidelink signaling. The UEs 105 may also exchange (or pre-configure) one or more group criteria parameters for group formation, such as an approximate maximum distance between pairs of UEs (which helps ensure that the UEs 105 can communicate directly with each other), a minimum period of time that any UE 105 may be communicating with other UEs 105 (which helps ensure that the UEs 105 can communicate directly with each other for some minimum period of time), and / or a common direction and / or common velocity range of the UEs 105 (which helps ensure that the UEs 105 stay close to each other). Based on the group criteria parameters, the UEs 105 may determine whether to form a group, which UEs 105 should or should not belong to the group, or whether and when additional UEs 105 should be added to the group later and / or whether and when existing UEs 105 should be removed from the group. For example, the UEs 105 may determine a group status indication for each UE 105 indicating inclusion or exclusion from the group. In FIG. 7, for example, it is assumed that all UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, . . . 105Z meet one or more group criteria and are included in a group.Additional messages may be exchanged between UEs 105 to establish sidelink communications or positioning sessions between UEs 105. For example, UE 105A may multicast a single request (e.g., SLPP request) to initiate an SLPP positioning session to UEs 105B, 105C, and 105Z, and UEs 105B, 105C, and 105Z may each return a response (e.g., SLPP response) to UE 105A agreeing to initiate the SLPP positioning session.

[0102]

[0117] In stage 1, the UEs 105 may exchange SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include QoS, using, for example, SLPP capability and resource request messages and SLPP capability and resource provision messages, as described above. The exchange of capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include QoS, may be similar to the signal flow 600 shown in FIG. 6A, but involving additional UEs. For example, the UEs 105 may first exchange capabilities by each sending a single groupcast SLPP message from each UE 105 to all other UEs 105. The exchanged capabilities may define what each UE 105 is implemented to support. The exchanged resources may define which capabilities each UE 105 is authorized to support and / or is not authorized to support. The sidelink positioning capabilities that the UE is or is not authorized 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, bandwidth of the sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, bandwidth of the sidelink PRS that may be measured, RF frequency of the sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, RF frequency of the sidelink PRS that may be measured, signal coding of the sidelink PRS that may be transmitted, signal coding of the sidelink PRS that may be measured, periodicity of sidelink PRS transmission, periodicity of measured sidelink PRS, transmit power for sidelink PRS transmission, transmit power for measured sidelink PRS, or any combination thereof. Sidelink positioning capabilities may be fixed and static, as described for stage 1 of FIG. 5. Sidelink positioning resources may depend on the spectrum available for SL PRS and / or on existing positioning sessions and / or positioning procedures that the UE 105 already supports or may be part of, as described for stage 1 of FIG. 5. The service requirements of each of the UEs 105 may be as described for stage 1 of FIG.

[0103]

[0118] In stage 2, UE 105A may send proposed positioning signal configurations, e.g., PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ... PRSn configurations, to other UEs 105, using, for example, an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as described above. The PRS1 configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by UE 105A, the PRS2 configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by UE 105B, the PRS3 configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by UE 105C, and the PRSn configuration (in this example) may define the SL PRS to be subsequently transmitted by UE 105Z. The PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRSn configurations may be defined and proposed by UE 105A based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements exchanged in stage 1, which may include, for example, the QoS of each of the UEs 105. The PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRSn configurations may be, for example, as described for PRS1 and PRS2, respectively, for stage 2 of FIG.

[0104]

[0119] In stage 3, each of UEs 105B, 105C, ... 105Z may send a message to UE 105A to confirm the proposed positioning signal configuration, e.g., PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ... PRSn configuration, using, for example, an SLPP positioning signal configuration confirmation or an SLPP assistance data provision confirmation, as described above. In some implementations, UE 105 (e.g., UE 105B) may instead reject the proposed positioning signal configuration in stage 3 and further indicate which PRS configuration(s) are being rejected, and UE 105A may then propose a different positioning signal configuration (or simply a different PRS configuration for the rejected PRS configuration(s)) until each of the other UEs 105 confirms the positioning signal configuration. In some implementations, a UE 105 (e.g., UE 105B) may send a modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105A and to other UEs 105 in the group, and UE 105A and the other UEs 105 may confirm the modified positioning signal configuration or send another modified proposed positioning signal configuration to the other UEs 105. In some implementations, if the PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ... PRSn configuration sent in stage 2 is acceptable to each of UEs 105B, 105C, ... 105Z, stage 3 may be omitted, which may reduce signaling.

[0105]

[0120] In stage 4, UE 105A transmits SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS1 configuration, and UEs 105B, 105C, ... 105Z each measure these positioning signals (e.g., based on UE 105B, UE 105C, ... UE 105Z each already knowing the PRS1 configuration). UEs 105B, 105C, ... 105Z may each measure, for example, one or more of the RTT, Rx-Tx, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS1 transmitted by UE 105A.

[0106]

[0121] In step 5, UE 105B transmits positioning signal PRS2, and the remaining UEs 105 each measure positioning signal PRS2 in the same way as they measure PRS1 in step 4.

[0107]

[0122] In step 6, the UE 105C transmits the positioning signal PRS3, and the remaining UEs 105 measure the positioning signal PRS3 in the same way as they measure PRS1 in step 4.

[0108]

[0123] In step 7, the UE 105Z transmits the positioning signal PRSn, and the remaining UEs 105 measure the positioning signal PRSn in the same way as they measure PRS1 in step 4.

[0109]

[0124] In step 8, the UEs 105 exchange measurements. The measurement exchange may be similar to signal flow 660 shown in Figure 6C, but with additional UEs, and the measurements are exchanged, for example, via a single groupcast SLPP message sent by each UE 105 to all other UEs 105 in the group. The measurement exchange may, for example, indicate the correct or corrected SL PRS configuration to be used by the UE 105 for SL PRS transmission (e.g., as described for step 6 of Figure 5), and may further provide measurements obtained by the UE 105, for example, in one of steps 4, 5, 6, or 7.

[0110]

[0125] In step 9, each UE 105 determines a location result, e.g., distance and / or direction between the UE 105 and each of one or more other UEs 105 in the group, relative locations, absolute locations, velocities, relative velocities, or any combination thereof, of one or more of the UEs 105, based on the measurements generated in steps 4-7 and received in step 8. In some embodiments, only one UE 105 (e.g., UE 105A) may determine the location result.

[0111]

[0126] The location result(s) determined in step 9 may then be exchanged in step 10. Exchanging location results in step 10 may involve each of UEs 105A, 105B, 105C...195Z sending its location result to all other UEs 105 in the group, or only one UE 105 (e.g., UE 105A) sending its location result to the other UEs 105. In the latter case, only the UEs 105 that send their location results to the other UEs 105 may calculate their location results in step 9.

[0112]

[0127] As shown in step 11, steps 4-10 may be repeated as necessary by UE 105. For example, steps 4-10 may be repeated in step 11 to allow periodic or triggered location results for UE 105 to be obtained.

[0113]

[0128] Thus, as shown in FIG. 7, when a UE 105, such as UE 105A, belongs to a group of UEs including two or more UEs, the UE 105A can send a sidelink positioning message to all other UEs in the group of UEs, e.g., UEs 105B, 105C, ..., 105Z, e.g., based on sidelink multicasting. The sidelink positioning message is then broadcast or multicast once to all receiving UEs using SL signaling. For example, as described for step 1 of FIG. 7 and step 1 shown in FIG. 6A, the sidelink positioning message sent by the UE 105A may include the sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources of the UE 105A. The sidelink positioning message may further include the sidelink positioning service requirements of the UE 105A, as described for step 1 of FIG. 7 and FIG. 6A.

[0114]

[0129] Furthermore, as further described in step 1 of Fig. 7, the UE 105A may receive, e.g., based on sidelink multicast, a second sidelink positioning message from each of the other UEs in the group of UEs, e.g., UEs 105B, 105C, ..., 105Z. For example, as described in step 1 of Fig. 7 and in step 2 shown in Fig. 6A, the second sidelink positioning message received from each of the other UEs may include the sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources of each UE. The second sidelink positioning message received from each UE may further include the sidelink positioning service requirements of each UE, as described in step 1 of Fig. 7 and Fig. 6A.

[0115]

[0130] As illustrated by steps 2-8 of step 7, the UE 105A may exchange additional sidelink positioning messages with at least some of the UEs in the group of UEs, e.g., UEs 105B, 105C, ... 105Z, e.g., based on sidelink multicasting. The additional sidelink positioning messages may be based, e.g., on the sidelink positioning capabilities and sidelink positioning resources of each of the at least some UEs. Each of the additional sidelink positioning messages may be further based on the sidelink positioning service requirements of each UE. For example, as described in steps 2-8 of FIG. 7 and in signal flows 620 and 660 of FIGS. 6B and 6C, the additional sidelink positioning messages exchanged with at least some of the UEs may include a proposed positioning signal configuration, confirm (or reject or modify) the proposed positioning signal configuration, and / or request or provide measurements of the SL PRS.

[0116]

[0131] As indicated by stage 9, UE 105A may determine location results for at least some of the UEs based on the additional sidelink positioning messages.

[0117]

[0132] For group operation of sidelink positioning as shown in Figure 7, groups of UEs must first be determined and optionally formed, for example based on one or more criteria. Furthermore, modification of group UEs may be necessary when UEs move in and out of a group area.

[0118]

[0133] Group determination and formation for sidelink positioning may use, for example, Proximity-based Services (ProSe) or V2X services for group discovery and establishment as shown in stage 0 of Figures 5 and 7. Various criteria may be used to include UEs in the same group. For example, one criterion for inclusion in a group may be the capability for discovery via ProSe or V2X and the capability to communicate directly (via sidelink signaling) with other UEs in the group. Other criteria may include a maximum distance restriction, e.g., that excludes from the group any UE that is generally farther from other UEs in the group than a maximum distance threshold; a time restriction, e.g., that excludes from the group any UE that is communicating (or likely to be communicating) with other UEs in the group for less than a minimum duration threshold; and a direction or speed restriction, e.g., that excludes from the group any UE that is moving in a different direction than other UEs in the group or at a speed that differs from the speed of other UEs in the group by more than a maximum speed difference threshold. The criteria, e.g., thresholds for determining whether a UE meets various requirements for joining a group, may depend on the environment and application. For example, the distance, time, and direction or speed criteria used in group formation for V2X highway, V2X local road, or V2X parking lot applications may vary. Once a group is established, periodic ProSe or V2X signaling may be used to determine when a UE should leave the group and when a new UE should join the group, for example, based on whether the group criteria are met. Within a group, UEs may be assigned a member ID (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) for identification within the group and in SLPP messages. The group member ID may be used to determine which UE will lead, coordinate, and / or initiate an SLPP positioning session, positioning method, or positioning method type, e.g., which UE will propose a PRS configuration to other UEs, as shown, for example, in step 2 of Figures 5 and 7.A group may be restricted to only one positioning method type (e.g., SL NR PRS), while other positioning method types (e.g., SL LTE PRS or RTK) may be used by different groups. Restricting a group to one positioning method type may avoid scenarios where not all UEs in the group support the same positioning method type and may simplify procedures and messaging. Alternatively, to maximize signaling efficiency, the same group of UEs may employ multiple positioning method types and / or multiple positioning methods, and not all UEs in the group necessarily support the exact same positioning method type or the exact same positioning method.

[0119]

[0134] FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating four UEs (UEs A, B, C, and D) engaged in an SLPP positioning session 800 without the support of a location server such as an LMF. As with other figures provided herein, FIG. 8 is provided as a non-limiting example, and other embodiments may add, omit, and / or rearrange some of the illustrated operations. Here, a device and service discovery process may take place as shown in block 805, in which the UEs may discover each other and / or each UE may determine whether it has network service. In some embodiments, the device and service discovery process (of any of FIGS. 8-12) may be followed by potential SLPP session establishment (not shown).

[0120]

[0135] After the device and service discovery process, a sidelink positioning and ranging function (SPRF) process 807 may begin in which the initiating UE (UE B in the example of FIG. 8, which may function as a coordinating UE) may broadcast or multicast an SLPP Capability Request message, as indicated by arrow 810, to request UE positioning capabilities from UEs A, C, and D. As used in the figures herein, a double-sided arrow, such as arrow 810, may indicate a transmission to multiple receiving devices (e.g., from one UE to all other UEs), including a broadcast or multicast transmission. However, it should be noted that alternative embodiments may similarly transmit a message to each of multiple receiving devices using a unicast transmission (e.g., a separate unicast transmission for each receiving device). It should be noted that UE B may be referred to as the "initiating UE," "coordinating UE," "anchor UE," "target UE," or "server UE."

[0121]

[0136] The addressed UEs may then respond by each multicasting (or possibly broadcasting or unicasting) an SLPP Provide Capability message containing their UE Positioning Capabilities, as indicated by arrow 815. Each UE's UE Positioning Capabilities may include details of the UE's supported SL-PRS configurations and supported SL-PRS measurements. Taking the received UE capabilities into account, UE B may then (in this example) determine an SL-PRS configuration that can be broadcast and measured by all UEs and multicast an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as indicated by arrow 820, to deliver the determined SL-PRS configuration to the UEs participating in this session. Following this, UE B may then send an SLPP Location Information Request message, as indicated by arrow 825, to request specific SL-PRS measurement(s) from UEs A, C, and D. Each of the participating UEs (including the initiating UE B in FIG. 8) may then broadcast an SL-PRS according to its own SL-PRS configuration (e.g., at a different time than the SL-PRS transmitted by the other UEs) and perform requested measurements of the SL-PRS broadcast by the other participating UEs, as shown in block 830. For example, in block 830a, UE A may transmit an SL-PRS according to its SL-PRS configuration and measure the SL-PRS transmitted by UEs B, C, and D, transmitted in blocks 830b, 830c, and 830d, respectively. (The other UEs have similar functionality in block 830.)

[0122]

[0137] Once measurements are complete, all UEs (except initiator UE B) may then each multicast (or possibly broadcast or unicast) an SLPP Provide Location Information message, as indicated by arrow 835, which initiator UE B uses to determine the distance and / or position of the group of UEs, as indicated by block 840. For example, the position / distance calculation in block 840 may include obtaining location results (e.g., relative locations, directions, and / or distances) for UEs A, B, C, and D. In some instances, initiator UE B may optionally distribute the obtained UE distances / locations to other UEs in the group, as indicated by dashed arrow 845. (As used herein, dashed arrows may represent optional functionality.) The transmission of a final SLPP Provide Location Information message by UE B may not be requested by the other UEs but may still be permissible according to applicable transaction rules for SLPP.

[0123]

[0138] The procedure of FIG. 8 may be referred to as centralized UE location or “UE-assisted” UE location because one UE (UE B) may obtain location or location information for other UEs and then transmit this to the other UEs.

[0124]

[0139] Figure 9 is a signal flow diagram illustrating another exemplary SLPP positioning session 900. As with the SLPP positioning session 800 of Figure 8, UE B is the initiator, and many of the initial actions are the same. However, in Figure 9, each UE in the group, including initiating UE B, may broadcast its SL-PRS measurements to all other UEs in the group (e.g., via multicast) using an SLPP Provide Location Information message at arrow 910. This may enable each UE in the group to perform distance or position calculations, as indicated at block 920. Each UE may then optionally send the distance or position calculations it determined at block 920 to the other UEs in the group, as indicated at arrow 930.

[0125]

[0140] The procedure of Figure 9 may be referred to as distributed or decentralized UE location or "UE-based" UE location because each UE may obtain location and location information for both itself and other UEs and then send this to other UEs.

[0126]

[0141] According to some embodiments, two or more UEs may use SLPP with location server support to support ranging and positioning in a network-assisted mode. For example, this may be possible when at least one UE is in network coverage and is enabled to access a PLMN via a subscription. In this mode, UEs with PLMN access may be assisted by a location server (e.g., LMF) to use SLPP or may be requested by a location server to employ SLPP to obtain mobile terminal location request (MT-LR) location results. In some instances of this network-assisted mode, for example, when some UEs are out of coverage, not all UEs may have PLMN access and may not be supported or provide support for it by the location server. Thus, location server support may be limited to only some UEs within a group of UEs participating in an SLPP positioning session. Figures 10-12, described in more detail below, illustrate how positioning in such a network-assisted mode may be performed.

[0127]

[0142] FIG. 10 shows an example SLPP positioning session 1000 in which a location server (LS) (e.g., LMF) acts as an adjunct to initiating UE B to assist UE B in performing sidelink positioning. Similar to the processes of FIGS. 8 and 9 , there may be a device and service discovery process, as indicated by block 1005, followed by an SPRF 1010. The SPRF 1010 may begin with the initiating UE (UE B) multicasting (or broadcasting) an SLPP Capability Request message, as indicated by arrow 1015, to request sidelink positioning capabilities from other participating UEs, which each respond with an SLPP Capability Provide message, as indicated by arrow 1020. The initiating UE B may then request SL-PRS configuration information from the LS via SLPP Request Assistance Data, as indicated by arrow 1025, and the LS may respond with an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as indicated by arrow 1035, which may include the SL-PRS configuration for all UEs. In some embodiments, to enable the LS to determine an appropriate SL-PRS configuration for all UEs, UE B may also provide the LS with the obtained SL-PRS capabilities of all UEs in the group in an SLPP Capability Provision message, indicated by optional arrow 1030. (As shown in FIG. 10, this message may precede the SLPP Assistance Data Request message of arrow 1025.)

[0128]

[0143] The SLPP positioning session 1000 may then proceed in a manner similar to the SLPP positioning method 800 of FIG. 8 to deliver assistance data, perform SL-PRS measurements, and deliver location information. In particular, UE B may send the SL-PRS configuration received from the LS to other UEs in the group in an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, indicated by arrow 1040, followed by an SLPP Request Location Information message, indicated by arrow 1045. The transmission of the SL-PRS measurements and the transmission of the measurement results in an SLPP Provide Location Information message, indicated by arrow 1055, may be similar to the corresponding operations in FIG. 8 above. As indicated by dashed block 1060, UE B may perform distance / location calculations using the measurement results received from the other UEs. Alternatively, UE B may provide location measurements obtained from all UEs in the group to the LS in an SLPP Provide Location Information message, indicated by arrow 1065, for distance / location calculations performed in the LS, indicated by block 1070. In instances where the LS performs the distance / position calculation, the LS may then return the calculated distance / position to the initiating UE B in an SLPP Provide Location Information message, as indicated by arrow 1075. The SLPP transaction initiated by UE B towards the LS may be part of a location session between UE B and the LS (e.g., mimicked by a Mobile Originated Location Request (MO-LR) or new supplementary service operation).

[0129]

[0144] FIG. 11 illustrates another exemplary SLPP positioning session 1100 in network-assisted mode. In this example, the LS initiates a sidelink positioning operation with a coordinating UE (UE B) to obtain a mobile-terminated location request (MT-LR) location result. In this example, the coordinating UE (UE B) is the UE that coordinates obtaining SL-PRS configurations and reporting measurement results for a group of UEs participating in the SLPP positioning session 1100. The LS may request the location of the coordinating UE and / or any UE (or all UEs) in the group. In some embodiments, the MT-LR triggering the request from the location server to the coordinating UE may be triggered by an external client or application function (AF) (e.g., external client 130 in FIG. 1 ), which may provide all the necessary information for the MT-LR to the LS (e.g., to the LMF via GMLC and AMF). The LS may first request sidelink positioning capabilities for UE B, or possibly other UEs (e.g., UEs A, C, D), from UE B via an SLPP Capability Request message, indicated by arrow 1105, to which the adjusting UE may respond with an SLPP Capability Provide message, as indicated by arrow 1110. The LS may then request location results from UE B using a Supplementary Service Action Request, indicated by arrow 1115. According to some embodiments, the supplementary service action request may indicate, for example, the type of location result requested (e.g., location of one or more of the adjusting UE and / or other UEs), the identities and / or addresses of specific other UEs involved (e.g., UEs A, C, D), or whether any UEs can be used, whether a single set of location results is requested (immediate location) or whether deferred (e.g., periodic or triggered) location results are requested, or any combination thereof. The supplementary service request may also include an embedded SLPP Location Information Request message indicating specific SLPP location results or measurements to be provided by the adjusting UE, and / or an embedded SLPP Provide Assistance Data message to provide the adjusting UE with assistance data for SLPP positioning (e.g., SL-PRS configuration).

[0130]

[0145] According to some embodiments, the reason for using a supplementary service request (at arrow 1115) may be to allow for the inclusion of information such as UE address and identity information and the use of immediate versus deferred location, which may not be suitable for inclusion in an SLPP message. However, according to some embodiments, it is possible that an SLPP message (e.g., an SLPP Location Information Request) may be used instead. The target UE may then confirm or acknowledge the supplementary service request with a supplementary service response, indicated by arrow 1120, which may indicate whether any requested UEs are available (e.g., whether UEs A, C, and D have been discovered by target UE B). The adjusting UE may then perform SLPP positioning using operations of process 1125 to obtain measurements and location results without the assistance of a further LS. As can be seen, the operations of process 1125 mirror the operations in SLPP positioning session 800 of FIG. 8, as described above. Alternatively, the adjusting UE may initiate a process that echoes the operations in SLPP positioning session 900 of FIG. 9, as described above. At the end of process 1125, the adjusting UE may optionally perform a position calculation (shown in block 1130), in which case the adjusting UE may then provide the calculation results in an SLPP Provide Location Information message, shown at arrow 1135. Otherwise, the adjusting UE may return measurements to the LS in an SLPP Provide Location Information message at arrow 1135, in which case the LS may then determine the location (or distance and / or bearing) for the adjusting UE and / or other UEs, as shown in block 1140. In either case, the LS may then provide the location determination to an external client or AF (not shown). For deferred (periodic or triggered) location, SLPP positioning by the adjusting UE and returning location results to the LS may be repeated.

[0131]

[0146] Figure 12 illustrates an SLPP positioning session 1200 similar to Figure 11. However, in Figure 12, the LS actively assists SLPP positioning of four UEs, as in Figure 10. That is, the SLPP positioning session 1200 of Figure 12 may proceed in a manner similar to the session of Figure 11, as previously described. However, in Figure 12, process 1205 may include operations indicated by arrows 1210, 1215, and 1220, which may be similar to the operations indicated by arrows 1025, 1030, and 1035 in Figure 10, as previously described. The position calculation at block 1225, the SLPP location information provision at arrow 1230, and / or the position calculation at block 1235 may be performed in a manner similar to the corresponding steps of Figure 11, as previously described.

[0132]

[0147] In some embodiments, the LS may indicate to the coordinating UE whether the LS should be used for such active assistance. For example, according to some embodiments, the LS indicates in the supplementary service request (arrow 1240) whether assistance of the LS is not preferred, as in FIG. 11, or whether assistance is preferred (or required), as in FIG.

[0133]

[0148] It should be noted that although the procedures illustrated in Figures 8-12 are described herein as an SLPP positioning "session," embodiments are not so limited. In alternative embodiments, the procedures illustrated in Figures 8-12 may not necessarily occur within an SLPP positioning session (e.g., using an established session ID, etc.). In some embodiments, some operations of the procedures (e.g., communications between the initiating / adjusting UE and the LS) may occur outside of an SLPP positioning session, while other operations may occur within the SLPP positioning session (e.g., communications between UEs, such as operations within an SPRF).

[0134]

[0149] Depending on the desired functionality, embodiments may utilize SL positioning in conjunction with Uu positioning (e.g., in conjunction with one or more base stations) to provide hybrid Uu and SL positioning. An example of such a hybrid positioning method is described with respect to Figure 15, described below.

[0135]

[0150] 13 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a UE 1300 that may be utilized as described herein (e.g., in connection with previous and subsequent figures regarding UEs, mobile devices, etc.). It should be noted that FIG. 13 is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as desired. Furthermore, the functionality of the UE described herein may be performed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components illustrated in FIG. 13.

[0136]

[0151] 13A illustrates a UE 1300 comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or may communicate in other ways, as needed) via a bus 1305. The hardware elements may include processor(s) 1310, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), and / or other processing structures or means. The processor(s) 1310 may include one or more processing units that may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. As shown in FIG. 13, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1320, depending on desired functionality. Location determination and / or other decisions based on wireless communication may be performed in the processor(s) 1310 and / or in a wireless communication interface 1330 (described below). The UE 1300 may also include one or more input devices 1370, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc., and one or more output devices 1315, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0137]

[0152] The UE 1300 may also include a wireless communication interface 1330, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device, and / or various cellular devices), which may enable the UE 1300 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 1330 may enable data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) with a TRP of a network, as described herein, for example, via an eNB, a gNB, an ng-eNB, an access point, various base stations and / or other access node types, and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled to the TRP. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1332 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1334. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna(s) 1332 may include multiple individual antennas, an antenna array, or any combination thereof. The antenna(s) 1332 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques using respective digital and / or analog circuitry. The wireless communication interface 1330 may include such circuitry.

[0138]

[0153] Depending on desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1330 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, for communicating with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers, such as wireless devices and access points. The UE 1300 may communicate with different data networks, which may comprise a variety of network types. For example, one such network type may include a wireless wide area network (WWAN), which may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, etc. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as CDMA2000, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), etc. CDMA2000® includes the IS-95 standard, the IS-2000 standard, and / or the IS-856 standard. A TDMA network may implement Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), etc. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). CDMA2000® is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available.A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0139]

[0154] The UE 1300 may further include sensor(s) 1340. The sensor(s) 1340 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer(s), gyroscope(s), camera(s), magnetometer(s), altimeter(s), microphone(s), proximity sensor(s), light sensor(s), barometer(s), etc.), some of which may be used to obtain location-related measurements and / or other information.

[0140]

[0155] Embodiments of the UE 1300 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1380 capable of receiving signals 1384 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1382 (which may be the same as the antenna 1332). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be utilized to complement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1380 may use conventional techniques to extract a position of the UE 1300 from GNSS satellites of a GNSS system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the IRNSS over India, or the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China. Furthermore, the GNSS receiver 1380 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS)) associated with or otherwise adapted for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN).

[0141]

[0156] It should be noted that while GNSS receiver 1380 is illustrated in FIG. 13 as a separate component, embodiments are not limited to this. As used herein, the term “GNSS receiver” may include hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Thus, in some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may comprise a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processors, such as processor(s) 1310, DSP 1320, and / or a processor in wireless communication interface 1330 (e.g., in a modem). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine, which can use GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the position of the GNSS receiver using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Weighted Least Squares (WLS), a Hatch filter, a particle filter, or the like. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors, such as processor(s) 1310 or DSP 1320.

[0142]

[0157] The UE 1300 may further include and / or be in communication with memory 1360. The memory 1360 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage devices, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0143]

[0158] The memory 1360 of the UE 1300 may also comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 13 ) including other code, such as an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments as described herein and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 1360 executable by the UE 1300 (and / or the processor(s) 1310 or DSP 1320 within the UE 1300). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0144]

[0159] FIG. 14 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system 1400 that may be used in whole or in part to provide the functionality of one or more components and / or devices as described in the embodiments herein (including location servers such as LMFs). This may include, for example, a computer server, a personal computer, a personal electronic device, etc. Note that FIG. 14 is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as desired. Thus, FIG. 14 broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated fashion. Additionally, note that the components illustrated in FIG. 14 may be localized in a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different geographic locations.

[0145]

[0160] Computer system 1400 is shown including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or may otherwise communicate as needed) via a bus 1405. The hardware elements may include processor(s) 1410, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics acceleration processors, etc.), and / or other processing structures that may be configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Computer system 1400 may also include one or more input devices 1415, which may include, but are not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc., and one or more output devices 1420, which may include, but are not limited to, a display device, printer, etc.

[0146]

[0161] Computer system 1400 may further include (and / or communicate with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 1425, which may comprise, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, and / or may comprise, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data stores may include database(s) and / or other data structures used to store and manage messages and / or other information to be sent to one or more devices via the hub, as described herein.

[0147]

[0162] The computer system 1400 may also include a communications subsystem 1430, which may include wireless communications technologies managed and controlled by a wireless communications interface 1433, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communications, and universal serial bus (USB)). The wireless communications interface 1433 may include one or more wireless transceivers that may send and receive wireless signals 1455 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via wireless antenna(s) 1450. Accordingly, the communications subsystem 1430 may comprise a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communications device, a wireless communications device, and / or a chipset, etc., which may enable the computer system 1400 to communicate with any device on the respective network, including user equipment (UE), base stations, and / or other transmission / reception points (TRPs), and / or any other electronic device described herein, in any or all of the communications networks described herein. Accordingly, the communications subsystem 1430 may be used to receive and send data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0148]

[0163] In many embodiments, computer system 1400 will further include working memory 1435, which may include a RAM device or a ROM device, as described above. Software elements shown as residing in working memory 1435 may include other code, such as an operating system 1440, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more applications 1445, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the method(s) described above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processor within a computer), and in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described method.

[0149]

[0164] A set of these instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as storage device(s) 1425 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated within a computer system, such as computer system 1400. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium such as an optical disk) and / or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium may be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer with the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions may be in the form of executable code that can be executed by computer system 1400 and / or may be in the form of source and / or installable code that, when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1400 (e.g., using any of a variety of publicly available compilers, installation programs, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), is then in the form of executable code.

[0150]

[0165] One limitation of the sidelink (PC5) user plane with broadcast and groupcast is that the automatic repeat request (ARQ) procedure may not be supported at the radio link control (RLC) level, which can lead to the loss of SLPP messages, for example, when the distance between the transmitting and receiving UEs increases beyond some threshold (e.g., 1 kilometer) or if some obstacle (e.g., a building, vehicle, tree, or hill) between the transmitting and receiving UEs blocks the transmission. This can also occur in either PC5 user plane signaling (PC5-U) or PC5 control plane signaling (PC5-S) if RLC is not used in acknowledged mode (with ARQ) or if ARQ is used but lost RLC-level packets cannot be successfully resent. Such potential loss of messages at the transport level is unprecedented, as LPP message loss can also occur in Uu operation when LPP messages are not successfully forwarded by the MME or AMF, resulting in LPP messages being lost when the LPP itself includes acknowledgement and retransmission capabilities. According to some embodiments, such acknowledgment and retransmission capabilities are supported by SLPP (for either PC5-U or PC5-S SLPP message transport) and can be used, for example, when a small number of UEs are communicating. In this case, if the original SLPP message is sent using broadcast or groupcast, the SLPP acknowledgment and possibly retransmissions can be sent using unicast, possibly with ARQ support at the RLC level for higher reliability. An example of such acknowledgment and retransmission capabilities for SLPP messages is shown in FIG. 18.

[0151]

[0166] FIG. 15 is a signal flow diagram 1500 illustrating an exemplary hybrid positioning method that utilizes SL positioning in conjunction with Uu positioning (e.g., one or more base stations) to provide hybrid (or "joint") Uu and SL positioning for a group of UEs (UEs A, B, C, and D in this example). The basic SLPP transaction types (Capability Transfer, Assistance Data Transfer, Location Information Transfer) suitable for supporting in-coverage, partial coverage, and out-of-coverage sidelink positioning and ranging scenarios can also be applied to support joint sidelink-Uu positioning. This can be achieved simply by jointly executing the SLPP, LPP, and NRPPa procedures for the desired positioning method as shown in FIG. 15. In Uu positioning, LPP and / or NRPPa may be used for UE positioning operations for UE A (e.g., for multi-RTT), while Uu positioning using LPP and / or NRPPa can also or alternatively be used for any of UE B, UE C, and UE D, provided the LS in FIG. 15 is accessible to each of these UEs. In SL positioning, UE A in Figure 15 is the UE with which the LS in Figure 15 interacts, similar to the interaction between the LS and UE B described for example with respect to Figures 10-12. In joint Uu and SL positioning, any combination of LPP, SLPP, and NRPPa may be used depending on the desired positioning method(s) (UL, DL, SL positioning).

[0152]

[0167] In some implementations, a UE may be performing positioning of the UE and / or other UEs with another entity, which may comprise a location server, such as another UE (e.g., as in FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, and 6C), a group of UEs (e.g., as in FIGS. 7-12), or an LMF (e.g., as in FIGS. 10-12 and 15). It may then be useful if the UE can provide the other entity with any temporary or semi-permanent status or state of the UE, which may allow the positioning of the UE and / or other UEs to be improved. For example, improving the positioning of the UE and / or other UEs may include positioning the UE and / or other UEs with higher accuracy, higher reliability, less resource usage (e.g., less signaling or less processing, or both), lower latency, higher security (e.g., where unauthorized parties cannot obtain information about the location of the UE and / or other UEs), or some combination thereof. Examples of temporary or semi-permanent status or conditions for a UE that may be notified to another entity, such as a UE, a group of UEs, or a location server, may include any of the following:

[0153]

[0168] (a) the use by the UE of a relay UE to send signaling (e.g., SLPP or LPP messages and / or other messages) to other entities (e.g., where the relay UE forwards signaling from the UE to other entities directly or via a network, and similarly forwards signaling from other entities back to the UE);

[0154]

[0169] (b) the use by the UE of the satellite (or satellite access) to send and receive signaling (e.g., SLPP or LPP messages and / or other messages) to and from other entities, possibly via a network;

[0155]

[0170] (c) use by the UE of the WiFi access point to send and receive signaling (e.g., SLPP or LPP messages and / or other messages) to and from other entities, possibly via the network;

[0156]

[0171] (d) high levels of RF interference or any other radio conditions at the UE that may interfere with signaling, location measurements, and / or reference signal transmission;

[0157]

[0172] (e) No access to the network by the UE (e.g., the UE is out of network coverage or does not have a subscription to access the network);

[0158]

[0173] (f) the location of the UE, whether indoors, outdoors, at ground level, below ground level, or above ground level; or

[0159]

[0174] (g) Whether the UE is stationary or moving (for example, stationary may mean that the user of the UE is stationary).

[0160]

[0175] The examples of temporary or semi-permanent statuses or states for a UE listed above may have two common characteristics: they are not a capability of the UE (e.g., positioning capability) and may not be caused or affected by the positioning of the UE. Therefore, such temporary or semi-permanent statuses or states may be unrelated to the positioning of the UE. For this reason, such temporary or semi-permanent statuses or states may be referred to as non-positioning statuses or states.

[0161]

[0176] One or more status items or conditions may be indicated using a Boolean value (true or false), a bit, or a bit string in some embodiments, e.g., a bit set to a binary 1 to indicate the presence of a particular status item or condition and a binary 0 to indicate the absence of a particular status item or condition. An indication (e.g., a Boolean value, bit, or bit string) of the one or more status items or conditions may then be included in one or more SLPP or LPP messages transmitted by the UE to the UE, a group of UEs, or another entity, such as a location server. The one or more SLPP or LPP messages may be or include an SLPP or LPP Capability Provision message, an SLPP or LPP Assistance Data Request message, and / or an SLPP or LPP Location Information Request message. For example, any of the SLPP and LPP messages described herein with respect to Figures 8-12 and 15 may include an additional status item or condition (e.g., represented by a Boolean value, bit, or bit string) indicating a particular temporary or semi-permanent status or condition of the transmitting UE with respect to that SLPP or LPP message.

[0162]

[0177] The UE may include additional status items or states in LPP or SLPP messages sent to any one or more receiving entities if any of the status items or states exist when the UE initially sends the LPP or SLPP message. The UE may later include additional status items or states in LPP or SLPP messages sent to one or more recipient entities if any of the status items or states have changed since the UE last sent an LPP or SLPP message to one or more receiving entities that included the status items or states.

[0163]

[0178] The one or more receiving entities may take appropriate action based on the received status item or state to improve positioning of the UE and / or other UEs. The appropriate action may include one or more of: selecting a particular positioning method(s), not selecting a particular positioning method(s), allowing more time for positioning, increasing resources used to transmit reference signals (e.g., increasing transmit power or transmit duration), or using a particular signal frequency and / or a particular spectrum for reference signal transmission and measurements. For example, if the status item or state indicates that the UE is using satellite access or a WiFi AP to send signaling to another entity, the other entity may invoke a positioning method appropriate for such signaling (e.g., GPS or GNSS for satellite access or WiFi positioning for WiFi access). If the status item or state indicates that the UE is using a relay UE to send signaling to another entity, the other entity may not invoke positioning methods that rely on the UE having direct access to the network or other entity, which may include not invoking RAT-dependent positioning methods such as downlink time of arrival, uplink time of arrival, angle of arrival, angle of departure, or multi-cell round-trip signal propagation time. If the status item or state indicates that the UE is experiencing RF interference, the other entity may allow extra time for the UE to make RF signal measurements or may cause an increase in the power level and / or duration of any reference signal transmissions to be measured by the UE. If the status item or state indicates that the UE does not have access to a network, the receiving entity (e.g., another UE) may use non-operator (e.g., unlicensed) spectrum for reference signal transmissions and measurements for UE positioning. If the status item or state indicates the location of the UE as indoors, outdoors, at ground level, below ground level, above ground level, and / or that the UE is stationary or moving, the receiving entity may decide to use a positioning method appropriate to the type of UE location or state of UE movement.For example, an A-GNSS positioning method may be used for a UE located outdoors, while an NR RAT-dependent or WiFi-based positioning method may be used indoors.

[0164]

[0179] FIG. 16 is a signal flow diagram 1600 illustrating how a status indication transfer from a UE 1610 to another entity 1620 may be performed in conjunction with UE positioning, according to one embodiment. As previously indicated, the status indication transfer may occur, for example, in conjunction with Uu positioning, SL positioning, and / or joint Uu and SL positioning. This status indication transfer may be performed, for example, in one or more of the example positioning methods described herein. As previously mentioned, the UE 1610 may be performing positioning of the UE and / or other UEs, and the other entity 1620 may comprise another UE (e.g., as in FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, 6C), a group of UEs (e.g., as in FIGS. 7-12), or a location server such as an LMF (e.g., as in FIGS. 10-12 and 15).

[0165]

[0180] In stage 1, the UE 1610 determines its status. As previously described, the UE 1610 status may include a temporary or semi-permanent (e.g., non-positioning) status or state. The status may be determined using information obtained by received communications, sensor data, RF measurements, and / or other data sources, and may include, for example, one or more of the aforementioned statuses (a)-(g) described above.

[0166]

[0181] In stage 2, the UE 1610 may send an indication of the UE status to the entity 1620 in an LPP or SLPP message. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, the positioning protocol used, LPP or SLPP, may depend on what type of device the entity 1620 is and / or the type of positioning session established between the UE 1610 and the entity 1620. If the entity 1620 comprises a location server (e.g., an LMF), the LPP or SLPP protocol may be used. On the other hand, if the entity 1620 comprises a UE or a group of UEs, the SLPP protocol may be used.

[0167]

[0182] As shown in the embodiments described herein, the UE status indication may be included in different types of LPP and / or SLPP messages. If the message sent by the UE 1610 in stage 2 includes an LPP message, the LPP message may include, for example, an LPP Provide Capabilities message, an LPP Request Assistance Data message, or an LPP Provide Location Information message. If the message sent by the UE 1610 includes an SLPP message, the SLPP message may include, for example, an SLPP Provide Capabilities message, an SLPP Request Assistance Data message, or an SLPP Provide Location Information message.

[0168]

[0183] Depending on the desired functionality, the indication of the UE status may be coded in different ways in the message sent by the UE 1610 in stage 2. The indication may be provided, for example, as a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits within the message. Naturally, these may have different impacts on overhead, type of coding, and may further be defined or limited by any standard governing the message format.

[0169]

[0184] In stage 3, entity 1620 may adjust the LPP or SLPP positioning based at least in part on the UE status indication. As described above, this adjustment may improve the positioning of the UE and / or other UEs by providing greater accuracy, greater reliability, less resource usage (e.g., less signaling or less processing, or both), lower latency, greater security (e.g., where unauthorized parties cannot obtain information about the location of the UE and / or other UEs), or some combination thereof. As examples of adjusting the LPP or SLPP positioning, entity 1620 may select a particular positioning method(s), omit a particular positioning method(s), allow more time for positioning, increase resources used to transmit reference signals (e.g., increase transmit power or transmit duration), and / or use a particular signal frequency and / or a particular signal spectrum for reference signal transmission and measurements.

[0170]

[0185] Steps 4-6 illustrate how the UE 610 may provide status updates to entity 1620 for instances in which the UE's status changes. That is, in step 4, the UE may determine that the non-positioning status determined in step 1 has changed. This may be performed, for example, using the same or similar data source as used to determine the UE status in step 1. Steps 4-6 may be performed in the same or similar manner as steps 1-3 described above.

[0171]

[0186] Figure 17 is a flow diagram of a method 1700 performed by a UE for positioning a UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 1610), according to one embodiment. The structures and / or means for performing the functions illustrated in one or more of the blocks shown in Figure 1700 may be performed by hardware and / or software components of the UE. Exemplary components of the UE are shown in Figure 13, discussed above.

[0172]

[0187] In block 1710, the functions include determining a non-positioning status of the UE, where the non-positioning status includes a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and is unrelated to positioning of the UE. As mentioned above, the non-persistent state may include a temporary or semi-persistent status / condition of the mobile device. Furthermore, the non-positioning status may be unrelated to (e.g., different from or separate from) positioning of the UE, such as relating to communications, network connectivity status, etc. Specific examples are provided in the above-mentioned embodiments, and additional examples are provided below. Determining the non-positioning status of the UE may include obtaining information from various data sources, including data sources within the UE (e.g., sensors, RF measurements, etc.) and / or data sources external to the UE (e.g., information received by the UE from one or more other devices and / or systems).

[0173]

[0188] Exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions in block 1710 may include a bus 1305, one or more processors 1310, a digital signal processor 1320, a wireless communication interface 1330, sensors 1340, memory 1360, a GNSS receiver 1380, and / or other components of the UE 1300, as shown in FIG. 13 .

[0174]

[0189] In block 1720, the function includes sending an indication of the UE's non-positioning status to at least one entity in at least one of the messages during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with the at least one entity to enable positioning of the UE. As previously mentioned, the at least one entity may comprise another UE, a plurality or group of UEs, or a location server (or any combination thereof). The messages may include LPP or SLPP messages, and according to some embodiments, at least one of the messages in which the indication of the UE's non-positioning status is included may include an LPP Provide Capability message, an LPP Request Assistance Data message, an LPP Provide Location Information message, an SLPP Provide Capability message, an SLPP Request Assistance Data message, or an SLPP Provide Location Information message.

[0175]

[0190] As mentioned, the non-positioning status may include any of various states or statuses of the UE that are separate from the capabilities of the UE and unrelated to positioning of the UE. This may include, for example, the UE's use of a relay UE to exchange messages, the UE's use of satellite access to exchange messages, the UE's use of a WiFi access point to exchange messages, radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both, the UE's lack of network access, the location type of the UE's location, or whether the UE is stationary or moving. As mentioned, the non-positioning status indication may be coded in different ways and may include, for example, a bit, a Boolean value, or a bit string (or any combination thereof).

[0176]

[0191] Exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions of block 1720 may include a bus 1305, one or more processors 1310, a digital signal processor 1320, a wireless communication interface 1330, sensors 1340, memory 1360, a GNSS receiver 1380, and / or other components of the UE 1300, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0177]

[0192] 16, if the UE determines that a change has occurred in its non-positioning status, the process may be repeated. Thus, some embodiments may further include, following sending the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, determining the change to the non-positioning status of the UE and sending, in at least another one of the messages, an indication to at least one entity indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0178]

[0193] Figure 18 is a flow diagram of a method 1800 for positioning a UE (e.g., a UE 105 or a UE 1610) performed by an entity, according to one embodiment. As previously mentioned, the entity may comprise another UE or a location server. Thus, the structure and / or means for performing the functions illustrated in one or more of the blocks illustrated in Figure 1800 may be performed by hardware and / or software components of a UE or a computing system (e.g., a server). Exemplary components of a UE are illustrated in Figure 13 and exemplary components of a computing system are illustrated in Figure 14, both of which are described above.

[0179]

[0194] In block 1810, the function includes receiving an indication of the UE's non-positioning status in one of the messages during a positioning procedure in which the entity exchanges messages with the UE to enable positioning of the UE, the non-positioning status including a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the UE's capabilities and unrelated to positioning of the UE. Again, the message may be an LPP or SLPP message. According to some embodiments, the one of the messages may include an LPP Provide Capability message, an LPP Request Assistance Data message, an LPP Provide Location Information message, an SLPP Provide Capability message, an SLPP Request Assistance Data message, or an SLPP Provide Location Information message. The non-positioning status of the UE may include at least one of the following: use by the UE of a relay UE to exchange messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point to exchange messages; radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both; lack of network access by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or whether the UE is stationary or moving. According to some embodiments, the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits.

[0180]

[0195] Exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions in block 1810 may include bus 1305, one or more processors 1310, digital signal processor 1320, wireless communication interface 1330, sensors 1340, memory 1360, GNSS receiver 1380, and / or other components of UE 1300, as shown in Figure 13. Additionally or alternatively, exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions in block 1810 may comprise bus 1405, one or more processors 1410, communication subsystem 1430 (which may include optional wireless communication interface 1433), memory 1435, operating system 1440, one or more applications 1445, and / or other components of computer system 1400, as shown in Figure 14.

[0181]

[0196] In block 1820, the function includes, in response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, performing one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE. As previously mentioned, the one or more operations may vary depending on the desired functionality and may accommodate several non-positioning statuses (e.g., depending on connectivity, availability for using non-operator (e.g., unlicensed) spectrum, etc.). According to some embodiments, performing one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE may include selecting one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE, omitting one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE, increasing the length of time over which positioning of the UE is to be performed, increasing one or more resources used for transmitting reference signals for positioning of the UE, selecting several signal frequencies, spectrum, or both for reference signal transmission and measurement for positioning of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0182]

[0197] Exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions in block 1820 may include bus 1305, one or more processors 1310, digital signal processor 1320, wireless communication interface 1330, sensors 1340, memory 1360, GNSS receiver 1380, and / or other components of UE 1300, as shown in Figure 13. Additionally or alternatively, exemplary means and / or structures for performing the functions in block 1820 may comprise bus 1405, one or more processors 1410, communication subsystem 1430 (which may include optional wireless communication interface 1433), memory 1435, operating system 1440, one or more applications 1445, and / or other components of computer system 1400, as shown in Figure 14.

[0183]

[0198] As the non-positioning status of the UE may change, the entity may receive an update for the indication of the non-positioning status from the UE. Accordingly, some embodiments may further include, following receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, receiving an indication from the UE in another one of the messages indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE, and performing one or more additional operations to further improve positioning of the UE based on the indication indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0184]

[0199] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made according to particular requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used and / or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connectivity to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, might be utilized.

[0185]

[0200] With reference to the accompanying figures, components that may include memory may also include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may participate in providing instructions / code to a processor and / or other device(s) for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or transport such instructions / code. In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a pattern of holes, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0186]

[0201] The methods, systems, and devices described herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components, as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be similarly combined. Various components of the diagrams provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. Also, technology evolves, and therefore, many of the elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the disclosure to those specific examples.

[0187]

[0202] It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerical values, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are merely convenient labels and are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities. Unless otherwise expressly stated, and as is clear from the above description, throughout this specification, descriptions utilizing terms such as "processing," "calculating," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "associating," "measuring," "performing," and the like, should be understood to refer to actions or processes of a particular apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals that are typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within the memories, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0188]

[0203] The terms "and" and "or" as used herein may include a variety of meanings that are expected to depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, when "or" is used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, it is intended to mean A, B, and C, which are used herein in an inclusive sense, as well as A, B, or C, which are used herein in an exclusive sense. Additionally, as used herein, the term "one or more" may be used to refer to any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to refer to any combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term "at least one of," when used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0189]

[0204] While several embodiments have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may merely be components of a larger system in which other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Also, some steps may be taken before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0190]

[0205] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0191]

[0206] Clause 1: A method for positioning a user equipment (UE), performed by the UE, comprising: determining a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and is unrelated to positioning of the UE; and sending an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in at least one of the messages to at least one entity during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with at least one entity to enable positioning of the UE.

[0192]

[0207] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one entity comprises another UE, a plurality of UEs, or a location server.

[0193]

[0208] Clause 3: The method of clause 1 or 2, wherein the message comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message or a Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) message.

[0194]

[0209] Clause 4: The method of clause 3, wherein at least one of the messages includes an LPP capability provision message, an LPP assistance data request message, an LPP location information provision message, an SLPP capability provision message, an SLPP assistance data request message, or an SLPP location information provision message.

[0195]

[0210] Clause 5: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the non-positioning status of the UE includes at least one of the following: use by the UE of a relay UE to exchange messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point to exchange messages; radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both; lack of access to a network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or whether the UE is stationary or moving.

[0196]

[0211] Clause 6: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a bit string.

[0197]

[0212] Clause 7: The method of claim 1, further comprising, following sending the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, determining a change to the non-positioning status of the UE, and sending an indication to at least one entity in at least another one of the messages indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0198]

[0213] Clause 8: A method of positioning a user equipment (UE), performed by an entity, the method comprising: receiving, during a positioning procedure in which the entity exchanges messages with the UE to enable positioning of the UE, an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages from the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and is unrelated to positioning of the UE; and in response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, performing one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0199]

[0214] Clause 9: The method of clause 8, wherein the entity comprises another UE or a location server.

[0200]

[0215] Clause 10: The method of clause 8 or 9, wherein the message comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message or a Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) message.

[0201]

[0216] Clause 11: The method of any of clauses 10, wherein one of the messages includes an LPP capability provision message, an LPP assistance data request message, an LPP location information provision message, an SLPP capability provision message, an SLPP assistance data request message, or an SLPP location information provision message.

[0202]

[0217] Clause 12: The method of any one of clauses 8 to 11, wherein the non-positioning status of the UE includes at least one of the following: use by the UE of a relay UE to exchange messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point to exchange messages; radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both; lack of access to a network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or whether the UE is stationary or moving.

[0203]

[0218] Clause 13: The method of any one of clauses 8 to 12, wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a bit string.

[0204]

[0219] Clause 14: The method of any one of clauses 8 to 13, further comprising, following receiving an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, receiving an indication from the UE in another one of the messages indicating a change to the non-positioning status of the UE, and performing one or more additional operations to further improve positioning of the UE based on the indication indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0205]

[0220] Clause 15: The method of claim 8, wherein performing one or more actions to improve positioning of the UE comprises selecting one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE, omitting one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE, increasing the length of time over which positioning of the UE is performed, increasing one or more resources used for transmitting reference signals for positioning of the UE, selecting certain signal frequencies, spectrum, or both for reference signal transmission and measurement for positioning of the UE, or any combination thereof.

[0206]

[0221] Clause 16: A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, the one or more processors configured to determine a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and is unrelated to positioning of the UE; and configured to send an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in at least one of the messages via the one or more transceivers to the at least one entity during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with the at least one entity to enable positioning of the UE.

[0207]

[0222] Clause 17: The UE of clause 16, wherein the at least one entity comprises another UE, a plurality of UEs, or a location server.

[0208]

[0223] Clause 18: The UE of clause 16 or 17, wherein to exchange messages, the one or more processors are configured to exchange Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages or Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) messages.

[0209]

[0224] Clause 19: A UE as described in Clause 18, wherein one or more processors are configured to send an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in at least one of the messages: an LPP capability provision message, an LPP assistance data request message, an LPP location information provision message, an SLPP capability provision message, an SLPP assistance data request message, or an SLPP location information provision message.

[0210]

[0225] Clause 20: A UE as described in any one of clauses 16 to 19, wherein the non-positioning status of the UE includes at least one of the following: use by the UE of a relay UE to exchange messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point to exchange messages; radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both; lack of access to a network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or whether the UE is stationary or moving.

[0211]

[0226] Clause 21: The UE of any one of clauses 16 to 20, wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a bit string.

[0212]

[0227] Clause 22: A UE described in any one of clauses 16 to 21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, following sending the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, determine a change to the non-positioning status of the UE and send an indication indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE in at least another one of the messages to at least one entity.

[0213]

[0228] Clause 23: A device for positioning a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages during a positioning procedure in which the device exchanges messages with the UE to enable positioning of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE and is unrelated to positioning of the UE, and in response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, perform one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE.

[0214]

[0229] Clause 24: The device of clause 23, wherein the device comprises another UE or a location server.

[0215]

[0230] Clause 25: A device as described in Clause 23 or 24, wherein to exchange messages with the UE, the one or more processors are configured to exchange Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages or Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) messages.

[0216]

[0231] Clause 26: The device described in Clause 25, wherein to receive an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages, one or more processors are configured to receive the indication in an LPP capability provision message, an LPP assistance data request message, an LPP location information provision message, an SLPP capability provision message, an SLPP assistance data request message, or an SLPP location information provision message.

[0217]

[0232] Clause 27: A device as described in any one of clauses 23 to 26, wherein the non-positioning status of the UE includes at least one of the following: use by the UE of a relay UE to exchange messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point to exchange messages; radio conditions at the UE that may prevent the exchange of messages, positioning of the UE, or both; lack of access to a network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or whether the UE is stationary or moving.

[0218]

[0233] Clause 28: The device of any one of clauses 23 to 27, wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a bit string.

[0219]

[0234] Clause 29: A device described in any one of clauses 23 to 28, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, following receiving an indication of the UE's non-positioning status, receive an indication from the UE in another one of the messages indicating a change to the UE's non-positioning status, and perform one or more additional operations to further improve positioning of the UE based on the indication indicating the change to the UE's non-positioning status.

[0220]

[0235] Clause 30: A device as described in any one of clauses 23 to 29, wherein, to perform one or more operations to improve positioning of the UE, the one or more processors are configured to: select one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE; omit one or more positioning methods to be performed for positioning of the UE; increase the length of time over which positioning of the UE is to be performed; increase one or more resources used for transmitting reference signals for positioning of the UE; select several signal frequencies, spectrum, or both for reference signal transmission and measurement for positioning of the UE; or any combination thereof.

[0221]

[0236] Clause 31: An apparatus having means for carrying out the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 15.

[0222]

[0237] Clause 32: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions including code for performing the method of any one of clauses 1 to 15.

Claims

1. 1. A method of positioning a user equipment (UE), performed by the UE, comprising: determining a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising: including a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE; being independent of the positioning of the UE; and during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with at least one entity to enable the positioning of the UE, sending an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE to the at least one entity in at least one of the messages; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one entity comprises another UE, a plurality of UEs, or a location server.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message or a Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) message.

4. The at least one of the messages is: LPP capability provision message, LPP Assistance Data Request message, LPP location information provision message, SLPP Capability Provisioning Message, an SLPP Assistance Data Request message, or SLPP Location Information Message The method of claim 3, comprising:

5. The non-positioning status of the UE is use by the UE of a relay UE for exchanging the messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange the messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point for exchanging the messages; radio conditions at the UE that may interfere with the exchange of the messages, the positioning of the UE, or both; no access to the network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or Whether the UE is stationary or moving The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits.

7. determining a change to the non-positioning status of the UE subsequent to sending the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE; sending an indication to the at least one entity in at least another one of the messages indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE; and The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. 1. A method of positioning a user equipment (UE) performed by an entity, comprising: receiving, during a positioning procedure in which the entity exchanges messages with the UE to enable the positioning of the UE, an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages from the UE, the non-positioning status being: including a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE; being independent of the positioning of the UE; and in response to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, performing one or more actions to improve the positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE; A method comprising:

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the entity comprises another UE or a location server.

10. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the message comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message or a Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) message.

11. The one of the messages is LPP capability provision message, LPP Assistance Data Request message, LPP location information provision message, SLPP Capability Provisioning Message, an SLPP Assistance Data Request message, or SLPP Location Information Message The method of claim 10, comprising:

12. The non-positioning status of the UE is use by the UE of a relay UE for exchanging the messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange the messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point for exchanging the messages; radio conditions at the UE that may interfere with the exchange of the messages, the positioning of the UE, or both; no access to the network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location; or Whether the UE is stationary or moving The method of claim 8 , comprising at least one of:

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits.

14. subsequent to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, receiving an indication from the UE in another one of the messages indicating a change to the non-positioning status of the UE; performing one or more additional actions to further improve the positioning of the UE based on the indication of the change to the non-positioning status of the UE; The method of claim 8 further comprising:

15. Performing the one or more actions to improve the positioning of the UE comprises: selecting one or more positioning methods to be performed for the positioning of the UE; omitting one or more positioning methods performed for the positioning of the UE; increasing the length of time over which the positioning of the UE should be performed; Increasing one or more resources used to transmit reference signals for the positioning of the UE; selecting a number of signal frequencies, spectrum, or both for reference signal transmission and measurements for the positioning of the UE; or Any combination of them The method of claim 8, comprising:

16. A user equipment (UE), one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, the one or more processors comprising: configured to determine a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising: including a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE; is unrelated to the positioning of the UE; 1. A user equipment (UE) configured to, during a positioning procedure in which the UE exchanges messages with at least one entity to enable the positioning of the UE, send an indication of the non-positioning status of the UE to the at least one entity in at least one of the messages via one or more transceivers.

17. The UE of claim 16 , wherein the at least one entity comprises another UE, a plurality of UEs, or a location server.

18. 17. The UE of claim 16, wherein to exchange the messages, the one or more processors are configured to exchange Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages or Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) messages.

19. To send the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in the at least one of the messages, the one or more processors: LPP capability provision message, LPP Assistance Data Request message, LPP location information provision message, SLPP Capability Provisioning Message, an SLPP Assistance Data Request message, or SLPP Location Information Message 19. The UE of claim 18, configured to send the indication in

20. The non-positioning status of the UE is use by the UE of a relay UE for exchanging the messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange the messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point for exchanging the messages; radio conditions at the UE that may interfere with the exchange of the messages, the positioning of the UE, or both; no access to the network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location, or Whether the UE is stationary or moving 17. The UE of claim 16, comprising at least one of:

21. The UE of claim 16 , wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits.

22. the one or more processors determining a change to the non-positioning status of the UE subsequent to sending the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE; 17. The UE of claim 16, further configured to send, in at least another one of the messages, an indication to the at least one entity indicating the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

23. 1. A device for positioning a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, the one or more processors comprising: and configured to receive, during a positioning procedure in which the device exchanges messages with the UE to enable the positioning of the UE, from the UE via the one or more transceivers in one of the messages an indication of a non-positioning status of the UE, the non-positioning status comprising: including a non-persistent state of the UE that is separate from the capabilities of the UE; is independent of the positioning of the UE; responsive to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, a device configured to perform one or more actions to improve the positioning of the UE based on the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE.

24. The device of claim 23 , wherein the device comprises another UE or a location server.

25. 24. The device of claim 23, wherein to exchange the messages with the UE, the one or more processors are configured to exchange Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages or Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) messages.

26. To receive the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE in one of the messages, the one or more processors: LPP capability provision message, LPP Assistance Data Request message, LPP location information provision message, SLPP Capability Provisioning Message, an SLPP Assistance Data Request message, or SLPP Location Information Message 26. The device of claim 25, configured to receive the instruction at

27. The non-positioning status of the UE is use by the UE of a relay UE for exchanging the messages; use by the UE of satellite access to exchange the messages; use by the UE of a WiFi access point for exchanging the messages; radio conditions at the UE that may interfere with the exchange of the messages, the positioning of the UE, or both; no access to the network by the UE; a location type of the UE's location, or Whether the UE is stationary or moving 24. The device of claim 23, comprising at least one of:

28. 24. The device of claim 23, wherein the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE comprises a bit, a Boolean value, or a string of bits.

29. the one or more processors subsequent to receiving the indication of the non-positioning status of the UE, receiving an indication from the UE in another one of the messages indicating a change to the non-positioning status of the UE; performing one or more additional actions to further improve the positioning of the UE based on the indication of the change to the non-positioning status of the UE.

24. The device of claim 23, further configured to:

30. To perform the one or more operations to improve the positioning of the UE, the one or more processors: selecting one or more positioning methods to be performed for the positioning of the UE; omitting one or more positioning methods performed for the positioning of the UE; increasing the length of time over which the positioning of the UE should be performed; Increasing one or more resources used to transmit a reference signal for the positioning of the UE; Selecting several signal frequencies, spectrums, or both for reference signal transmission and measurements for the positioning of the UE; or Any combination of them 24. The device of claim 23 configured to:

Images