Sidelink positioning with dedicated resource pool

Abstract

Provided are a processor, a UE, and a method for performing sidelink positioning using a dedicated resource pool.SOLUTION: In a communication system, operations of a processor having circuitry that executes instructions that cause a user equipment (UE) to perform operations include obtaining a message that configures a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, determining sidelink positioning resources from the dedicated resource pool, and transmitting sidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS) using the sidelink positioning resources.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 479,901, filed January 13, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication networks provide an integrated communications platform and telecommunications services to wireless user devices. Exemplary telecommunications services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and / or video data), messaging, and / or other services. Wireless communication networks have radio access nodes that exchange wireless signals with wireless user devices using radio network protocols, such as those described in various telecommunications standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Exemplary wireless communication networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR). Wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband services using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and / or other features.

[0003] In some wireless communication networks, a user equipment (UE) may communicate with another UE without routing the communication through a network node using what is called sidelink communication. A transmitting UE initiating sidelink communication may determine available resources (e.g., sidelink resources) from a resource pool and select a subset of these resources for communication with a receiving UE based on a resource allocation scheme. Existing protocols support sidelink communication using Mode 1 and Mode 2 resource allocation schemes. In the Mode 1 resource allocation scheme (referred to as "Mode 1"), resources are allocated by a network node for in-coverage UEs. In the Mode 2 resource allocation scheme (referred to as "Mode 2"), the transmitting UE selects the sidelink resources. Summary of the Invention

[0004] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, one or more processors have circuitry to execute instructions to cause a UE to perform operations including obtaining a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, determining sidelink positioning resources from the dedicated resource pool, and transmitting a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) using the sidelink positioning resources.

[0005] In some implementations, the message includes one or more sidelink control information (SCI) sections within a slot, each SCI section including multiple SCI symbols. The message also includes one or more SL-PRS sections within the slot, each SL-PRS section including multiple SL-PRS symbols. The one or more SCI sections precede the one or more SL-PRS sections.

[0006] In some implementations, each SCI section contains two or three symbols.

[0007] In some implementations, obtaining the message includes at least one of receiving the message from a base station or accessing a memory of the UE to retrieve the message.

[0008] In some implementations, each of the one or more SCI sections is preceded by an SCI automatic gain control (AGC) symbol, and each of the one or more SL-PRS sections is preceded by an SL-PRS AGC symbol.

[0009] In some implementations, the message further includes one or more gap symbols, each preceded by either (i) one of one or more SCI sections or (ii) one of one or more SL-PRS sections.

[0010] In some implementations, the operations further include receiving an SCI signal via a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), decoding the SCI signal, and measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the PSCCH. Determining sidelink positioning resources is based on at least the decoded SCI signal, the measured RSRP, and one or more SL-PRS sections.

[0011] In some implementations, determining the sidelink positioning resource based on the measured RSRP includes determining an RSRP threshold and comparing the measured RSRP to the RSRP threshold.

[0012] In some implementations, the RSRP threshold is determined based at least on the priority of the SCI signal.

[0013] In some implementations, determining the sidelink positioning resource based on the measured RSRP further includes determining an RSRP threshold step size and adjusting the RSRP threshold by the RSRP threshold step size in response to a result of comparing the measured RSRP to the RSRP threshold.

[0014] In some implementations, the operations further include determining an SCI resource based on at least the one or more SCI sections, and transmitting an SCI signal using the SCI resource, the SCI signal indicating a sidelink positioning resource.

[0015] In some implementations, determining the SCI resource based on at least one SCI section includes randomly selecting an SCI resource from one or more SCI sections, the SCI signal indicating that the UE reserves the selected SCI resource and that the UE does not reserve other SCI resources, and the SCI signal indicating that the UE reserves one or more sidelink positioning resources that are periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

[0016] In some implementations, determining the SCI resources based on at least one SCI section includes obtaining sensing results indicating one or more reserved SCI resources and selecting SCI resources from one or more SCI sections excluding the one or more reserved SCI resources. The SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves the selected SCI resources and reserves one or more SCI resources that are periodic or aperiodic. The SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves one or more sidelink positioning resources that are periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

[0017] In some implementations, the SCI signal is a single-stage SCI signal.

[0018] In some implementations, the SCI signal further indicates at least one of a source identifier, a destination identifier, a priority of the SCI signal, a zone identifier, one or more reserved sidelink positioning resources, or one or more reserved SCI resources.

[0019] In some implementations, the operations further include transmitting a scheduling request for sidelink positioning to a base station and receiving, from the base station, via a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a downlink control information (DCI) signal allocating sidelink positioning resources from one or more SL-PRS sections.

[0020] In some implementations, the DCI signal further allocates SCI resources from one or more SCI sections. The operations further include transmitting the SCI signal using the SCI resources. The SCI signal indicates sidelink positioning resources.

[0021] In some implementations, the DCI signal further indicates at least one of: a resource pool index; a time gap between (i) the PDCCH and (ii) an SL-PRS or SCI transmission; one or more SCI format fields indicating the allocated SCI resources; one or more SL-PRS format fields indicating the allocated sidelink positioning resources; and a configuration index.

[0022] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a UE is provided, the UE including a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to perform any of the operations described above.

[0023] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method, the method including any of the acts described above.

[0024] The details of one or more implementations of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a wireless network according to some implementations.

[0026] [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example frame structure for a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations.

[0027] [Figure 2B] 10 illustrates another example frame structure for a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations.

[0028] [Figure 3] 1 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method, according to some implementations.

[0029] [Figure 4A] 1 shows a flowchart of an example resource selection procedure in a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations.

[0030] [Figure 4B] 10 shows a flowchart of another example resource selection procedure in a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations.

[0031] [Figure 5] 1 illustrates a UE according to some implementations.

[0032] [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an access node according to some implementations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Sidelink communications can be used for various applications, such as UE positioning and ranging. For example, a UE may transmit an SL-PRS to another UE using assigned sidelink positioning resources to determine the relative position between the two UEs and / or the relative position between the transmitting UE and another object. The UE may transmit the SL-PRS using resources selected from a dedicated resource pool, e.g., a set of candidate frequency and / or time domain sidelink resources dedicated for positioning purposes. The UE may obtain a message with information for configuring (e.g., setting up) the dedicated resource pool prior to the SL-PRS transmission. For example, the UE's memory may be pre-programmed (e.g., at the time of manufacture or by a SIM card) with a message of resource pool configuration information. In this case, the UE retrieves the message from its memory to configure the resource pool. Alternatively, the UE may receive a message from a base station (e.g., a g-NodeB [gNB]). In this case, the UE configures the resource pool based on the received message.

[0034] Whether the UE obtains the configuration information from its own memory or from the base station, the information needs to be structured to effectively and efficiently indicate the dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning. Furthermore, the UE needs to be able to determine the actual resources for SL-PRS from the dedicated resource pool. In light of these challenges, implementations of the present disclosure provide an exemplary frame structure that conveys the dedicated resource pool to the UE in a compact and robust manner. Implementations of the present disclosure also provide exemplary procedures for the UE to determine the SL-PRS resources and perform SL-PRS transmissions accordingly. Using the features of the described implementations, the UE can effectively and efficiently determine the sidelink positioning resources and perform sidelink communication.

[0035] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 including sidelink communication, according to some implementations. Note that the system of FIG. 1 is only one example of a possible system, and that features of the present disclosure may be implemented in other wireless communication systems.

[0036] The following description is provided for an example of a communication system operating in conjunction with a fifth-generation (5G) network provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, example implementations are not limited in this respect, and the described examples may apply to other networks that can benefit from the principles described herein, such as a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a Wi-Fi or a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network. Additionally, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc. Although aspects may be described herein using terminology generally associated with 5G NR, aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to other systems, such as systems subsequent to 3G, 4G, and / or 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0037] As shown in the figure, the communication system 100 includes several user devices. More specifically, the communication system 100 includes two UEs 105 (UEs 105-1 and 105-2 are collectively referred to as one or more “UEs 105”), two base stations 110 (base stations 110-1 and 110-2 are collectively referred to as one or more “base stations 110”), two cells 115 (cells 115-1 and 115-2 are collectively referred to as one or more “cells 115”), and one or more servers 135 in a core network (CN) 140 connected to the Internet 145.

[0038] As shown, certain user devices may be able to communicate directly with one another without an intermediate infrastructure device, such as base station 110-1. In this example, UE 105-1 may communicate directly with UE 105-2. Similarly, UE 105-2 may communicate directly with UE 105-1. Such peer-to-peer communication may utilize a “sidelink” interface, such as a PC5 interface. In certain embodiments, the PC5 interface supports direct cellular communication between user devices (e.g., between UEs 105), and the Uu interface supports cellular communication with infrastructure devices, such as base stations. For example, UE 105 may use the PC5 interface for radio resource control (RRC) signaling exchange between UEs. The PC5 / Uu interface is used merely as an example; PC5, as used herein, may represent various other possible wireless communication technologies that enable direct sidelink communication between user devices, and Uu may represent cellular communication between user devices and infrastructure devices, such as base stations.

[0039] To transmit / receive data to / from one or more base stations 110 or UEs 105, the UE 105 may include a transmitter / receiver (or alternatively, a transceiver), memory, one or more processors, and / or other similar components that enable the UE 105 to operate according to one or more wireless communication protocols and / or one or more cellular communication protocols. The UE 105 may have multiple antenna elements that enable the UE 105 to maintain multiple links 120 and / or sidelinks 125 to transmit / receive data to / from multiple base stations 110 and / or multiple UEs 105. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, UE 105-1 may connect to base station 110-1 via link 120 and simultaneously connect to UE 105-2 via sidelink 125.

[0040] The PC5 interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface and may include one or more logical channels, including, but not limited to, a PSCCH, a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), and / or any other similar communication channel. The PSFCH carries feedback regarding successful or unsuccessful reception of sidelink transmissions. The PSSCH may be scheduled by the SCI carried in the sidelink PSCCH. In some examples, the sidelink interface may operate over unlicensed spectrum (e.g., in the unlicensed 5 gigahertz (GHz) and 6 GHz bands) or (licensed) shared spectrum.

[0041] In one example, the sidelink interface implements vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. V2X communications may conform to, for example, the 3GPP Cellular V2X (C-V2X) specification or one or more other or subsequent standards through which vehicles and other devices and network entities may communicate. V2X communications may utilize both long-range (e.g., cellular) and short- to medium-range (e.g., non-cellular) communications. Cellular-enabled V2X communications may be referred to as Cellular V2X (C-V2X) communications. C-V2X systems may use various cellular radio access technologies (RATs), such as 4G LTE or 5G NR RAT (or subsequent RATs of 5G, e.g., 6G RAT). Certain LTE standards that can be used in V2X systems may be referred to as LTE-Vehicle (LTE-V) standards. As used herein, in the context of a V2X system, the term "user device," as defined above, may generally refer to devices associated with mobile actors or traffic participants in a V2X system, e.g., mobile (movable) communication devices such as vehicular and pedestrian user equipment (PUE) devices, roadside units (RSUs), and the like.

[0042] In some implementations, the UEs 105 may be physical hardware devices capable of running one or more applications, accessing network services over one or more wireless links 120 with corresponding base stations 110 (also referred to as “serving” base stations), and communicating with each other over sidelinks 125. The links 120 may enable the UEs 105 to send and receive data from the base stations 110 that provide the links 120. The sidelinks 125 may enable the UEs 105 to send and receive data with each other. The sidelinks 125 between UEs 105 may include one or more channels for transmitting information from UE 105-1 to UE 105-2 and vice versa, and / or between the UE 105 and a UE-type RSU and vice versa.

[0043] In some implementations, the UE 105 is configured to use a resource pool for sidelink communications, such as sidelink positioning. For example, the UE 105 may determine sidelink positioning resources from a resource pool dedicated to sidelink positioning and use the sidelink positioning resources to communicate reference signals, such as SL-PRS. The sidelink resource pool may be divided into multiple time slots, frequency channels, and frequency subchannels. In some examples, the UE 105 is synchronized and performs sidelink transmissions aligned with slot boundaries. The UE may be expected to select several slots and subchannels for transmission of a transport block. In some examples, the UE may use different subchannels for transmission of a transport block across multiple slots within its resource selection window.

[0044] 2A and 2B show example frame structures 200A and 200B, respectively, of a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations. The resource pool indicated by the message may span a slot having 14 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the time domain, as shown horizontally in frame structures 200A and 200B. The resource pool may also span multiple (e.g., three) subchannels in the frequency domain, as shown vertically in frame structures 200A and 200B. A UE (e.g., UE 105-1 or UE 105-2 in FIG. 1) may use the time and frequency resources indicated by a message having either frame structure 200A or 200B to transmit an SL-PRS.

[0045] The message may include one or more SCI sections and one or more SL-PRS sections within a slot. The SCI section is a set of resources dedicated to SCI signals. The SL-PRS section is a set of resources dedicated to SL-PRS. In sidelink communication, after the UE determines resources for SL-PRS transmission, the UE may transmit an SCI signal to indicate these SL-PRS resources.

[0046] 2A, frame structure 200A includes one SCI section 210 followed by three SL-PRS sections 220-1, 220-2, and 220-3. SL-PRS sections 220-1, 220-2, and 220-3 are collectively referred to as SL-PRS section 220. SCI section 210 includes three SCI resources 211, 212, and 213. Each of SCI resources 211, 212, and 213 spans three consecutive symbols in the time domain. Each of SCI resources 211, 212, and 213 also occupies one subchannel in the frequency domain.

[0047] Each of the SL-PRS sections 220 has four SL-PRS resources 221-224. Within SL-PRS section 220-1, all boxes with the number "1" belong to SL-PRS resource 221, all boxes with the number "2" belong to SL-PRS resource 222, all boxes with the number "3" belong to SL-PRS resource 222, and all boxes with the number "4" belong to SL-PRS resource 224. Similarly, within each of SL-PRS sections 220-2 and 220-3, all boxes with the same number belong to the same resource in the SL-PRS section. Thus, frame structure 200A provides a total of 12 SL-PRS resources: four from SL-PRS section 220-1, four from SL-PRS section 220-2, and four from SL-PRS section 220-3.

[0048] Each of the SL-PRS resources 221-224 spans two consecutive symbols in the time domain. The SL-PRS resources 221-224 are interlaced in the frequency domain. For example, the SL-PRS resource 221 occupies multiple portions of the frequency resource (shown as boxes with the number "1"), and these portions are non-contiguous in frequency. Similarly, the SL-PRS resources 222-224 each occupy multiple portions of the frequency resource (shown as boxes with the numbers "2," "3," and "4," respectively) that are non-contiguous. The first SL-PRS resources 221-224 are arranged adjacently in order in the frequency domain, followed by the second SL-PRS resources 221-224, and so on. The same interlacing pattern applies to the SL-PRS sections 220-2 and 220-3.

[0049] In addition to the symbols in the SCI section 210 and the SL-PRS section 220, the frame structure 200A may have one or more AGC symbols 280 to aid in message reception. For example, the SCI section 210 and the SL-PRS section 220 may each be preceded by one AGC symbol 280. Furthermore, the frame structure 200A may have one or more gap symbols 290. For example, the frame structure 200A may have a gap symbol 290 as the last (e.g., 14th) symbol of a slot. In this case, the gap symbol 290 is preceded by the SL-PRS section 220-3.

[0050] 2B, frame structure 200B has two SCI sections 230-1 and 230-2, collectively referred to as SCI section 230. SCI section 230 is followed by two SL-PRS sections 240-1 and 240-2, collectively referred to as SL-PRS section 240.

[0051] Each SCI section 230 has three SCI resources 231, 232, and 233, each spanning two consecutive symbols in the time domain. Each of SCI resources 231, 232, and 233 also occupies one subchannel in the frequency domain. Thus, frame structure 200B provides a total of six SCI resources: three from SCI section 230-1 and three from SCI section 230-2.

[0052] Each SL-PRS section 240 has four SL-PRS resources 241-244. Each of the SL-PRS resources 241-244 spans two consecutive symbols in the time domain. Similar to frame structure 200A, the SL-PRS resources 241-244 in frame structure 200B are interlaced in the frequency domain within each SL-PRS section 240. Thus, frame structure 200B provides a total of eight SL-PRS resources: four from SL-PRS section 240-1 and four from SL-PRS section 240-2.

[0053] The frame structure 200B also has one or more AGC symbols 280. For example, the SCI section 230 and the SL-PRS section 240 may each be preceded by one AGC symbol 280. Furthermore, the frame structure 200B has one or more gap symbols 290. For example, one gap symbol 290 may follow the SCI section 230, and another gap symbol 290 may follow the SL-PRS section 240.

[0054] As previously described, a UE may use an SCI signal to indicate reserved SL-PRS resources. In the example of FIG. 2A, the UE may use SCI resource 211 to transmit an SCI signal. In the SCI signal, the UE may indicate that it has reserved SL-PRS resource number "4" in SL-PRS section 220-3. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 2B, the UE may use SCI resource 231 in SCI section 230-1 to transmit an SCI signal indicating the reservation of SL-PRS resource number "1" in SL-PRS section 240-1. Similarly, the UE may use SCI resource 232 in SCI section 230-2 to transmit an SCI signal indicating the reservation of SL-PRS resource number "2" in SL-PRS section 240-2.

[0055] 2A and 2B provide only a limited number of example frame structures of a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning. Other implementations may have frame structures with a different number of SCI sections within a slot, a different number of SL-PRS sections within a slot, a different number of symbols in each section, and / or a different number and position of AGC symbols and gap symbols within a slot. A UE may support multiple frame structures and may be configured, for example by a base station, to select which frame structure(s) to use. The configuration may be performed on a per-resource-pool basis; that is, each resource pool may have its own configuration for the frame structure. Thus, the UE may have great flexibility for determining resources for SCI and SL-PRS transmissions.

[0056] 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 according to some implementations. For clarity of presentation, the following description generally describes method 300 in the context of other figures in this description. For example, method 300 may be performed by UE 105-1 or UE 105-2 of FIG. 1. It will be understood that method 300 may be performed, for example, by any suitable system, environment, software, hardware, or combination of systems, environments, software, and hardware, as appropriate. In some implementations, various steps of method 300 may be performed in parallel, in combination, in a loop, or in any order.

[0057] At 302, the method 300 involves obtaining a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning. As previously described, the message may be obtained from a memory of the UE or from a base station. The message may have a frame structure similar to frame structure 200A or 200B.

[0058] At 304, the method 300 involves determining sidelink positioning resources from a dedicated resource pool. The determining may involve resource selection for the UE from the dedicated resource pool. Alternatively or additionally, the determining may involve following a network node's (e.g., base station's) resource allocation.

[0059] At 306, the method 300 involves transmitting the SL-PRS using the sidelink positioning resources. The transmission may involve transmitting an SCI signal indicating the sidelink positioning resources used for the SL-PRS transmission.

[0060] The UE may perform method 300 in various ways. For example, depending on the UE's hardware and software configuration and / or the nature of the communication, the UE may determine 304 the sidelink positioning resources according to one or more resource selection procedures. Two exemplary resource selection procedures are described below with reference to Figures 4A and 4B. These following descriptions assume that the exemplary resource selection procedures are performed by the UE 105-1.

[0061] 4A shows a flowchart of an example resource selection procedure 400A in a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations. The procedure 400A may be applied, for example, to a Mode 2 resource allocation scheme.

[0062] At 402, the UE 105-1 obtains a configuration (e.g., a message) of a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning. The operation at 402 may be similar to the operation at 302 in FIG.

[0063] At 404, UE 105-1 receives an SCI signal from another UE, such as UE 105-2. UE 105-1 may receive the SCI signal via a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) using resources in a dedicated resource pool. The received SCI signal may indicate criteria for UE 105-1 to perform SL-PRS resource selection. For example, the received SCI signal may indicate any SL-PRS resources in the dedicated resource pool that are reserved by other UEs. Upon receiving the SCI signal, UE 105-1 measures the RSRP of the PSCCH.

[0064] At 406, UE 105-1 selects SL-PRS resources from one or more SL-PRS sections of a frame structure, such as SL-PRS section 220 of frame structure 200A or SL-PRS section 240 of frame structure 200B. UE 105-1 reserves the selected SL-PRS resources for SL-PRS transmission. UE 105-1 may make the selection based on the decoded content of the received SCI signal and the measured RSRP. For example, UE 105-1 may determine from the decoded content of the received SCI signal which SL-PRS resources in a dedicated resource pool are reserved by other UEs. UE 105-1 may also determine, based on the measured RSRP, whether UE 105-1 should honor the resource reservations of other UEs. If the measured RSRP is higher than a threshold, UE 105-1 may determine that it should honor the resource reservations of the other UEs. Conversely, if the measured RSRP is lower than the threshold, UE 105-1 may determine that the other UEs are located far enough away that reusing resources reserved by the other UEs would result in little conflict, in which case UE 105-1 may choose not to honor the resource reservations of the other UEs.

[0065] When comparing the measured RSRP to a threshold, UE 105-1 may start with an initial RSRP threshold. UE 105-1 may then adjust (e.g., increase) the RSRP threshold by a small amount (a "step size") to free up more SL-PRS resources from the reservations of other UEs. Additionally or alternatively, the RSRP threshold may depend on the priority of the received SCI signal.

[0066] Adjusting the RSRP threshold may determine the number of resources in the dedicated resource pool available for SL-PRS transmission. In some implementations, the UE 105-1 may set a target percentage value to describe a target ratio between the available resources and the total number of resources in the dedicated resource pool. When the target percentage is reached, the UE 105-1 stops increasing the RSRP threshold. The UE 105-1 may obtain the initial RSRP threshold, step size, and target percentage value from its memory or from the base station along with a message configuring the dedicated resource pool. Selection of SL-PRS resources based on the RSRP threshold adjustment may provide a balanced approach between the number of available resources and potential contention with other UEs.

[0067] At 408, UE 105-1 selects an SCI resource from one or more SCI sections of a frame structure, such as SCI section 210 of frame structure 200A or SCI section 230 of frame structure 200B. UE 105-1 uses the selected SCI resource to transmit an SCI signal (different from the SCI signal received at 404) indicating the selected reserved SL-PRS resource. The transmitted SCI signal may also indicate the one or more SCI resources reserved by UE 105-1.

[0068] In some implementations, the UE 105-1 randomly selects an SCI resource from the SCI section. In this case, the UE 105-1 can reserve only the selected SCI resource and cannot reserve any other SCI resources. In addition to the selected SL-PRS resource, the UE 105-1 may further reserve one or more SL-PRS resources that are periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. The UE 105-1 may indicate the reserved SCI and SL-PRS resources in a transmitted SCI signal.

[0069] In some alternative implementations, the UE 105-1 selects an SCI resource from one or more SCI sections based on a sensing result. For example, the UE 105-1 may perform sensing with one or more other UEs and, according to the sensing result, exclude one or more SCI resources reserved by the other UEs. In this scenario, the UE 105-1 may reserve not only the selected SCI resource but also one or more SCI resources that are periodic or aperiodic. The UE 105-1 may also reserve not only the selected SL-PRS resource but also one or more SL-PRS resources that are periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

[0070] Similar to the SL-PRS resource selection at 406, the SCI resource selection at 408 may compare the measured RSRP value to an RSRP threshold. The SCI resource selection at 408 may also consider a target percentage value and the priority of the received SCI signal.

[0071] At 410, the UE 105-1 transmits an SCI signal on the selected SCI resource. The SCI signal may be a single-stage SCI signal. The SCI signal may include one or more of the following items in its content: a source identifier of the SCI signal, a destination identifier of the SCI signal, a priority of the SCI signal, a zone identifier, one or more SL-PRS resources (e.g., reserved SL-PRS resources), or one or more reserved SCI resources (e.g., reserved SCI resources).

[0072] In some implementations, the SL-PRS resources indicated by the SCI signal may include time resources. For example, the SCI signal may indicate that the SL-PRS resources are scheduled in the current slot or a future slot. Alternatively or additionally, the SCI signal may indicate a gap in the time domain (e.g., two or three slots) between the SCI signal and the reserved SL-PRS resources. The gap may be larger than a predefined minimum gap or a resource pool-configured minimum gap. Alternatively or additionally, the indication of the time resource may further include an SL-PRS section index, such as the index of SL-PRS section 220-1, 220-2, or 220-3 within frame structure 200A in a slot.

[0073] In some implementations, the SL-PRS resources indicated by the SCI signal may also include the frequency resources and / or periodicity of the SL-PRS. The frequency resource indication may include an SL-PRS resource index within the SL-PRS section (e.g., the index of SL-PRS resource 221, 222, 223, or 224 within SL-PRS section 220-1 in frame structure 200A). Alternatively or additionally, the SL-PRS periodicity may be indicated as a number of slots or as an absolute time (e.g., in milliseconds).

[0074] In some implementations, the SCI resources indicated by the SCI signal may include time resources, frequency resources, and / or the periodicity of the SCI. The SCI signal may indicate these SCI resources as well as an indication of the SL-PRS resources.

[0075] The UE 105-1 transmits the SL-PRS signal on the selected SL-PRS resource at 412. The transmission at 412 may be similar to the transmission at 306 of FIG.

[0076] 4B shows a flowchart of another exemplary resource selection procedure 400B in a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning, according to some implementations. Procedure 400A may be applied, for example, to a Mode 1 resource allocation scheme. In resource selection procedure 400B, operation at 422 may be similar to operation at 402 of 400A. Therefore, in the following description, 422 will be omitted for brevity.

[0077] At 424, the UE 105-1 may send a scheduling request (SR) for sidelink positioning to a base station, such as base station 110-1. In the SR, the UE 105-1 may request the base station to allocate resources for sidelink positioning.

[0078] At 426, the UE 105-1 receives a DCI signal via the PDCCH from the base station. The DCI signal may indicate SCI resources (for transmitting the SCI signal) and SL-PRS resources (for transmitting the SL-PRS signal) allocated from a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning. This DCI-based resource allocation mechanism may be applied to dynamic SL-PRS transmissions, where the SL-PRS transmissions are scheduled for a single time after the UE 105-1 connects to the network served by the base station. This DCI-based resource allocation mechanism may also be applied to Type 2 configured SL-PRS transmissions, where the SL-PRS transmissions occur periodically at pre-configured opportunities.

[0079] The format of the DCI signal may be similar to or different from DCI formats used in other communication protocols. The DCI signal may include one or more of the following items in its content: a resource pool index; a time-domain gap between (i) the PDCCH and (ii) the SL-PRS transmission and the associated SCI transmission; one or more SCI format fields indicating assigned SCI resources; one or more SL-PRS format fields indicating assigned SL-PRS resources; or an index of the configuration of a dedicated resource pool. If necessary, the DCI may have padding bits (e.g., 0). The assigned SCI resources may include SCI time resources, SCI frequency resources, or SCI periodicity. Similarly, the assigned SL-PRS resources may include SL-PRS time resources, SL-PRS frequency resources, or SL-PRS periodicity.

[0080] At 428, UE 105-1 transmits an SCI signal on the assigned SCI resource, e.g., to UE 105-2. UE 105-1 also transmits an SL-PRS signal on the assigned SL-PRS resource. As previously described, the SCI signal indicates the assigned SL-PRS resource for the SL-PRS transmission. The transmission at 428 may be similar to the transmission at 306 in FIG. 3 or may be similar to the transmissions at 410-412 in FIG. 4A.

[0081] As described above, one or more implementations of the present disclosure provide an effective and efficient technique for a UE to configure a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning and determine resources for SL-PRS transmission. The UE can efficiently configure the dedicated resource pool without significantly increasing processing complexity. The UE can also flexibly determine sidelink resources for both Mode 1 and Mode 2 systems.

[0082] 5 illustrates a UE 500 according to some implementations. The UE 500 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the UE 105-1 or UE 105-2 of FIG.

[0083] The UE 500 may be any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a mobile phone, a computer, a tablet, an industrial wireless sensor (e.g., a microphone, a pressure sensor, a thermometer, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, an inventory sensor, a voltage / current meter, etc.), a video device (e.g., a camera, a video camera, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a relaxed-IoT device, etc.

[0084] The UE 500 may include a processor 502, an RF interface circuit 504, memory / storage 506, a user interface 508, sensors 510, driver circuitry 512, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 514, an antenna structure 516, and a battery 518. The components of the UE 500 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. The block diagram of FIG. 5 is intended to illustrate a high-level view of some of the components of the UE 500. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other embodiments.

[0085] The components of the UE 500 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 520, which may represent any type of interface, input / output, bus (local, system, or expansion), transmission line, trace, optical connection, etc. that may allow various circuit components (on a common or different chips or chipsets) to interact with one another.

[0086] The processor 502 may include processor circuitry such as, for example, baseband processor circuitry (BB) 522A, central processing unit circuitry (CPU) 522B, and graphics processing unit circuitry (GPU) 522C. The processor 502 may include any type of circuitry or processor circuitry that executes or otherwise operates computer-executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, or functional processes from memory / storage 506, to cause the UE 500 to perform the operations described herein. For example, the processor 502 may obtain messages that configure a dedicated resource pool, decode received SCI or DCI signals, measure RSRP, and select SCI and SL-PRS resources.

[0087] In some implementations, the baseband processor circuitry 522A may access a communications protocol stack 524 in the memory / storage 506 to communicate over a 3GPP-compliant network. Generally, the baseband processor circuitry 522A may access the communications protocol stack to perform user plane functions at the physical (PHY) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and PDU layer. The baseband processor circuitry 522A performs user plane functions at the PHY layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and non-access layer. In some implementations, PHY layer operations may additionally or alternatively be performed by components of the RF interface circuitry 504. The baseband processor circuitry 522A may generate or process baseband signals or waveforms that carry information within a 3GPP-compliant network. In some implementations, waveforms for NR may be based on cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) "CP-OFDM" in the uplink or downlink and discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM "DFT-S-OFDM" in the uplink.

[0088] The memory / storage 506 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., communication protocol stack 524) that include instructions that may be executed by one or more of the processors 502 to cause the UE 500 to perform various operations described herein. The memory / storage 506 includes any type of volatile or non-volatile memory that may be distributed throughout the UE 500. In some implementations, some of the memory / storage 506 may be located on the processor 502 itself (e.g., L1 and L2 caches), while other memory / storage 506 may be external to the processor 502 but accessible via a memory interface. The memory / storage 506 may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as, but not limited to, Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state memory, or any other type of memory device technology.

[0089] The RF interface circuitry 504 may include transceiver circuitry and a radio frequency front end module (RFEM) that enable the UE 500 to communicate with other devices over a radio access network. The RF interface circuitry 504 may include various elements disposed in the transmit or receive path. These elements may include, for example, switches, mixers, amplifiers, filters, synthesizer circuits, control circuits, etc. The RF interface circuitry 504 may, for example, receive SCI or DCI signals, transmit SR, or transmit SL-PRS and associated SCI signals.

[0090] In the receive path, the RFEM may receive radiated signals from the air interface via antenna(s) 516, filter and amplify the signals (using a low noise amplifier), and provide the signals to a transceiver receiver that downconverts the RF signals to baseband signals that are provided to a baseband processor in the processor 502.

[0091] In the transmit path, the transmitter of the transceiver upconverts baseband signals received from the baseband processor and provides RF signals to the RFEM, which may amplify the RF signals using a power amplifier before radiating the signals over the air interface via the antenna 516. In various implementations, the RF interface circuitry 504 may be configured to transmit and receive signals in a manner that is compliant with NR access technologies.

[0092] The antenna 516 may include one or more antenna elements that convert electrical signals into radio waves for transmission through the air and convert received radio waves into electrical signals. The antenna elements may be arranged in one or more antenna panels. The antenna 516 may have antenna panels that are omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof, enabling beamforming and multiple-input, multiple-output communications. The antenna 516 may include microstrip antennas, printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards, patch antennas, phased array antennas, etc. The antenna 516 may have one or more panels designed for a specific frequency band, including the FR1 or FR2 bands.

[0093] The user interface circuitry 508 includes various input / output (I / O) devices designed to enable user interaction with the UE 500. The user interface 508 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. The input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, among other things, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for displaying or otherwise communicating information, such as a sensor reading, actuator position(s), or other similar information. The output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including, among other things, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators such as light emitting diodes "LEDs" and multi-character visual outputs), or more complex outputs such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays "LCDs," LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), and output such as text, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. generated or created from operation of UE500.

[0094] Sensors 510 may include devices, modules, or subsystems intended to detect events or changes in their environment and transmit information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors may include, among others, inertial measurement units including accelerometers, gyroscopes, or magnetometers, microelectromechanical systems or nanoelectromechanical systems including 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyroscopes, or magnetometers, level sensors, temperature sensors (e.g., thermistors), pressure sensors, image capture devices (e.g., cameras or lensless apertures), light detection and ranging sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., infrared detectors, etc.), depth sensors, ambient light sensors, ultrasonic transceivers, microphones or other similar audio capture devices, etc.

[0095] The driver circuitry 512 may include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the UE 500. The driver circuitry 512 may include individual drivers that enable other components to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the UE 500. For example, the driver circuitry 512 may include a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touchscreen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touchscreen interface, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensors 510 and controlling and allowing access to the sensors 510, a driver for obtaining actuator positions of or controlling and allowing access to electromechanical components, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0096] The PMIC 514 may manage the power provided to various components of the UE 500. In particular, with respect to the processor 502, the PMIC 514 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion.

[0097] In some implementations, the PMIC 514 may control or otherwise be a part of various power saving mechanisms of the UE 500. The battery 518 may power the UE 500, although in some examples, the UE 500 may be mounted and deployed at a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 518 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, or the like. In some implementations, such as in vehicle-based applications, the battery 518 may be a typical automotive lead-acid battery.

[0098] 6 illustrates an access node 600 (e.g., a base station or a gNB) according to some implementations. The access node 600 may be similar to, and substantially interchangeable with, the base station 110-1 or the base station 110-2 of FIG. 2. The access node 600 may include a processor 602, an RF interface circuit 604, a core network (CN) interface circuit 606, a memory / storage circuit 608, and an antenna structure 610.

[0099] The components of the access node 600 may be coupled to various other components via one or more interconnects 612. The processor 602, RF interface circuitry 604, memory / storage circuitry 608 (including a communications protocol stack 614), antenna 610, and interconnect 612 may be similar to the like-named elements shown and described with respect to Figure 5. For example, the processor 602 may include processor circuits such as a baseband processor circuit (BB) 616A, a central processing unit circuit (CPU) 616B, and a graphics processing unit circuit (GPU) 616C.

[0100] The CN interface circuitry 606 may provide connectivity to a core network, e.g., a fifth-generation core network (5GC), using a 5GC-compliant network interface protocol, such as a Carrier Ethernet protocol or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity may be provided to / from the access node 600 via optical fiber or wireless backhaul. The CN interface circuitry 606 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the CN interface circuitry 606 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0101] As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” etc. may refer to equipment that provides wireless baseband functionality for data and / or voice connectivity between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BSs, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs, TRPs, etc., and may include terrestrial stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms “NG RAN node” etc. may refer to an access node 600 operating in an NR or 5G system (e.g., gNB), and the term “E-UTRAN node” may refer to an access node 600 operating in an LTE or 4G system (e.g., eNB). According to various implementations, access node 600 may be implemented as one or more of a macrocell base station and / or a dedicated physical device such as a femtocell, picocell, or other similar cell having a smaller coverage area, lower user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell.

[0102] In some implementations, all or a portion of the access node 600 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In a V2X scenario, the access node 600 may be or operate as a “roadside unit.” The term “roadside unit” or “RSU” may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. The RSU may be implemented in or by an appropriate RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE; an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU,” an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU,” etc.

[0103] In the description herein, for convenience, various components may be described as performing a task or tasks. Such descriptions should be construed to include the phrase "configured to." It is expressly intended that a description of a component being configured to perform one or more tasks does not invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) interpretation with respect to that component.

[0104] For one or more implementations, at least one of the components depicted in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, or methods as described in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. As another example, circuitry associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc., as described above in connection with one or more of the foregoing figures, may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below in the example section.

[0105] Any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples) unless otherwise stated. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise embodiments disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of various implementations.

[0106] Although the above implementations have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated, and it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

[0107] It is understood that use of personally identifiable information should comply with generally recognized privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of permitted uses should be clearly indicated to users.

Claims

1. One or more processors comprising circuitry configured to execute instructions, the instructions including: obtaining a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning; determining sidelink positioning resources from the dedicated resource pool; and transmitting a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) using the sidelink positioning resources; and One or more processors that perform operations including:

2. 10. One or more processors according to claim 1, The message may include: one or more sidelink control information (SCI) sections in a slot, each SCI section including a plurality of SCI symbols; one or more SL-PRS sections within the slot, each SL-PRS section including a plurality of SL-PRS symbols; One or more processors, wherein the one or more SCI sections precede the one or more SL-PRS sections.

3. 3. The one or more processors of claim 2, wherein obtaining the message comprises: receiving said message from a base station; or accessing a memory of the UE to retrieve the message; one or more processors, including at least one of:

4. 3. One or more processors according to claim 2, each of the one or more SCI sections is preceded by an SCI automatic gain control (AGC) symbol; One or more processors, each of the one or more SL-PRS sections being preceded by an SL-PRS AGC symbol.

5. 3. One or more processors according to claim 2, the message further comprises one or more gap symbols; One or more processors, each gap symbol being preceded by (i) one of the one or more SCI sections, or (ii) one of the one or more SL-PRS sections.

6. 3. The one or more processors of claim 2, wherein the operations include: receiving an SCI signal via a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH); decoding the SCI signal; measuring a reference signal received power (RSRP) of the PSCCH; The determining of the sidelink positioning resources is based on at least the decoded SCI signal, the measured RSRP, and the one or more SL-PRS sections.

7. 7. The one or more processors of claim 6, wherein determining the sidelink positioning resource based on the measured RSRP comprises: determining an RSRP threshold; comparing the measured RSRP to the RSRP threshold; one or more processors,

8. 8. The one or more processors of claim 7, wherein the RSRP threshold is determined based at least on a priority of the SCI signal.

9. 8. The one or more processors of claim 7, wherein determining the sidelink positioning resource based on the measured RSRP comprises: determining an RSRP threshold step size; adjusting the RSRP threshold by the RSRP threshold step size in response to comparing the measured RSRP to the RSRP threshold; the one or more processors further comprising:

10. 3. The one or more processors of claim 2, wherein the operations include: determining SCI resources based at least on the one or more SCI sections; transmitting an SCI signal using the SCI resource, the SCI signal indicating the sidelink positioning resource; the one or more processors further comprising:

11. 11. One or more processors according to claim 10, determining the SCI resource based on at least the one or more SCI sections includes randomly selecting the SCI resource from the one or more SCI sections; the SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves the selected SCI resource and that the UE does not reserve other SCI resources; The one or more processors, wherein the SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves one or more sidelink positioning resources, which may be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

12. 11. One or more processors according to claim 10, determining the SCI resource based on at least the one or more SCI sections, obtaining a sensing result indicating one or more reserved SCI resources; selecting the SCI resources from the one or more SCI sections excluding the one or more reserved SCI resources; the SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves the selected SCI resource and reserves one or more SCI resources, which may be periodic or aperiodic; The one or more processors, wherein the SCI signal indicates that the UE reserves one or more sidelink positioning resources, which may be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

13. 11. The one or more processors of claim 10, wherein the SCI signal is a single-stage SCI signal.

14. 11. The one or more processors of claim 10, wherein the SCI signal is: Source identifier, a destination identifier, the priority of the SCI signal; Zone identifier, one or more reserved sidelink positioning resources, or one or more reserved SCI resources; [0023] The one or more processors further exhibit at least one of:

15. 3. The one or more processors of claim 2, wherein the operations include: transmitting a scheduling request for sidelink positioning to a base station; receiving, from the base station, via a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), a Downlink Control Information (DCI) signal allocating the sidelink positioning resources from the one or more SL-PRS sections; the one or more processors further comprising:

16. 16. One or more processors according to claim 15, the DCI signal further allocates SCI resources from the one or more SCI sections; the operations further include transmitting an SCI signal using the SCI resource; The SCI signal indicates the sidelink positioning resource.

17. 16. The one or more processors of claim 15, wherein the DCI signal is: A resource pool index; (i) a time gap between the PDCCH and (ii) an SL-PRS transmission or an SCI transmission; one or more SCI format fields indicating the allocated SCI resources; one or more SL-PRS format fields indicating the allocated sidelink positioning resources; A configuration index, [0023] The one or more processors further exhibit at least one of:

18. 1. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, the instructions configured to cause the UE to: obtaining a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning; determining sidelink positioning resources from the dedicated resource pool; and transmitting, by the transceiver, a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) using the sidelink positioning resources; The UE performs an operation including:

19. 1. A method comprising: obtaining a message configuring a dedicated resource pool for sidelink positioning; determining sidelink positioning resources from the dedicated resource pool; and transmitting a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) using the sidelink positioning resources; and A method comprising:

20. 20. The method of claim 19, The message may be: one or more sidelink control information (SCI) sections in a slot, each SCI section including a plurality of SCI symbols; one or more SL-PRS sections within the slot, each SL-PRS section including a plurality of SL-PRS symbols; the one or more SCI sections precede the one or more SL-PRS sections; A method in which each SCI section includes two or three symbols.

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