Measurement of position reference signals (PRSs) with frequency hopping and a determined measurement period.

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication that support processing high-bandwidth positioning reference signals (PRSs) in a RedCap user device (UE). The UE reports frequency-hopping capability and measurement gap. In a first embodiment, the wireless communication method includes a wireless communication method performed in a user device. The UE transmits an indication of its capability to perform received frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the capability indication including at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. Optionally, the UE also transmits a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE, and / or an indication that a measurement with frequency hopping has been performed. Other embodiments and features are also claimed and described.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross-Reference to Related Applications)

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 508,822, entitled "MEASURING POSITION REFERENCE SIGNALS (PRSs) WITH FREQUENCY HOPPING AND A DETERMINED MEASUREMENT PERIOD" filed on November 14, 2023, and also claims the benefit of Greek Patent Application No. 20230100666, entitled "MEASURING POSITION REFERENCE SIGNALS (PRSs) WITH FREQUENCY HOPPING AND A DETERMINED MEASUREMENT PERIOD" filed on August 10, 2023, both of which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002]

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically, to methods and devices for configuring a UE to perform receive frequency hopping to effectively process high bandwidth position reference signals (PRSs).

Background Art

[0003]

[0003] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and 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 that may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM).

[0004]

[0004] A wireless communication network may include a number of components. These components may include wireless communication devices such as base stations (or Node Bs) that may support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via a downlink and an uplink. A downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from a base station to a UE, and an uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from a UE to a base station. A base station may transmit data and control information to a UE on a downlink, or may receive data and control information from a UE on an uplink.

[0005]

[0005] Wireless communication systems have made significant technological advancements over time, but challenges still remain. For example, a reduced-capability or "RedCap" UE has lower capabilities compared to a typical UE. This is generally due to considerations of power constraints, cost, and form factor. RedCap UEs are optimized to support narrow bandwidths, for example, supporting 20 MHz in a first frequency range and 100 MHz in a second frequency range. Systems from 5G onward can utilize features such as positioning reference signals (PRS) to determine the location of the UE. However, more accurate PRSs require more bandwidth than that supported by a RedCap UE, and may involve determining its location. Therefore, even if a RedCap UE is not capable of supporting high-bandwidth PRSs, it is still necessary to accurately determine the location of that RedCap UE. [Overview of the project]

[0006]

[0006] In the following, several aspects of the present disclosure are summarized in order to provide a basic understanding of the technology discussed. This summary is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all the features conceived in the present disclosure, nor to identify any major or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present in summary form some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure as an introduction to the “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” to be presented later.

[0007]

[0007] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication in a user device (UE) includes transmitting an indication of the UE's capability to perform received frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability including at least one of the maximum supported PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. The method also includes receiving PRS configuration information from a network node, which is associated with the capability indication. Optionally, the method also includes transmitting a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE, and / or an indication that a measurement with frequency hopping has been performed.

[0008]

[0008] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for wireless communication in a user device (UE) includes a processing system, which includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the UE to transmit an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), which includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. The processing system is also configured to cause the UE to receive PRS configuration information from a network node, which is associated with the indication of capability. The processing system is also optionally configured to cause the UE to transmit a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE and / or an indication that a measurement with frequency hopping has been performed.

[0009]

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication in a user device (UE) includes receiving one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. The UE performs receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRS over a plurality of frequency hops. The measurement is performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of the measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0010]

[0010] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for wireless communication in a user device (UE) includes a processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the UE to receive one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. The processing system is also configured to cause the UE to perform receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRS over a plurality of frequency hops, the measurement being performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of the measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0011]

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed at a base station (BS) includes receiving an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication including at least one of the maximum supported PRS bandwidth (BW), the number of possible frequency hops, the BW per hop, and hop overlap. The method also includes transmitting PRS configuration information, which is associated with the capability indication. Optionally, the method also includes receiving a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE, and / or an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping has been performed.

[0012]

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for wireless communications at a base station (BS) includes a processing system, which includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the BS to receive an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), which includes at least one of the maximum supported PRS bandwidth (BW), the number of possible frequency hops, the BW per hop, and hop overlap. The processing system is also configured to cause the BS to transmit PRS configuration information, which is associated with the capability indication. The processing system is also optionally configured to cause the BS to receive a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE and / or an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping has been performed.

[0013]

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication performed at a base station (BS) includes transmitting one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. The method also includes receiving an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRS over a plurality of frequency hops, the measurement being performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of a measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0014]

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for wireless communications at a base station (BS) includes a processing system, which includes one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the BS to transmit one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. The processing system is also configured to cause the BS to receive an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRSs over a plurality of frequency hops, the measurement being performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of the measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0015]

[0015] The above provides a fairly broad overview of the features and technical advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure so that the following "Modes for Carrying Out the Invention" may be better understood. Additional features and advantages are described below. The concepts and specific embodiments disclosed may be readily used as a basis for modifying or designing other structures to accomplish the same objectives of this disclosure. Such equivalent structures shall not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their configuration and method of operation, will be better understood, along with the relevant advantages, by considering the following description in relation to the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for illustrative and explanatory purposes and is not provided to define any limitation of the claims.

[0016]

[0016] While this application describes various embodiments and implementations by example to several embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may arise in many different configurations and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging configurations. For example, the embodiments and / or applications may arise through integrated chip implementations and other non-modular component-based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, etc.). Some embodiments may or may not specifically address use cases or applications, but a wide range of combinations of the described innovations may be applicable. Implementations may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more embodiments of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices incorporating the described embodiments and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for the implementation and practice of the claimed and described embodiments. For example, wireless signal transmission and reception necessarily include several components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors (one or more), interleavers, adders / analog adders, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be applicable to a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed configurations, end-user devices, etc., of various sizes, shapes, and structures. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017]

[0017] Further understanding of the nature and advantages of this disclosure can be achieved by referring to the following drawings. In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by adding a dash and a second label to distinguish similar components after the reference label. Where only the first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of the second reference label. [Figure 1]

[0018] These are exemplary wireless communication systems in various forms. [Figure 2A]

[0019] These are exemplary wireless network structures in various forms. [Figure 2B] These are exemplary wireless network structures in various forms. [Figure 3A]

[0020] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein. [Figure 3B] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein. [Figure 3C] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein. [Figure 4A]

[0021] This figure shows embodiments of a frame structure and embodiments of a channel within a frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] This figure shows embodiments of a frame structure and embodiments of a channel within a frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0022] This is an exemplary PRS configuration for cells supported by wireless nodes. [Figure 6]

[0023] This is an exemplary wireless communication system in various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0024] This is an exemplary wireless communication system in various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0025] Figure 8A is a graph showing the RF channel response in a receiver over time according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 8B shows this distinction between clusters in AoD. [Figure 9]

[0027] Figure 9 shows a PRS resource allocation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0028] Figure 10 shows a PRS resource allocation according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]

[0029] This is a frequency hopping method according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]

[0030] This is a positioning method according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]

[0031] Another aspect of this disclosure is a frequency hopping scheme. [Figure 14]

[0032] Another aspect of this disclosure is a frequency hopping scheme. [Figure 15]

[0033] A frequency hopping method for measuring DL-PRS bandwidth according to one aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 16]

[0034] This diagram shows PRS measurements in the frequency domain and time domain. [Figure 17]

[0035] This figure shows the number of hops per slot according to various embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 18]

[0036] This figure shows various aspects of the concept of the present invention in a scenario where the RedCap UE is operating in a first frequency range, the SCS is 30 kHz, and the PRS bandwidth (BW) is 100 MHz. [Figure 19]

[0037] This figure shows an additional aspect of the concept of the present invention in the scenario presented in Figure 18. As shown in the figure, in one instance there are 36 PRS resources within 20ms, and in another instance there are 72 PRS resources within 20ms. [Figure 20]

[0038] This is a block diagram of a method executed by the UE in a specific manner. [Figure 21]

[0039] This is a block diagram of a method executed by the UE in another embodiment. [Figure 22]

[0040] This is a block diagram of a method performed by BS in a specific manner. [Figure 23]

[0041] This is a block diagram of a method performed by B in another embodiment.

[0018]

[0042] Similar reference numbers and names in various drawings refer to the same elements. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019]

[0043] The “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” described below in relation to the attached figures are intended to describe various configurations and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” include specific details intended to provide a complete understanding of the subject matter of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will see that these specific details are not required in all cases, and that in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in the form of block diagrams for clarity of presentation.

[0020]

[0044] This disclosure provides a system, apparatus, method, and computer-readable medium that support the reporting of frequency hopping capability and measurement gap requirements by a RedCap UE in order to enable the processing of a high-bandwidth positioning reference signal (PRS) to improve the accuracy of determining the RedCap UE's position. A RedCap UE is conventionally limited in one or more respects, for example, to a carrier bandwidth of 20 MHz in a first frequency range and a carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz in a second frequency range. To overcome the aforementioned limitations, the RedCap UE can perform frequency hopping. By doing so, the RedCap UE can achieve higher accuracy in positioning than would otherwise be possible.

[0021]

[0045] In one embodiment, the RedCap UE can utilize one or more features in addition to frequency hopping to further improve localization. Such features include configuring the RedCap UE according to one or more of (1) various PRS configurations, (2) various measurement gap configurations, and (3) various UE receiving and / or processing capabilities. In another embodiment, the RedCap UE can utilize the formulation of the PRS measurement period and / or the minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured. Such information can be transmitted to or reported to network nodes. Thus, the UE can report the total PRS BW that may be measured by the UE. The network or operator can utilize such information in various ways to improve network performance.

[0022]

[0046] Various aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which cover a variety of examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0023]

[0047] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “to serve as an example, case, or illustration.” No aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” should necessarily be construed as being preferable or advantageous to any other aspect. Similarly, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed herein.

[0024]

[0048] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, which may be referred to below throughout this description, can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, desired design, corresponding technology, etc.

[0025]

[0049] Furthermore, many aspects are described, for example, in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits, ASICs), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Furthermore, the sequence(s) of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied, when executed, in any form of non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that stores a corresponding set of computer instructions that cause or instruct the relevant processor of the device to perform the function described herein. Thus, the various aspects of this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms, all of which are intended to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, with respect to each of the aspects described herein, any corresponding form of such aspect may be described herein, for example, as “logic configured to perform” the described action.

[0026]

[0050] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to or limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., stationary at a given time) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” may be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT,” “Client Device,” “Wireless Device,” “Subscriber Device,” “Subscriber Terminal,” “Subscriber Station,” “User Terminal” or “UT,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through that core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet, and to other UEs. Naturally, other mechanisms are also possible for UEs to connect to the core network and / or the Internet, such as via wired access networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs) (e.g., those based on IEEE 802.11).

[0027]

[0051] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with an UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed. These RATs may also be referred to as access points (APs), network nodes, node Bs, evolved node Bs (eNBs), or New Radio (NR) node Bs (also known as gNBs or gNodeBs). Furthermore, in some systems, base stations may simply provide edge node signaling functionality, while in others, they may provide additional control and / or network management functions. In some systems, base stations may correspond to customer premise equipment (CPEs) or road-side units (RSUs). In some designs, base stations may correspond to high-power UEs (e.g., vehicle UEs or VUEs) that may provide limited, specific infrastructure functions. The communication link to which an UE can transmit signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link from which a base station can transmit signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) channel or a forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, or forward traffic channel). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either a UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0028]

[0052] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP), or to multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, that TRP may be the base station's antenna, corresponding to the base station's cell. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, those TRPs may be the base station's antenna array (for example, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, those TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium), or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station receiving measurement reports from a UE, and an adjacent base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Since a TRP is the point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from a base station or reception at a base station should be understood to refer to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0029]

[0053] An "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted over different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0030]

[0054] In various embodiments, Figure 1 shows an exemplary wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)). The wireless communication system 100 may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one embodiment, the macrocell base station may include an eNB when the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with an LTE network, or a gNB when the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include a femtocell, picocell, microcell, etc.

[0031]

[0055] The base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with the core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next-generation core (NGC)) via a backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. In addition to other functions, the base station 102 can perform functions related to one or more of the following: transfer of user data, encryption and decryption of radio channels, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference adjustment, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (for example, through EPC / NGC) via a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0032]

[0056] Base station 102 may communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage to a corresponding geographical coverage area 110. In one embodiment, one or more cells may be supported by base station 102 within each coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (over some frequency resource, such as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, or bandwidth), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI) or a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) to distinguish cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” may, depending on the context, refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports that logical communication entity. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, insofar as a carrier frequency may be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0033]

[0057] The geographical coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (for example, in handover areas), but some of the geographical coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by larger geographical coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that can serve restricted groups, known as closed subscriber groups (CSGs).

[0034]

[0058] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be via one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetrical with respect to DL and UL (for example, more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL).

[0035]

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with wireless local area network (WLAN) stations (STAs) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether a channel is available.

[0036]

[0060] Small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed frequency spectrum and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in unlicensed frequency spectrum, small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as that used by WLAN AP150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0037]

[0061] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that communicates with the UE 182 and is capable of operating at millimeter wave (mmW) and / or quasi-mmW frequencies. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths of 1 mm to 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Quasi-mmW can extend up to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends from 3 GHz to 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / quasi-mmW radio frequency bands has high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) via the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distances. Furthermore, it will be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be understood that the above description is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0038]

[0062] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts that signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). In the case of transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., a UE) (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device(s). To change the directivity of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (also called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates a beam of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in various directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitter are supplied to individual antennas in precise phase relationships so that radio waves from separate antennas are added together to increase radiation in a desired direction while simultaneously canceling out and suppressing radiation in undesirable directions.

[0039]

[0063] Transmit beams can be quasi-collocated, meaning that to a receiver (e.g., a UE), these transmit beams are perceived to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the transmitting antennas of the network nodes are physically co-located or not. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters for a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use that source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use that source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use that source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and mean delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use that source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0040]

[0064] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a received beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver can amplify an RF signal received from a particular direction (e.g., increase its gain level) by increasing the gain setting of the antenna array in that direction and / or adjusting the phase setting. Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a particular direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal intensity (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0041]

[0065] Received beams can be spatially related. Spatial relation means that parameters for a transmit beam relating to a second reference signal can be derived from information about a received beam relating to a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular received beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block, SSB) from a base station. The UE can then use the parameters of the received beam to form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal, SRS) to that base station.

[0042]

[0066] It should be noted that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming the beam. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, that downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE forms a downlink beam, that beam is a receive beam to receive a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming the beam. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, that beam is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE forms an uplink beam, that beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0043]

[0067] In 5G, the frequency spectrum on which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (e.g., 450-6000MHz), FR2 (24250-52600MHz), FR3 (above 52600MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell," while the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by UE104 / 182, and is the cell on which UE104 / 182 either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier on licensed frequencies (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) which may be configured when an RRC connection is established between the UE104 and the anchor carrier, and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier on unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals, and for example, there may be nothing UE-specific in the secondary carrier, because both the primary uplink carrier and primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific. This means that different UE104 / 182 within a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to uplink primary carriers. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time.This is done, for example, to balance the load across various carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0044]

[0068] For example, referring further to Figure 1, one of the frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 may be the anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly improve its data transmission rate and / or data reception rate. For example, in a multi-carrier system, two 20MHz aggregated carriers would theoretically result in a twofold increase in data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20MHz carrier.

[0045]

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In the embodiment of Figure 1, UE190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UE104 connected to one of base stations 102 (for example, through which UE190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA152 connected to a WLAN AP150 (through which UE190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based internet connectivity). In one embodiment, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), or Bluetooth®.

[0046]

[0070] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that can communicate with a macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with an mmW base station 180 via an mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells to the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells to the UE 164.

[0047]

[0071] In various embodiments, Figure 2A shows an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, NGC210 (also referred to as “5GC”) can be functionally considered as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) that work in coordination to form a core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB222 to NGC210, specifically to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In an additional configuration, eNB224 may also be connected to NGC210 via NG-C215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, eNB224 may communicate directly with gNB222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN220 may have only one or more gNB222s, while other configurations may include one or more eNB224s and gNB222s. Either a gNB222 or an eNB224 may communicate with a UE204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in Figure 1). Another optional embodiment may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the NGC210 to provide location assistance for the UE204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for a UE204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC210, and / or via the internet (not shown).Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into the core network components, or alternatively, it may reside outside the core network.

[0048]

[0072] In various embodiments, Figure 2B shows another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, NGC260 (also referred to as “5GC”) can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a session management function (SMF) 262, working together to form a core network (i.e., NGC260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect eNB224 to NGC260, specifically to SMF262 and AMF / UPF264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB222 may also be connected to NGC260 via a control plane interface 265 to AMF / UPF264 and a user plane interface 263 to SMF262. Furthermore, the eNB224 can communicate directly with the gNB222 via the backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether the gNB is directly connected to the NGC260. In some configurations, the new RAN220 may have only one or more gNB222s, while other configurations may include one or more of both the eNB224 and the gNB222. Either the gNB222 or the eNB224 can communicate with the UE204 (for example, any of the UEs shown in Figure 1). The base station of the new RAN220 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF264 via the N3 interface.

[0049]

[0073] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between the UE204 and SMF262, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE204, receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF obtains security material from the AUSSF. Another function of the AMF is security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network-specific keys. Other functions of the AMF include location service management for regulated services, transmission of location service messages between the UE204 and the location management function (LMF)270, and between the new RAN220 and the LMF270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interoperability with the evolved packet system (EPS), and mobility event notification for the UE204. Furthermore, the AMF also supports functions related to non-3GPP access networks.

[0050]

[0074] The functions of the UPF include (where applicable) acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility, acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to data networks (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, enforcement of user plane policy rules (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane (e.g., enforcement of UL / DL rates, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (QoS flow mapping from service data flow (SDF)), transport-level packet marking in UL and DL, buffering of DL packets and triggering DL data notifications, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to source RAN nodes.

[0051]

[0075] The functions of the SMF262 include session management, allocation and management of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses for the UE, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF for routing traffic to appropriate destinations, control of policy enforcement and some QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface on which the SMF262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF264 is called the N11 interface.

[0052]

[0076] Another optional embodiment may include an LMF270 capable of communicating with NGC260 to provide location assistance for UE204. The LMF270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE204 that can connect to the LMF270 via the core network NGC260 and / or via the internet (not shown).

[0053]

[0077] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C show several exemplary components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in various types of devices in various implementation forms (e.g., in ASICs, in system-on-chip (SoCs), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components, which enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0054]

[0078] UE 302 and base station 304 each include wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, configured to communicate over one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, or a GSM network. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, to communicate with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, and base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), over a target wireless communication medium (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum) over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and, conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to the designated RAT. Specifically, transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358.

[0055]

[0079] UE 302 and base station 304 also include, in at least some cases, wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, to communicate with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, and base stations, via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, etc.) over the wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and, conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to the designated RAT. Specifically, transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and each includes one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368.

[0056]

[0080] A transceiver circuit, including a transmitter and a receiver, may, in some implementations, include an integrated device (e.g., embodied as a transmitter and receiver circuit in a single communication device), in some implementations it may include a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device, or in other implementations it may be embodied in other ways. In one embodiment, the transmitter may include, or be coupled to, a plurality of antennas, such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), enabling the corresponding device to perform transmit beamforming as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include, or be coupled to, a plurality of antennas, such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), enabling the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one embodiment, the transmitter and receiver may share the same set of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), so that the corresponding devices can only receive or transmit at a given time, and not both simultaneously. The wireless communication devices of devices 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or transceivers 350 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) for performing various measurements.

[0057]

[0081] Devices 302 and 304 also include, in at least some cases, satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, to receive SPS signals 338 and 378, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), and Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing the SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as needed and perform the calculations necessary to determine the positions of devices 302 and 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0058]

[0082] Each base station 304 and network entity 306 includes at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via wire-based or wireless backhaul connections. In some embodiments, network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signaling communications. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0059]

[0083] Devices 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that may be used in connection with operations as disclosed herein. UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332 for, for example, providing functions related to false base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functions. Base station 304 includes a processing system 384 for, for example, providing functions related to FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functions. Network entity 306 includes a processing system 394 for, for example, providing functions related to FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functions. In one embodiment, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multicore processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuits.

[0060]

[0084] Devices 302, 304, and 306 each include memory circuits that implement memory components 340, 386, and 396 (each including a memory device, for example) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, devices 302, 304, and 306 may each include frequency hopping modules 342, 388, and 389. Frequency hopping modules 342, 388, and 389 may each be hardware circuits that, when executed, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein. Alternatively, the frequency hopping modules 342, 388, and 389 may be memory modules (as shown in Figures 3A to 3C) stored within memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein.

[0061]

[0085] UE302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide motion information and / or orientation information, independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, WLAN transceiver 320, and / or GPS receiver 330. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., micro-electrical mechanical system, MEMS devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices, and their outputs may be combined to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a 2D or 3D coordinate system.

[0062]

[0086] Furthermore, UE302 includes a user interface 346 for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, or microphone is activated by the user). Although not shown, devices 304 and 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0063]

[0087] More specifically, in the case of the processing system 384, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384 during the downlink. The processing system 384 may implement functions related to the RRC layer, the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, the radio link control (RLC) layer, and the medium access control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., master information blocks (MIBs), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection correction, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with forwarding upper-layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0064]

[0088] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 processes mapping to a signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be divided into parallel streams. Next, each stream can be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then synthesized together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel that carries the time domain OFDM symbol stream. This OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme and for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived from the reference signal and / or channel state feedback transmitted by UE302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 may modulate the RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0065]

[0089] At UE302, receiver 312 receives signals through its corresponding antenna(s) 316. Receiver 312 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to reconstruct any spatial stream destined for UE302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE302, receiver 312 may combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. This frequency domain signal contains a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are reconstructed and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions are obtained based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to reconstruct the data and control signals initially transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to processing system 332, which implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functionality.

[0066]

[0090] In UL, processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. Processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0067]

[0091] Similar to the functions described in relation to DL transmission by base station 304, processing system 332 provides RRC layer functions associated with acquiring system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transferring upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and sorting of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0068]

[0092] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by transmitter 314 may be supplied to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate the RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0069]

[0093] The UL transmission is processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in relation to the receiver function in UE302. Receiver 352 receives the signal through its corresponding antenna(s) 356. Receiver 352 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 384.

[0070]

[0094] In UL, processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from UE302. IP packets from processing system 384 can be provided to the core network. Processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0071]

[0095] For convenience, devices 302, 304, and / or 306 are shown in Figures 3A to 3C as including various components that may be configured according to the various embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated blocks may have different functions in different designs.

[0072]

[0096] Various components of devices 302, 304, and 306 can communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. The components in Figures 3A to 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components in Figures 3A to 3C can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). In this case, each circuit may provide this functionality by using and / or incorporating at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by the processor and memory components (one or more) of UE302 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by an appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350-389 may be implemented by the processor and memory components (one or more) of base station 304 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of the processor components). Also, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390-396 may be implemented by the processor and memory components (one or more) of network entity 306 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the positioning entity," etc. However, as can be understood, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components such as UEs, base stations, positioning entities, etc., including processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, and frequency hopping modules 342, 388, and 389.

[0073]

[0097] Figure 4A is Figure 400, showing one embodiment of a DL frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4B is Figure 430, showing one embodiment of a channel within a DL frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0074]

[0098] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, commonly referred to as tones or bins. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, the modulation symbol is transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and using SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Therefore, the nominal FFT sizes can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0075]

[0099] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple numerologies, for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 204kHz or higher may be available. Table 1, provided below, lists several different parameters for various NR numerologies.

[0076] [Table 1]

[0077]

[0100] In the embodiments shown in Figures 4A and 4B, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 subframes of equal size, each 1 ms long, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figures 4A and 4B, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0078]

[0101] A resource grid may be used to represent time slots, each time slot containing one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs, PRBs) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of Figures 4A and 4B, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain, 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL, SC-FDMA symbols for UL), and a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain, 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, and a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0079]

[0102] As shown in Figure 4A, some of the REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation in the UE. DL-RS may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), and their exemplary locations are labeled "R" in Figure 4A.

[0080]

[0103] Figure 4B shows one embodiment of various channels within a frame's DL subframe. A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE containing nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG containing four consecutive REs within an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about (persistent and non-persistent) UL resource allocation and a description of the DL data to be sent to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured within a PDCCH, and these DCIs may have one of several formats. For example, various DCI formats exist for UL scheduling, non-MIMO DL scheduling, MIMO DL scheduling, and UL power control.

[0081]

[0104] The UE uses a primary synchronization signal (PSS) to determine the timing of subframes / symbols and physical layer identification information. The UE uses a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to determine the group number of physical layer cell identification information and the timing of wireless frames. Based on the physical layer identification information and the group number of physical layer cell identification information, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS described above. A physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying MIBs can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also referred to as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs within the DL system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0082]

[0105] In some cases, the DL RS shown in Figure 4A may be a positioning reference signal (PRS). Figure 5 shows an exemplary PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a wireless node (such as base station 102). Figure 5 shows the system frame number (SFN), cell-specific subframe offsets (APRs) 552, and PRS periodicity (T PRS )520 shows how PRS positioning opportunities are determined. Typically, the cell-specific PRS subframe configuration is included in the observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) supporting data, in the "PRS configuration index" I PRS Defined by: PRS periodicity (T PRS) 520 and the cell-specific subframe offset (APRs) are defined based on the PRS configuration index I PRS as shown in Table 2 below.

[0083]

Table 2

[0084]

[0106] The PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of the cell transmitting the PRS. For the first subframe among N PRS downlink subframes that include the first PRS positioning occasion, the PRS instance can satisfy the following: (10×n f +⌊n s / 2⌋-Δ PRS )mod T PRS =0, Equation 1 where n f is an SFN satisfying 0≦n f ≦1023, n s is a slot number within a radio frame defined by n s satisfying 0≦n f ≦19, T PRS is the PRS periodicity 520, and APRs is the cell-specific subframe offset 552.

[0085]

[0107] As shown in FIG. 5, the cell-specific subframe offset APRS 552 may be defined in terms of the number of subframes transmitted starting from system frame number 0 (slot "number 0", marked as slot 550) to the start of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning occasion. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the number of consecutive positioning subframes (N PRS ) in each of consecutive PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c is equal to 4. That is, each hatched block representing PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c represents 4 subframes.

[0086]

[0108] In some aspects, the UE uses the PRS configuration index I within the OTDOA-supported data for a specific cell. PRS Upon receiving the signal, the UE uses Table 2 to determine the PRS periodicity T PRS The 520 and PRS subframe offset APRS can be determined. The UE can then determine the radio frame, subframe, and slot when the PRS is scheduled in that cell (for example, using equation (1)). OTDOA support data can be determined, for example, by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF270) and includes support data about the reference cell and several neighboring cells supported by various base stations.

[0087]

[0109] Generally, PRS opportunities from all cells in a network using the same frequency are temporally aligned and may have a fixed, known time offset (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset 552) relative to other cells in a network using different frequencies. In an SFN synchronous network, all wireless nodes (e.g., base station 102) may be aligned both at frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Therefore, in an SFN synchronous network, all cells supported by various wireless nodes may use the same PRS configuration index for any particular frequency of PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an SFN asynchronous network, various wireless nodes may be aligned at frame boundaries but not at system frame numbers. Therefore, in an SFN asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell may be configured separately by the network so that PRS opportunities are temporally aligned.

[0088]

[0110] If the UE can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one of the cells, for example, a reference cell or a serving cell, the UE can determine the timing of PRS opportunities for the reference cell and adjacent cells for OTDOA positioning. Then, the timing of other cells can be derived by the UE, for example, based on the assumption that PRS opportunities from different cells overlap.

[0089]

[0111] The set of resource elements used for transmitting PRS is referred to as a "PRS resource." This set of resource elements may comprise multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols (singular or plural) 460 within a slot 430 in the time domain. Within a given OFDM symbol 460, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. A PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, starting slot and starting symbol, number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). In some designs, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers within each symbol carrying the PRS. For example, the comb size of comb 4 means that every four subcarriers of a given symbol carry the PRS.

[0090]

[0112] A “PRS resource set” is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, each PRS resource having a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources within a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit / receive point (TRP). A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (a TRP may transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may transmit on a different beam, and therefore, a “PRS resource” may also be referred to as a “beam.” Note that this does not imply whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE. A “PRS opportunity” is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive slots) on which PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a “PRS positioning opportunity,” a “positioning opportunity,” or simply an “opportunity.”

[0091]

[0113] It should be noted that the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” often refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” refer to any type of reference signal that may be used for positioning, without limitation, including PRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRSs), transmitter reference signals (TRSs), cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), channel status information reference signals (CSI-RSs), primary synchronization signals (PSSs), secondary synchronization signals (SSSs), and SSB in 5G.

[0092]

[0114] SRS is an uplink-only signal transmitted by the UE to help the base station acquire channel state information (CSI) for each user. Channel state information describes how RF signals propagate from the UE to the base station, representing the combined effects of scattering, fading, and distance-dependent power attenuation. This system uses SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, and other purposes.

[0093]

[0115] Several extensions to the conventional definition of SRS have been proposed for SRS for positioning (SRS-P), including new staggered patterns within SRS resources, new comb types for SRS, new sequences for SRS, a greater number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a greater number of SRS resources per component carrier. Furthermore, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" will be configured based on DL RS from adjacent TRPs. Moreover, a single SRS resource may be transmitted outside the active bandwidth part (BWP), and a single SRS resource may span multiple component carriers. Finally, with respect to UL-AoA, the UE may transmit through the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources. All of these are features added to the current SRS framework, configured through RRC upper layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC control elements (CE) or downlink control information (DCI)).

[0094]

[0116] As described above, SRS in NR is a UE-specific reference signal transmitted by the UE and used for the purpose of sounding uplink radio channels. Similar to CSI-RS, such sounding provides various levels of knowledge of radio channel characteristics. As one extreme example, SRS may be used in gNB simply to obtain a measurement of signal strength, for example, for UL beam management purposes. As another extreme example, SRS may be used in gNB to obtain detailed amplitude and phase estimates as functions of frequency, time, and space. In NR, channel sounding with SRS supports a more diverse set of use cases compared to LTE (e.g., downlink CSI acquisition for interoperability-based gNB transmit beamforming (downlink MIMO), uplink CSI acquisition for link adaptation and codebook / non-codebook-based precoding related to uplink MIMO, uplink beam management, etc.).

[0095]

[0117] SRS can be configured using various options. The time / frequency mapping of SRS resources is defined by the following characteristics: • Duration N symb SRS In contrast to LTE, which allows only a single OFDM symbol per slot, the duration of an SRS resource can be one, two, or four consecutive OFDM symbols within a slot. • Starting symbol location l O The start symbol of an SRS resource can be located at any position within the last six OFDM symbols of the slot, provided the resource does not cross the slot end boundary. • For an SRS resource constructed using frequency hopping with an iteration coefficient R, the iterations allow the same set of subcarriers to sound in R consecutive OFDM symbols before the next hop occurs (wherein used herein, "hop" specifically refers to frequency hops). For example, the values ​​of R are 1, 2, 4, and R ≤ N symb SRS That is the case. • Transmission comb interval K TC and comb offset k TC SRS resources may occupy resource elements (REs) of a frequency-domain comb structure, with the comb spacing being either two REs or four REs, as in LTE. Such a structure allows for frequency-domain multiplexing of different SRS resources of the same or different users on different combs, with different combs offset from each other by an integer number of REs. The comb offset is defined with respect to the PRB boundary and is 0, 1, ..., K TC -1 range values ​​of RE can be taken. Therefore, the comb interval K TC If = 2, there are two different combs available for multiplexing as needed, with a comb interval of K TC If = 4, there are four different combs available. • Periodicity and slot offset in the case of periodic / semi-permanent SRS. • Sounding bandwidth within the bandwidth portion.

[0096]

[0118] For low-latency positioning, a gNB may trigger UL SRS-P via DCI (e.g., the transmitted SRS-P may include iteration or beam sweep to allow several gNBs to receive that SRS-P). Alternatively, a gNB may transmit information about aperiodic PRS transmissions to the UE (e.g., this configuration may include information about PRS from multiple gNBs to allow the UE to perform timing calculations for (UE-based) positioning or (UE-assisted) reporting). While various embodiments of this disclosure relate to DL PRS-based positioning procedures, some or all of such embodiments may also apply to UL SRS-P-based positioning procedures.

[0097]

[0119] It should be noted that the terms “sounding reference signal,” “SRS,” and “SRS-P” often refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “sounding reference signal,” “SRS,” and “SRS-P” refer to any type of reference signal that may be used for positioning, including but not limited to SRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRSs), transmitter reference signals (TRSs), and random access channel (RACH) signals for positioning (e.g., RACH preambles such as Msg-1 in a 4-step RACH procedure or Msg-A in a 2-step RACH procedure).

[0098]

[0120] 3GPP Release 16 introduced various NR positioning modalities aimed at improving the location accuracy of positioning schemes involving one or more measurements associated with one or more UL PRS or DL ​​PRS (e.g., higher bandwidth (BW), FR2 beam sweep, angle-based measurements such as angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) measurements, and multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) measurements). When latency reduction is a priority, UE-based positioning techniques (e.g., DL-only techniques without UL location measurement reporting) are typically used. However, when latency is not a major concern, UE-assisted positioning techniques may be used, where UE measurement data is reported to network entities (e.g., location server 230, LMF270, etc.). Latency associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques can be reduced to some extent by implementing LMFs within the RAN.

[0099]

[0121] Layer 3 (L3) signaling (e.g., RRC or Location Positioning Protocol, LPP) is typically used to transmit reports containing location-based data related to UE-assisted positioning techniques. L3 signaling is associated with relatively higher latency (e.g., over 100 ms) compared to Layer 1 (L1, or PHY layer) signaling or Layer 2 (L2, or MAC layer) signaling. In some cases, lower latency (e.g., less than 100 ms, less than 10 ms, etc.) between the UE and RAN for location-based reporting may be desired. In such cases, L3 signaling may not be able to achieve these lower latency levels. L3 signaling for positioning measurements may include any combination of the following: • One or more TOA, TDOA, RSRP, or Rx-Tx measurements, • One or more AoA / AoD measurements (for example, currently agreed only for gNB->LMF reporting DL AoA and UL AoD), • One or more multipath reporting metrics, e.g., ToA per route, RSRP, AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only ToA per route is permitted in LTE) • One or more states of motion (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and trajectories (e.g., currently relating to UE), and / or • One or more reporting quality indicators.

[0100]

[0122] More recently, L1 and L2 signaling have been intended for use in relation to PRS-based reporting. For example, L1 and L2 signaling are currently used in several systems to transmit CSI reports (e.g., Channel Quality Indications (CQIs), Precoding Matrix Indicators (PMIs), Layer Indicators (Lis), L1-RSRP, etc.). A CSI report may include a set of fields in a predetermined order (as defined, for example, by the relevant standard). A single UL transmission (e.g., on PUSCH or PUCCH) may include multiple reports, referred to herein as “sub-reports,” arranged according to a predetermined priority (as defined, for example, by the relevant standard). In some designs, this default order may be based on the relevant sub-report periodicity (e.g., aperiodic / semi-persistent / periodic (A / SP / P) via PUSCH / PUCCH), measurement type (e.g., whether it is L1-RSRP or not), serving cell index (e.g., for carrier aggregation (CA)), and reportconfigID. For two-part CSI reports, all Part 1 reports are grouped together, and Part 2 reports are grouped separately, with each group being encoded separately (e.g., the payload size of Part 1 is fixed based on configuration parameters, while the size of Part 2 is variable, depending on configuration parameters and the content of the relevant Part 1). The number of encoded bits / symbols that will be output after encoding and rate matching is calculated based on the number of input bits and beta coefficient according to the relevant standard. The correlation (e.g., time offset) between the instance of RS being measured and the corresponding report is defined. In some designs, CSI-like reporting of PRS-based measurement data using L1 and L2 signaling can be implemented.

[0101]

[0123] Figure 6 shows exemplary wireless communication systems 600 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of Figure 6, UE604, which may correspond to any of the UEs described above in relation to Figure 1 (e.g., UE104, UE182, UE190, etc.), attempts to calculate an estimate of its own position or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its own position. UE604 can wirelessly communicate with multiple base stations 602a-d (collectively, base stations 602), which may correspond to any combination of base stations 102 or 180 and / or WLAN AP150 in Figure 1, using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting various types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., the location and geometric arrangement of the base stations, etc.), UE604 may determine its own position or assist in determining its own position in a predetermined reference coordinate system. In one embodiment, UE604 may specify its position using a two-dimensional coordinate system; however, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining the position using a three-dimensional coordinate system if additional dimensions are desired. Furthermore, although Figure 6 shows one UE604 and four base stations 602, as can be understood, there may be more UE604s and more or fewer base stations 602.

[0102]

[0124] To support position estimation, base stations 602 may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal, etc.) to UEs 604 within their coverage area, enabling UEs 604 to measure the reference RF signal timing difference (e.g., OTDOA or RSTD) between pairs of network nodes and / or to identify the beam that best excites the LOS or shortest radio path between UEs 604 and transmitting base stations 602. The reason for targeting LOS / shortest path beams(s) is not only that these beams may subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between pairs of base stations 602, but also that identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on their beam direction. Furthermore, these beams may subsequently be used for other position estimation methods that require accurate ToA, such as methods based on round-trip time estimation.

[0103]

[0125] As used herein, “Network Node” may be a base station 602, a cell of base station 602, a remote radio head, an antenna of base station 602 (in which case the location of the antenna of base station 602 is different from the location of base station 602 itself), or any other network entity capable of transmitting a reference signal. Furthermore, as used herein, “Node” may refer to either a network node or an UE.

[0104]

[0126] A location server (e.g., location server 230) may transmit support data to UE 604, including identification information for one or more adjacent cells of base station 602 and configuration information regarding the reference RF signal transmitted by each adjacent cell. Alternatively, the support data may be transmitted directly from base station 602 itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages). Alternatively, UE 604 may detect the adjacent cells of base station 602 itself without using support data. UE 604 may measure and (optionally) report the OTDOA from individual network nodes and / or the RSTD between reference RF signals received from pairs of network nodes (e.g., partially based on the support data, if provided). Using these measurements and the known locations of the measured network nodes (i.e., the base station(s) 602 or antenna(s) from which the reference RF signal measured by UE604 was transmitted), UE604 or the location server can determine the distance between UE604 and the measured network nodes, thereby calculating the location of UE604.

[0105]

[0127] The term “location estimate” is used herein to refer to an estimate of the location of UE604, which may be geographical (e.g., including latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or urban (e.g., including a precise point or area within or near a building or address, such as an address, building name, or a specific entrance to a building, a specific room or suite within a building, or a landmark such as a town square). Location estimates may also be referred to as “location,” “position,” “fix,” “position fix,” “location fix,” “location estimate,” “fix estimate,” or any other term. Means of obtaining location estimates may be generally referred to as “positioning,” “locating,” or “position fixing.” Specific solutions for obtaining location estimates may be referred to as “position solutions.” A specific method for obtaining a location estimate as part of a location solution may be referred to as a "position method" or "positioning method."

[0106]

[0128] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission point, or to multiple physical transmission points, which may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term “base station” refers to a single physical transmission point, that physical transmission point may be the base station’s antenna, corresponding to a cell of the base station (e.g., base station 602). When the term “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical transmission points, those physical transmission points may be the base station’s antenna array (e.g., in a MIMO system, or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, those physical transmission points may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium), or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical transmission points may be a serving base station receiving measurement reports from a UE (e.g., UE604), and an adjacent base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Therefore, Figure 6 shows one embodiment in which base stations 602a and 602b form a DAS / RRH 620. For example, base station 602a may be a serving base station for UE 604, and base station 602b may be an adjacent base station for UE 604. Therefore, base station 602b may be the RRH of base station 602a. Base stations 602a and 602b can communicate with each other via a wired or wireless link 622.

[0107]

[0129] To accurately determine the location of UE604 using OTDOA and / or RSTD between RF signals received from a pair of network nodes, UE604 needs to measure a reference RF signal received via the LOS path (or, if the LOS path is not available, the shortest NLOS path) between UE604 and the network node (e.g., base station 602, antenna). However, RF signals do not travel only by the LOS / shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, but also via several other paths as the RF signals spread from the transmitter and reflect off other objects such as hills, buildings, and water on their way to the receiver. Therefore, Figure 6 shows several LOS paths 610 and several NLOS paths 612 between base station 602 and UE604. Specifically, Figure 6 shows base station 602a transmitting via LOS path 610a and NLOS path 612a, base station 602b transmitting via LOS path 610b and two NLOS paths 612b, base station 602c transmitting via LOS path 610c and NLOS path 612c, and base station 602d transmitting via two NLOS paths 612d. As shown in Figure 6, each NLOS path 612 is reflected off some object 630 (e.g., a building). As can be understood, each LOS path 610 and NLOS path 612 transmitted by base station 602 may be transmitted by different antennas of base station 602 (e.g., as in a MIMO system) or by the same antenna of base station 602 (thus illustrating the propagation of RF signals). Furthermore, as used herein, the term “LOS path” refers to the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, and may be the shortest NLOS path rather than an actual LOS path.

[0108]

[0130] In one embodiment, one or more of the base stations 602 may be configured to use beamforming to transmit an RF signal. In this case, some of the available beams may focus the transmitted RF signal along the LOS path 610 (for example, a beam that produces the highest antenna gain along the LOS path), while other available beams may focus the transmitted RF signal along the NLOS path 612. A beam that has high gain along a particular path and therefore focuses an RF signal along that path may still have some RF signal propagating along other paths, the intensity of which of the RF signals naturally depends on the beam gain along those other paths. "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or a plurality of "RF signals" to a receiver. However, as will be further described below, a receiver may receive a plurality of "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels.

[0109]

[0131] When base station 602 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the target beam for data communication between base station 602 and UE 604 is the beam that carries the RF signal that reaches UE 604 with the highest signal strength (as indicated by the Received Signal Received Power (RSRP) or SINR in the presence of directional interference signals), while the target beam for position estimation is the beam that carries the RF signal that excites the shortest path or LOS path (e.g., LOS path 610). For some frequency bands and for typically used antenna systems, these are the same beam. However, for other frequency bands such as mmW, they may not be the same beam, typically when a narrow transmit beam can be created using a large number of antenna elements. As illustrated below with reference to Figure 7, in some cases the signal strength of the RF signal on LOS path 610 may be weaker (e.g., due to obstacles) than the signal strength of the RF signal on NLOS path 612, to which the RF signal arrives later due to propagation delay.

[0110]

[0132] Figure 7 shows exemplary wireless communication systems 700 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In the embodiment of Figure 7, UE 704, which may correspond to UE 604 in Figure 6, attempts to calculate an estimate of its own location or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its own location. UE 704 can wirelessly communicate with base station 702, which may correspond to one of the base stations 602 in Figure 6, using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets.

[0111]

[0133] As shown in Figure 7, base station 702 utilizes beamforming to transmit multiple beams 711–715 of RF signals. Each beam 711–715 can be formed and transmitted by the antenna array of base station 702. While Figure 7 shows base station 702 transmitting five beams 711–715, as can be understood, there may be more or fewer beams, and beam shapes such as peak gain, width, and sidelobe gain may differ between transmitted beams, and some of the beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0112]

[0134] To distinguish an RF signal associated with one beam from an RF signal associated with another beam, a beam index may be assigned to each of the multiple beams 711-715. Furthermore, an RF signal associated with a particular beam among the multiple beams 711-715 may carry a beam index indicator. The beam index may also be derived from the time of transmission of the RF signal, e.g., frame, slot, and / or OFDM symbol number. The beam index indicator may be a 3-bit field, for example, to uniquely distinguish up to eight beams. If two different RF signals with different beam indices are received, this indicates that those RF signals were transmitted using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this indicates that those different RF signals are transmitted using the same beam. Another way to explain that two RF signals are transmitted using the same beam is to state that the antenna port(s) used for the transmission of the first RF signal are spatially pseudo-colocated with the antenna port(s) used for the transmission of the second RF signal.

[0113]

[0135] In the embodiment shown in Figure 7, UE704 receives the NLOS data stream 723 of the RF signal transmitted on beam 713 and the LOS data stream 724 of the RF signal transmitted on beam 714. Although Figure 7 shows the NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 as single lines (dashed and solid, respectively), it should be understood that the NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 may each contain multiple rays (i.e., "clusters") by the time they reach UE704, for example, due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal through a multipath channel. For example, clusters of RF signals are formed when electromagnetic waves are reflected from multiple surfaces of an object, and the reflections reach the receiver (e.g., UE704) from approximately the same angle, with each traveling a few wavelengths (e.g., a few centimeters) more or less than the others. A "cluster" of received RF signals generally corresponds to a single transmitted RF signal.

[0114]

[0136] In the embodiment of Figure 7, the NLOS data stream 723 is not originally directed to UE704, but as can be understood, it can be directed in that way, similar to the RF signal on the NLOS path 612 in Figure 6. However, it can still be a relatively strong RF signal because it is reflected by a reflector 740 (e.g., a building) and reaches UE704 unobstructed. In contrast, the LOS data stream 724 is directed to UE704 but passes through an obstacle 730 (e.g., destructive environment such as vegetation, buildings, hills, or haze) that can significantly degrade the RF signal. As can be understood, the LOS data stream 724 is weaker than the NLOS data stream 723, but the LOS data stream 724 reaches UE704 earlier than the NLOS data stream 723 by following a shorter path from base station 702 to UE704.

[0115]

[0137] As described above, the beam in question for data communication between the base station (e.g., base station 702) and the UE (e.g., UE704) is the RF signal-carrying beam that reaches the UE with the highest signal strength (e.g., highest RSRP or SINR), while the beam in question for position estimation is the RF signal-carrying beam (e.g., beam 714) that excites the LOS path and has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams. That is, even if beam 713 (NLOS beam) weakly excites the LOS path (due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal, even though it is not focused along the LOS path), the weak signal of beam 713's LOS path may not be reliably detectable (compared to the signal from beam 714) if present, thus resulting in a larger error when performing positioning measurements.

[0116]

[0138] The target beam for data communication and the target beam for position estimation may be the same beam for some frequency bands, but they may not be the same beam for other frequency bands such as mmW. Therefore, referring to Figure 7, if UE 704 is engaged in a data communication session with base station 702 (for example, if base station 702 is a serving base station for UE 704) and is not simply attempting to measure a reference RF signal transmitted by base station 702, the target beam for the data communication session may be beam 713 because it is carrying an uninterrupted NLOS data stream 723. However, the target beam for position estimation will be beam 714 because it is carrying the strongest LOS data stream 724 despite being interrupted.

[0117]

[0139] Figure 8A is a graph 800A showing the RF channel response in a receiver (e.g., UE704) over time according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Under the channel shown in Figure 8A, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on the channel tap at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on the channel tap at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on the channel tap at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on the channel tap at time T4. In the embodiment of Figure 8A, since the first cluster of RF signals at time T1 is the first to arrive, it is assumed that this cluster is an LOS data stream (i.e., a data stream that arrives via LOS or the shortest path) and may correspond to an LOS data stream 724. The third cluster at time T3 contains the strongest RF signal and may correspond to an NLOS data stream 723. From the transmitter's perspective, each cluster of the received RF signal may contain portions of the RF signal transmitted at different angles, and therefore, each cluster may be said to have a different angle of departure (AoD) from the transmitter. Figure 8B is a diagram illustrating this distinction of clusters in AoD. An RF signal transmitted in AoD range 802a may correspond to one cluster in Figure 8A (e.g., "Cluster 1"), and an RF signal transmitted in AoD range 802b may correspond to a different cluster in Figure 8A (e.g., "Cluster 3"). Note that although the AoD ranges of the two clusters shown in Figure 8B are spatially separated, the AoD ranges of some clusters may also partially overlap, even though there is a temporal distance between those clusters. For example, this can occur when two separate buildings in the same AoD from the transmitter reflect the signal towards the receiver. Figure 8A shows clusters of 2 to 5 channel taps (or "peaks"), but it should be noted that, as is to be understood, clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than those shown.

[0118]

[0140] RAN1 NR may define UE measurements on DL reference signals (e.g., with respect to serving cells, reference cells, and / or adjacent cells) that are applicable to NR positioning, including DL reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements for NR positioning, DL RSRP measurements for NR positioning, and UE Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the UE receiver to response signal transmission at the UE transmitter, for time difference measurements related to NR positioning such as RTT).

[0119]

[0141] RAN1 NR may define gNB measurements based on UL reference signals applicable to NR positioning, such as relative UL time of arrival (RTOA) for NR positioning, UL AoA measurement for NR positioning (e.g., including azimuth and zenith angles), UL RSRP measurement for NR positioning, and gNB Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the gNB receiver to response signal transmission at the gNB transmitter, for time difference measurements related to NR positioning such as RTT).

[0120]

[0142] As mentioned above, various device types can be characterized as UEs. Since 3GPP Release 17, several of these UE types have been assigned a new UE classification, indicated as "NR-Light" UE or reduced-capacity ("RedCap") UE. Examples of UE types that fall under the RedCap classification include wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches), industrial sensors, and video cameras (e.g., surveillance cameras). Generally, UE types grouped under the RedCap classification are associated with lower communication capacity. For example, compared to a "normal" UE (e.g., a UE not classified as RedCap), a RedCap UE may be limited in terms of maximum transmit and / or receive bandwidth (e.g., 5MHz, 10MHz, 20MHz, etc.), maximum transmit power (e.g., 20dBm, 14dBm, etc.), and the number of receiving antennas (e.g., one receiving antenna, two receiving antennas, etc.). Some RedCap UEs may also be sensitive in terms of power consumption (e.g., requiring long battery life of several years, etc.) and may be highly mobile. Furthermore, in some designs, it is generally desirable for RedCap UEs to coexist with UEs implementing protocols such as eMBB, URLLC, and LTE NB-IoT / MTC. In one particular embodiment, industrial IoT (Total Operating Time) wireless sensors may be associated with intensive uplink traffic, moderate reliability and latency (e.g., non-URLLC), small packet sizes with relatively long TX intervals (e.g., low data rates), and high capacity (e.g., up to 1 UE per square meter).

[0121]

[0143] In some designs, the bandwidth for DL-PRS can be relatively large (e.g., 100 MHz), and the RedCap UE may only be able to measure or transmit on a portion of the DL-PRS bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) at any given time. To compensate for this limitation, the RedCap UE may implement a frequency hopping scheme.

[0122]

[0144] In some designs, "coherent stitching" may be used to handle the corresponding frequency hops associated with DL-PRS measurements. However, coherent stitching may increase the complexity of the UE implementation. In some designs, "non-coherent stitching" may provide some performance improvement due to diversity gain. In some designs, such as NR Release 16, DL-PRS frequency hopping is not supported, with a minimum DL-PRS bandwidth of 24PRB and a maximum DL-PRS bandwidth of 272PRB. In this case, it is assumed that the UE is simply capable of processing a single positioning frequency layer (PFL) to derive DL-PRS measurements, and that the UE is processing a single PFL at a time. In some designs, such as NR Release 17, stitching of DL-PRS from various PFLs may be supported for the purpose of increasing the DL-PRS bandwidth beyond the 272PRB limit of NR Release 16. In some designs, such as further enhanced machine type communication (FeMTC), frequency hopping is supported for 1.4 MHz DL-PRS BWs. In FeMTC, DL-PRS starts from the center of the system BW and hops for each PRS opportunity, and its hopping locations are explicitly specified by the LTE positioning protocol (LPP) (for example, up to 16 hops are specified, but the UE can hop 2 or 4 of those 16).

[0123]

[0145] A PRS may include PRS resources, PRS resource sets, or PRS resources in a frequency layer. A DL-PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply a frequency layer) is a collection of DL-PRS resource sets having a common parameter defined by the parameter DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer. Each frequency layer has the same DL-PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL-PRS resource sets and DL-PRS resources within that frequency layer. Each frequency layer has the same DL-PRS cyclic prefix (CP) type for the DL-PRS resource sets and DL-PRS resources within that frequency layer. Additionally, the DL-PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block, and DL-PRS resources belonging to the same DL-PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL-PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. The frequency layer's PRS resource set also has the same starting PRB (and center frequency) and the same comb size value.

[0124]

[0146] As used herein, a positioning session may include multiple PRS instances, each PRS instance including a PRS resource set. A PRS resource set also includes multiple PRS resources. For example, in some implementations, a positioning session may last approximately 20 seconds, while each PRS instance may last approximately 160 ms. DL-PRS resources may be iterated to facilitate Rx beam sweeping across various iterations, gain synthesis for coverage expansion, and / or muting within instances. In some designs, the PRS configuration may support the number of iterations (PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor) and the number of time gaps (PRS-ResourceTimeGap), as shown in Table 3.

[0125] [Table 3]

[0126]

[0147] Figure 9 shows a PRS resource allocation 900 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The PRS resource allocation 900 reflects a DL-PRS resource set with four resources, four PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactors, and one slot of PRS-ResourceTimeGap.

[0127]

[0148] Figure 10 shows a PRS resource allocation 1000 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The PRS resource allocation 1000 reflects a DL-PRS resource set with four resources, four PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactors, and four PRS-ResourceTimeGap slots.

[0128]

[0149] In some designs, aggregating multiple DL positioning frequency layers in the same or different bands to improve positioning performance in both in-band and inter-band scenarios may consider at least the following: • Scenarios and performance advantages of aggregating multiple DL positioning frequency layers • Effects of channel spacing, timing offset, phase offset, frequency error, and power imbalance between CCs on positioning performance in in-band continuous / discontinuous and interband scenarios. • Consideration of UE complexity

[0129]

[0150] Figure 11 shows a frequency hopping scheme 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 11, positioning RS (e.g., PRS or SRS-P) is processed (e.g., measured or transmitted) in the RedCap UE via a series of M-hops. In particular, two of the M-hops are shown in Figure 11, with a first frequency hop at h(f1,t1) followed by a second frequency hop at h(f2,t2). In the case of DL-PRS, the DL-PRS is transmitted over the resource corresponding to h(f2,t1), but the RedCap UE is not able to measure h(f2,t1). By hopping to various non-overlapping portions (or subbands) of the RS bandwidth, the RedCap UE can monitor the entire RS bandwidth (though not simultaneously).

[0130]

[0151] Referring to Figure 11, h(f2,t i p) is related to h(f2,t2) through phase offset and phase slope. The phase slope is a linear function of the timestamp, while the phase offset can depend on many coefficients (for example, in the case of an RF switch at each frequency hop, the phase before and after switching is different, and the difference is uncontrollable and does not satisfy any law, so it is called "random phase"). The relationship between h(f2,t1) and h(f2,t2) can be expressed as follows:

[0131]

number

[0132]

[0152] Figure 12 shows a positioning scheme 1200 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 12, transmitter A transmits a first PRS at TOD1, and this first PRS is received by receiver B at TOA1 with a hardware group delay ε1, so t1 = TOA1 + ε1. Transmitter A further transmits a second PRS at TOD2, and this second PRS is received by receiver B at TOA2 with a hardware group delay ε2, so t2 = TOA2 + ε2. The distance R between transmitter A and receiver B can be derived as follows:

[0133]

number

[0134]

[0153] Figure 13 shows a frequency hopping scheme 1300 according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 13, positioning RS (e.g., PRS or SRS-P) is processed (e.g., measured or transmitted) in the RedCap UE via a series of M-hops. In particular, two of the M-hops are shown in Figure 13, with a first frequency hop 1305 followed by a second frequency hop 1310. In Figure 13, guard tones 1315-1320 are configured between the resources associated with the first frequency hop 1310, and guard tones 1325-1330 are configured between the resources associated with the second frequency hop 1315. In Figure 13, the frequency domain resources (or tones) of the first frequency hop 1305 and the second frequency hop 1310 partially overlap. Using the overlapping tones, accurate phase offset estimation is possible by a simple and low-complexity algorithm. Parameter estimation is more difficult, but compressed sensing techniques are possible.

[0135]

[0154] Figure 14 shows a frequency hopping scheme 1400 according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 14, positioning RS (e.g., PRS or SRS-P) is processed (e.g., measured or transmitted) in the RedCap UE via a series of M-hops. In particular, two of the M-hops are shown in Figure 14, with a first frequency hop 1405 followed by a second frequency hop 1410. In Figure 14, guard tones 1415-1420 are configured between the resources associated with the first frequency hop 1405, and guard tones 1425-1430 are configured between the resources associated with the second frequency hop 1410. In Figure 14, the frequency domain resources (or tones) of the first frequency hop 1405 and the second frequency hop 1410 do not overlap.

[0136]

[0155] Figure 15 shows a frequency hopping scheme 1500 for measuring DL-PRS bandwidth according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 15, at each frequency hop, the UE measures a subband that partially overlaps with the subband of the adjacent frequency hop. By stitching these subband measurements together, a measurement of the entire DL-PRS transmit bandwidth can be derived. DL-PRS is transmitted across multiple OFDM symbols, and each frequency hop is aligned with one or more of the OFDM symbols of the DL-PRS.

[0137]

[0156] The aspects of this disclosure relate to determining UE capability for measuring DL-PRS across multiple frequency hops. Rather than simply assuming that a corresponding UE can measure the entire DL-PRS transmit bandwidth without using frequency hopping, knowledge of the corresponding UE's frequency hopping capability can facilitate network components (e.g., base stations, LMFs, etc.) configuring positioning parameters (one or more) in a more customized manner. Such aspects can result in various technical advantages, such as more accurate positioning for certain UE types (e.g., RedCap UEs, or any UE that requires frequency hopping to measure the entire DL-PRS transmit bandwidth).

[0138]

[0157] According to the embodiments of this disclosure, the RedCap UE's ability to perform receive frequency hopping is further improved, not only because support for frequency hopping (FH) beyond the RedCap UE's maximum bandwidth for receiving DL PRS and transmitting UL SRS for positioning (as provided for RAN1 and / or RAN2), but also because the complexity of the RedCap UE's capabilities is further utilized. For example, the positioning RedCap UE's RRM requirements are utilized, including radio resource management (RRM) measurements and (1) procedures for positioning with frequency hopping, and (2) procedures for positioning without frequency hopping. The RedCap UE or other network components may determine requirements for the minimum PRS bandwidth (BW) expected to be measured. The expected minimum PRS BW may depend on the PRS configuration, one or more instances of the measurement gap, and various UE configurations.

[0139]

[0158] In some scenarios, only DL PRS receive frequency hopping is supported. The RedCap UE can support measurements for DL ​​PRS with receive frequency hopping using a measurement gap. A RedCap UE using DL PRS receive frequency hopping can also perform hopping within DL PRS resources. In one embodiment, the RedCap UE includes processing capabilities for DL ​​PRS with receive frequency hopping and a measurement gap. In another embodiment, the RedCap UE includes processing capabilities for a single instance of the measurement gap or multiple instances of the management gap, and / or the use of PPW. In another embodiment, for RedCap UE positioning including DL PRS reception and UL SRS transmission, the maximum hopping bandwidth for a single hop is 20 MHz for the first frequency range and 100 MHz for the second frequency range.

[0140]

[0159] In other scenarios, both receive frequency hopping and transmit frequency hopping are supported. In the case of downlink receive frequency hopping or uplink transmit frequency hopping, the UE and / or gNB may report various information. Such information may include, for example, measurements based on receiving multiple hops of DL PRS or UL SRS, and / or measurements associated with the received frequency hops. Hop number indications and hop identification information may also be included in and reported in the measurement report.

[0141]

[0160] In the case of downlink receive frequency hopping or uplink transmit frequency hopping, the UE and / or gNB may also report measurements based on receiving multiple frequency hops of DL PRS or UL SRS, and / or measurements associated with one of the received frequency hops. Hop number indications and hop identification information may also be included in and reported in the measurement report.

[0142]

[0161] From a RAN1 perspective, in the case of downlink receive frequency hopping, a single instance of the measurement gap is used to receive all frequency hops with respect to the DL PRS with frequency hopping. However, this does not mean that the reported measurements must be based on a single instance of the measurement gap.

[0143]

[0162] In any case, it may be important to ensure that the measurement gap has an appropriate duration or length. According to one embodiment, the measurement period requirement T for L PFLs RSTD,Total teeth,

[0144]

number

[0145] Given by, where i is the PFL index,

[0146]

number

[0147] That is the case.

[0148]

[0163] CSSF PRS,i This is a carrier-specific scaling factor for PRS-based measurements.

[0149]

[0164] N RxBeam,i This is the UE received beam sweep coefficient.

[0150]

[0165] First frequency N RxBeam,i If = 1, and the second frequency N RxBeam,i If = 8,

[0151]

number

[0152] This is the maximum number of DL PRS resources per slot, {Ni ,T i} and

[0153]

number

[0154] This is a UE capability corresponding to durationOfPRS-Processing, and maxNumOfDL-PRS-ResProcessedPerSlot

[0155]

number

[0156] teeth,

[0157]

number

[0158] This is the duration of the available PRS that will be measured during that time.

[0159]

[0166] N sample (=4) is the number of PRS RSTD samples.

[0160]

[0167]

number

[0161]

[0168]

number

[0162]

[0169] T available_PRS,i =LCM(T PRS,i MGRP i ) and T PRS,i and MGRP i It is the least common multiple of and

[0170] MGRP iThis is the periodicity of the measurement gap.

[0163]

[0171] T PRS,i This is an effective PRS periodicity accompanied by PRS muting.

[0164]

number

[0165] In the formula, k is the resource set index,

[0166]

number

[0167] This is the upper layer parameter DL-PRS-Periodicity, and N muting This is the scaling factor that takes PRS muting into account.

[0168]

[0172] According to another embodiment, the measurement period requirement T for L PFLs RSTD,Total teeth,

[0169]

number

[0170] Given by, In the formula, i is the PFL index,

[0171]

number

[0172]

[0173] K carrier_PRS This is a scaling factor that depends on the number of L3 inter-frequency layers that the UE needs to measure. If the UE is capable of parallel RRM and PRS measurements, K carrier_PRS = 1

[0173]

[0174] N Rx,TEG,iThis is the scaling factor specific to Rx TEG.

[0174]

[0175] N RxBeam,i This is the UE Rx beam sweep coefficient.

[0175]

[0176]

number

[0176] This is the maximum number of DL PRS resources per slot.

[0177]

[0177] {N i ,T i} and

[0178]

number

[0179] This refers to UE capabilities that support durationOfPRS-Processing and maxNumOfDL-PRS-ResProcessedPerSlot.

[0180]

[0178] L available_PRS,i is, T available_PRS,i This is the duration of the available PRS that will be measured during that time.

[0181]

[0179] N sample This is the number of PRS RSTD samples.

[0182]

[0180]

number

[0183]

[0181] T available_PRS,i =LCM(T PRS,i ,T DRX ) and T PRS,i and T DRX It is the least common multiple of the two.

[0184]

[0182] T DRX This is the DRX cycle length.

[0185]

[0183] T PRS,i This is an effective PRS periodicity accompanied by PRS muting.

[0186]

number

[0187] In this formula, k is the resource set index.

[0188]

[0184]

number

[0189] This is the upper-layer parameter DL-PRS-Periodicity.

[0190]

[0185] N muting This is the scaling factor that takes PRS muting into account.

[0191]

[0186] T last This represents the measurement duration of the last sample.

[0192]

[0187] Time T RSTD,Total This begins with the first DRX cycle, which includes DL PRS resources(s) within the support data, after both the NR-TDOA-ProvideAssistanceData message and the NR-TDOA-RequestLocationInformation message have been delivered from the LMF to the UE via LPP.

[0193]

[0188] In another embodiment, frequency hopping is implemented according to certain assumptions regarding multi-hop PRS measurement. For example, with respect to each frequency hop, there is a maximum supported PRS bandwidth per band, the amount of frequency overlap between hops is consistent, intra-slot hopping is possible, one hop is available for each PRS comb or PRS multiplexing unit (which can be a combination of FDM / TDM), the received PRS comb may not be aligned with the comb iterations using the slot, each slot in which hopping exists shares the same time-domain hopping pattern, and the PRS allocation is the same for all slots across one round of frequency hopping.

[0194]

[0189] Referring to Figure 16, the PRS bandwidth (shown as PRS BW), hop overlap, and hop bandwidth (shown as hop BW) are shown in the frequency domain, while the PRS comb, FH return time, and slot width (shown as 1 slot) are shown in the time domain.

[0195]

[0190] According to one embodiment, the minimum measurement gap length required to measure one PRS sample is determined, and with respect to the number of hops,

[0196]

number

[0197] And in the formula

[0198]

number

[0199] That is the case.

[0200]

[0191] Also, regarding the number of hops per slot (N hops (If >1)

[0201] [Math.]]

[0202] wherein,

[0192] In the formula, N PRS,slot is the total number of PRS symbols per slot, and N PRS,mux is the number of symbols per PRS multiplexing unit (for example, N PRS,mux is equal to the PRS comb size), and N RRT is the number of symbols related to retuning time between hops.

[0203]

[0193] [Math.]]

[0204] if, then X ← X-1.

[0205]

[0194] If X>0,

[0206] [Math.]]

[0207] is set; otherwise,

[0208] [Math.]]

[0209] is set.

[0210]

[0195] The number of slots per hopping pattern is as follows:

[0211] [Math.]]

[0212]

[0196] This is the minimum number of slots, assuming that PRSs are allocated within consecutive slots.

[0213]

[0197] In that case, the minimum measurement gap length (MGL) is expressed as follows: MGL≧N slots ·T slot +2·T RRT,MG

[0214]

[0198] Figure 17 shows the number of hops / slots.

[0215]

number

[0216] However, the PRS multiplexing unit is one PRS comb (i.e., N PRS,mux The following are various aspects of the concept of the present invention, which are determined when it is assumed that (PRS comb size) is used.

[0217]

[0199] Figure 18 shows various aspects of the concept of the present invention in a scenario in which the RedCap UE is operating in a first frequency range, the SCS is 30 kHz, and the PRS bandwidth (BW) is 100 MHz. According to the scenario shown in Figure 18, the multiplexing capacitance for the minimum gap length is 20 ms. It is also assumed that the multiplexing unit is a PRS comb, the number of hops RB is 48, the retuning between hops is 2 symbols, and the measurement gap (MG) RRT is 0.5 ms (matching RAN4). As shown in the figure, for example, if the number of slots is 2, there are 38 PRS resources within 20 ms, and for example, if the number of slots is 3, there are 48 PRS resources within 20 ms.

[0218]

[0200] Figure 19 shows an additional aspect of the concept of the present invention in the scenario shown in Figure 18, i.e., the scenario in which the RedCap UE is operating in a first frequency range, the SCS is 30 kHz, and the PRS bandwidth (BW) is 100 MHz. According to the scenario shown in Figure 19, the multiplexing capacitance for the minimum gap length is 20 ms. It is also assumed that the multiplexing unit is a PRS comb, the number of hops RB is 48, the retuning between hops is 2 symbols, and the measurement gap (MG) RRT is 0.5 ms (matching RAN4). As shown in the figure, in one instance there are 36 PRS resources within 20 ms, and in another instance there are 72 PRS resources within 20 ms.

[0219]

[0201] Figure 20 is a block diagram of a method performed by a UE in a particular embodiment. In 2002, the UE transmits an indication of its capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. Measurement delay requirements may also be considered. In one embodiment, the measurement delay requirement may be defined assuming that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource. PRS comb iterations using slots may be used to switch between hops and to measure multiple hops within a slot. The total PRS BW measured by the RedCap UE may be limited by the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, and / or the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

[0220]

[0202] In step 2004, the UE receives PRS configuration information from the network node. The PRS configuration information may be associated with capability indication.

[0221]

[0203] Optionally, the UE reports the total PRS BW measured by the UE and / or an indication that a measurement with frequency hopping has been performed. The steps in process 2000 may involve a RedCap UE or other network component determining a requirement related to a minimum PRS bandwidth (BW) that is expected to be measured. The expected minimum PRS BW may depend on the PRS configuration, one or more instances of measurement gaps, and various UE configurations.

[0222]

[0204] As described above, the total PRS BW that can be measured by a RedCap UE using frequency hopping (FH) may be calculated for the maximum number of hops,

[0223]

[0205] [Mathematical Formula]

[0224] is the number of PRS (inter-slot) repetitions in an MG excluding the gap retuning time,

[0225]

[0206] [Mathematical Formula]

[0226] is the stride of PRS (inter-slot) repetitions,

[0227]

[0207] [Mathematical Formula]

[0228] in the case where it is

[0229] [Mathematical Formula]

[0230] And,

[0208] If not

[0231]

number

[0232] That is the case.

[0233]

[0209] In that case, the measured PRS BW in RedCap UE can be expressed as follows: min(BW PRS ,N hops BW hop -BW overlap (N hops -1))

[0234]

[0210] Figure 21 is a block diagram of a method performed by a UE in a particular embodiment. In 2102, the UE receives one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. In 2104, the UE performs receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRS over multiple frequency hops, and the measurement is performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of the measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0235]

[0211] Figure 22 is a block diagram of a method performed by a BS (e.g., gNB) according to a particular embodiment. In 2202, the BS receives an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. Measurement delay requirements may also be considered. According to one embodiment, measurement delay requirements may be defined assuming that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource. PRS comb iterations using slots may be used to switch between hops and to measure multiple hops within a slot.

[0236]

[0212] In step 2204, BS transmits PRS configuration information. PRS configuration information may be associated with capability indication.

[0237]

[0213] Optionally, the BS receives a report of the total PRS BW measured by the UE, and / or an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping has been performed. The total PRS BW measured by the RedCap UE may be limited by the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, and / or the amount of frequency overlap between hops. A step in process 2200 may involve the RedCap UE or other network components determining requirements regarding the minimum PRS bandwidth (BW) expected to be measured. The expected minimum PRS BW may depend on the PRS configuration, one or more instances of measurement gaps, and various UE configurations.

[0238]

[0214] Figure 23 is a block diagram of a method performed by a BS (e.g., gNB) according to a particular embodiment. In 2302, the BS transmits one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) that exceed the bandwidth capability of the UE. In 2304, the BS receives an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure one or more PRS over multiple frequency hops, and the measurement is performed according to one or more of the following: a formulation of the measurement period, a minimum PRS bandwidth expected to be measured by the UE, and a measurement gap configuration.

[0239]

[0215] Various aspects of the present disclosure will be discussed further. According to a first aspect, an apparatus for wireless communication in a user device (UE) comprises a processing system including one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the UE to transmit an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of the capability including at least one of the maximum supported PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. The processing system is configured to cause the UE to receive PRS configuration information from a network node, which is PRS configuration information associated with the indication of capability.

[0240]

[0216] According to a second embodiment, the apparatus according to the first embodiment is configured to cause the UE to perform receiving frequency hopping in the UE to measure DL-PRS over multiple frequency hops.

[0241]

[0217] According to a third aspect, the UE measurement delay requirement is derived from capability indication in any or all of the above aspects of the apparatus.

[0242]

[0218] According to a fourth aspect, the measurement delay requirement is defined in accordance with any or all of the above aspects of the apparatus, wherein the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

[0243]

[0219] According to a fifth aspect, the apparatus is any or all of the above aspects, wherein the maximum PRS BW is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the inter-hop retuning time, and the amount of inter-hop frequency overlap.

[0244]

[0220] According to the sixth aspect, the processing system is configured to cause the UE to report the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information, in any or all of the above aspects of the apparatus.

[0245]

[0221] According to the seventh aspect, the processing system is further configured to cause the UE to report an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping has been performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information, in any or all of the above aspects of the apparatus.

[0246]

[0222] According to the eighth aspect, a wireless communication method is performed in a user device (UE). According to this method, the UE transmits an indication of the UE's capability to perform receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW supported with frequency hopping, and the minimum hop overlap. The UE also receives PRS configuration information from a network node, which is associated with the indication of capability.

[0247]

[0223] According to the ninth aspect, any or all of the above-described methods of a UE further include performing receive frequency hopping to measure DL-PRS across multiple frequency hops.

[0248]

[0224] According to the tenth aspect, the UE measurement delay requirement is any or all of the above methods of UE derived from capability indication.

[0249]

[0225] According to the eleventh aspect, the measurement delay requirement is any or all of the methods of the UE described above, wherein the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

[0250]

[0226] According to a twelfth aspect, the maximum PRS BW is limited by at least one of the following methods of the UE described above: the number of PRS resource iterations with a measurement gap, the inter-hop retuning time, and the amount of inter-hop frequency overlap.

[0251]

[0227] According to a thirteenth aspect, any or all of the above methods of the UE further include the UE reporting the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

[0252]

[0228] According to the fourteenth aspect, any or all of the above methods of the UE further include the UE reporting an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with PRS configuration information.

[0253]

[0229] According to the 15th aspect, the apparatus for wireless communication at a base station (BS) comprises a processing system including one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to one or more processors. The processing system is configured to cause the BS to receive an indication of the capability of a user equipment (UE) for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability including at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. The processing system is further configured to cause the BS to transmit PRS configuration information, which is associated with the capability indication.

[0254]

[0230] According to the 16th aspect, the processing system is further configured to cause the BS to receive reports of DL-PRS measured over multiple frequency hops from the UE, or any or all of the apparatus configurations of the BS.

[0255]

[0231] According to the 17th aspect, the UE measurement delay requirement is any or all of the BS device configurations derived from capability indication.

[0256]

[0232] According to the 18th aspect, the measurement delay requirement is any or all of the apparatus configurations of the BS, in which the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

[0257]

[0233] According to the 19th aspect, the maximum PRS BW is any or all of the apparatus configurations of the BS, wherein the maximum PRS BW is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the inter-hop retuning time, and the amount of inter-hop frequency overlap.

[0258]

[0234] According to the 20th aspect, the processing system is further configured to cause the BS to receive a report from the UE of the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information, in any or all of the apparatus configurations of the BS.

[0259]

[0235] According to the 21st aspect, the processing system is further configured to cause the BS to receive an indication report from the UE that a measurement involving frequency hopping has been performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information, in any or all of the apparatus configurations of the BS.

[0260]

[0236] According to the 22nd aspect, a wireless communication method is performed at a base station (BS). The method of the BS includes receiving an indication of the capabilities of a UE for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capabilities including at least one of the maximum supported PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap. The method also includes transmitting PRS configuration information associated with the indication of capabilities.

[0261]

[0237] According to the 23rd aspect, the method of the above-described BS further includes receiving a report of DL-PRS measured over multiple frequency hops from the UE.

[0262]

[0238] According to the 24th aspect, the UE measurement delay requirement is any or all of the above-described method embodiments of BS derived from capability indication.

[0263]

[0239] According to the 25th aspect, the measurement delay requirement is any or all of the method embodiments of the BS described above, wherein the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

[0264]

[0240] According to the 26th aspect, the maximum PRS BW is any or all of the above-described method embodiments of BS, wherein the maximum PRS BW is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, and the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

[0265]

[0241] According to the 27th aspect, any or all of the above-described method embodiments of the BS include receiving a report from the UE of the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

[0266]

[0242] According to the 28th aspect, any or all of the above-described method embodiments of the BS further include receiving a report from the UE indicating that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

[0267]

[0243] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of the many different techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, which may be mentioned throughout the above description, can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0268]

[0244] The components, functional blocks, and modules described herein in relation to each of the figures include, among many examples, processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logic circuits, memory, software code, firmware code, or any combination thereof. Software is to be interpreted broadly to mean, among many examples, instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, and / or functions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Furthermore, the features discussed herein may be implemented via dedicated processor circuits, via executable instructions, or a combination thereof.

[0269]

[0245] A person skilled in the art will further understand that various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly demonstrate this compatibility between hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their function. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or executed as software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. A person skilled in the art may implement the described functions in various ways with respect to each specific application, but such decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure. A person skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of components, methods, or interactions described herein are merely examples, and that components, methods, or interactions of various aspects of this disclosure can be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein.

[0270]

[0246] Various exemplary logics, logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in relation to the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Hardware-software compatibility has been described in general terms of functionality and has been demonstrated in the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or executed as software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0271]

[0247] Hardware and data processing devices used to implement the various exemplary logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or run using general-purpose single-chip or multi-chip processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. General-purpose processors may be microprocessors, or any conventional processors, controllers, microcontrollers, or state machines. In some implementations, the processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuits specialized for a given function.

[0272]

[0248] In one or more embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuits, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, including the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents. Implementations of the subject matter described herein may also be implemented as one or more modules of computer programs, i.e., computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by a data processing device or for controlling the operation of a data processing device.

[0273]

[0249] When implemented in software, these functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. The processes of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software module that may reside on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, which may include any media on which computer programs can be transferred from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. Examples, but not limited to, such computer-readable media may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection may also be appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. As used herein, "disk" and "disc" include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where a "disk" typically reproduces data magnetically, while a "disc" reproduces data optically using a laser. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.Furthermore, the operation of a method or algorithm may exist as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on machine-readable and computer-readable media, which may be incorporated into computer program products.

[0274]

[0250] Various modifications to the implementations described herein may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to several other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but should be given the broadest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and novel features.

[0275]

[0251] Furthermore, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the terms “upper” and “lower” are often used to facilitate the description of a figure and indicate its relative position corresponding to the orientation of the figure on a properly oriented page, and may not reflect the proper orientation of any device in which it is implemented.

[0276]

[0252] Certain features described herein in the context of separate implementations may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented separately or in any preferred partial combination in multiple implementations. Furthermore, features may be described above as functioning in a particular combination, and may even be initially claimed as such, but one or more features from a claimed combination may be removed from that combination in some cases, and the claimed combination may cover a partial combination or a variation of a partial combination.

[0277]

[0253] Similarly, although the operations are shown in a specific order in the drawings, this should not be understood as meaning that such operations must be performed in a specific order or sequence shown, or that all shown operations must be performed, in order to achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the drawings may schematically represent one or more exemplary processes in the form of flow charts. However, other operations not shown may be incorporated into those schematically represented exemplary processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the shown operations. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Furthermore, the separation of various system components in the above-described implementations should not be understood as meaning that such separation is required in all implementations, and it should be understood that the program components and systems described may generally be integrated as a single software product or packaged within multiple software products. Furthermore, several other implementations are also within the scope of the following claims. In some cases, the actions enumerated in the claims may be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result.

[0278]

[0254] As used herein, including in the claims, the term “or” in an enumeration of two or more items means that any one of the enumerated items may be taken alone, or any combination of two or more of the enumerated items may be taken. For example, if a configuration is described as including components A, B, or C, the configuration may include A only, B only, C only, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, or a combination of A, B, and C. Also, as used herein, including in the claims, “or” in an enumeration of items followed by “at least one of ~” indicates a disjunctive enumeration, for example, that the enumeration of “at least one of A, B, or C” means any of these items in A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or any combination thereof. The term “substantially” is defined, as understood by those skilled in the art, as encompassing the majority of what is specified, but not necessarily the whole (and including what is specified, for example, substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees, and substantially parallel includes parallel). In any disclosed implementation, the term “substantially” may be replaced by “within a certain percentage” of what is specified, such that percentage includes 0.1 percent, 1 percent, 5 percent, or 10 percent.

[0279]

[0255] The foregoing description of this disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to a person skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments and designs described herein, but should be given the broadest scope that is consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A device for wireless communication in user equipment (UE), A processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the processing system provides the UE, An indication of the capability of the UE for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap, to transmit the capability indication. A device configured to receive PRS configuration information from a network node, wherein PRS configuration information is associated with the indication of the capability.

2. The processing system further provides the UE with: The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to perform receiving frequency hopping to measure the DL-PRS across multiple frequency hops.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the UE measurement delay requirement is derived from the indication of the capability.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the measurement delay requirement is defined such that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the total PRS BW measured by the UE is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

6. The processing system further provides the UE with: The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to report the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

7. The processing system further provides the UE with: The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to report an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

8. A method of wireless communication performed on user equipment (UE), Transmitting an indication of the capability of the UE for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability including at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (PRS BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap, A method comprising receiving PRS configuration information from a network node, wherein PRS configuration information is associated with the indication of the capability.

9. The further includes performing receive frequency hopping to measure the DL-PRS across multiple frequency hops, The method according to claim 8.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the UE measurement delay requirement is derived from the indication of the capability.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the measurement delay requirement is defined such that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the total PRS BW measured by the UE is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

13. Further includes reporting the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information, The method according to claim 8.

14. Further including reporting an indication that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information, The method according to claim 8.

15. A device for wireless communication at a base station (BS), A processing system comprising one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the processing system is configured in the BS, An indication of the capability of a user instrument (UE) for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap, A device configured to transmit PRS configuration information, which is associated with the indication of the capability, to the aforementioned UE.

16. The processing system further provides the BS with: The apparatus according to claim 15, configured to receive reports of the DL-PRS measured across multiple frequency hops from the UE.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the UE measurement delay requirement is derived from the indication of the capability.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the measurement delay requirement is defined such that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the total PRS BW measured by the UE is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

20. The processing system further provides the BS with: The apparatus according to claim 15, configured to receive a report from the UE of the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

21. The processing system further provides the BS with: The apparatus according to claim 15, configured to receive an indication report from the UE that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information.

22. A method of wireless communication performed at a base station (BS), An indication of the capability of a user instrument (UE) for performing receive frequency hopping to measure a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the indication of capability includes at least one of the supported maximum PRS bandwidth (BW) with frequency hopping, the number of possible frequency hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the minimum hop overlap, and receiving such an indication. A method comprising transmitting PRS configuration information, which is associated with the indication of the capability, to the UE.

23. The further includes receiving a report of the DL-PRS measured across multiple frequency hops from the UE, The method according to claim 22.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the UE measurement delay requirement is derived from the indication of the capability.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the measurement delay requirement is defined such that the UE measures one or more PRS combs per PRS resource.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the total PRS BW measured by the UE is limited by at least one of the number of PRS resource iterations with measurement gaps, the retuning time between hops, the maximum BW per hop, and the amount of frequency overlap between hops.

27. The further includes receiving a report from the UE of the total PRS BW measured by the UE in accordance with the PRS configuration information, The method according to claim 22.

28. The further includes receiving an indication report from the UE that a measurement involving frequency hopping was performed in accordance with the PRS configuration information, The method according to claim 22.

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