Base Station Aided User Equipment Positioning

Abstract

In one aspect, a technique for wireless positioning is disclosed in which a first user equipment (UE) transmits a request to conduct a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE, receives a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, transmits one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources, where the radio resource configuration indicates first radio resources for transmitting the positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving the positioning signals from the second UE, receives one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resources, and enables a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and times of arrival (ToAs) of the one or more second positioning signals.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Various aspects described herein relate generally to wireless positioning. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including intermediate 2.5G networks), third generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., LTE or WiMax). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communication service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the Cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0003]

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, called New Radio (NR), will enable higher data rates, a larger number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. The NR standard by the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second to a few dozen workers on an office floor. To support large wireless sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Thus, the spectral efficiency of NR mobile communications should be significantly enhanced compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be enhanced and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0004]

[0004] In particular, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of 5G, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies are being implemented to support autonomous driving applications, such as wireless communications between vehicles, between vehicles and roadside infrastructure, between vehicles and pedestrians, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. As such, the following summary is not intended to be an extensive overview related to all contemplated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope related to any particular aspect. As such, the following summary has the sole purpose of presenting some concepts related to one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0006]

[0006] In one aspect, a method for wireless positioning performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes sending a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources; receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resources; and enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and times of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals.

[0007]

[0007] In one aspect, a method for wireless positioning implemented by a base station includes receiving a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first UE and a second UE; transmitting a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure to the first UE, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE.

[0008]

[0008] In one aspect, a first UE includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; receives, via the at least one transceiver, a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration including first radio resources for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and a second radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE. the first UE and the second UE; instructing the at least one transceiver to transmit one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources; receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resources via the at least one transceiver; and enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals.

[0009]

[0009] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first UE and a second UE; cause the at least one transceiver to transmit a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure to the first UE, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE.

[0010]

[0010] In one aspect, the present invention includes a method for a first UE to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; a means for receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; a means for transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources; a means for receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resources; and a means for enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals.

[0011]

[0011] In one aspect, a base station includes means for receiving a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first UE and a second UE, and means for transmitting a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure to the first UE, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE.

[0012]

[0012] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction to instruct a first UE to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; and at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to receive a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration including first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE. at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to transmit one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources; at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to receive one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resources; and at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to enable a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals.

[0013]

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes the computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction instructing a base station to receive a request for allocating radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first UE and a second UE; at least one instruction instructing the base station to transmit a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure to the first UE, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE.

[0014] Other objects and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0015]

[0015] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of examples of one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter and are provided by way of illustration only and not by way of limitation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0017] 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, in accordance with various aspects. [Figure 2B] 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, in accordance with various aspects. [Figure 3A]

[0018] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 4]

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in which a Vehicle User Equipment (V-UE) is exchanging ranging signals with a Roadside Unit (RSU) and another V-UE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5]

[0020] FIG. 1 is a timeline diagram illustrating a three-phase communication protocol, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0021] 1 illustrates a call flow of an example base station assisted UE-UE positioning procedure, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a call flow of an example base station assisted UE-UE positioning procedure, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0022] 1 illustrates an example base station assisted UE-UE positioning procedure between a serving base station, an initiating UE, and a target UE. [Figure 9]

[0023] 1 illustrates a call flow of an example handover procedure during a base station assisted UE-UE positioning procedure, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an example methodology for wireless positioning according to an aspect of the disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates an example methodology for wireless positioning according to an aspect of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017]

[0025] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and associated drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustration purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0018]

[0026] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Similarly, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the described feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0019]

[0027] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0020]

[0028] Furthermore, many aspects are described in terms of a sequence of actions to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Furthermore, a sequence of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied as a whole in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct an associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein, for example, as "logic configured to" perform the described actions.

[0021]

[0029] The terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" (BS) as used herein are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., vehicle on-board computer, vehicle navigation device, mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable (e.g., smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or (e.g., at some times) stationary and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The term "UE" as used herein may be referred to interchangeably as a "mobile device", "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. In general, a UE may communicate with a core network via the RAN, through which the UE may be connected to external networks, such as the Internet, and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0022]

[0030] In some cases, a UE may be categorized as a vehicle UE (V-UE) or a pedestrian UE (P-UE). A V-UE is any in-vehicle wireless communication device, such as a navigation system, a warning system, a head-up display (HUD), an on-board computer, etc. Alternatively, a V-UE may be a portable wireless communication device (e.g., a cell phone, a tablet computer, etc.) carried by a driver of a vehicle or a passenger in the vehicle. The term "V-UE" may refer to an in-vehicle wireless communication device or the vehicle itself, depending on the context. The term "vehicle" may refer to a truck, a car, a motorcycle, a train, an airplane, or any other motorized vehicle. A P-UE is a portable wireless communication device carried by a pedestrian (i.e., a user who is not driving or riding a vehicle, but may be riding a bicycle, scooter, or other non-motorized vehicle).

[0023]

[0031] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. A base station may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE may send signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station may send signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). The term Traffic Channel (TCH) as used herein can refer to either a UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0024]

[0032] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit reception point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be collocated. For example, if the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. If the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or in cases where the base station employs beamforming). If the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives a measurement report from a UE and a neighbor base station at which the UE is measuring its reference RF signal (or simply "reference signal"). A TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and therefore, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as referring to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0025]

[0033] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when it transmits signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when it receives and measures signals from the UE).

[0026]

[0034] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply as a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0027]

[0035] According to various aspects, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled as "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macrocell base stations 102 may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0028]

[0036] The base stations 102 collectively form a RAN and may interface with a core network 174 (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 and through the core network 174 to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 174 or external to the core network 174). In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of forwarding user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0029]

[0037] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage to a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, called a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), enhanced cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) 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), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within any portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0030]

[0038] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may overlap partially (e.g., in handover regions), but some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be significantly overlapped by larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes 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 may serve restricted groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0031]

[0039] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also called reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also called forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be through one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​than for UL).

[0032]

[0040] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine if a channel is available.

[0033]

[0041] The small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrums. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. A small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum may boost coverage to and / or increase capacity of an access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0034]

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a mmW base station 180 that may operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The very high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also called centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Moreover, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Thus, it will be appreciated that the above description is by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0035]

[0043] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a particular direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). In transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that particular direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. In particular, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the proper phase relationship so that the waves from the separate antennas add together to increase radiation in desired directions and cancel to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0036]

[0044] A transmit beam may be quasi-colocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., a UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocated (QCL) relationships. In particular, a QCL relationship of a given type means that some parameters for a second reference RF signal on a second beam may be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial receive parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0037]

[0045] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) an RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Signal-to-Interference-Plus-Noise Ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0038]

[0046] The transmit beam and the receive beam may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that the parameters for the second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) of the second reference signal may be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, the UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., Synchronization Signal Block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0039]

[0047] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0040]

[0048] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW frequency band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Thus, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" may generally be used interchangeably.

[0041]

[0049] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell" and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as the "secondary carrier" or "secondary serving cell" or "SCell". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on a primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in licensed frequencies (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., nothing UE-specific may be present in the secondary carrier, since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network may change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or a SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0042]

[0050] For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or “PCell”), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers (“SCells”). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0043]

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (sometimes referred to as “sidelinks”). In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct® (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc.

[0044]

[0052] In particular, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of NR, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications, such as wireless communications between vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)), between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)), and between vehicles and pedestrians (vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P)). The goal is for vehicles to be able to sense the environment around them and communicate that information to other vehicles, infrastructure, and personal mobile devices. Such vehicular communications would enable safety, mobility, and environmental improvements that current technologies cannot provide. When fully implemented, the technology is expected to reduce unimpaired vehicle crashes by 80%.

[0045]

[0053] Still referring to FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple V-UEs 160 (not shown), which may communicate with the base station 102 over communication link 120 (e.g., using the Uu interface) or with the mmW base station(s) 180 over communication link 184. The V-UEs 160 may also communicate directly with each other over wireless unicast sidelink 162, with roadside access points 164 (also referred to as “roadside units” or “RSUs”) over sidelink 166, or with the UE 104 over sidelink 168 using P2P / D2D protocols (e.g., “PC5”, LTE V2X D2D interface) or ProSe direct communications. Sidelink communications may be used for D2D media sharing, V2V communications, V2X communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, relative positioning, etc. One or more of the groups of V-UEs 160 utilizing D2D communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other V-UEs 160 in such groups may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or may not otherwise be able to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, the groups of V-UEs 160 communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each V-UE 160 transmits to every other V-UE 160 in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications are conducted between the V-UEs 160 without the involvement of the base station 102. Although FIG. 1 illustrates two V-UEs 160 communicating over a sidelink, it should be appreciated that any two or more UEs illustrated in FIG. 1 may communicate over a sidelink and the reference to the V-UEs 160 is by way of example only.

[0046]

[0054] In one aspect, the V-UE 160, and any other UEs shown in FIG. 1, may include a positioning component 170. The positioning component 170 may be a hardware, software, or firmware component that, when executed, causes the V-UE 160 to perform the operations described herein. For example, the positioning component 170 may be a software module stored in a memory of the V-UE 160 and executable by a processor of the V-UE 160. As another example, the positioning component 170 may be a hardware circuit (e.g., an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.) within the V-UE 160. It should be noted that while only one UE (V-UE 160) is shown as including a positioning component 170, any of the illustrated UEs may include a positioning component 170.

[0047]

[0055] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may operate over a communications medium of interest that may be shared with other communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other RATs. The "medium" may be comprised of one or more frequency, time, and / or spatial communications resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs.

[0048]

[0056] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may be cV2X links. The first generation of cV2X is standardized in LTE, and the next generation is expected to be defined in NR. cV2X is a cellular technology that also enables device-to-device communication. In the United States and Europe, cV2X is expected to operate in licensed ITS bands in the sub-6 GHz. In other countries, other bands may be allocated. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the sub-6 GHz licensed ITS frequency band. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this frequency band or cellular technology.

[0049]

[0057] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may be dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) links. DSRC is a unidirectional or bidirectional short- to medium-range wireless communication protocol that uses the wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE) protocol, also known as IEEE 802.11p, for V2V, V2I, and V2P communications. IEEE 802.11p is an approved amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard and operates in the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85-5.925 GHz) in the United States. In Europe, IEEE 802.11p operates in the ITS G5A band (5.875-5.905 MHz). Other bands may be allocated in other countries. The V2V communications briefly described above occur on a safety channel, which in the United States is typically a 10 MHz channel dedicated to safety purposes. The remainder of the DSRC band (total bandwidth is 75 MHz) is intended for other services of interest to drivers, such as road rules, toll collection, parking automation, etc. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the 5.9 GHz licensed ITS frequency band.

[0050]

[0058] Alternatively, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. Although different licensed frequency bands are reserved for some communication systems (e.g., by government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended their operation to unlicensed frequency bands, such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi". Exemplary systems of this type include different variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0051]

[0059] Communications between V-UEs 160 are referred to as V2V communications, communications between V-UEs 160 and one or more roadside access points 164 are referred to as V2I communications, and communications between V-UEs 160 and one or more UEs 104 (where UEs 104 are P-UEs) are referred to as V2P communications. V2V communications between V-UEs 160 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, orientation, and other vehicle data of V-UEs 160. V2I information received at V-UEs 160 from one or more roadside access points 164 may include, for example, road rules, parking automation information, etc. V2P communications between V-UEs 160 and UEs 104 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, and orientation of V-UEs 160, and the position, speed (e.g., if UEs 104 are carried by a user on a bicycle), and orientation of UEs 104.

[0052]

[0060] It should be noted that while FIG. 1 illustrates only two of the UEs as V-UEs (V-UE 160), any of the illustrated UEs (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190) may be V-UEs. Additionally, while the description of FIG. 1 only describes some UEs (e.g., V-UE 160, UE 190) as being capable of communicating with other UEs over a sidelink, as will be appreciated, any of the illustrated UEs may be capable of communicating over a sidelink. Additionally, while only UE 182 has been described as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs, including V-UE 160, may be capable of beamforming. If V-UE 160 is capable of beamforming, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other V-UEs 160), toward roadside access point 164, toward other UEs (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190), etc. Thus, in some cases, V-UE 160 may utilize beamforming over sidelinks 162, 166, and 168.

[0053]

[0061] According to various aspects, FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be considered functionally as a control plane function (C-plane) 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function (U-plane) 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data network, IP routing, etc.) that operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect a gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, a ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein). In one aspect, two or more UEs 204 may communicate with each other via a wireless unicast sidelink 242, which may correspond to the wireless unicast sidelink 162 in FIG. 1.

[0054]

[0062] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.) or, alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that may connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Additionally, the location server 230 may be incorporated into a component of the core network or, alternatively, may be external to the core network.

[0055]

[0063] According to various aspects, FIG. 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, the 5GC 260 may be considered functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via a control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and a user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via an N3 interface. Either (or both) of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein). In one aspect, two or more UEs 204 may communicate with each other via a wireless unicast sidelink 242, which may correspond to the wireless unicast sidelink 162 in FIG. 1.

[0056]

[0064] The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network specific keys. The AMF 264 functions also include location service management for barred services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270 acting as a location server 230, transport for location service messages between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Additionally, the AMF 164 also supports functions for non-3GPP access networks.

[0057]

[0065] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic validation (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "termination markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server, such as the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272.

[0058]

[0066] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and parts of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0059]

[0067] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.) or, alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that may be connected to the LMF 270 via a core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, except that the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and the UE 204 via a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B ) via a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0060]

[0068] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated in a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or perform any of the network functions described herein, including a location server 230, an LMF 270, and an SLP 272) to support file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated in other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include similar components as 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 that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0061]

[0069] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, configured to communicate over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, to communicate with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communications medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, the transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and each include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding the signals 318 and 358.

[0062]

[0070] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, at least in some cases, include 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, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, the transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and each include one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding the signals 328 and 368, respectively.

[0063]

[0071] A transceiver circuit including at least one transmitter and at least one receiver may in some implementations comprise an integrated device (e.g., integrated as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit of a single communication device), in some implementations comprise a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device, or in other implementations may be integrated in other ways. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) that enable each device to perform transmit "beamforming" as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) that enable each device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit at the same time. The wireless communications device of the UE 302 and / or base station 304 (e.g., one or both of the transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also comprise a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0064]

[0072] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include 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, for receiving SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may comprise 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 actions from other systems as appropriate, and perform the calculations necessary to determine the position of the UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithms.

[0065]

[0073] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities over a wire-based or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, and / or other types of information.

[0066]

[0074] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes a processor circuit that implements a processing system 332, for example, for providing functionality related to wireless positioning and for providing other processing functions. The base station 304 includes a processing system 384, for example, for providing functionality related to wireless positioning and for providing other processing functions disclosed herein. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 394, for example, for providing functionality related to wireless positioning and for providing other processing functions disclosed herein. In an aspect, the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuits.

[0067]

[0075] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuits implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) to maintain information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in the memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that when executed by the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A illustrates possible locations of the positioning component 342, which may be part of the WWAN transceiver 310, the memory component 340, the processing system 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component. Figure 3B illustrates possible locations of the positioning component 388, which may be part of the WWAN transceiver 350, the memory component 386, the processing system 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component. FIG. 3C illustrates possible locations for a positioning component 398, which may be part of the network interface(s) 390, memory component 396, processing system 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0068]

[0076] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the SPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0069]

[0077] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing instructions (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device, such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0070]

[0078] Referring more particularly to the processing system 384, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions related to broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0071]

[0079] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 functions related to 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 onto the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), multi-level quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined with each other using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol streams are spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0072]

[0080] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover the spatial stream destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signaling originally transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signaling are then provided to a processing system 332 that implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.

[0073]

[0081] In the uplink, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0074]

[0082] Similar to the functionality described with respect to downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto and demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from transport blocks (TBs), scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0075]

[0083] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0076]

[0084] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a processing system 384.

[0077]

[0085] In the uplink, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0078]

[0086] For convenience, the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 are illustrated in Figures 3A-3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein, however, it will be appreciated that the illustrated blocks may have different functionality in different designs.

[0079]

[0087] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. The components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a positioning entity," etc. However, it will be appreciated that such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by a particular component or combination of components, such as the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as the processing systems 332, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memory components 340, 386, and 396, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0080]

[0088] As mentioned above, one of the use cases for sidelink communication between UEs (whether V-UEs or other types of UEs) is relative positioning, referred to as "UE-UE" or "UE-UE" positioning. In a UE-UE positioning scenario, two or more UEs may exchange ranging signals between themselves to determine the distance(s) (and possibly angle(s)) between themselves. A V-UE may also exchange ranging signals with a roadside unit (RSU) to determine its distance (and possibly angle) from the RSU.

[0081]

[0089] 4 illustrates an example wireless communication system 400 in which a V-UE 404, an RSU 410, and another V-UE 406 are performing a UE-UE positioning procedure according to an aspect of the disclosure. The UE-UE positioning procedure is similar to a round trip time (RTT) positioning procedure in which the UE measures the time of arrival (ToA) of a downlink reference signal from a base station and responds with an uplink reference signal to be measured by the base station. Based on the difference between the transmission time of the downlink reference signal and the reception time of the uplink reference signal, the base station, the UE, or a location server can calculate the RTT or time of flight between the base station and the UE. From the RTT or time of flight and the speed of light, the base station, the UE, or a location server can estimate the distance between the UE and the base station.

[0082]

[0090] Referring to FIG. 4, a wideband (e.g., FR1) ranging signal (e.g., Zadoff Chu sequence) is transmitted by both endpoints (e.g., V-UE 404 and RSU 410, and V-UE 404 and V-UE 406). In an aspect, the ranging signal may be a positioning reference signal (PRS) defined in LTE and NR. Upon receiving the ranging signal from V-UE 404, called a "measurement ranging signal," RSU 410 and / or V-UE 406 estimates the ToA of the measurement ranging signal. RSU 410 and / or V-UE 406 then responds by sending a response ranging signal to V-UE 404. The response ranging signal may identify the measurement ranging signal it is responding to and include the calculated ToA of the measurement ranging signal.

[0083]

[0091] The V-UE 404 calculates the ToAs of the response ranging signal(s) and uses those ToAs and the transmission time(s) of the measured ranging signal(s) to determine the RTT(s) or time(s) of flight between the V-UE 404 and the RSU 410 and / or the V-UE 406. The V-UE 404 may also use the ToA(s) of the measured ranging signal(s) received in the response ranging signal(s), if available. Based on the RTT(s) or time(s) of flight and the speed of light, the V-UE 404 (or other positioning entity) can estimate the distance between itself and the RSU 410 and / or the V-UE 406.

[0084]

[0092] Note that this positioning procedure assumes that the entities involved (V-UEs 404 and 406, RSU 410) are time synchronized (i.e., their system frame times are the same as the other entities or are a known offset relative to the other entities). Furthermore, although FIG. 4 shows two V-UEs, it will be appreciated that they do not have to be V-UEs, but instead could be any other type of UE.

[0085]

[0093] Referring more specifically to the transmission of ranging signals, a three-phase protocol may be used for the transmission of ranging signals used for UE-UE positioning. FIG. 5 is a timeline 500 illustrating a three-phase protocol according to an aspect of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, the three-phase protocol occurs periodically, such as every second. In the first phase, the transmitter (e.g., V-UE 404, RSU 410) broadcasts the relative location of its antenna(s) (compared to the transmitter's central location), an identifier (ID) of the sequence (i.e., ranging signal) to be transmitted by the antenna(s) in the second phase, and the time / frequency resources on which the sequence is transmitted in the second phase.

[0086]

[0094] In the second phase, the transmitter transmits a wideband sequence (e.g., a ranging signal) with the determined sequence ID and on the determined time / frequency resource. In the third phase, the transmitter broadcasts its own GPS location (if available), pseudoranges to one or more satellites, and / or the orientation it had during the second phase. It may also broadcast the ToAs from the second phase; i.e., it broadcasts the ToAs of any PRSs received during the second phase. Note that in V2I positioning, only the RSU needs to perform the third phase.

[0087]

[0095] In one aspect, all V-UEs and RSUs may be configured (e.g., by applicable standards) to follow this three-phase protocol. Thus, during each phase, the transmitter may also receive signals from other V-UEs / RSUs that contain the same type of information as the transmitter transmitted. In that way, both the transmitter and the receiver can estimate the distance between themselves and other V-UEs / RSUs.

[0088]

[0096] This disclosure provides techniques for base station assisted UE-UE positioning. To implement base station assisted UE-UE positioning, various aspects need to be defined, such as subscription(s) required for UE-UE positioning, proximity detection and notification, UE-UE positioning request and configuration, base station assistance for UE-UE positioning measurements, radio resource configuration for UE-UE positioning measurements, mobility (e.g., handover) procedures, and UE-UE positioning in RRC_INACTIVE mode.

[0089]

[0097] Referring to the subscription(s) required for base station-assisted UE-UE positioning, the subscription for base station-assisted UE-UE positioning should be added to the UE subscription data in the UE's Unified Data Management (UDM) and / or Home Subscriber Server (HSS). The UDM supports the authentication credential repository and processing function (ARPF) and stores long-term security credentials used in authentication for authentication and key agreement (AKA). In addition, it stores subscription information. The HSS is the master user database that supports IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) network entities that handle calls and sessions.

[0090]

[0098] A subscription for base station assisted UE-UE positioning may include features such as capabilities and permissions to measure signals from other UEs, to be measured by other UEs, and to receive and / or provide proximity notifications. The subscription may also include group information for intra-group proximity detection (i.e., notifications about when a UE is within some proximity of another group member). A group of UEs may be two or more UEs that have some implicit or explicit association with each other. An example of an explicit association would be a group of family, friends, coworkers, etc., that have explicitly identified other members of the group as belonging to the group. An example of an implicit association would be users in a given geographic area, optionally meeting some other criteria such as type of UE, brand of UE, service provider, etc.

[0091]

[0099] Also, the type of UE (e.g., V-UE, such as road vehicle) that will be involved in UE-UE positioning should be indicated to the network, such as during NAS registration. Thus, when a UE registers with the network and has a subscription for base station assisted UE-UE positioning, it can also provide its UE type to the network (if not already stored with its subscription data). Based on the subscription (e.g., from UDM and / or HSS) and the UE type, the AMF (e.g., AMF264) can inform the base station serving the UE as to whether UE-UE positioning is applicable for this UE and, if so, what kind of UE-UE positioning is supported. The AMF can inform the base station of this information, for example, in a NG Application Protocol (NGAP) UE context setup or context modification procedure.

[0092]

[0100] Referring to base station assisted proximity detection and notification, before two UEs can participate in UE-UE positioning, they need to know that they are close enough to each other to perform UE-UE positioning. A base station may be used to detect whether two or more UEs are in sufficient proximity to perform UE-UE positioning. There are different types of proximity, and the type of proximity that a UE wants to be informed of may be determined by the UE's subscription. The first type is intra-cell proximity, where two UEs are located in the same cell. This may be detected based on two or more UEs having the same beam ID and / or timing advance (TA), reporting the same or similar RSRP and / or RSRQ measurements, having similar characteristics of uplink signals (e.g., SRS, phase tracking reference signal (PTRS)), or any combination thereof. The second type of proximity is inter-cell, intra-base station proximity, where two or more UEs are located in different cells supported by the same base station. In addition to the parameters required for intra-cell proximity, inter-distributed unit (DU) coordination is also required. The DU is also called RRH. A third type of proximity is inter-base station proximity, where two or more UEs are served by different base stations. In this case, inter-base station coordination with assistance from a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) is required. In one aspect, two or more UEs may discover that they are in each other's vicinity by themselves based on a pre-established UE-UE location configuration.

[0093]

[0101] When one of the above types of proximity is detected, the base station can notify the nearby UEs. This can be accomplished either by unicast signaling to each UE (similar to paging) or by broadcast / multicast signaling. The notification should include the identifier(s) of the nearby UE(s). Once proximity is detected, one or more of the nearby UEs can request base station assisted UE-UE positioning. When two UEs are no longer in each other's vicinity, they should also be notified.

[0094]

[0102] 6 illustrates a call flow 600 of an example base station-assisted UE-UE positioning procedure in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 6, an initiating UE 604-1 (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein) has obtained an identifier (ID) of a target UE 604-2 (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein) based on a proximity notification, such as from a serving base station, and includes it in a positioning request.

[0095]

[0103] In stage 1, the initiating UE 604-1 (labeled "UE1") requests UE-UE positioning with a target UE 604-2 (labeled "UE2") by sending an LPP message to the LMF 670. The positioning request includes an identifier of the target UE 604-2 (represented as "UE2 ID"). In response, in stage 2, the LMF 670 requests the serving base station of the initiating UE 604-1 (labeled "UE1's serving gNB") to configure radio resources for UE-UE positioning. The request may be sent via LPP Type A (LPPa) or NR Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) signaling (as shown).

[0096]

[0104] In steps 3 and 4, because the target UE 604-2 is served by the neighboring base station 602-2 (labeled "gNB2"), the serving base station 602-1 sends a UE-UE positioning configuration request to the neighboring base station 602-2. The neighboring base station 602-2 configures positioning resources for the target UE 604-2 and sends the positioning configuration to the serving base station 602-1.

[0097]

[0105] In step 5, the serving base station 602-1 sends a UE-UE positioning resource response identifying the positioning resources allocated by the serving base station 602-1 and the neighboring base station 602-2 to the LMF 670. In step 6, the LMF 670 sends an LPP response to the serving base station 602-1 to be forwarded to the initiating UE 604-1, identifying the allocated positioning resources.

[0098]

[0106] In step 7, the serving base station 602-1 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the initiating UE 604-1 to configure the initiating UE 604-1 for positioning signal transmission and reception. The RRC reconfiguration message identifies radio resources for the initiating UE 604-1 to use to send positioning signals to the target UE 604-2, information for the initiating UE 604-1 to detect positioning signals from the target UE 604-2, and assistance information for the initiating UE 604-1 to calculate a UE-UE position estimate. In step 8, the initiating UE 604-1 sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the serving base station 602-1. After step 7, the two UEs 604 can exchange positioning signals, and in step 9, the initiating UE 604-1 performs a UE-UE position calculation (e.g., as described above with reference to Figures 4 and 5).

[0099]

[0107] Note that only one of the UEs 604-1 and 604-2 may need to transmit a positioning signal, as indicated by the dashed line for the positioning signal transmitted by the initiating UE 604-1. Additionally, while only one target UE 604-2 is shown, there may be any number of other target UEs 604-2. Additionally, while the target UE 604-2 is shown as being served by a neighboring base station 602-2, it may be served by the serving base station 602-1.

[0100]

[0108] 7 illustrates a call flow 700 of an example base station assisted UE-UE positioning procedure in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. In the example of FIG. 7, an initiating UE 704-1 (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein) does not have an identifier (ID) of a target UE 704-2 (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein) to include in a positioning request.

[0101]

[0109] In stage 1, the initiating UE 704-1 (labeled "UE1") requests UE-UE positioning with the target UE 704-2 (labeled "UE2") by sending an LPP message to the LMF 770. The positioning request does not include the identifier of the target UE 604-2. Thus, in stage 2, the LMF 770 requests the serving base station 702-1 (labeled "UE1's serving gNB") to configure radio resources for UE-UE positioning and further indicates the identifier(s) of any nearby UE(s) (target UE 704-2 in the example of FIG. 7). The identifier(s) should be identifier(s) that includes or indicates the cell identifier and / or base station identifier of the target UE 704-2. In some cases, the LMF 770 should explicitly indicate the cell identifier and base station identifier. The request between the LMF 770 and the serving base station 70201 may be sent via LPPa or NRPPa signaling (as shown).

[0102]

[0110] Based on the cell identifier and / or base station identifier, the serving base station 70201 can identify the neighboring base station 702-2 serving the target UE 704-2. Thus, in stages 3 and 4, since the target UE 704-2 is served by the neighboring base station 702-2 (labeled "gNB2"), the serving base station 702-1 sends a UE-UE positioning configuration request to the neighboring base station 702-2. The neighboring base station 702-2 configures positioning resources for the target UE 704-2 and sends the positioning configuration to the serving base station 702-1.

[0103]

[0111] In step 5, the serving base station 702-1 sends a UE-UE positioning resource response identifying the positioning resources allocated by the serving base station 702-1 and the neighboring base station 702-2 to the LMF 770. In step 6, the LMF 770 sends an LPP response to the serving base station 702-1 to be forwarded to the initiating UE 704-1, identifying the allocated positioning resources.

[0104]

[0112] In step 7, the serving base station 702-1 sends an RRC reconfiguration message to the initiating UE 704-1 to configure the initiating UE 704-1 for positioning signal transmission and reception. The RRC reconfiguration message identifies radio resources for the initiating UE 704-1 to use to send positioning signals to the target UE 704-2, information for the initiating UE 704-1 to detect positioning signals from the target UE 704-2, and assistance information for the initiating UE 704-1 to calculate a UE-UE position estimate. In step 8, the initiating UE 704-1 sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the serving base station 702-1. After step 7, the two UEs 704 can exchange positioning signals, and in step 9, the initiating UE 704-1 performs a UE-UE position calculation (e.g., as described above with reference to Figures 4 and 5).

[0105]

[0113] Note that only one of the UEs 704-1 and 704-2 may need to transmit a positioning signal, as indicated by the dashed line for the positioning signal transmitted by the initiating UE 704-1. Additionally, while only one target UE 704-2 is shown, there may be any number of other target UEs 704-2. Additionally, while the target UE 704-2 is shown as being served by a neighboring base station 702-2, it may be served by the serving base station 702-1.

[0106]

[0114] In some cases, the UE may need to request a measurement gap for UE-UE positioning. A measurement gap is a configured time period during which the serving cell refrains from transmitting to the UE so that the UE can receive transmissions (e.g., downlink or sidelink reference signals) from other entities, such as other cells or other UEs. The transmissions from the other entities may or may not be on the same frequency as the serving cell. In addition to downlink or sidelink reception, measurement gaps may also be utilized for uplink or sidelink transmissions, including uplink reference signals (such as SRS) or sidelink positioning signals.

[0107]

[0115] Thus, in UE-UE positioning, the initiating UE may request a measurement gap to receive positioning signals from and / or transmit positioning signals to the target UE(s). The UE may send an RRC message (e.g., UEAssistanceInformation) to the serving base station to request a measurement gap for UE-UE positioning. When authorized, the serving base station may configure the UE to send and / or receive positioning signals during the configured gap(s).

[0108]

[0116] There are different options for which entity performs the location calculation. The first option is for the UE to perform the calculation. This option is illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. The second option is for a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) to perform the calculation. In this option, the initiating UE sends to the location server measurements of the received positioning signal(s) and other related information. Similarly, the target UE(s) also report measurements of the positioning signal from the initiating UE to the location server. The serving base station of the initiating UE may also report its measurements of the positioning signal to the location server. Based on this information, the location server can calculate the relative UE-UE locations for the involved UEs and send the calculation results to the initiating UE via LPP signaling.

[0109]

[0117] The location server may send positioning reports on demand or periodically. Alternatively, the location server may send positioning reports in response to some event ("event-based"). For example, if the involved UEs are V-UEs and the distance between them is less than a threshold (indicating a possible collision), the location server may send positioning reports to both V-UEs to alert them of a possible collision. There are use cases for the location server to calculate the UE-UE position, but it is faster for the involved UEs to calculate the UE-UE position due to, for example, the latency of LPP communication with the location server.

[0110]

[0118] However, in some cases, this latency can be reduced by locating a location server in the RAN, such as in the serving base station or in the base station central unit (CU). When located in the serving base station or in the CU, the location server may be referred to as a location management component (LMC). The CU is a logical node in the 5G RAN that includes gNB functions such as forwarding of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for functions exclusively allocated to the DU. The CU controls the operation of one or more DUs via a fronthaul (Fs) interface. The DU is a logical node that includes a subset of gNB functions depending on the functional split between the CU and the DU. Its operation is controlled by the CU.

[0111]

[0119] In the case of a location server in a base station or a CU, the signaling between the UE and the location server may be simplified. For example, NRPPa is an internal implementation of a base station. When a location server is incorporated in a base station or a CU, the NRPPa function will be incorporated in an F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) interface. The F1 interface provides a means for interconnecting a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU of a gNB in ​​an NG-RAN. The F1AP interface is defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.473, which is published and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0112]

[0120] When the location server is located in the RAN, the LPP signaling between the UE and the location server may be replaced by new RRC messages between the UE and the serving base station. The RRC messages should be secured, such as by transmitting them over signaling radio bearer 1 (SRB1) and / or signaling radio bearer 2 (SRB2). The signaling radio bearers are used for the transfer of RRC and NAS signaling messages. SRB1 is used to transfer RRC messages using the downlink control channel (DCCH). SRB2 is used to transfer RRC messages using the DCCH channel, encapsulating NAS messages. SRB2 has a lower priority than SRB1 and is configured after security activation.

[0113]

[0121] Alternatively, to minimize UE impact, LPP messages may still be carried via RRC signaling, but in this case, no NAS layer encryption should be used for the LPP messages, so that the base station should be able to decode the LPP messages from the NAS layer via RRC.

[0114]

[0122] Next, referring to base station assistance data for UE-UE positioning measurements, the base station or location server may directly calculate the UE-UE position based on the involved UE's measurements of detected positioning signals. However, the base station may also send assistance data to the UE to enable the UE to calculate the UE-UE position. There are two types of assistance information: common assistance information and UE-specific assistance information. The common assistance information may be sent in SIB, shared Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), 5G Multicast / Broadcast Service (MBS), or any combination thereof. The UE-specific assistance information may be sent by dedicated RRC, PC5 RRC, etc. It should be noted that it is also possible to multicast to the relevant UEs by the shared RNTI. The UE-specific assistance information, when available, may include base station measurements of positioning signals transmitted by the involved UEs (particularly useful when there is no LOS path between the two UEs), the base station estimated UE-UE positioning results, the estimated location of the base station of the other UE(s), the measured Angle of Arrival (AoA), SSB ID, and / or Timing Advance (TA) of the base station of the other UE(s), or any combination thereof.

[0115]

[0123] 8 is a diagram 800 of an example base station-assisted UE-UE positioning procedure between a serving base station 802, an initiating UE 802-1 (labeled "UE1"), and a target UE 802-2 (labeled "UE2"). As shown in FIG. 8, each of the initiating UE 802-1 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein) and the target UE 802-2 (which may correspond to any other of the UEs described herein) receives (e.g., via a sidelink) and measures a positioning signal(s) from another UE 804. The UE 804 may measure the ToA of each positioning signal to determine the distance between them, e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

[0116]

[0124] In the example of Figure 8, both UEs 804 are served by the same base station 802 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein). The base station 802 detects the positioning signal(s) of each UE 804 and performs positioning measurements on them (e.g., ToA). The base station 802 can then provide these measurements to the initiating UE 804-1 as aiding information to enable the initiating UE 804-1 to calculate the UE-UE position.

[0117]

[0125] Referring now to radio resource configuration for UE-UE positioning measurements, the base station configures radio resources for UE-UE positioning measurements, which includes configuration for the UE to transmit positioning signals and configuration for the UE to detect positioning signals (if transmitted) from other UE(s) and the base station.

[0118]

[0126] There are multiple options for UE-UE positioning measurements, such as a sidelink-based option, a Uu-based option, and a radar-based option, a WLAN option, a Bluetooth option, and a laser option. The base station may configure the UE with one or more of those options. In the sidelink-based option, the radio resource configuration identifies the resources (e.g., time, frequency), the sequences to transmit, and the sequences to detect / measure. In the Uu-based option, the radio resource configuration includes an SRS / PTRS configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) and discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a PRS configuration, and an SSB-based time window.

[0119]

[0127] The configuration for a UE (regardless of whether it is an initiating UE or a target UE) to transmit a positioning signal (eg, PRS) includes the following parameters: PRS-SequenceId: This parameter determines the sequence used for the PRS. It can be configured explicitly in the RRC and / or MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) or by an association that may exist between the PRS and a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) or a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) or subchannel. · PRS-ReOffset: This parameter defines the starting resource element (RE) offset of the first symbol within a sidelink PRS resource in the frequency domain. PRS-ResourceSlotOffset: This parameter determines the starting slot of the sidelink PRS resource for a reference that may be explicitly configured in the UE in RRC, derived according to MAC-CE and / or Sidelink Control Information (SCI) messages, or implicitly determined by an association that may exist between the PRS and the PSSCH or CSI-RS or subchannel. · PRS-ResourceSymbolOffset: This parameter determines the starting symbol of the sidelink PRS resource within the starting slot. PRS-NumSymbols: This parameter defines the number of symbols of sidelink PRS resources in a slot. In the RRC, multiple such values ​​can be configured and the final downselection is achieved by the MAC-CE or SCI. PRS-StartPRB: This parameter defines the start Physical Resource Block (PRB) index of the sidelink PRS resources for a reference that can be explicitly configured in the RRC / MAC-CE / SCI or can be implicitly determined by an association that may exist between the PRS and a PSSCH or CSI-RS or subchannel. PRS-CombSizeN: This parameter defines the comb size of the sidelink PRS resources. In the RRC, multiple such values ​​may be configured and the final selection is achieved by the MAC-CE or SCI. · PRS-MutingPattern: This parameter defines a bitmap of time locations where PRS resources are expected not to be transmitted. · PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor: This parameter defines how many times each sidelink PRS resource is repeated for a single instance of a downlink PRS resource set. · DL-PRS-QCL-Info: QCL information (average delay or spatial receive beam) that can point to sidelink reference signals or Uu reference signals. PRS-expectedRSTD: This parameter defines the time difference relative to the received downlink or sidelink subframe timing at which the UE is expected to receive the sidelink PRS and the PRS-expectedRSTD uncertainty, which defines a search window around PRS-expectedRSTD.

[0120]

[0128] If some of the above PRS configurations are received by an LPP, it is the location server that configures those parameters, rather than the serving base station.

[0121]

[0129] The configuration for the UE to detect positioning signal(s) (e.g., PRS) from other UE(s) includes the same configuration parameters as shown above. These parameters can be configured (by RRC), activated (by MAC-CE), or triggered (by SCI) to allow the UE to start measurements. Multiple combinations of parameters {PRS-SequenceId, PRS-ReOffset, PRS-ResourceSlotOffset, PRS-ResourceSymbolOffset, PRS-NumSymbols, PRS-StartPRB, PRS-CombSizeN, PRS-MutingPattern, PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor} can be configured in RRC, and then the base station can activate or deactivate one or more of the combinations by MAC-CE or SCI. The parameters {PRS-SubcarrierSpacing, PRS-CyclicPrefix} may be implicitly determined by the subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) configured in the sidelink subchannel, unless a sidelink measurement gap is used, in which case these parameters may also be configurable by RRC / MAC-CE or SCI.

[0122]

[0130] As noted above, if some of the PRS configurations above are received by the LPP, it is the location server, rather than the serving base station, that configures those parameters.

[0123]

[0131] The radio resources configured by the base station for the UE to detect positioning signals for UE-UE positioning may also include configuration for the UE to detect normal communication signals (e.g., SRS, PSSCH, demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for PSSCH) from other UEs and the base station.

[0124]

[0132] Referring to the radar-based option for radio resource configuration, this may apply to use cases where a UE is equipped with n radio frequency (RF) front ends, where n is greater than or equal to "2." For example, if a UE is equipped with FR1 and FR2 RF front ends, the UE may camp on FR1, and if FR2 is not deployed by the network operator, FR2 may be used for UE-to-UE radar detection.

[0125]

[0133] In radar detection, there are passive and proactive modes for echo detection. In passive echo detection, the UE (one or more of the involved UEs) transmitting the positioning signal transmits a radar signal to the other UE(s) and receives the echo reflected from those UE(s). Proactive echo detection is similar to an airplane control tower, where an airplane receives a ping from the tower and sends back an amplified echo. In this case, the transmitting UE transmits a radar waveform embedded with L bits (e.g., 10-12) of the transmitting UE's identifier. The receiving UE acquires that waveform and transmits back a different waveform embedded with L bits of its UE's identifier.

[0126]

[0134] In some cases, an OFDM-based waveform may be used as the radar signal, in which case a signature of L bits may be encoded in the frequency domain of an OFDM resource block (RB). In some cases, a time-domain waveform may be used as the radar signal, in which case a pulse-modulated time-domain waveform may be used instead of an OFDM-based waveform.

[0127]

[0135] Other options for radio resource configuration include WLAN configuration, Bluetooth configuration, laser configuration, and the like.

[0128]

[0136] Referring now to a mobility (e.g., handover) procedure for base station-assisted UE-UE positioning, when a UE hands over from one base station to another, the UE-UE positioning context should be transferred to the target base station. FIG. 9 illustrates a call flow 900 of an example handover procedure during a base station-assisted UE-UE positioning procedure, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In stage 1, a base station 902-1 (labeled as "gNB1") currently serving a UE 904 (e.g., any UE described herein) sends a handover request to a target base station 902-2 (labeled as "gNB2"). The handover request includes the UE-UE positioning context (e.g., current radio resource configuration(s), any measurements, etc.) for the ongoing UE-UE positioning procedure.

[0129]

[0137] In step 2, the target base station 902-2 and the LMF 970 perform a UE-UE positioning update to inform the LMF 970 that the target base station 902-2 will be the new serving base station for the UE 904. However, if the UE 904 did not send a UE-UE positioning request to the LMF 970, this means that the LMF 970 is not involved in the UE-UE positioning session, in which case step 2 is not required.

[0130]

[0138] In stages 3 and 4, the target base station 902-2 sends a UE-UE positioning request to any involved neighboring base stations 902-3 and receives a confirmation response in return. This exchange updates the neighboring base station(s) 902-3 regarding the change of serving base station for the UE 904 for the UE-UE positioning session. Note that it is also possible to update the neighboring base station(s) 902-3 after a handover.

[0131]

[0139] In step 5, the target base station 902-2 sends a handover request acknowledgement (ACK) including a handover command to the current serving base station 902-1. The target base station 902-2 may adjust its radio resource configuration and send the new configuration parameters in the handover command. In step 6, the current serving base station 902-1 sends a handover command including any updated radio resource configuration parameters to the UE 904. In response, the UE 904 hands over from base station 902-1 to the target base station 902-2 and continues the UE-UE positioning session.

[0132]

[0140] Referring now to the UE-UE positioning procedure when in RRC inactive mode, after a random access procedure (also called a (Physical) Random Access Channel ((P)RACH) procedure) to gain network access, the UE is in an RRC connected state. The RRC protocol is used for the air interface between the UE and the base station. In LTE, the UE can be in one of two RRC states (connected or idle), and in NR, the UE can be in one of three RRC states (connected, idle, or inactive). Different RRC states have different radio resources associated with them that the UE can use when the UE is in a given state.

[0133]

[0141] The UE may be transitioned to an RRC inactive state (as commanded by the serving base station) for power saving. If the UE needs to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure while in the RRC inactive state, the serving base station may send a positioning configuration to the UE in an RRC release message that transitions the UE to the RRC inactive state. The RRC release message may indicate (e.g., including configuration parameters for) the positioning signals to be sent and received (if any), as well as any assistance information for the positioning calculation. When a UE-specific configuration update needs to be sent to the UE, the base station may return the UE to an RRC connected state by paging the UE. If the UE resumes RRC from a different base station, the UE's context, including the UE-UE positioning context, should be transferred from the previous base station to the new base station.

[0134]

[0142] 10 illustrates an example method 1000 for wireless positioning according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1000 may be performed by a first UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0135]

[0143] At 1010, the first UE transmits a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein). In one aspect, operation 1010 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0136]

[0144] At 1020, the first UE receives a radio resource configuration for a UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating a first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and a second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE. In an aspect, the operation 1020 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0137]

[0145] At 1030, the first UE transmits one or more first positioning signals on the first radio resource to the second UE. In one aspect, operation 1030 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0138]

[0146] At 1040, the first UE receives one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource. In an aspect, operation 1040 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0139]

[0147] At 1050, the first UE enables a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals. In an aspect, operation 1050 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0140]

[0148] 11 illustrates an example method 1100 for wireless positioning according to an aspect of the disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1100 may be performed by a first UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0141]

[0149] At 1110, the base station receives a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a second UE (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein). In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 350, the processing system 384, the memory component 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing this operation.

[0142]

[0150] At 1120, the base station transmits to the first UE a radio resource configuration for a UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating a first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and a second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE. In an aspect, the operation 1110 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 350, the processing system 384, the memory component 386, and / or the positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0143]

[0151] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0144]

[0152] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0145]

[0153] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0146]

[0154] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0147]

[0155] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and computer communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0148]

[0156] Although the above disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The invention as described in the claims of the original application is set forth below. [C1] A method for wireless positioning performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising: sending a request to conduct a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and times of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; A method comprising: [C2] The method of C1, wherein the first UE has a subscription with a wireless network operator that allows the first UE to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure. [C3] transmitting the first UE type in non-access stratum (NAS) signaling during network registration; The method of C1, further comprising: [C4] receiving a notification that the second UE is in the vicinity of the first UE. The method of C1, further comprising: [C5] The second UE, the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other. The method of claim 4, wherein the first UE is determined to be in the vicinity of the first UE based on: [C6] The method according to C4, wherein the first UE receives the notification from the serving base station via unicast. [C7] The method of C4, wherein the first UE receives the notification from a serving base station via broadcast or multicast signaling to at least the first UE and the second UE. [C8] The notification includes an identifier of the second UE; the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure includes the identifier of the second UE. The method according to C4. [C9] The method of C1, wherein the first UE sends the request to a location server in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages. [C10] The method according to C1, wherein the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure does not include an identifier of the second UE. [C11] The method according to C1, in which the first UE receives the radio resource configuration from a serving base station. [C12] sending, to the serving base station, a request for a measurement gap for the UE-UE positioning procedure; Further equipped with The method of claim 11, wherein the radio resource configuration includes one or more measurement gaps for transmitting the one or more first positioning signals, receiving the one or more second positioning signals, or both. [C13] The enabling step comprises: estimating the distance between the first UE and the second UE based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; The method of claim C1, comprising: [C14] The enabling step comprises: transmitting at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to a location server; The method of claim C1, comprising: [C15] The method according to C14, wherein the location server is associated with a serving base station. [C16] The method according to C15, wherein the UE transmits at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. [C17] The method of C15, wherein the UE transmits at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in unencrypted LPP signaling. [C18] Receiving assistance information, the assistance information comprising common assistance information and UE-specific assistance information. The method of C1, further comprising: [C19] The UE-specific support information ToA measurements of the one or more first positioning signals; ToA measurements of the one or more second positioning signals; an estimate of the distance between the first UE and the second UE; an estimate of the location of the second UE; an estimate of an Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the one or more second positioning signals; a synchronization signal block (SSB) identifier associated with the second UE; a timing advance associated with the second UE; or any combination thereof, The method of claim 18, comprising: [C20] The method of C18, wherein the first UE receives the UE-specific assistance information via RRC signaling or PC5 RRC signaling. [C21] The method of C18, wherein the first UE receives the common assistance information in one or more system information blocks (SIBs) or a shared radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). [C22] The first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and the second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE are Side link resources, Uu interface resources, Radar resources, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) resources, Bluetooth resources, Laser resources, or any combination thereof, The method of claim C1, comprising: [C23] The side link resources include: Time domain resources, Frequency domain resources, a sequence of said one or more first positioning signals; the one or more sequences of second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The method of C22, comprising: [C24] The Uu interface resource comprises: a downlink reference signal configuration for the one or more first positioning signals; an uplink reference signal configuration for the one or more second positioning signals; Intermittent reception configuration, Intermittent transmission configuration, SSB-based time windows, or any combination thereof, The method of C22, comprising: [C25] the downlink reference signal configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration; the uplink reference signal configuration comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) configuration; The method described in C24. [C26] The radar resource comprises: a frequency of the one or more first positioning signals; a frequency of said one or more second positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The method of C22, comprising: [C27] The waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals define an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based waveform; the waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals define an OFDM-based waveform. The method described in C26. [C28] The time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform; the time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform. The method described in C26. [C29] receiving a handover command, the handover command including a second radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the second radio resource configuration indicating a third radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and a fourth radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE; transmitting one or more third positioning signals to the second UE on the third radio resource; and receiving one or more fourth positioning signals from the second UE on the fourth radio resource; enabling the distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least a transmission time of the one or more third positioning signals and a ToA of the one or more fourth positioning signals; The method of C1, further comprising: [C30] The first UE is in an RRC inactive mode; The radio resource configuration is received in an RRC release message. The method according to C1. [C31] A method for wireless positioning implemented by a base station, comprising: receiving a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE; sending to the first UE a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; A method comprising: [C32] receiving a first indication that the first UE is authorized to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure; receiving a second indication of a type of UE-UE positioning supported by the first UE; The method of C31, further comprising: [C33] The method of C31, wherein the first instruction and the second instruction are received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) UE context setup or UE context modification procedure. [C34] determining that the second UE is in a vicinity of the first UE; sending a notification to the first UE that the second UE is in the vicinity of the first UE; The method of C31, further comprising: [C35] The second UE, the first UE and the second UE are served by a same cell of the base station; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the base station; or receiving an indication that a second base station is serving the second UE, where the second base station is within a threshold distance indicating that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; The method of claim 34, wherein the first UE is determined to be in proximity to the first UE based on: [C36] The method of C35, wherein the indication that the second base station is serving the second UE is received from a location server. [C37] The base station sends the notification to the first UE via unicast signaling; or the base station sends the notification to the first UE and the second UE via broadcast or multicast signaling; The method according to C34. [C38] The method according to C34, wherein the notification includes an identifier of the second UE. [C39] The method according to C31, wherein the base station receives the request for allocating radio resources for the UE-UE positioning procedure from a location server. [C40] sending a response message to the location server indicating that the radio resources have been allocated for a UE-to-UE positioning session; The method of C39, further comprising: [C41] receiving a configuration complete message from the location server indicating that the radio resources have been allocated for the UE-to-UE positioning session; The method of C40, further comprising: [C42] The method of C41, wherein the configuration complete message indicating that the radio resources have been configured is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). [C43] The method of C39, wherein the request for allocating the radio resources is included in a New Radio Positioning Protocol type A (NRPPa) message. [C44] sending a UE-UE positioning configuration request to a second base station serving the second UE; receiving, from the second base station, a UE-UE positioning configuration response indicating the second radio resources for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE; The method of C31, further comprising: [C45] wherein the request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure does not include an identifier of the second UE; the base station receiving the identifier of the second UE from a location server; The method according to C31. [C46] receiving a request for a measurement gap for the UE-UE positioning procedure from the first UE; Further equipped with The method of claim 31, wherein the radio resource configuration includes one or more measurement gaps for transmitting one or more first positioning signals, receiving one or more second positioning signals, or both. [C47] receiving from the first UE at least a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; estimating a distance between the first UE and the second UE based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; The method of C31, further comprising: [C48] The method of C47, wherein the base station receives the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals in an unencrypted Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message. [C49] The method according to C47, wherein the base station receives the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. [C50] measuring the ToA of said one or more first positioning signals, said one or more second positioning signals, or both; The method of C31, further comprising: [C51] transmitting to the first UE the ToAs of the one or more first positioning signals, the one or more second positioning signals, or both; The method of C50, further comprising: [C52] transmitting, to the first UE, assistance information, the assistance information comprising common assistance information and UE-specific assistance information. The method of C31, further comprising: [C53] The UE specific support information ToA measurements of the one or more first positioning signals; ToA measurements of the one or more second positioning signals; an estimate of the distance between the first UE and the second UE; an estimate of the location of the second UE; an estimate of an Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the one or more second positioning signals; a synchronization signal block (SSB) identifier associated with the second UE; a timing advance associated with the second UE; or any combination thereof, The method of C52, comprising: [C54] The method according to C52, wherein the base station transmits the UE-specific assistance information via RRC signaling or PC5 RRC signaling. [C55] The method of C52, wherein the base station transmits the common assistance information in one or more system information blocks (SIBs) or a shared radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). [C56] The first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and the second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE are Side link resources, Uu interface resources, Radar resources, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) resources, Bluetooth resources, Laser resources, or Any combination of them The method of claim C31, comprising: [C57] The side link resources include Time domain resources, Frequency domain resources, a sequence of said one or more first positioning signals; the one or more sequences of second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The method of C56, comprising: [C58] The Uu interface resource comprises: a downlink reference signal configuration for the one or more first positioning signals; an uplink reference signal configuration for the one or more second positioning signals; Intermittent reception configuration, Intermittent transmission configuration, SSB-based time windows, or any combination thereof, The method of C56, comprising: [C59] the downlink reference signal configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration; the uplink reference signal configuration comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) configuration; The method described in C58. [C60] The radar resource comprises: a frequency of the one or more first positioning signals; a frequency of said one or more second positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The method of C56, comprising: [C61] The waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals define an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based waveform; the waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals define an OFDM-based waveform. The method according to C60. [C62] The time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform; the time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform. The method according to C60. sending a handover request to a second base station, the handover request including a UE-UE positioning procedure context for the first UE; receiving a handover command from the second base station; sending the handover command to the first UE; The method of C31, further comprising: [C64] the first UE is in an RRC inactive mode; the radio resource configuration is transmitted in an RRC release message. The method according to C31. [C65] A first user equipment (UE), Memory, At least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the at least one transceiver; wherein the at least one processor: causing the at least one transceiver to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and times of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; A first user equipment (UE) configured to: [C66] The first UE of C65, wherein the first UE has a subscription with a wireless network operator that permits the first UE to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure. [C67] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the first UE type in non-access stratum (NAS) signaling during network registration; The first UE of C65, further configured to: [C68] The at least one processor receiving, via the at least one transceiver, an indication that the second UE is in proximity to the first UE; The first UE of C65, further configured to: [C69] The second UE, the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other. The first UE of C68, wherein the first UE is determined to be in the vicinity of the first UE based on: [C70] The first UE of C68, wherein the at least one processor receives the notification from a serving base station via unicast. [C71] The first UE of C68, wherein the at least one processor receives the notification from a serving base station via broadcast or multicast signaling to at least the first UE and the second UE. [C72] the notification includes an identifier of the second UE; the request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure includes the identifier of the second UE. A first UE as described in C68. [C73] The first UE of C65, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to send the request to a location server in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages. [C74] The first UE as described in C65, wherein the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure does not include an identifier of the second UE. [C75] The first UE of C65, wherein the at least one processor receives the radio resource configuration from a serving base station. [C76] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to send, to the serving base station, a request for a measurement gap for the UE-UE positioning procedure;

[0023] 20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: wherein the radio resource configuration includes one or more measurement gaps for transmitting the one or more first positioning signals, receiving the one or more second positioning signals, or both. [C77] The at least one processor being configured to enable means that the at least one processor: estimating the distance between the first UE and the second UE based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; The first UE of C65, further comprising: [C78] The at least one processor being configured to enable means that the at least one processor: causing the at least one transceiver to transmit to a location server at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; The first UE of C65, further comprising: [C79] The first UE according to C78, ​​wherein the location server is associated with a serving base station. [C80] The first UE described in C79, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. [C81] The first UE described in C79, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in unencrypted LPP signaling. [C82] The at least one processor receiving, via the at least one transceiver, assistance information, the assistance information comprising common assistance information and UE-specific assistance information; The first UE of C65, further configured to: [C83] The UE specific support information ToA measurements of the one or more first positioning signals; ToA measurements of the one or more second positioning signals; an estimate of the distance between the first UE and the second UE; an estimate of the location of the second UE; an estimate of an Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the one or more second positioning signals; a synchronization signal block (SSB) identifier associated with the second UE; a timing advance associated with the second UE; or any combination thereof, The first UE of C82, comprising: [C84] The first UE of C82, wherein the at least one processor receives the UE-specific assistance information via RRC signaling or PC5 RRC signaling. [C85] The first UE of C82, wherein the at least one processor receives the common assistance information in one or more system information blocks (SIBs) or a shared radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). [C86] The first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and the second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE are Side link resources, Uu interface resources, Radar resources, or any combination thereof, The first UE according to C65, comprising: [C87] The side link resource is Time domain resources, Frequency domain resources, a sequence of said one or more first positioning signals; the one or more sequences of second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The first UE of C86, comprising: [C88] The Uu interface resource is a downlink reference signal configuration for the one or more first positioning signals; an uplink reference signal configuration for the one or more second positioning signals; Intermittent reception configuration, Intermittent transmission configuration, SSB-based time windows, or any combination thereof, The first UE of C86, comprising: [C89] the downlink reference signal configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration; the uplink reference signal configuration comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) configuration; A first UE as described in C88. [C90] The radar resource comprises: a frequency of the one or more first positioning signals; a frequency of said one or more second positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The first UE of C86, comprising: [C91] The waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals define an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based waveform; the waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals define an OFDM-based waveform. A first UE as described in C90. [C92] The time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform; the time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform. A first UE as described in C90. [C93] The at least one processor receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a handover command, the handover command including a second radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the second radio resource configuration indicating a third radio resource for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and a fourth radio resource for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit one or more third positioning signals to the second UE on the third radio resource; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, one or more fourth positioning signals from the second UE on the fourth radio resource; enabling the distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least a transmission time of the one or more third positioning signals and a ToA of the one or more fourth positioning signals; The first UE of C65, further configured to: [C94] the first UE is in an RRC inactive mode; The radio resource configuration is received in an RRC release message. A first UE as described in C65. [C95] A base station, comprising: Memory, At least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor comprising: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a request for allocating radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit, to the first UE, a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; A base station configured to perform the above. [C96] The at least one processor receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a first indication that the first UE is authorized to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a second indication of a type of UE-UE positioning supported by the first UE; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C97] The base station according to C95, wherein the first instruction and the second instruction are received from an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) UE context setup or UE context modification procedure. [C98] The at least one processor determining that the second UE is in a vicinity of the first UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit a notification to the first UE that the second UE is in a vicinity of the first UE; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C99] The second UE, the first UE and the second UE are served by a same cell of the base station; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the base station; or receiving an indication that a second base station is serving the second UE, where the second base station is within a threshold distance indicating that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; The base station of C98, wherein the base station is determined to be in the vicinity of the first UE based on: [C100] The base station of C99, wherein the notification that the second base station is serving the second UE is received from a location server. [C101] The at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit the notification to the first UE via unicast signaling; or the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit the notification to the first UE and the second UE via broadcast or multicast signaling. A base station as described in C98. [C102] The base station according to C98, wherein the notification includes an identifier of the second UE. [C103] The base station according to C95, wherein the at least one processor receives the request to allocate radio resources for the UE-UE positioning procedure from a location server. [C104] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to send a response message to the location server indicating that the radio resources have been allocated for a UE-to-UE positioning session; The base station of C103, further configured to: [C105] The at least one processor receiving a configuration complete message from the location server indicating that the radio resources have been allocated for the UE-to-UE positioning session; The base station of C104, further configured to: [C106] The base station according to C105, wherein the configuration completion message indicating that the radio resources have been configured is a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) Protocol Data Unit (PDU). [C107] The base station according to C103, wherein the request for allocating the radio resources is included in a New Radio Positioning Protocol type A (NRPPa) message. [C108] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to send a UE-UE positioning configuration request to a second base station serving the second UE; receiving, from the second base station, a UE-UE positioning configuration response indicating the second radio resources for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C109] the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure does not include an identifier of the second UE; the at least one processor receives the identifier of the second UE from a location server. A base station as described in C95. [C110] The at least one processor receiving a request for a measurement gap for the UE-UE positioning procedure from the first UE;

[0023] 20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: wherein the radio resource configuration includes one or more measurement gaps for transmitting one or more first positioning signals, receiving one or more second positioning signals, or both. [C111] The at least one processor receiving from the first UE at least a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; estimating a distance between the first UE and the second UE based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C112] The base station of C111, wherein the at least one processor receives the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals in an unencrypted Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message. [C113] The base station according to C111, wherein the at least one processor receives the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals in radio resource control (RRC) signaling. [C114] The at least one processor measuring a ToA of the one or more first positioning signals, the one or more second positioning signals, or both; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C115] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to transmit, to the first UE, the ToA of the one or more first positioning signals, the one or more second positioning signals, or both; The base station of C114, further configured to: [C116] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to transmit assistance information to the first UE, the assistance information comprising common assistance information and UE-specific assistance information. 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C117] The UE specific support information ToA measurements of the one or more first positioning signals; ToA measurements of the one or more second positioning signals; an estimate of the distance between the first UE and the second UE; an estimate of the location of the second UE; an estimate of an Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the one or more second positioning signals; a synchronization signal block (SSB) identifier associated with the second UE; a timing advance associated with the second UE; or any combination thereof, The base station according to C116, comprising: [C118] The base station according to C116, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit the UE-specific assistance information via RRC signaling or PC5 RRC signaling. [C119] The base station of C116, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to transmit the common assistance information in one or more system information blocks (SIBs) or a shared radio network temporary identifier (RNTI). [C120] The first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and the second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE are Side link resources, Uu interface resources, Radar resources, or any combination thereof, The base station according to C95, comprising: [C121] The side link resources include Time domain resources, Frequency domain resources, a sequence of said one or more first positioning signals; the one or more sequences of second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The base station according to C120, comprising: [C122] The Uu interface resource comprises: a downlink reference signal configuration for the one or more first positioning signals; an uplink reference signal configuration for the one or more second positioning signals; Intermittent reception configuration, Intermittent transmission configuration, SSB-based time windows, or any combination thereof, The base station according to C120, comprising: [C123] the downlink reference signal configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration; the uplink reference signal configuration comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) configuration; 3. A base station as described in claim 22. [C124] The radar resource comprises: a frequency of the one or more first positioning signals; a frequency of said one or more second positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, The base station according to C120, comprising: [C125] The waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals define an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based waveform; the waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals define an OFDM-based waveform. A base station as described in C124. [C126] The time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform; the time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform. A base station as described in C124. [C127] The at least one processor causing the at least one transceiver to transmit a handover request to a second base station, the handover request including a UE-UE positioning procedure context for the first UE; receiving a handover command from the second base station via the at least one transceiver; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the handover command to the first UE; 96. The base station of claim 95, further configured to: [C128] the first UE is in an RRC inactive mode; the radio resource configuration is transmitted in an RRC release message. A base station as described in C95. [C129] A first user equipment (UE), means for transmitting a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; means for receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; means for transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; means for receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; means for enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; A first user equipment (UE) comprising: [C130] A base station, comprising: means for receiving a request to allocate radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE; means for transmitting to the first UE a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; A base station comprising: [C131] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction to instruct a first user equipment (UE) to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with a second UE; at least one instruction instructing the first UE to receive a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to transmit one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to receive one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; at least one instruction to instruct the first UE to enable a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: [C132] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction for instructing a base station to receive a request for allocating radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE; at least one instruction instructing the base station to transmit to the first UE a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

Claims

1. 1. A method for wireless positioning performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a notification that the first UE and a second UE are in proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure, where a type of proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure has been detected between the first UE and the second UE; sending a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with the second UE; receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resources; receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; Equipped with The type of the neighborhood is: the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; The method is one of the above.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first UE has a subscription with a wireless network operator that allows the first UE to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure.

3. transmitting the type of the first UE in Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling during network registration; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first UE receives the notification from a serving base station via unicast.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first UE receives the notification from a serving base station via broadcast or multicast signaling to at least the first UE and the second UE.

6. the notification includes an identifier of the second UE; the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure includes the identifier of the second UE. The method of claim 1.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first UE sends the request to a location server in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to perform the UE-UE positioning procedure does not include an identifier of the second UE.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first UE receives the radio resource configuration from a serving base station.

10. sending a request for a measurement gap for the UE-UE positioning procedure to the serving base station; Further equipped with 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the radio resource configuration includes one or more measurement gaps for transmitting the one or more first positioning signals, receiving the one or more second positioning signals, or both.

11. The enabling comprises: estimating the distance between the first UE and the second UE based on at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

12. The enabling step includes: transmitting at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to a location server; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the location server is associated with a serving base station.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first UE transmits at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

15. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first UE transmits at least the transmission times of the one or more first positioning signals and the ToAs of the one or more second positioning signals to the serving base station in unencrypted LPP signaling.

16. receiving assistance information, the assistance information comprising common assistance information and UE specific assistance information; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

17. The UE specific support information is a ToA measurement of the one or more first positioning signals; ToA measurements of the one or more second positioning signals; an estimate of the distance between the first UE and the second UE; an estimate of the location of the second UE; an estimate of an Angle of Arrival (AoA) of the one or more second positioning signals; a synchronization signal block (SSB) identifier associated with the second UE; a timing advance associated with the second UE, or any combination thereof, 20. The method of claim 16 comprising:

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first UE receives the UE-specific assistance information via RRC signaling or PC5 RRC signaling.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first UE receives the common assistance information in one or more system information blocks (SIBs) or a shared radio network temporary identifier (RNTI).

20. The first radio resource for transmitting a positioning signal to the second UE and the second radio resource for receiving a positioning signal from the second UE are Side link resources, Uu interface resources, Radar resources, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) resources; Bluetooth resources, Laser resources, or any combination thereof, The method of claim 1 , comprising:

21. The side link resources include: Time domain resources, Frequency domain resources, a sequence of the one or more first positioning signals; the one or more second sequences of positioning signals, or any combination thereof, 21. The method of claim 20 comprising:

22. The Uu interface resource includes: a downlink reference signal configuration for the one or more first positioning signals; an uplink reference signal configuration for the one or more second positioning signals; Intermittent reception configuration, Intermittent transmission configuration, SSB-based time windows, or any combination thereof, 21. The method of claim 20 comprising:

23. the downlink reference signal configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration; the uplink reference signal configuration comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) configuration; 23. The method of claim 22.

24. The radar resource includes: a frequency of the one or more first positioning signals; a frequency of the one or more second positioning signals; Waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals; waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals; a time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals; or any combination thereof, 21. The method of claim 20 comprising:

25. the waveform parameters of the one or more first positioning signals define an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based waveform; the waveform parameters of the one or more second positioning signals define an OFDM based waveform.

25. The method of claim 24.

26. the time domain pattern of the one or more first positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform; the time domain pattern of the one or more second positioning signals defines a pulse modulated time domain waveform.

25. The method of claim 24.

27. receiving a handover command, the handover command including a second radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the second radio resource configuration indicating a third radio resource for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and a fourth radio resource for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; transmitting one or more third positioning signals to the second UE on the third radio resources; receiving one or more fourth positioning signals from the second UE on the fourth radio resource; enabling the distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least a transmission time of the one or more third positioning signals and a ToA of the one or more fourth positioning signals; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

28. the first UE is in an RRC inactive mode; the radio resource configuration is received in an RRC release message. The method of claim 1.

29. 1. A method for wireless positioning implemented by a base station, comprising: Detecting a type of proximity between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure, and when the type of proximity is detected between the first UE and the second UE, the first UE and the second UE are determined to be in proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure; sending a notification to the first UE and the second UE that the first UE and the second UE are in proximity to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure; receiving a request for allocating radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between the first UE and the second UE; sending to the first UE a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; Equipped with The type of the neighborhood is: the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; One of the method.

30. receiving a first indication that the first UE is authorized to participate in the UE-UE positioning procedure; receiving a second indication of a type of UE-UE positioning supported by the first UE; 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising:

31. A first user equipment (UE), Memory, At least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the at least one transceiver; wherein the at least one processor: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a notification that the first UE and the second UE are in proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure, where a type of proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure has been detected between the first UE and the second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with the second UE; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based at least on a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; configured to: The type of the neighborhood is: the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; One of the A first user equipment (UE).

32. A base station, Memory, At least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and to the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor comprising: Detecting a type of proximity between a first user equipment (UE) and a second UE for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure, and when the type of proximity is detected between the first UE and the second UE, the first UE and the second UE are determined to be in proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure; sending, via the at least one transceiver, to the first UE and the second UE, a notification that the first UE and the second UE are in proximity to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a request for allocating radio resources for a UE-UE positioning procedure between the first UE and the second UE; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit to the first UE a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE. configured to: The type of the neighborhood is: the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; One of the Base station.

33. A first user equipment (UE), means for receiving a notification that the first UE and the second UE are in proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure, where a type of proximity for performing a UE-UE positioning procedure has been detected between the first UE and the second UE; means for transmitting a request to perform a UE-UE positioning procedure with the second UE; means for receiving a radio resource configuration for the UE-UE positioning procedure, the radio resource configuration indicating first radio resources for transmitting positioning signals to the second UE and second radio resources for receiving positioning signals from the second UE; means for transmitting one or more first positioning signals to the second UE on the first radio resource; means for receiving one or more second positioning signals from the second UE on the second radio resource; means for enabling a distance between the first UE and the second UE to be estimated based on at least a transmission time of the one or more first positioning signals and a time of arrival (ToA) of the one or more second positioning signals; Equipped with The type of the neighborhood is: the first UE and the second UE are served by the same cell; the first UE and the second UE are served by different cells supported by the same base station; or the first UE and the second UE are served by different base stations within a threshold distance of each other, where the threshold distance is such that the first UE and the second UE are expected to be within sidelink communication range of each other; One of the A first user equipment (UE).

Images