Position estimate of user equipment at a specified time

Abstract

In one embodiment, a wireless node (e.g., a UE or a BS) receives a request from a network component (e.g., a BS or a core network component) for a position estimate for the UE associated with a specified time. The wireless node performs position measurements at multiple times and determines (e.g., via interpolation or extrapolation) a position estimate associated with the specified time based on the position measurements. The wireless node transmits a report comprising the determined position estimate to the network component.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 057,264, filed July 27, 2020, entitled "USER EQUIPMENT POSITIONING ESTIMATE FOR SPECIFIED TIME," and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 122,407, filed December 15, 2020, entitled "USER EQUIPMENT POSITIONING ESTIMATE FOR SPECIFIED TIME," both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to estimating the position of a user equipment (UE) at a specified time. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 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 systems and personal communications services (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 Access (GSM) variants of TDMA, etc.

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), will enable higher data rates, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, delivering 1 gigabit per second to an office floor with dozens of employees. To support large-scale wireless sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications must be significantly increased compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency must be increased and latency significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[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] One aspect is directed to a method of operating a wireless node, the method comprising: receiving a request for a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time; performing positioning measurements at a plurality of times; determining a positioning estimate associated with the specified time based on the positioning measurements; and transmitting a report comprising the determined positioning estimate.

[0007] Another aspect is directed to a method of operating a network component, the method comprising: transmitting a request to a wireless node for a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time; and receiving from the wireless node a report comprising a positioning estimate for the specified time based on positioning measurements performed by the wireless node at a plurality of times.

[0008] Another aspect is directed to a wireless node, the wireless node comprising: means for receiving a request for a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time; means for performing positioning measurements at a plurality of times; means for determining a positioning estimate associated with the specified time based on the positioning measurements; and means for transmitting a report comprising the determined positioning estimate.

[0009] Another aspect is directed to a network component, the network component comprising means for transmitting to a wireless node a request for a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time, and means for receiving from the wireless node a report comprising a positioning estimate for the specified time based on positioning measurements performed by the wireless node at a plurality of times.

[0010] Another aspect is directed to a wireless node comprising: 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 a request for a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time; perform positioning measurements at a plurality of times; determine a positioning estimate associated with the specified time based on the positioning measurements; and transmit a report comprising the determined positioning estimate.

[0011] Another aspect is directed to a network component comprising: 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 send a request to a wireless node for a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time; and receive from the wireless node a report comprising a positioning estimate for the specified time based on positioning measurements performed by the wireless node at multiple times.

[0012] Another aspect is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions to cause at least one processor at a wireless node to receive a request for a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time, perform positioning measurements at a plurality of times, determine a positioning estimate associated with the specified time based on the positioning measurements, and transmit a report comprising the determined positioning estimate.

[0013] Another aspect is directed to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions to cause at least one processor in a network component to send a request to a wireless node for a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time, and to receive from the wireless node a report comprising a positioning estimate for the specified time based on positioning measurements performed by the wireless node at multiple times.

[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] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided solely for the purpose of illustrating the aspects and not for the purpose of limiting the aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects. [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects. [Figure 3A] FIG. 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] FIG. 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] FIG. 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 4A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of channels within a frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example PRS configuration for a cell supported by a wireless node. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] 1 is a graph illustrating an RF channel response over time at a receiver according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] FIG. 1 illustrates this separation of clusters in AoD. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a positioning configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 12A] 12A-12C illustrate a positioning configuration based on an exemplary implementation of the processes of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to one aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12B] 12A-12C illustrate a positioning configuration based on an exemplary implementation of the processes of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to another aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12C] 12A-12C illustrate a positioning configuration based on an exemplary implementation of the processes of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to another aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0018] 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. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0019] 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 referenced 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] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized 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 a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied entirely in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct the associated processor(s) of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein, for example, as “logic configured to” perform the described actions.

[0021] The terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station,” as used herein, are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer tracking device, a consumer asset tracking device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile or may be stationary (e.g., at some times) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT,” “client device,” “wireless device,” “subscriber device,” “subscriber terminal,” “subscriber station,” “user terminal” or UT,” “mobile terminal,” “mobile station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE may be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0022] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs with which the UE is communicating, depending on the network in which the UE is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. Additionally, in some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. In some systems, a base station may correspond to a customer premises equipment (CPE) or a roadside unit (RSU). In some designs, a base station may correspond to a high-power UE (e.g., a vehicular UE or VUE) that may provide some limited infrastructure functionality. The communication link through which a UE can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication links through which a base station may send signals to a UE are called downlink (DL) channels or forward link channels (e.g., paging channels, control channels, broadcast channels, forward traffic channels, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either a UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0023] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the base station's cell. When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRPs 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, a non-collocated physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and neighboring base stations whose reference RF signals the UE is measuring. 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 references to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0024] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports 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, the 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 over different paths between the transmitter and receiver is sometimes referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0025] 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 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include 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.

[0026] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or Next Generation Core (NGC)) through backhaul links 122, and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172. 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 distribution of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / NGC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0027] The base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resources referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) to distinguish between 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” can refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0028] While adjacent to macrocell base stations 102, the geographic coverage areas 110 may partially overlap (e.g., within handover regions), and 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' may have a coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home eNBs (HeNBs) that may serve restricted groups called closed subscriber groups (CSGs).

[0029] 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 over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL).

[0030] 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) or listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0031] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and may 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 extend coverage to and / or increase the 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 MultiFire.

[0032] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180 in communication with the UE 182 and capable of operating within mmW and / or quasi-mmW frequencies. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths between 1 and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Sub-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The very high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also known as centimeter waves. Communications using the mmW / quasi-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short distances. 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 significant path loss and short distances. It will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the above illustrations are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0033] 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). With 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 resulting in a faster and more powerful RF signal (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device. 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 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 a beam of RF waves that can be “steered” to points in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the appropriate phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to enhance radiation in desired directions while suppressing or eliminating radiation in undesired directions.

[0034] A transmit beam may be quasi-collocated, 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 own transmit antennas are physically collocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (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 can 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, mean 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 average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0035] 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 antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) RF signals 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 greater than the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is greatest 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 RF signals received from that direction.

[0036] The receive beams may be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal may be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0037] Note that a "downlink" beam may be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam may be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0038] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base station 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450 MHz to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 MHz to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is called the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are called “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell on 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 among 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 among unlicensed frequencies. Because both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, the secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. 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 can 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 PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which several base stations are communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0039] For example, still referring to FIG. 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (i.e., “PCell”), and 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 data reception rates. For example, two aggregated 20 MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0040] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as a UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. 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 using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc.

[0041] Wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164, which may communicate with macrocell base station 102 via communications link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 via mmW communications link 184. For example, macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0042] 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, the NGC 210 (also referred to as a "5GC") may be viewed functionally as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data network, IP routing, etc.), which operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the NGC 210, specifically to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, the eNB 224 may also be connected to the NGC 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 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 eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either the gNBs 222 or the eNBs 224 may be in communication with the UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UEs 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 server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network NGC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be external to the core network.

[0043] 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, the NGC 260 (also referred to as a “5GC”) may be viewed functionally as a control plane function provided by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a Session Management Function (SMF) 262, operating cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., the NGC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to the NGC 260, specifically to the SMF 262 and the AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the NGC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF / UPF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. Additionally, eNB 224 may communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to NGC 260. In some configurations, New RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both eNB 224 and gNB 222. Either gNB 222 or eNB 224 may communicate with UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). Base stations of New RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF side of AMF / UPF 264 via the N3 interface.

[0044] The AMF functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, 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 functionality (SEAF). The AMF 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 the case of authentication based on a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF functions also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF also includes location service management for regulated services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the New RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks (3GPP is a registered trademark).

[0045] The functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), routing and forwarding of packets, 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) processing 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 "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0046] The functions of the SMF 262 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 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and part of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0047] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the NGC 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 can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network NGC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0048] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated within 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 embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated within other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the illustrated components 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.

[0049] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, configured to communicate via 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, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a targeted wireless communications medium (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources within 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, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0050] 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 target wireless communications medium. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively.

[0051] The transceiver circuitry, including the transmitter and receiver, may in some implementations comprise an integrated device (e.g., embodied as transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single communications device), in some implementations comprise separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations may be embodied in other ways. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array that enables each device to perform transmit “beamforming” as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array that enables each device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share multiple identical antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not both at the same time. The wireless communication devices of apparatus 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0052] Devices 302 and 304 also, at least in some cases, include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. 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, Navigation Satellite System of India (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and actions from other systems as appropriate and perform the calculations necessary to determine the positions of devices 302 and 304 using acquired measurements via any suitable SPS algorithms.

[0053] 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 via 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, or other types of information.

[0054] The devices 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332, for example, for providing functionality related to false base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. The base station 304 includes a processing system 384, for example, for providing functionality related to FBS detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 394, for example, for providing functionality related to FBS detection as disclosed herein and for providing other processing functionality. 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 circuitry.

[0055] Devices 302, 304, and 306 include memory circuitry implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, devices 302, 304, and 306 may include positioning modules 342, 388, and 399, respectively. PRSs 342 and 388 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, positioning modules 342, 388, and 389 may be memory modules (as shown in Figures 3A-3C) stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein.

[0056] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide motion and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the GPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 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 motion detection sensor. Moreover, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 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.

[0057] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing indications (e.g., audio and / or visual indications) 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 devices 304 and 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0058] 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 functionality 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 functionality related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality related to transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through 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 functionality related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0059] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may perform Layer 1 functionality related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, 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), M-ary 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 reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, 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 each spatial stream for transmission.

[0060] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its respective antenna 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 receiver 312 perform Layer 1 functionality related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. 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, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation point that was most likely 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 signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to a processing system 332 that performs Layer 3 and Layer 2 functionality.

[0061] In the UL, the processing system 332 performs demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0062] Similar to the functionality described with respect to DL transmission 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 transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0063] 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 antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0064] The UL transmission is 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 the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 384.

[0065] In the UL, the processing system 384 performs demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, 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.

[0066] For convenience, devices 302, 304, and / or 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.

[0067] The various components of devices 302, 304, and 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 its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be performed by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be performed by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-396 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of 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 particular components or combinations of components, such as UEs, base stations, positioning entities, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, positioning modules 342, 388, and 389.

[0068] 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a DL frame structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of channels within a DL frame structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0069] LTE, and possibly NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR has the option to also use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0070] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies; for example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 204 kHz or greater may be available. Table 1, provided below, lists some various parameters for different NR numerologies.

[0071] [Table 1]

[0072] In the example of Figures 4A and 4B, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figures 4A and 4B, time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis) with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis) with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0073] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, and each time slot includes one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of FIGS. 4A and 4B, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL and SC-FDMA symbols for UL) to obtain a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain to obtain a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0074] As shown in Figure 4A, some of the REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), example locations of which are labeled "R" in Figure 4A.

[0075] 4B shows an example of various channels in a DL subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) in one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each containing nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG containing four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of DL data to be transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs may have one of several formats. For example, there are various DCI formats for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.

[0076] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS mentioned above. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also called SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted over the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0077] In some cases, the DL RS shown in Figure 4A may be a positioning reference signal (PRS). Figure 5 shows an example PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a wireless node (such as base station 102). Figure 5 shows a PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a wireless node (such as base station 102), including a system frame number (SFN), a cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS )552, and PRS periodicity (T PRS ) 520 shows how the PRS positioning occasion is determined. Typically, the cell-specific PRS subframe configuration is determined by a "PRS configuration index" I included in the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) assistance data. PRS The PRS periodicity (T PRS ) 520 and cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) is the PRS composition index I as shown in Table 2 below. PRS It is prescribed based on the following.

[0078] [Table 2]

[0079] The PRS configuration is specified in terms of the SFN of the cell transmitting the PRS. PRS The PRS instance for the first subframe of the downlink subframes may satisfy the following:

[0080]

number

[0081] However, n f is 0≦n f ≦1023 and SFN, n s is 0≦n s ≦19, and n f is the slot number in the radio frame specified by T PRS is the PRS periodicity 520, and Δ PRS is the cell-specific subframe offset 552.

[0082] As shown in Figure 5, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ PRS 552 may be defined in terms of the number of subframes transmitted, starting from system frame number 0 (slot "number 0" marked as slot 550) to the start of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning occasion. In the example in FIG. 5, the number of consecutive positioning subframes (N PRS ) is equal to 4, that is, each shaded block representing PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c represents four subframes.

[0083] In some aspects, in the OTDOA assistance data for a particular cell, the UE may include a PRS configuration index I PRS Upon receiving the PRS, the UE determines the PRS periodicity T PRS 520 and PRS subframe offset Δ PRS The UE may then determine the radio frame, subframe, and slot in which the PRS is scheduled in the cell (e.g., using equation (1)). The OTDOA assistance data may be determined, for example, by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) and includes assistance data for the reference cell and several neighboring cells supported by various base stations.

[0084] Typically, PRS occasions from all cells in a network that use the same frequency are aligned in time and may have a known, fixed time offset (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset 552) relative to other cells in the network that use different frequencies. In an SFN synchronous network, all wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102) may be aligned on both frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Thus, in an SFN synchronous network, all cells supported by various wireless nodes may use the same PRS configuration index for any particular frequency of PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an SFN asynchronous network, various wireless nodes may be aligned on frame boundaries but may not be aligned on system frame numbers. Thus, in an SFN asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell may be configured separately by the network so that PRS occasions are aligned in time.

[0085] If the UE can acquire the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one of the cells, e.g., the reference cell or the serving cell, the UE may determine the timing of the PRS occasions of the reference cell and neighbor cells for OTDOA positioning. The timing of other cells may then be derived by the UE, e.g., based on the assumption that PRS occasions from different cells overlap.

[0086] A set of resource elements used for transmitting a PRS is called a "PRS resource." The set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols 460 within a slot 430 in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol 460, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. A PRS resource is represented by at least the following parameters: a PRS resource identifier (ID), a sequence ID, a comb size N, a resource element offset in the frequency domain, a starting slot and symbol, the number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). In some designs, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers in each symbol carrying a PRS. For example, a comb size of comb4 means that every fourth subcarrier in a given symbol carries a PRS.

[0087] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, and each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, PRS resources within a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmission / reception point (TRP). A PRS resource ID within a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (a TRP may transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam; therefore, a "PRS resource" may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not affect whether the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE. A "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning occasion," a "positioning occasion," or simply an "occasion."

[0088] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, a PRS signal in LTE or NR, a navigation reference signal (NRS) in 5G, a transmitter reference signal (TRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), or SSB.

[0089] SRS is an uplink-only signal transmitted by UEs to help the base station obtain channel state information (CSI) for each user. Channel state information describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and accounts for the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation over distance. Systems use SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.

[0090] Several extensions beyond the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for SRS-P for positioning, such as a new staggered pattern in SRS resources, a new comb type for SRS, a new sequence for SRS, a larger number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a larger number of SRS resources per component carrier. Additionally, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" will be configured based on DL RSs from neighboring TRPs. Furthermore, one SRS resource may be transmitted outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP), and one SRS resource may span multiple component carriers. Finally, a UE may transmit from multiple SRS resources through the same transmission beam for UL-AoA. All of these are additional features to the current SRS framework, configured through RRC higher layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC Control Element (CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI)).

[0091] As mentioned above, SRS in NR is a UE-specific configured reference signal transmitted by the UE used for the purpose of sounding the uplink radio channel. Similar to CSI-RS, such sounding provides knowledge of various levels of radio channel characteristics. At one extreme, SRS may be used in a gNB simply to obtain signal strength measurements, e.g., for UL beam management purposes. On the other hand, SRS may be used in a gNB to obtain detailed amplitude and phase estimates as a function of frequency, time, and space. In NR, channel sounding with SRS supports a more diverse set of use cases compared to LTE (e.g., downlink CSI acquisition for reciprocity-based gNB transmit beamforming (downlink MIMO), uplink CSI acquisition for link adaptation and codebook / non-codebook-based precoding for uplink MIMO, uplink beam management, etc.).

[0092] The SRS can be configured using various options. The time / frequency mapping of the SRS resource is defined by the following characteristics: Duration N symb SRS The time length of the SRS resource can be 1, 2, or 4 consecutive OFDM symbols within a slot, in contrast to LTE, which only allows a single OFDM symbol per slot. Starting symbol position l0 - The starting symbol of an SRS resource may be located anywhere within the last 6 OFDM symbols of a slot, as long as the resource does not straddle the last boundary of the slot. Repetition factor R—For SRS resources configured using frequency hopping, the repetition allows the same set of subcarriers to be sounded in R consecutive OFDM symbols before the next hop occurs (as used herein, “hop” specifically refers to a frequency hop). For example, values of R are 1, 2, 4, and R≦N symb SRS is. Transmission comb spacing K TC and Com Offset k TC SRS resources may occupy resource elements (REs) of a frequency domain comb structure, with comb spacing either 2 REs or 4 REs as in LTE. Such a structure allows frequency domain multiplexing of different SRS resources of the same or different users on different combs, where the different combs are offset from each other by an integer number of REs. Comb offsets are defined with respect to PRB boundaries and range from 0, 1, ..., K. TC -1 RE. Therefore, the comb spacing K TC For = 2, there are two different combs available for multiplexing if needed, with comb spacing K TC At =4, there are four different combs available. Periodicity and slot offset in case of periodic / semi-persistent SRS. · Sounding bandwidth within the bandwidth portion.

[0093] For low-latency positioning, the gNB may trigger the UL SRS-P via DCI (e.g., the transmitted SRS-P may include repetition or beam sweeping to enable several gNBs to receive the SRS-P). Alternatively, the gNB may send information regarding aperiodic PRS transmissions to the UE (e.g., this configuration may include information regarding PRSs from multiple gNBs to enable the UE to perform timing calculations for positioning (UE-based) or reporting (UE-assisted)). While various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to DL PRS-based positioning procedures, some or all of such embodiments may also apply to UL SRS-P-based positioning procedures.

[0094] It should be noted that the terms "sounding reference signal," "SRS," and "SRS-P" sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "sounding reference signal," "SRS," and "SRS-P" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, an SRS signal in LTE or NR, a navigation reference signal (NRS) in 5G, a transmitter reference signal (TRS), a random access channel (RACH) signal for positioning (e.g., a RACH preamble such as Msg-1 in a four-step RACH procedure or Msg-A in a two-step RACH procedure).

[0095] 3GPP® Rel. 16 introduced various NR positioning aspects aimed at increasing the location accuracy of positioning schemes involving measurements related to one or more UL or DL PRSs (e.g., larger bandwidth (BW), FR2 beam sweeping, angle-based measurements such as angle-of-arrival (AoA) and angle-of-departure (AoD) measurements, multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) measurements, etc.). When latency reduction is a priority, UE-based positioning techniques (e.g., DL-only techniques without UL location measurement reporting) are typically used. However, when latency is less of an issue, UE-assisted positioning techniques may be used, whereby UE-measured data is reported to a network entity (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, etc.). The latency associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques can be reduced somewhat by implementing an LMF in the RAN.

[0096] Layer 3 (L3) signaling (e.g., RRC or Location Positioning Protocol (LPP)) is typically used to transport reports comprising location-based data related to UE-assisted positioning techniques. L3 signaling is associated with a relatively large latency (e.g., greater than 100 ms) compared to Layer 1 (L1, i.e., PHY layer) signaling or Layer 2 (L2, i.e., MAC layer) signaling. In some cases, a smaller latency (e.g., less than 100 ms, less than 10 ms, etc.) between the UE and the RAN for location-based reporting may be desired. In such cases, L3 signaling may not be able to reach these smaller latency levels. L3 signaling for positioning measurements may include any combination of the following: one or more TOA, TDOA, RSRP, or Rx-Tx measurements; One or more AoA / AoD (e.g. currently it is only agreed that gNB->LMF reports DL AoA and UL AoD) measurements, One or more multipath reporting measurements, e.g., ToA per path, RSRP, AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only ToA per path is allowed in LTE) One or more movement states (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and trajectories (e.g., for the current UE), and / or One or more reporting quality indicators.

[0097] More recently, L1 and L2 signaling has been contemplated for use in conjunction with PRS-based reporting. For example, L1 and L2 signaling is currently used in some systems to transport CSI reports (e.g., reports of channel quality indication (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (Li), L1-RSRP, etc.). A CSI report may comprise a set of fields in a predefined order (e.g., defined by a relevant standard). A single UL transmission (e.g., on a PUSCH or PUCCH) may include multiple reports, referred to herein as “subordinate reports,” arranged according to a predefined priority (e.g., defined by a relevant standard). In some designs, the predefined order may be based on the associated subreport periodicity (e.g., aperiodic / semi-persistent / periodic (A / SP / P) on PUSCH / PUCCH), measurement type (e.g., whether L1-RSRP), serving cell index (e.g., in case of carrier aggregation (CA)), and reportconfigID. In two-part CSI reporting, Part 1 of all reports is grouped together, Part 2 is grouped separately, and each group is coded separately (e.g., Part 1 payload size is fixed based on configuration parameters, while Part 2 size is variable and depends on the configuration parameters and the associated Part 1 content). The number of coded bits / symbols output after coding and rate matching is calculated based on the number of input bits and beta coefficients per the associated standard. A link (e.g., a time offset) is defined between the measured RS instance and the corresponding report. In some designs, CSI-like reporting of PRS-based measurement data using L1 and L2 signaling may be implemented.

[0098] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary wireless communications system 600 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 6, a UE 604, which may correspond to any of the UEs described above with respect to FIG. 1 (e.g., UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.), is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) to calculate an estimate of its location. The UE 604 may communicate wirelessly with multiple base stations 602a-d (collectively, base stations 602), which may correspond to any combination of base stations 102 or 180 and / or WLAN AP 150 in FIG. 1, using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulation of RF signals and exchange of information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communications system 600 (i.e., base station locations, geometric arrangements, etc.), the UE 604 may determine, or assist in determining, its location in a predefined reference frame. In one aspect, the UE 604 may specify its location using a two-dimensional coordinate system, although the aspects disclosed herein are not so limited and may be applicable to determining location using a three-dimensional coordinate system if additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, while Figure 6 shows one UE 604 and four base stations 602, it will be appreciated that there may be more UEs 604 and more or fewer base stations 602.

[0099] To support position estimation, base stations 602 may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals, etc.) to UEs 604 within their coverage areas to enable the UEs 604 to measure reference RF signal timing differences (e.g., OTDOA or RSTD) between pairs of network nodes and / or identify beams that best excite the LOS or shortest radio path between the UE 604 and the transmitting base station 602. Identifying LOS / shortest path beams is important not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between pairs of base stations 602, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. Furthermore, these beams may then be used for other position estimation methods that require accurate ToA, such as methods based on round-trip time estimation.

[0100] As used herein, a "network node" may be a base station 602, a cell of a base station 602, a remote radio head, an antenna of a base station 602, the location of which is different from the location of the base station 602 itself, or any other network entity capable of transmitting a reference signal. Furthermore, as used herein, a "node" may refer to either a network node or a UE.

[0101] A location server (e.g., location server 230) may send assistance data to the UE 604, including identification of one or more neighboring cells of the base station 602 and configuration information for the reference RF signal transmitted by each neighboring cell. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station 602 itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, the UE 604 may detect neighboring cells of the base station 602 without using assistance data. The UE 604 may measure and (optionally) report (e.g., based in part on assistance data, if provided) the OTDOA from individual network nodes and / or the RSTD between reference RF signals received from pairs of network nodes. Using these measurements and the known location of the measured network node (i.e., the base station 602 or antenna that transmitted the reference RF signal measured by the UE 604), the UE 604 or location server can determine the distance between the UE 604 and the measured network node, thereby calculating the location of the UE 604.

[0102] The term “position estimate” is used herein to refer to an estimate of the location of a UE 604, which may be geographic (e.g., may comprise latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or urban (e.g., may comprise an address, a building designation, or a precise point or area in or near a building or address, e.g., a particular entrance to a building, a particular room or suite in a building, or a landmark such as a town square). A position estimate may also be referred to as a “location,” “position,” “fix,” “position fix,” “location fix,” “location estimate,” “fix estimate,” or some other term. Means of obtaining a location estimate may be generally referred to as “positioning,” “locating,” or “position fixing.” A particular solution for obtaining a position estimate may be referred to as a “position solution.” A particular method for obtaining a position estimate as part of a position solution may be referred to as a “position method” or a “positioning method.”

[0103] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple physical transmission points that may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term “base station” refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point may be a base station antenna corresponding to the cell of the base station (e.g., base station 602). When the term “base station” refers to multiple collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be an array of base station antennas (e.g., as in a MIMO system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term “base station” refers to multiple non-collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission point 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, a non-collocated physical transmission point may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE (e.g., UE 604) and neighbor base stations whose reference RF signals the UE is measuring. 6 illustrates an aspect in which base stations 602a and 602b form a DAS / RRH 620. For example, base station 602a may be a serving base station for UE 604, and base station 602b may be a neighboring base station for UE 604. Thus, base station 602b may be an RRH for base station 602a. Base stations 602a and 602b may communicate with each other via a wired or wireless link 622.

[0104] To accurately determine the location of a UE 604 using the OTDOA and / or RSTD between RF signals received from a pair of network nodes, the UE 604 needs to measure a reference RF signal received via the LOS path (or the shortest NLOS path where no LOS path is available) between the UE 604 and the network node (e.g., base station 602, antenna). However, the RF signal travels on several other paths, not just the LOS / shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, as the RF signal spreads from the transmitter and reflects off other objects, such as hills, buildings, and water, on its way to the receiver. Thus, FIG. 6 shows several LOS paths 610 and several NLOS paths 612 between the base station 602 and the UE 604. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows base station 602a transmitting via LOS path 610a and NLOS path 612a, base station 602b transmitting via LOS path 610b and two NLOS paths 612b, base station 602c transmitting via LOS path 610c and NLOS path 612c, and base station 602d transmitting via two NLOS paths 612d. As shown in FIG. 6, each NLOS path 612 reflects off several objects 630 (e.g., buildings). As will be appreciated, each LOS path 610 and NLOS path 612 transmitted by base station 602 may be transmitted by a different antenna of base station 602 (e.g., as in a MIMO system) or may be transmitted by the same antenna of base station 602 (thereby illustrating RF signal propagation). Furthermore, as used herein, the term “LOS path” refers to the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, which may be the shortest NLOS path, rather than the actual LOS path.

[0105] In one aspect, one or more of the base stations 602 may be configured to use beamforming to transmit RF signals. In that case, some of the available beams may focus the transmitted RF signals along the LOS path 610 (e.g., the beams producing the highest antenna gain along the LOS path), while other available beams may focus the transmitted RF signals along the NLOS path 612. A beam that has high gain along one path and therefore focuses the RF signals along that path may still have some RF signals propagating along other paths, the strength of which, of course, depends on the beam gain along those other paths. An “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves 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, as explained further below, 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.

[0106] When the base station 602 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the intended beam for data communication between the base station 602 and the UE 604 is the beam carrying the RF signal reaching the UE 604 with the highest signal strength (e.g., as indicated by received signal received power (RSRP) or SINR in the presence of directional interfering signals), while the intended beam for location estimation is the beam carrying the RF signal exciting the shortest path or LOS path (e.g., LOS path 610). For some frequency bands and typically used antenna systems, these are the same beam. However, in other frequency bands, such as mmW, multiple antenna elements may typically be used to create a narrow transmit beam, which may not be the same beam. As described below with reference to FIG. 7, in some cases, the signal strength of the RF signal on the LOS path 610 may be weaker (e.g., due to obstructions) than the signal strength of the RF signal on the NLOS path 612, through which the RF signal arrives later due to propagation delay.

[0107] 7 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 700 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 7, a UE 704, which may correspond to the UE 604 of FIG. 6, is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) to calculate an estimate of its location. The UE 704 may communicate wirelessly with a base station 702, which may correspond to one of the base stations 602 in FIG. 6, using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulation of the RF signals and exchange of information packets.

[0108] As shown in Figure 7, a base station 702 utilizes beamforming to transmit multiple beams 711-715 of RF signals. Each beam 711-715 may be formed and transmitted by an array of antennas at the base station 702. While Figure 7 shows the base station 702 transmitting five beams 711-715, as can be appreciated, there may be more or fewer than five beams, beam shapes such as peak gain, width, and sidelobe gain may vary among the transmitted beams, and some of the beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0109] A beam index may be assigned to each of the multiple beams 711-715 to distinguish RF signals associated with one beam from RF signals associated with another beam. Furthermore, RF signals associated with a particular beam among the multiple beams 711-715 may carry a beam index indicator. The beam index may also be derived from the transmission time of the RF signal, e.g., frame, slot, and / or OFDM symbol number. The beam index indicator may be, for example, a 3-bit field for uniquely distinguishing up to eight beams. If two different RF signals are received with different beam indices, this indicates that the RF signals were transmitted using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this indicates that the different RF signals are transmitted using the same beam. Another way to describe two RF signals being transmitted using the same beam is that the antenna port used for transmission of the first RF signal is quasi-colocated in space with the antenna port used for transmission of the second RF signal.

[0110] In the example of FIG. 7, UE 704 receives NLOS data stream 723 of RF signals transmitted on beam 713 and LOS data stream 724 of RF signals transmitted on beam 714. While FIG. 7 depicts NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 as single lines (dashed and solid lines, respectively), it will be appreciated that NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 may each comprise multiple rays (i.e., “clusters”) before reaching UE 704, for example, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. For example, a cluster of RF signals is formed when electromagnetic waves reflect off multiple surfaces of an object, and the reflections reach a receiver (e.g., UE 704) from approximately the same angle, each traveling a few wavelengths (e.g., centimeters) more or less than the others. A “cluster” of received RF signals generally corresponds to a single transmitted RF signal.

[0111] In the example of FIG. 7, NLOS data stream 723 is not originally intended for UE 704, although as can be appreciated, like the RF signal on NLOS path 612 in FIG. 6, it could be. However, it is reflected from a reflector 740 (e.g., a building) and reaches UE 704 unobstructed, and therefore may still be a relatively strong RF signal. In contrast, LOS data stream 724 is intended for UE 704 but passes through obstacles 730 (e.g., vegetation, buildings, hills, disruptive environments such as clouds or smoke, etc.) that can significantly degrade the RF signal. As can be appreciated, although LOS data stream 724 is weaker than NLOS data stream 723, LOS data stream 724 arrives at UE 704 before NLOS data stream 723 because it follows a shorter path from base station 702 to UE 704.

[0112] As described above, the beam of interest for data communication between a base station (e.g., base station 702) and a UE (e.g., UE 704) is the beam that carries the RF signal that reaches the UE with the highest signal strength (e.g., highest RSRP or SINR), while the beam of interest for position estimation is the beam that excites the LOS path and carries the RF signal that has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams (e.g., beam 714). That is, even if beam 713 (an NLOS beam) weakly excites the LOS path (due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals despite not being focused along the LOS path), that weak signal, if any, on the LOS path of beam 713 may not be as reliably detectable (compared to that from beam 714) and thus result in a larger error in performing positioning measurements.

[0113] The target beam for data communications and the target beam for position estimation may be the same beam for some frequency bands, but may not be the same beam for other frequency bands, such as mmW. Thus, referring to Figure 7, if a UE 704 is engaged in a data communications session with a base station 702 (e.g., when the base station 702 is the serving base station for the UE 704) and attempts to simply measure a reference RF signal transmitted by the base station 702, the target beam for the data communications session may be beam 713 because it carries an unobstructed NLOS data stream 723. However, the target beam for position estimation is beam 714 because it carries the strongest LOS data stream 724, despite being obstructed.

[0114] FIG. 8A is a graph 800A illustrating an RF channel response over time at a receiver (e.g., UE 704) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Under the channel shown in FIG. 8A, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on the channel taps at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on the channel taps at time T4. In the example of FIG. 8A, because the first cluster of RF signals at time T1 arrives first, it is presumed to be a line-of-sight (LOS) data stream (i.e., a data stream arriving via line-of-sight or shortest path) and may correspond to LOS data stream 724. The third cluster at time T3 is composed of the strongest RF signals and may correspond to NLOS data stream 723. From the transmitter's perspective, each cluster of received RF signals may comprise portions of RF signals transmitted at different angles; therefore, each cluster may be said to have a different angle of departure (AoD) from the transmitter. FIG. 8B is a diagram 800B illustrating this separation of clusters in the AoD. The RF signal transmitted in AoD range 802a may correspond to one cluster (e.g., "Cluster 1") in FIG. 8A, and the RF signal transmitted in AoD range 802b may correspond to a different cluster (e.g., "Cluster 3") in FIG. 8A. Note that while the AoD ranges of the two clusters shown in FIG. 8B are spatially separated, the clusters may be separated in time, or the AoD ranges of some clusters may partially overlap. For example, this may occur when two separate buildings at the same AoD from the transmitter reflect a signal toward the receiver. Note that while FIG. 8A illustrates clusters of 2 to 5 channel taps (or "peaks"), it will be appreciated that the clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than shown.

[0115] In some systems, such as Industrial Internet of Things (I-IoT) deployments, sensors may be densely deployed as part of a control system (e.g., a factory environment). The control system may want to obtain a snapshot of the locations of all of its sensors at a particular point in time (e.g., a particular time slot). In NR, positioning estimates are obtained based on measurements of reference signals for positioning (e.g., PRS, SRS-P, etc.). Unfortunately, the time instances at which reference signals for positioning (e.g., PRS, SRS-P, etc.) are transmitted may not align with the time instances at which positioning is desired by the control system, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0116] 9 illustrates a positioning configuration 900 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In the positioning configuration 900, a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is scheduled in each of timeslots 2 and 13. However, in this example, the desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) corresponds to timeslot 7.

[0117] In some designs, the UE and / or gNB may report measurements (e.g., optionally with associated timestamps) of multiple reference signals (e.g., PRS, SRS-P, etc.) for positioning to the LMF (e.g., measurements of SRS-P or PRS in timeslots 2 and 13 shown in FIG. 9), and the LMF may attempt to process these measurements into a position estimate for the UE at a desired time instance (e.g., timeslot 7 in FIG. 9). However, such reporting is spectrally inefficient. Also, if such positioning procedures are performed simultaneously for a large sensor group, the LMF may become overloaded, which may increase latency associated with the positioning procedures.

[0118] One or more embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a wireless node (e.g., a UE, a gNB, etc.) that determines and reports a positioning estimate for a UE at a specified time. In particular, the positioning estimate for the UE is based on positioning measurements at the wireless node (e.g., multiple PRS instances at the UE or SRS-P instances at the gNB) measured at multiple times. For example, the wireless node may derive the positioning estimate at the specified time via interpolation or extrapolation. Such an approach may provide various technical advantages, such as reduced overhead as well as reduced latency (e.g., wireless nodes may be used as a distributed processing group to facilitate location snapshots for large sensor groups that would otherwise overload a centralized LMF approach to positioning estimation processing).

[0119] 10 illustrates an example process 1000 for wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the process 1000 may be performed by a wireless node such as the UE 302 of FIG. 3A or the UE 304 of FIG. 3B.

[0120] At 1010, a wireless node (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, receiver 352, receiver 362, processing system 384, network interface 380, etc.) receives a request for a position estimation for a UE associated with a specified time. In some designs, the request at 1010 may originate from a network component (e.g., a serving BS, an LMF, network entity 306, etc.). In other designs, the request at 1010 may originate from a third-party server outside the carrier network (e.g., an OEM server, an application server, etc.). In some designs, the wireless node corresponds to a UE for which a position estimation is desired. In other designs, the wireless node may correspond to a BS (e.g., a serving BS or a non-serving BS involved in the positioning procedure). In some designs, the request at 1010 may be transmitted (e.g., via unicast, multicast, or broadcast) to a group of UEs (e.g., a sensor group in an IIoT factory deployment) or a group of gNBs. In one example where a request is issued to a BS by an LMF within that same BS, the request at 1010 may be received at one logical component of the BS from another logical component of the BS.

[0121] At 1020, a wireless node (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, receiver 352, receiver 362, processing system 332 or 384, positioning module 342 or 388, etc.) performs positioning measurements (e.g., TOA, TDOA, RSRP, etc.) at multiple times. In some designs, each of the multiple times may correspond to a PRS or SRS-P occasion, while in other designs, other positioning techniques may be used (e.g., GNSS, sensor-based positioning, etc.). In some designs, each of the multiple times (or time instances) may correspond to a time domain resource, such as a timeslot, a subframe, a group of symbols, etc. In some designs, each of the multiple times may be orthogonal (or non-overlapping) with respect to a specified time associated with the request. In other words, the positioning measurements performed at 1020 do not perfectly align (or non-overlapping) with the specified time at which a positioning estimate is requested. In one example, the specified time may align with a time at which a PRS or SRS-P is configured but not triggered. In a particular example where the wireless node corresponds to a UE, the UE may be configured with a PRS configuration in which a DCI may optionally be used to trigger a PRS on a particular PRS occasion. In this case, the specified time may align with a PRS occasion, but that PRS occasion is not triggered, and as a result, the UE must derive a requested positioning estimate based on other nearby PRS occasions that are actually triggered via the DCI.

[0122] At 1030, the wireless node (e.g., processing system 332 or 384, positioning module 342 or 388, etc.) determines a positioning estimate associated with the specified time based on the positioning measurements. As described in more detail below, in some designs at 1030, the positioning measurements may be first processed (e.g., via interpolation or extrapolation), and then a single positioning estimate is calculated as the determined positioning estimate. In other designs at 1030, the positioning measurements may be used to calculate multiple candidate positioning estimates associated with each of multiple times, and then the multiple candidate positioning estimates are processed (e.g., via interpolation or extrapolation) to derive the determined positioning estimate.

[0123] At 1040, the wireless node (e.g., transmitter 314, transmitter 324, transmitter 354, transmitter 364, processing system 384, network interface 380, etc.) transmits a report comprising the determined positioning estimate. In an example where the wireless node corresponds to a UE, the transmission at 1040 may be a wireless transmission to a BS, which then forwards the report to an LMF. In an example where the wireless node corresponds to a BS, the transmission at 1040 may be a backhaul transmission to the LMF. Alternatively, in an example where the wireless node corresponds to a BS with an integrated LMF, the transmission at 1040 may be a logical transmission (e.g., internal data transfer) from one logical component of the BS to another logical component of the BS. In another example, the report at 1040 may be forwarded to a third-party server (e.g., an OEM server, an application server, etc.) outside the carrier network.

[0124] 11 illustrates an example process 1100 for wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the process 1100 may be performed by a network component such as the BS 304 of FIG. 3B or the network entity 306 (e.g., the LMF) of FIG. 3C.

[0125] At 1110, a network component (e.g., transmitter 354, transmitter 364, network interface 390, etc.) transmits a request for a position estimation of a UE associated with a specified time to a wireless node (e.g., a UE, a BS, etc.). In one example where the network component corresponds to a BS 304, the transmission at 1110 may comprise a wireless transmission to the UE. In one example where the network component corresponds to a network entity 306 (e.g., an LMF), the transmission at 1110 may comprise a backhaul transmission from the network entity 306 to the BS 304 (e.g., which then processes the request itself or relays the request to the UE via wireless transmission). In some designs, the wireless node corresponds to a UE for which a position estimation is desired. In other designs, the wireless node may correspond to a BS (e.g., a serving BS or a non-serving BS involved in the positioning procedure). In some designs, the request at 1110 may be transmitted (e.g., via unicast, multicast, or broadcast) to a group of UEs (e.g., a sensor group in an IIoT factory deployment) or a group of gNBs. In one example where the request is issued to a BS by an LMF within that same BS, the request at 1110 may be sent from one logical component of the BS to another logical component of the BS. In some designs, the request at 1110 may originate from a network component (e.g., a serving BS, an LMF, network entity 306, etc.). In other designs, the request at 1110 may originate from a third-party server outside the carrier network (e.g., an OEM server, an application server, etc.).

[0126] At 1120, a network component (e.g., transmitter 354, transmitter 364, network interface 390, etc.) receives from a wireless node a report comprising a positioning estimate for a specified time based on positioning measurements (e.g., TOA, TDOA, RSRP, etc.) performed by the wireless node at multiple times. In some designs, each of the multiple times may correspond to a PRS or SRS-P occasion, while in other designs, other positioning techniques may be used (e.g., GNSS, sensor-based positioning, etc.). In some designs, each of the multiple times (or time instances) may correspond to a time domain resource, such as a timeslot, a subframe, a group of symbols, etc. In some designs, each of the multiple times may be orthogonal (or non-overlapping) with respect to the specified time associated with the request. In other words, the positioning measurements do not perfectly align with the specified time for which a positioning estimate is requested. In an example where the network component corresponds to a network entity 306 (e.g., an LMF) and the wireless node corresponds to a BS 304, the report at 1120 may be received via a backhaul transmission from the BS 304 to the network entity 306 (e.g., which then processes the request itself or relays the request to the UE via a wireless transmission). In an example where the network component corresponds to a network entity 306 (e.g., an LMF) and the wireless node corresponds to a UE 302, the report is first received by the BS 304 via a wireless transmission and then relayed from the BS 304 to the network entity 306 via a backhaul transmission at 1120. In some designs, multiple reports related to positioning estimates for different UEs may be received at 1120 (e.g., UEs associated with a sensor group in an IIoT factory deployment). In one example, the specified time may align with a time when a PRS or SRS-P is configured but not triggered. In a particular example where the wireless node corresponds to a UE, the UE may be configured with a PRS configuration in which a DCI may optionally be used to trigger a PRS on specific PRS occasions.In this case, the specified time may align with a PRS occasion, but that PRS occasion is not triggered, and as a result, the UE must derive the requested positioning estimate based on other nearby PRS occasions that are actually triggered via the DCI. In another example, the report at 1120 may be forwarded to a third party server outside the carrier network (e.g., an OEM server, an application server, etc.).

[0127] 10-11 , in some designs, determining a positioning estimate may comprise interpolation or extrapolation of positioning measurement data associated with the positioning measurements, as described below with respect to FIGS. 12A-12C . In some designs, the extrapolated or interpolated positioning measurement data comprises positioning measurements (e.g., raw measurement data or positioning features are interpolated or extrapolated). In other designs, multiple candidate positioning estimates may first be calculated based on the positioning measurements, and then the multiple candidate positioning estimates are extrapolated or interpolated to generate a determined positioning estimate.

[0128] FIG. 12A illustrates a positioning configuration 1200A based on an example implementation of processes 1000-1100 of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Similar to FIG. 9, in positioning configuration 1200A, a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is scheduled (and triggered) in each of timeslots 2 and 13. In this example, the desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) corresponds to timeslot 7 (e.g., the specified time is between the earliest and latest times of a plurality of times). Assume that a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is not scheduled (or configured) in timeslot 7, or, if configured, is not triggered (e.g., via DCI). Instead of simply reporting the measurement data for timeslots 2 and 13 to the LMF and having the LMF figure out how to process the reported measurement data into a positioning estimate for the UE in timeslot 7, in this example the wireless node itself (e.g., UE302 or BS304) determines a positioning estimate for the UE in timeslot 7 via interpolation (e.g., applied to multiple candidate positioning estimates derived with respect to the positioning measurements or based on the positioning measurements, as described above).

[0129] 12B illustrates a positioning configuration 1200B based on an exemplary implementation of processes 1000-1100 of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In positioning configuration 1200B, a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is scheduled in each of timeslots 2 and 13. In this example, the desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) corresponds to timeslot 17 (e.g., the specified time is after the latest time of multiple times). It is assumed that a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is not scheduled (or configured) in timeslot 17, or, if configured, is not triggered (e.g., via DCI). Instead of simply reporting the measurement data for timeslots 2 and 13 to the LMF and letting the LMF figure out how to process the reported measurement data into a positioning estimate for the UE at timeslot 17, in this example, the wireless node itself (e.g., UE 302 or BS 304) determines a positioning estimate for the UE at timeslot 17 via extrapolation (e.g., applied with respect to the positioning measurements or to multiple candidate positioning estimates derived based on the positioning measurements, as described above). More specifically, the extrapolation of FIG. 12B extrapolates future positioning data for the UE based on previous positioning data. In some designs, future extrapolation as shown in FIG. 12B may be particularly advantageous for latency-sensitive applications (e.g., when the system cannot wait for subsequent positioning signals so that it can perform the interpolation).

[0130] 12C illustrates a positioning configuration 1200C based on an exemplary implementation of processes 1000-1100 of FIGS. 10-11, respectively, according to another aspect of the present disclosure. In positioning configuration 1200C, a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is scheduled in each of timeslots 2 and 13. In this example, the desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) corresponds to timeslot 0 (e.g., the specified time is prior to the earliest time of multiple times). Assume that a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) is not scheduled (or configured) in timeslot 0, or, if configured, has not been triggered (e.g., via DCI). Instead of simply reporting the measurement data for timeslots 2 and 13 to the LMF and letting the LMF figure out how to process the reported measurement data into a positioning estimate for the UE at timeslot 0, in this example the wireless node itself (e.g., UE 302 or BS 304) determines a positioning estimate for the UE at timeslot 17 via extrapolation (e.g., applied with respect to the positioning measurements or to multiple candidate positioning estimates derived based on the positioning measurements, as described above). More specifically, the extrapolation of FIG. 12C extrapolates historical positioning data for the UE based on later positioning data.

[0131] 12A-12C , in some designs, a wireless node (e.g., UE 302, BS 304, etc.) may have the capability to perform interpolation or extrapolation up to a certain time difference between a time slot of a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) and a desired positioning estimation time (or time instance). For example, the interpolation or extrapolation capability may be defined in terms of X time slots, X ms, etc. However, a higher time difference between a time slot of a reference signal for positioning (e.g., SRS-P, PRS, etc.) and a desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) is generally associated with lower accuracy (e.g., particularly for fast-moving UEs). In some designs, a positioning session may be associated with an accuracy requirement narrower than the interpolation or extrapolation capability of the wireless node. For example, the accuracy requirement may be configured by an LMF (e.g., via assistance data provided to the UE), an application associated with the positioning session, etc.

[0132] 12A-12C , in some designs, thresholds denoted as T_Interpolate, T_Extrapolate, or both may be configured. These thresholds may narrow the range in which interpolation, extrapolation, or both are allowed. In other words, if T_Interpolate or T_Extrapolate is not met, interpolation and / or extrapolation of the requested positioning estimation time (or time instance) may be skipped (e.g., not interpolated / extrapolated, not reported, etc.), which may result in power savings and reduced processing overhead in the wireless node. In some designs, only one of T_Interpolate and T_Extrapolate may be configured. In other designs, both T_Interpolate and T_Extrapolate may be configured. In some designs, T_Interpolate and T_Extrapolate may be different. In other designs, T_Interpolate and T_Extrapolate may be the same. In some designs, a single threshold denoted as T_Polate may be configured, which may be applicable to both extrapolation and interpolation. In some designs, a first T_Extrapolate threshold may be configured for future extrapolation as in FIG. 12B, and a second T_Extrapolate threshold may be configured for historical extrapolation as in FIG. 12C. In other designs, a single T_Extrapolate threshold may be configured for both future extrapolation as in FIG. 12B and historical extrapolation as in FIG. 12C. As mentioned above, the various interpolation and / or extrapolation thresholds may be configured by the LMF, the particular application, etc. In some designs, the various interpolation and / or extrapolation thresholds may be static. In other designs, the various interpolation and / or extrapolation thresholds may be dynamic based on one or more UE-specific criteria, such as UE speed.For example, T_Interpolate, T_Extrapolate, and / or T_Polate can be reduced from the default value in a fast-moving UE (e.g., a UE moving above a speed threshold), or increased from the default value in a slow-moving or static UE (e.g., a UE moving below a speed threshold), and so on.

[0133] Referring to FIGS. 12A to 12C, in some designs, the representative time associated with the Nth time slot is T N and can be shown. In the case of FIG. 12A, assume that T_Interpolate is configured. In this case, the wireless node determines the positioning estimation of the UE in time slot 7 through interpolation when T7 - T1 < T_Interpolate and T 13 - T7 < T_Interpolate, and otherwise, when T7 - T1 ≥ T_Interpolate and / or T 13 - T7 ≥ T_Interpolate, the interpolation of the positioning estimation of the UE in time slot 7 can be skipped. In the case of FIG. 12B, assume that T_Extrapolate is configured. In this case, the wireless node determines the positioning estimation of the UE in time slot 17 through extrapolation when T 17 - T2 < T_Extrapolate and T 17 - T 13 < T_Extrapolate, and otherwise, when T 17 - T2 ≥ T_Extrapolate and / or T 17 - T 13 ≥ T_Extrapolate, the extrapolation of the positioning estimation of the UE in time slot 17 can be skipped. In the case of FIG. 12C, assume that T_Extrapolate is configured. In this case, the wireless node determines the positioning estimation of the UE in time slot 0 through extrapolation when T2 - T0 < T_Extrapolate and T 13 - T0 < T_Extrapolate, and otherwise, when T2 - T0 ≥ T_Extrapolate and / or T13 If T0≧T_Extrapolate, the extrapolation of the UE's position estimate in timeslot 0 may be skipped.

[0134] 12A-12C illustrate that, in some designs, various interpolation and / or extrapolation thresholds may be used to evaluate each desired positioning estimation time (or time instance) that does not align with the actual SRS-P or DL-PRS. In some positioning sessions, this may result in some such requests being skipped while other such requests are performed according to the respective interpolation and / or extrapolation thresholds, as described above.

[0135] 10-11 , in some designs where interpolation or extrapolation is used to derive the determined positioning estimate, the interpolation or extrapolation may comprise linear or polynomial interpolation or extrapolation of the positioning measurement data.

[0136] 10-11 , in some designs, the network component may send one or more network configuration parameters to the wireless node, and the decision at 1030 may be based on the one or more network configuration parameters. For example, the one or more network configuration parameters may specify whether the wireless node applies interpolation or extrapolation with respect to “raw” measurement data or with respect to multiple candidate positioning estimates. In another example, the one or more network configuration parameters may specify one or more interpolation or extrapolation parameters (e.g., whether the interpolation or extrapolation is linear or polynomial, etc.). In another example, the one or more network configuration parameters may specify a set of PRS or SRS-P resources to be used for interpolation or extrapolation (e.g., periodic PRS or SRS-P resources, a mix of periodic and aperiodic PRS or SRS-P resources, etc.).

[0137] 10-11 , in some designs, a wireless node (e.g., a UE 302) may utilize sensors to refine or improve a determined positioning estimate. In a particular example, the UE 302 may include one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs) among the sensors 344, and IMU measurement data may be used to refine the determined positioning estimate.

[0138] 10-11 , in some designs, the wireless node may transmit an indication of wireless node capabilities for performing the determination at 1030. For example, the indication may indicate the wireless node's ability to perform interpolation or extrapolation (e.g., interpolation can be performed down to X ms with a certain level of accuracy, extrapolation can be performed down to Y ms with a certain level of accuracy, etc.). In another example, the indication may indicate different capabilities associated with different accuracy levels (e.g., interpolation can be performed down to X 1 ms with a first accuracy level or X 2 ms with a second accuracy level, extrapolation can be performed down to Y 1 ms with the first accuracy level or Y 2 ms with the second accuracy level, etc.). In some designs, the indication may comprise a dynamic indication of wireless node capabilities, which may be included in the report at 1040 or 1110. For example, various parameters such as UE mobility, channel quality, etc. may dynamically affect wireless node capabilities. In some designs, wireless node capabilities may be determined in time (e.g., in ms or slots) based on a time difference between reference signals (e.g., in FIGS. 12A-12C , this may be applicable to the gap between timeslots 2 and 13), or in time (e.g., in ms or slots) based on a lesser or greater time difference from the reference signal to the target interpolation or extrapolation time (e.g., in FIG. 12A , this may be applicable to the gap between timeslots 2 and 7 or the gap between timeslots 7 and 13; in FIG. 12B , this may be applicable to the gap between timeslots 2 and 17 or the gap between timeslots 1 and 18). In FIG. 12A, the gaps between time slots 2 and 7 and between time slots 7 and 13 may be summed; in FIG. 12B, the gaps between time slots 2 and 17 and between time slots 13 and 17 may be summed; in FIG. 12C, the gaps between time slots 0 and 2 and between time slots 0 and 13 may be summed; in FIG. 12C, the gaps between time slots 0 and 2 and between time slots 0 and 13 may be summed; etc.

[0139] 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 referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0140] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical 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 illustrative 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 varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0141] The various illustrative 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.

[0142] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, 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 the user terminal.

[0143] 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 communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media 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 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 within the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0144] While the above disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can 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 in accordance with 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 100 Wireless Communication System 102 Base station 104 User Equipment (UE) 110 Coverage Area 120 Communication Links 122, 134 backhaul links 150 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Points (APs) 152 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Station (STA) 154 communication links 164 User Equipment (UE) 170 Core Network 172 Location Server 180 mmW base station 182 User Equipment (UE) 184 Millimeter Wave (mmW) Communication Link 190 User Equipment (UE) 192, 194 Device-to-Device (D2D) Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Links 200 Wireless Network Structure 204 User Equipment (UE) 210 Next Generation Core (NGC) 212 User Plane Functions 213 User Plane Interface (NG-U) 214 Control Plane Functions 215 Control Plane Interface (NG-C) 220 New RAN 222 gNB 223 Backhaul Connection 224 eNB 230 Location Server 250 Wireless Network Structure 260 Next Generation Core (NGC) 262 Session Management Facility (SMF) 263 User Plane Interface 264 Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 265 Control Plane Interface 270 Location Management Function (LMF) 302 User Equipment (UE) 304 base station 306 Network Entity 310 Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) Transceiver 312 receiver 314 Transmitter 316 Antenna 318 Signal 320 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Transceiver 322 receiver 324 Transmitter 326 Antenna 328 signal 330 Satellite Positioning System (SPS) Receiver 332 Processing System 334 Data Bus 336 Antenna 338 Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signals 340 Memory Components 342 Positioning Module 344 Sensors 346 User Interface 350 Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) Transceiver 352 receiver 354 Transmitter 356 Antenna 358 Signal 360 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Transceiver 362 Receiver 364 Transmitter 366 Antenna 368 signal 370 Satellite Positioning System (SPS) Receiver 376 Antenna 378 Satellite Positioning System (SPS) signals 380 Network Interface 382 Data Bus 384 Processing Systems 386 Memory Components 388 Positioning Module 389 Positioning Module 390 Network Interface 392 Data Bus 394 Processing Systems 396 Memory Components 399 Positioning Module 500 PRS configuration 518 PRS Positioning Occasion 520 PRS periodicity 552 Cell-specific subframe offset 600 Wireless Communication System 602 base station 604 UE 610 LOS Route 612 NLOS routes 620 DAS / RRH 622 wired or wireless link 630 Object 700 Wireless Communication System 702 base station 704 UE 711~715 Beam 723 NLOS data stream 724 LOS data stream 730 Obstacles 740 Reflector 900 Positioning Configuration 1100 processes 1200A Positioning Configuration 1200B Positioning Configuration 1200C Positioning Configuration

Claims

1. 1. A method implemented by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, by the UE, a request for a positioning estimate of the user equipment (UE) associated with a specified time window, the positioning estimate of the UE being an estimate of the UE's location during the specified time window; performing, by the UE, positioning measurements of one or more downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) resources communicated to the UE at multiple times outside the specified time window; determining, by the UE, the positioning estimate for the UE associated with the specified time window based on the positioning measurements; the UE transmitting a report comprising the determined position estimate of the UE; A method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining step comprises interpolating or extrapolating positioning measurement data associated with the positioning measurement.

3. the positioning measurement data comprises the positioning measurements; or the positioning measurement data comprises a plurality of candidate positioning estimates; The method of claim 2.

4. the specified time window corresponds to a slot; The method of claim 1.

5. the specified time window is after the latest time of the plurality of times; the determining step comprises extrapolating the positioning measurement data. The method of claim 2.

6. the specified time window is before the earliest time of the plurality of times; the determining step comprises extrapolating the positioning measurement data. The method of claim 2.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more positioning measurements include one or more time difference measurements.

8. The method described in claim 1, wherein the one or more positioning measurements include one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements.

9. receiving, by the UE, a second request for a second position estimate for the UE associated with a second specified time window; the UE performing second positioning measurements at a second plurality of times; the UE, in response to a time difference between the second specified time window and any of the second plurality of times being equal to or greater than an interpolation or extrapolation threshold, skipping determination of a second positioning measurement for the UE associated with the specified time window; The method of claim 2 further comprising:

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting an indication of the UE's capability to make the decision.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more network configuration parameters specify a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) occasions on which the plurality of times at which the positioning measurements are performed are based.

12. the UE transmitting an indication of the UE's capability to perform the determining step. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the indication is included in the report as a dynamic indication of the UE's capabilities.

14. A user equipment (UE), means for receiving a request for a position estimate of the UE associated with a specified time window, the position estimate of the UE being an estimate of the UE's location during the specified time window; means for performing positioning measurements on one or more downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) resources communicated to the UE at multiple times outside the specified time window; means for determining the positioning estimate of the UE relative to the specified time window based on the positioning measurements; means for transmitting a report comprising the determined position estimate; UE equipped with.

15. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the positioning estimate is determined via interpolation or extrapolation of positioning measurement data associated with the positioning measurements.

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