Signaling considerations for new radio positioning using separate bandwidth segments.

Abstract

A system, method, and non-transitory medium are disclosed for providing signaling considerations for wireless positioning using separate bandwidth segments. For example, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration can be transmitted by a user equipment. Based on the one or more indications, the user equipment can receive a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration. In response, the user equipment can then determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless positioning, etc. In some implementations, examples are described for enabling wireless positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including interim 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 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 Communications (GSM), etc.

[0003] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile standard calls for higher data rates, more connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard (also known as "New Radio" or "NR") is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to tens of thousands of users, with gigabit connection speeds for dozens of users in a common location, such as an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly increased compared to the current 4G / LTE standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be increased and latency significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] 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.

[0005]

[0009] According to at least one example, a method for wireless positioning is provided that includes transmitting, by a user equipment (UE) device, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration, receiving, at the UE, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration, and determining, at the UE, one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0006] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided that includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor (e.g., configured in a circuit) coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to: transmit, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration; receive, via the transceiver, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and determine, at a user equipment, one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0007] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes at least one instruction stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: send one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration; receive a positioning configuration indicating an isolated bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the isolated bandwidth segment.

[0008] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided, the apparatus including: means for transmitting one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration; means for receiving a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and means for determining one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0009] In another example, a method for wireless positioning is provided that can include receiving, at a base station, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by a user equipment, determining, at the base station, a positioning configuration indicating separate bandwidth segments including positioning reference signals based on the preferred bandwidth configuration, and providing, by the base station, the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segments to the user equipment, for the user equipment to determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separate bandwidth segments.

[0010] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor (e.g., configured in a circuit) coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by a user equipment, determine a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration, and provide, via the transceiver, the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segment to the user equipment, for the user equipment to determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0011] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes at least one instruction stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to receive one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by user equipment; determine a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and provide the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segment to the user equipment so that the user equipment determines one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0012] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided, the apparatus including: means for receiving one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by a user equipment, means for determining a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration, and means for providing the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segment to the user equipment, for the user equipment to determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0013] In another example, a method for wireless positioning is provided that can include receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments, determining, based on the indication of phase coherence, whether to aggregate a reference signal associated with each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments, and, in response to determining that the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, determining, at the user equipment, one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments.

[0014] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided that includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor (e.g., configured in a circuit) coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; determine, based on the indication of phase coherence, whether to aggregate the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments; and, in response to determining that the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, determine one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signals from the plurality of bandwidth segments.

[0015] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes at least one instruction stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to receive an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; determine, based on the indication of phase coherence, whether to aggregate the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments; and, in response to a determination that the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, determine one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signals from the plurality of bandwidth segments.

[0016] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided that includes means for receiving an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments, means for determining whether to aggregate a reference signal associated with each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments based on the indication of phase coherence, and means for determining, in response to a determination that the reference signal associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments.

[0017] In another example, a method for wireless positioning is provided that can include determining, at a base station, an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments, transmitting, by the base station, the indication of phase coherence of the plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, where each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals, and receiving, at the base station, one or more positioning measurements based on an aggregated reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments, where the aggregated reference signal is determined by a user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence.

[0018] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor (e.g., configured in a circuit) coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to: determine an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments, transmit, via the transceiver, the indication of phase coherence of the plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, where each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals, and receive, via the transceiver, one or more positioning measurements based on an aggregate reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments, where the aggregate reference signal is determined by the user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence.

[0019] In another example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided that includes at least one instruction stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to: determine an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; transmit the indication of phase coherence of the plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, where each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals; and receive one or more positioning measurements based on an aggregate reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments, where the aggregate reference signal is determined by user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence.

[0020] In another example, an apparatus for wireless positioning is provided, the apparatus including: means for determining an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; means for transmitting the indication of phase coherence of the plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, where each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals; and means for receiving one or more positioning measurements based on an aggregated reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments, where the aggregated reference signal is determined by a user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence.

[0021] In some aspects, the device is or is part of a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone or so-called "smartphone" or other mobile device), a wearable device, an extended reality device (e.g., a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, or a mixed reality (MR) device), a personal computer, a laptop computer, a vehicle, a server computer, or other device. In some aspects, the device includes a camera or multiple cameras for capturing one or more images. In some aspects, the device further includes a display for displaying one or more images, notifications, and / or other displayable data. In some aspects, the above-described devices can include one or more sensors that can be used to determine the location of the device, the state of the device (e.g., temperature, humidity level, and / or other conditions), and / or for other purposes.

[0022] This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter, which subject matter should be understood by reference to the entire specification of this patent, any or all drawings, and appropriate portions of each claim.

[0023] 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.

[0024] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided only to illustrate, not limit, the aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a computing system of a user equipment according to some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an example diagram of a frame structure in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a radio frequency signal spanning contiguous component carriers to increase the effective bandwidth of the radio frequency signal, resulting in increased accuracy of positioning measurements, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 1A-1C are example graphical illustrations of time-domain waveforms for two separate frequency bands, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a radio frequency (RF) signal received on three separate frequency layers measured over consecutive time periods, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary frequency bands and their associated phase coherence, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B illustrates an example bitmap of the component carrier of FIG. 8A in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates example frequency layers and resources in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary phase coherence group, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 illustrates an example table of comb symbol patterns in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates an example chart of a comb symbol pattern in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]1 is a flow diagram of an example process for performing wireless positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments by user equipment in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 is an example flow diagram of a process for performing wireless positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments by a base station in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is an example flow diagram of a process for performing wireless positioning with phase coherence and separated bandwidth segments by a user equipment in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is an example flow diagram of a process for implementing wireless positioning with phase coherence and separated bandwidth segments by a base station in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computing system according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Some aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure are provided below 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. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, some of the aspects and embodiments described herein may be applied independently, and some of them may be applied in combination. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it will be apparent that various embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. The figures and description are not intended to be limiting.

[0027] The following description provides exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather, the following description of exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the exemplary embodiments. It will be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, as set forth in the appended claims.

[0028] The terms "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 described feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0029] Systems, apparatuses, processes (also referred to as methods), and computer-readable media (collectively referred to herein as “systems and techniques”) are described for signaling consideration operations for New Radio Positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments. As described in more detail below, the systems and techniques enable a network (e.g., a base station, New Radio, gNodeB, etc.) to utilize disjoint bandwidth segments (e.g., frequencies, frequency bands, frequency layers and resources, component carriers, etc.) to better communicate with one or more user equipment (UE) devices with desired resources and configurations (e.g., when a wider aggregate bandwidth is needed to meet target accuracy requirements). For example, a UE can process aggregate bandwidth from the disjoint frequency bands.

[0030] In some examples, the UE may provide information indicating one or more bandwidth implementations and / or algorithms that the UE can use to process aggregate bandwidth from disjoint frequency bands. For example, the UE may determine a preferred bandwidth implementation for signaling considerations and provide the preferred bandwidth implementation to a base station, a location server, and / or other network entity. The signaling considerations for positioning may include which signals, resources, frequency layers, frequencies, frequency bands, bandwidths, and / or component carriers to utilize for positioning purposes (e.g., positioning reference signal resources). The UE may receive an allocation of disjoint bandwidth segments for wireless positioning based on the preferred bandwidth implementation and may utilize the disjoint bandwidth segment allocation in the downlink to receive positioning data from a base station.

[0031] In some examples, a UE is configured with multiple frequency layers. For each layer, there may be multiple transmit / receive points (TRPs) associated with the base station, and each TRP may have multiple resources. As described below, a TRP may include one or more antennas of the base station. The base station may provide the UE with an indication (e.g., through signaling) of phase coherence information associated with multiple frequency layers and / or resources of the multiple frequency layers. In some examples, the indication of phase coherence may be provided using various signaling mechanisms, such as sending a list of indicators (e.g., Boolean indicators), a bitmap (or bit array), one or more lists, and / or other signaling mechanisms. Using an explicit indication of whether phase coherence exists across multiple frequency layers and / or resources, the UE may, for example, group frequency adjacent layers with coherent phases into one or more larger bandwidth units prior to wireless position estimation (e.g., time of arrival (ToA) estimation), etc. Using larger bandwidth units may improve the accuracy of wireless position estimation.

[0032] Additional aspects of the disclosure are described in more detail below.

[0033] 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, and / or a tracking device, etc.), a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses, a wearable ring, an extended reality (XR) device such as a virtual reality (VR) headset, an augmented reality (AR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), and / or 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,” a “client device,” a “wireless device,” a “subscriber device,” a “subscriber terminal,” a “subscriber station,” a “user terminal” or “UT,” a “mobile device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station,” or variations thereof. In general, 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 the IEEE 802.11 communications standard), etc.

[0034] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs with which it communicates with the UE, 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), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A 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.). A communication link through which a base station can send signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink, reverse or downlink, and / or forward traffic channel.

[0035] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmission / reception point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the base station's antenna corresponding to the base station's cell (or several cell sectors). When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be the base station's antenna array (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-co-located 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-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and neighboring base stations whose reference RF signals (or simply "reference signals") the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as references to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0036] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support a data connection, a voice connection, and / or a signaling connection for the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0037] A radio frequency signal or "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, 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 on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0038] 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 an aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0039] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170). 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 or 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired and / or wireless.

[0040] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate 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), a cell global identifier (CGI)) 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 one or both of the logical communication entity and its supporting base station, depending on the context. Additionally, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably, as a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, so long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0041] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in 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 known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home eNBs (HeNBs), which may serve limited groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0042] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also called reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or downlink (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 the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0043] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a wireless local area network (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. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include devices (e.g., UEs, etc.) that communicate with one or more UEs 104, base stations 102, APs 150, etc. utilizing an ultra-wideband (UWB) spectrum. The UWB spectrum may range from 3.1 to 10.5 GHz.

[0044] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed frequency spectrum and / or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may utilize 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 and / or 5G in the unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MultiFire.

[0045] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate at millimeter-wave (mmW) and / or sub-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band 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 and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW and / or sub-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 extremely high 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 sub-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the above illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0046] 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 it in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and launches a stronger downlink RF signal in that particular direction, thereby providing a faster speed and a 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 beams of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitter 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.

[0047] Transmit beams may be quasi-collocated, meaning that they appear to a receiver (e.g., a UE) as having the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically collocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship 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.

[0048] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than that of beams along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to that of other 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.

[0049] The receive beams may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal can 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 one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a PTRS, etc.) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0050] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0051] 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 carriers all carry common and UE-specific control channels and may (but are not always) be carriers in licensed frequencies. The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in 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 applies to 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 a PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency and / or component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0052] For example, still referring to FIG. 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or “PCell”), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers (“SCells”). In carrier aggregation, the base station 102 and / or the UE 104 may use spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100 MHz) per carrier, up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers), for transmission in each direction. The component carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other in the frequency spectrum. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink). 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 (ie, 40 MHz) compared to that achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0053] To operate on multiple carrier frequencies, the base station 102 and / or the UE 104 are equipped with multiple receivers and / or transmitters. For example, the UE 104 may have two receivers, “Receiver 1” and “Receiver 2,” where “Receiver 1” is a multi-band receiver capable of tuning to band (i.e., carrier frequency) “X” or band “Y,” and “Receiver 2” is a single-band receiver capable of tuning only to band “Z.” In this example, if the UE 104 is served in band “X,” band “X” would be referred to as the PCell or active carrier frequency, and “Receiver 1” would need to tune from band “X” to band “Y” (the SCell) to measure band “Y” (and vice versa). In contrast, regardless of whether the UE 104 is served in band “X” or band “Y,” the separate “Receiver 2” allows the UE 104 to measure band “Z” without interrupting service on band “X” or “Y.”

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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 (referred to as “sidelinks”). In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), Bluetooth®, etc.

[0056] According to various aspects, FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) 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 a gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, an ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both an ng-eNB 224 and a gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1).

[0057] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated with components of the core network or alternatively, may be external to the core network. In some examples, the location server 230 may be operated by the carrier or provider of the 5GC 210, a third party, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), or other party. In some cases, multiple location servers may be provided, such as a carrier's location server, a location server of the OEM of a particular device, and / or other location servers. In such cases, location assistance data may be received from the carrier's location server and other assistance data may be received from the OEM's location server.

[0058] According to various aspects, FIG. 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, the 5GC 260 may be viewed functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). The base stations of the New RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via an N3 interface.

[0059] The AMF 264 functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264 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 264 also includes location service management for regulated services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as the location server 230), transport for location service messages between the New RAN 220 and the LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0060] The functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), routing and forwarding 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., uplink and / or downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272.

[0061] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and part of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0062] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, while the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and the UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B) via the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0063] In one aspect, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be integrated with a base station, such as the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224. When integrated with the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be referred to as a "location management component" or "LMC." However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 include both instances where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a core network (e.g., the 5GC 260) and instances where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a base station.

[0064] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a computing system 370 of a user equipment (UE) 307. In some examples, the UE 307 may include a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses, an XR device, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, and / or other device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The computing system 370 includes software and hardware components that may be electrically coupled (or otherwise in communication, as appropriate) via a bus 389. For example, the computing system 370 includes one or more processors 384. The one or more processors 384 may include one or more CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, APs, GPUs, VPUs, NSPs, microcontrollers, dedicated hardware, any combination thereof, and / or other processing devices or systems. The bus 389 may be used by the one or more processors 384 for communication between cores and / or with one or more memory devices 386.

[0065] The computing system 370 may also include one or more memory devices 386, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs) 382, ​​one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs) 374, one or more modems 376, one or more wireless transceivers 378, an antenna 387, one or more input devices 372 (e.g., a camera, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a touchpad, a keypad, a microphone, etc.), and one or more output devices 380 (e.g., a display, a speaker, a printer, etc.).

[0066] The one or more wireless transceivers 378 may transmit and receive wireless signals (e.g., signals 388) to and from one or more other devices, such as one or more other UEs, network devices (e.g., base stations such as eNBs and / or gNBs, WiFi routers, etc.), cloud networks, etc., via antennas 387. As described herein, the one or more wireless transceivers 378 may include a combined transmitter / receiver, separate transmitters, separate receivers, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the computing system 370 may include multiple antennas. The wireless signals 388 may be transmitted over a wireless network. The wireless network may be any wireless network, such as a cellular or communication network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), a wireless local area network (e.g., a WiFi network), a Bluetooth™ network, and / or other network. In some examples, the one or more wireless transceivers 378 may include a radio frequency (RF) front end that includes one or more components such as an amplifier, a mixer (also called a signal multiplier) for signal downconversion, a frequency synthesizer (also called an oscillator) that provides a signal to the mixer, a baseband filter, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), one or more power amplifiers, etc. The RF front end can generally handle the selection and conversion of the wireless signal 388 to baseband or an intermediate frequency and can convert the RF signal to the digital domain, among other components.

[0067] In some cases, the computing system 370 may include a coding-decoding device (or CODEC) configured to encode and / or decode data transmitted and / or received using one or more wireless transceivers 378. In some cases, the computing system 370 may include an encryption-decryption device or component configured to encrypt and / or decrypt data transmitted and / or received by the one or more wireless transceivers 378 (e.g., according to the AES and / or DES standards).

[0068] The one or more SIMs 374 can each securely store an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) number and associated keys assigned to a user of the UE 307. The IMSI and keys can be used to identify and authenticate a subscriber when accessing a network provided by a network service provider or operator associated with the one or more SIMs 374. The one or more modems 376 can modulate one or more signals to encode information for transmission using one or more wireless transceivers 378. The one or more modems 376 can also demodulate signals received by the one or more wireless transceivers 378 to decode the transmitted information. In some examples, the one or more modems 376 can include a 4G (or LTE) modem, a 5G (or NR) modem, a Bluetooth™ modem, a modem configured for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, and / or other types of modems. In some examples, the one or more modems 376 and the one or more wireless transceivers 378 can be used to communicate data for the one or more SIMs 374.

[0069] The computing system 370 may also include (and / or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory machine-readable storage media or devices (e.g., one or more memory devices 386), which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM that may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0070] In various embodiments, the functions may be stored in one or more computer program products (e.g., instructions or code) in memory device 386 and executed by one or more processors 384 and / or one or more DSPs 382. Computing system 370 may also include software elements (e.g., located in one or more memory devices 386) including, for example, an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may comprise computer programs that perform the functions provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement the methods and / or configure the systems described herein.

[0071] As mentioned above, carrier aggregation is a technique that allows a UE (e.g., the UE 307) to simultaneously receive and / or transmit on multiple carrier frequencies, thereby increasing downlink and uplink data rates. In some cases, the UE 307 can simultaneously utilize a first radio to tune to one carrier frequency (e.g., an anchor carrier) and a second radio to tune to a different carrier frequency (e.g., a secondary carrier). In addition, each of the first radio and the second radio may be tunable to multiple different frequencies at once.

[0072] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of the disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0073] LTE, and possibly NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM 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.

[0074] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ). For example, subcarrier spacings (SCS) of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz or more may be available. Table 1 below lists some of the various parameters for different NR numerologies.

[0075] [Table 1]

[0076] In one example, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figure 4, 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.

[0077] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, with each time slot including 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 FIG. 4, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain 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.

[0078] Some of the REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4 shows example locations of REs carrying DL-RS (labeled "R").

[0079] A set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting a PRS is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. Within a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0080] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a particular comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N," a PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb 4, for each fourth symbol of the PRS resource configuration, REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, and 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb 2, comb 4, comb 6, and comb 12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 4 shows an example PRS resource configuration for comb 6 (spanning six symbols). That is, the location of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicates the comb 6 PRS resource configuration.

[0081] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, PRS resources within a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, PRS resources within a PRS resource set have the same periodicity across slots, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor). Periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. Periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. μ The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, μ=0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0082] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (when the TRP may transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and thus a "PRS resource" or simply a "resource" may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not have any implications on whether the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0083] A "PRS instance" or "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous slots) during which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning occasion," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning occasion," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply an "occasion," "instance," or "repetition."

[0084] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply referred to as a "frequency layer" or "layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for several parameters. In particular, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all numerologies supported for PDSCH are also supported for PRS), the same Point A, the same value of downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The Point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "absolute radio frequency channel number"), which is an identifier and / or code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth may have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers are defined, and up to two PRS resource sets per TRP per frequency layer can be configured.

[0085] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of a component carrier and bandwidth portion (BWP), but differs in that a component carrier and BWP are used by one base station (or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit a data channel, while a frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit a PRS. A UE may indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when it sends its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session. For example, the UE may indicate whether it can support one positioning frequency layer or four positioning frequency layers.

[0086] In some implementations, NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, a UE measures the differences between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, NRS, CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from pairs of base stations, called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE. For DL-AoD positioning, the base station measures the angle and other channel characteristics (e.g., signal strength) of the downlink transmit beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0087] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, the base station measures the angle and other channel characteristics (e.g., gain level) of the uplink receive beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0088] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include extended cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also called "multi-cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, an initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a responder (UE or base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called a reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) measurement. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called a "Tx-Rx" measurement. The propagation time (also called "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx measurement and the Rx-Tx measurement. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and responder can be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations to allow the UE's location to be triangulated based on the known locations of the base stations. RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy.

[0089] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identities, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0090] To assist positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230 of FIG. 2A , LMF 270 of FIG. 2B , etc.) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include identifiers of base stations (or base station cells and / or TRPs) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using assistance data.

[0091] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be urban and comprise a street address, postal address, or some other description of the location. A location estimate may also be specified relative to some other known location or may be specified in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and / or altitude). A location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume that the location is expected to fall within, with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0092] Techniques are needed to support the high accuracy (horizontal and vertical), low latency, network efficiency (scalability, RS overhead, etc.), and device efficiency (power consumption, complexity, etc.) requirements of commercial positioning use cases (including commercial use cases in general and (I)IoT use cases specifically). For example, with reference to accuracy requirements, the accuracy of a location estimate depends on the accuracy of positioning measurements (e.g., ToA, TDoA, etc.) determined based on one or more received positioning reference signals (PRS). The higher the bandwidth of the PRS, the more accurate the positioning measurements.

[0093] As mentioned above, systems and techniques for implementing multi-frequency layer PRS stitching to increase the bandwidth of a PRS are described herein. Multi-frequency layer PRS stitching enables location measurements using PRS resources spanning contiguous component carriers. In some cases, multi-frequency layer PRS stitching can enable location measurements using PRS resources spanning discontinuous frequencies or component carriers (e.g., for devices that support a smaller bandwidth but can hop across bandwidths provided by a gNB or other network entity). For example, if a UE supports 20 MHz but the gNB supports 100 MHz, the UE can only occupy 20 MHz at a time but can move across 100 MHz over time. Spanning such contiguous or discontinuous component carriers can increase the effective PRS bandwidth, as shown in FIG. 5, resulting in increased positioning measurement accuracy. For example, a component carrier can be defined as 100 MHz. Using three component carriers as in the example of FIG. 5 results in an effective measurement PRS bandwidth of 300 MHz. When implementing multi-frequency layer PRS stitching, it is necessary to define assumptions between consecutive component carriers (e.g., QCL, same antenna port, etc.) so that the effective PRS bandwidth can be increased (for both UL-PRS and DL-PRS). The aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources transmitted from the same TRP so that the UE can assume that the same antenna port is transmitting. Each PRS resource of the aggregated PRS is referred to herein as a PRS component. Each PRS component may be physically transmitted on a different component carrier, band, frequency layer, or different bandwidth on the same band.

[0094] Bandwidth is a critical resource for achieving greater accuracy in ToA estimation. However, network operators typically do not own large, contiguous portions of available bandwidth. Instead, smaller portions of fragmented carrier bandwidth are typically allocated across multiple carrier bands. Therefore, by effectively aggregating and utilizing bandwidth slices across multiple separate bands, it may be possible to perform high-accuracy positioning in wireless networks (e.g., 5G networks). Additionally, being able to aggregate bandwidth across multiple separate bands or across multiple measurements over time can enable faster and more accurate position determination compared to having to repeatedly perform measurements of multiple separate bands until the desired accuracy is achieved. Additionally, bandwidth aggregation allows carriers to reduce costs by purchasing fragmented spectrum and allows them to use that spectrum vertically when high accuracy and low latency are needed, such as in automotive and IIOT use cases.

[0095] Time-domain based approaches pose challenges for determining the ToA of a PRS across discontinuous bandwidths. For example, it is difficult to distinguish the main lobe from the side lobes for channels with more than two taps. This is illustrated in FIG. 6, which is a graph showing example time-domain waveforms for two separate bands. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the peaks in Band 1 are easily distinguishable, while the peaks for the combination of Band 1 and Band 2 are not. In addition to the time-domain challenges associated with identifying the earliest peak for accurate ToA estimation, phase coherence is also a challenge.

[0096] Under certain conditions, such as devices with limited bandwidth support, a UE cannot perform simultaneous measurements of resources on multiple different frequency layers. As a result, timing measurements on each frequency layer are performed in a time division multiplexed (TDM) manner, as shown in Figure 7. Specifically, Figure 7 shows an example of an RF signal (e.g., a PRS) received on three separate frequency layers measured in consecutive, non-simultaneous time periods. The plot shown in Figure 7 has time (t) on the x-axis and frequency (f) on the y-axis.

[0097] A strategy for high-precision positioning can include developing solutions that can support the high accuracy (horizontal and vertical), low latency, network efficiency (e.g., scalability, reference signal (RS) overhead, etc.), and device efficiency (e.g., power consumption, complexity, etc.) requirements of commercial use cases (including general commercial use cases and IoT-specific use cases). Such solutions can be developed by evaluating achievable positioning accuracy and latency in specific scenarios (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT) scenarios, etc.) and identifying performance gaps. Other examples include identifying and evaluating positioning techniques, DL / UL positioning reference signals, signaling, and procedures for improved accuracy, reduced latency, network efficiency, and device efficiency. Enhancements in positioning techniques can also be prioritized.

[0098] In some instances, as described herein, signaling may be required for positioning when utilizing aggregated bandwidth. The aggregated bandwidth may include bandwidth segments joined in the frequency domain. The system and / or UE may utilize advanced processing techniques to aggregate and combine bandwidth segments, which may include disjoint bandwidth segments. While the bandwidth segments may be disjoint, the system / network and / or UE may combine component carriers, frequency bands, and / or resources within a frequency band to combine the disjoint bandwidth segments and improve positioning accuracy. By utilizing disjoint bandwidth segments, the system / network and UE may achieve higher accuracy while reducing latency.

[0099] In communications and signal processing, converting a wideband frequency domain to the time domain results in a narrow impulse function. The wider the bandwidth in the frequency domain, the narrower the impulse in the time domain. For example, given a wider bandwidth, there are two propagation paths for transmission and reception. One propagation path is line-of-sight from transmission to reception, while the second propagation path may be a reflection. These two propagation paths can be separated in the time domain by a relative delay. If the separation between these two propagation paths is large enough, the two propagation paths can be distinguished in the time domain. However, if these two paths are close to each other, the two propagation paths may be indistinguishable depending on the width of the impulse function in the time domain. If the two propagation paths cannot be distinguished, the resolution in the time domain will be unsatisfactory. Therefore, improved accuracy can be achieved if there is better resolution in the time domain. For fully continuous wide bandwidths, this may not be an issue. However, as described in this disclosure, in cases where the bandwidth includes separate segments, stitching the separate segments (e.g., different, separate bands) can allow for greater bandwidth utilization, thereby improving the accuracy of arrival time estimation.

[0100] For New Radio (NR) wireless positioning, a "positioning frequency layer" may be a collection of downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) resource sets across one or more transmit / receive points (TRPs), which may include the same numerology (e.g., sounding reference signal (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same carrier frequency (e.g., center frequency), and the same starting point (e.g., point A). DL PRS resource sets can belong to the same positioning frequency layer while having the same values ​​of DL PRS bandwidth and starting physical resource block (PRB). DL PRS resource sets can also belong to the same positioning frequency layer while having the same numerology (e.g., comb size value).

[0101] At a high level, a frequency layer can include a frequency region or resource (e.g., bandwidth) that can be shared across multiple TRPs and utilized for transmitting on downlink PRS resources. A UE can perform measurements across that bandwidth and derive a channel impulse response based on the channel measurements. The resulting time-domain waveform can be analyzed to identify the arrival time of a signal, which can then be used to inform a triangulation algorithm for calculating the UE's location. For example, a TRP can utilize the bandwidth to send a signal (e.g., a PRS) to the UE, and the UE can then measure the signal and estimate the arrival time of the signal. The bandwidth of one illustrative example can be 400 MHz. By having a wider effective bandwidth, e.g., by aggregating separate bandwidth segments, better performance can be achieved when utilizing a triangulation algorithm in conjunction with TOA estimation.

[0102] In some examples, the systems and techniques described herein can utilize multi-frequency layer PRS stitching to achieve higher positioning accuracy. Multi-frequency layer PRS stitching can include enabling positioning measurements using PRSs across consecutive component carriers (CCs), as shown in FIG. 5. Increased time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement accuracy can be achieved by increasing the effective PRS bandwidth. Appropriate assumptions between consecutive CCs can be defined (e.g., QCL, same antenna port, etc.) so that the effective PRS bandwidth can be increased (e.g., for both UL and DL PRS).

[0103] In some examples, systems and techniques can stitch discontinuous CCs to form a separate frequency band. Each of the CCs in a separate frequency band can be discontinuous with one another, or a CC can be discontinuous from other CCs that are contiguous with one another. In some cases, CCs can be intra-band or inter-band. In cases where an antenna is pseudo-located, measurements can be performed on multiple different CCs to stitch a wide bandwidth. In some examples, phase coherence across multiple CCs can be used to determine which frequencies to combine into a wide bandwidth. For example, if two PRS CCs are not in phase and therefore phase coherent when positioning measurements are performed (e.g., one measurement in an upper portion of a wider bandwidth and another measurement in a lower portion of the wider bandwidth), the result will not be a proper impulse response in the time domain (e.g., when the CCs are transformed into the time domain) because there is a break or discontinuity between the upper and lower portions. In such cases, existing algorithms cannot combine two measurements from bandwidth portions that are not in phase, and the combined CC cannot be used for positioning. By determining CCs that are phase coherent, a UE or other device can use separate or discontinuous CCs (with phase coherence) for positioning.

[0104] By utilizing the wide bandwidth of separate (e.g., non-contiguous) CCs, better resolution and more accurate positioning are possible in the time domain, for example, when using a positioning algorithm. In some instances, when a frequency-domain channel response is observed, a frequency-domain-based algorithm can be used to determine which frequencies and CCs should be stitched into separate frequency bands. When a frequency-domain channel response is observed, a time-domain-based algorithm can be used to determine which frequencies and / or CCs should be stitched into separate frequency bands. However, depending on the desired implementation, either type of frequency- and / or time-domain-based algorithm can be used for both domain types.

[0105] One example of an algorithm that can be utilized to stitch discontinuous frequencies and / or CCs is the matrix-pencil algorithm. The matrix-pencil is used to represent the power delay profile (PDP) of an RF signal in the frequency domain. The PDP of an RF signal indicates the strength of the RF signal as a function of time delay when received through a multipath channel. The frequency-domain representation of the PDP of an RF signal using the matrix-pencil is given as follows:

[0106]

number

[0107] where k is the subcarrier index, n is the channel tap index, r is the total number of taps, j is the imaginary part of the complex number, and τ n is the delay of the nth path, and d n is the complex amplitude of the nth path, and Δf is the subcarrier spacing.

[0108] The matrix representation is as follows: X=V L×r ×d

[0109] During the ceremony,

[0110]

number

[0111] Also, in the formula,

[0112]

number

[0113] In the above formula, V L×r is the Vandermonde matrix.

[0114] An aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources transmitted from the same TRP such that the UE can assume that the same antenna port is transmitting. Each PRS resource of the aggregated PRS may be referred to as a PRS component. Each PRS component may be physically transmitted on a different component carrier, band, frequency layer, and / or on the same band but different bandwidth.

[0115] Bandwidth is a key component for high positioning accuracy. However, due to a scarcity of frequency resources, the total bandwidth owned by an operator is usually fragmented. To fully utilize the available bandwidth across disjoint bands, an operator can jointly process measurements across the aggregated bandwidth based on the systems and techniques described herein. As described herein, different algorithms may be implemented by different UEs to provide better performance. In some cases, UEs may have different UE preferences based on the particular algorithm used by the UE or to provide better performance. Such preferences may include, among other things, preferences for PRS resource configurations (e.g., band combinations, numerology, comb symbol patterns, etc.), preferences regarding the ability to exploit phase coherence across disjoint resources.

[0116] By being able to utilize UE preferences and capabilities as described herein, the network can better communicate with the UE with the desired resources and configuration when a wider aggregate bandwidth is needed to meet target accuracy requirements. New signaling information that can be provided in accordance with the systems and techniques described herein can include UE preferences for PRS resource configurations across disjoint bandwidths, the UE's ability to utilize phase coherence between frequency-separated PRS resources, and / or other information discussed further in this disclosure. The new signaling information communicated to the network enables the Location Management Function (LMF) and gNB to better serve UEs when disjoint bandwidths are allocated for increased accuracy.

[0117] Each frequency layer carrying one or more PRS resources may be separate from other frequency layers carrying one or more PRS resources, or different groups of frequency layers may be contiguous with each other but separate from other groups of frequency layers.

[0118] In some instances, phase coherence may be essential information for joint processing of PRS measurements across multiple frequency layers. For example, when consistent timing and phase are applicable across multiple PRS resources, measurements across contiguous bandwidth segments allocated to different frequency layers and / or resources can be effectively "stitched" into a single wider bandwidth. Examples of "stitching" include combining, adding, supplementing, allocating, grouping, and / or assigning frequencies, frequency bands, or CCs, as described herein.

[0119] Different CCs may utilize different transceivers and thus have different oscillators. Therefore, the phase of each CC may be different. For example, there may be a phase difference (Δphase) across the measurements of different CCs. When CCs of different phases are stitched together, the CCs may not be aligned. Because different clocks may be associated with each of the CCs, the timing of the measurements of the CCs may also be different. In these instances, phase coherence or timing coherence becomes an important factor, and procedures may be implemented to align the phase and / or timing coherence.

[0120] When receiving DL PRS resources, the UE may not be aware of whether resources belonging to two frequency layers are phase coherent. Thus, by default, the UE may assume that phase coherence is not applicable because a wide bandwidth may not be effective if the frequency layers are not phase coherent. While a wide bandwidth with non-phase coherent frequency layers may still be usable, the wide bandwidth with non-phase coherent frequency layers may not be as efficient or accurate as taking measurements individually from each of the non-phase coherent frequency layers, which may result in performance degradation. In another example, if the UE is not aware that the frequency resources are phase coherent, the UE may not be able to stitch frequency-contiguous resources into a single larger bandwidth, even when phase coherence exists.

[0121] In some cases, the network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) may send an explicit indication (e.g., an indication including calibration information) to the UE regarding whether phase coherence (e.g., Δphase) exists across frequency layers and resources. Such an explicit indication may enable the UE to group or adjust adjacent layers that are phase coherent into larger bandwidth pieces before estimating the TOA, thereby improving the accuracy of the TOA and / or associated location estimate. In some cases, the network may send explicit instructions to the UE to provide phase coherence information for frequency layers and resources. The UE may then use the phase coherence information to determine which frequencies to utilize as a single larger bandwidth. The UE may also receive an indication from the network of which frequencies to combine into a larger bandwidth based on the phase coherence information determined by the network.

[0122] In some instances, a UE may be configured to operate with multiple frequency layers (e.g., at lower and higher frequency layers). In some cases, there may be multiple TRPs for each frequency layer, with each TRP having multiple resources. Phase coherence information for the TRPs may be conveyed from the network to the UE according to the following example:

[0123] In one example, if the phase is consistent across multiple resources in each frequency layer, the network may transmit information to the UE indicating whether the TRP has any layers with multiple different phases (e.g., a layer-based approach). In this example, the UE assumes that the phase is consistent across resources of each respective frequency layer. Alternatively, the UE may assume that the resources of each respective frequency layer are not phase coherent and may wait to receive phase coherence information from the network. The information may be transmitted from the network to the UE using various methods. For example, the network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) may transmit a list of indicators (e.g., Boolean indicators), a bit array (or bitmap) of frequency layers, a list of frequency layers and resources of frequency layers that are phase coherent, or any combination thereof.

[0124] For example, the list of Boolean indicators may include a list of frequency layers and corresponding Boolean indicators. The Boolean indicator may indicate whether any of the frequency layers are phase coherent. A Boolean indicator may be associated with each pair of frequency layers of a TRP. In some instances, the frequency layers of each pair may be phase coherent with each other, as shown in FIG. 8A (discussed below). In some cases, the Boolean indicator may be associated with a bitmap. In one illustrative example, the list of Boolean indicators may include four frequency layers with six different pairs and a 6-bit long bitmap. The bitmap may include values ​​such as 0 and 1 that may indicate which frequency layers are phase coherent (e.g., one value such as 0 indicates phase coherence with the preceding frequency layer, and another value such as 1 indicates non-phase coherence with the preceding frequency layer). Furthermore, based on the bitmap of the list of Boolean indicators, the UE may determine which frequency layers and their corresponding resources are phase coherent. The list of frequency layers and their corresponding Boolean indicators may be an exhaustive list of frequency layers indicating which frequency layers are phase coherent and / or which frequency layers to combine.

[0125] FIG. 8A illustrates exemplary frequency bands and their associated phase coherence, according to some examples of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8A, consecutive phase-coherent frequency bands are shown in the same pattern. In this example, four frequency layers are shown over four separate bandwidth segments. Two pairs of frequency bands are shown as CC0:CC1 and CC2:CC3. Component carriers CC0 and CC1 are phase-coherent with each other, and CC2 and CC3 are phase-coherent with each other. In this example, CC0 and CC1 are not phase-coherent with CC2 and CC3. As shown in FIG. 8A, a bitmap 802 provides an indication of phase coherence between various frequency bands (e.g., CC0, CC1, CC2, and CC3). For example, the bitmap 802 may include an (n-1)-bit array with n frequency layers (n=4 for the four frequency layers shown in FIG. 8A). Fewer or more bits, such as 5 bits, 8 bits, 10 bits, or other numbers of bits, may be provided in some examples, which may depend on the number of frequencies or component carriers in some cases. The nth bit may be set to 1 if the (n+1)th layer is phase coherent with the nth layer and may be set to 0 if the (n+1)th layer is not phase coherent with the nth layer. As shown in FIG. 8A, the bitmap includes three bit values, including a bit value of 1 for CC1, a bit value of 0 for CC2, and a bit value of 1 for CC3. The bit value of 1 for CC1 indicates that CC1 is phase coherent with CC0. The bit value of 0 for CC2 indicates that CC2 is not phase coherent with CC1. The bit value of 1 for CC3 indicates that CC3 is phase coherent with CC2.In some examples, the bitmap 802 may include a group value or designation for each component carrier to indicate one or more groups of component carriers that are phase coherent (e.g., CC0 and CC1 may be phase coherent and have a common group designation or value, CC2 and CC3 may be phase coherent and have a common group designation or value, etc.).

[0126] FIG. 8B is a table further illustrating a bitmap 802 of the component carriers of FIG. 8A , according to some examples of the present disclosure. Similar to the bitmap 802 of FIG. 8A , this bitmap may include an (n−1)-bit array having n frequency layers (e.g., four frequency layers as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B ), where the nth bit may be set to 1 if the (n+1)th layer is phase coherent with the nth layer and to 0 if the (n+1)th layer is not phase coherent with the nth layer. As shown in FIG. 8B , CC1 may include a bit value of 1 (CC1: 1), CC2 may include a bit value of 0 (CC2: 0), and CC3 may include a bit value of 1 (CC3: 1). While the example bitmap 802 of FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B includes three bits, some examples may provide fewer or more bits, which may depend on the number of frequencies or component carriers. 8B, the bitmap 802 may also include a group value (which may be predetermined) to indicate one or more groups of component carriers that are phase coherent and therefore can be grouped together into a larger bandwidth. For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, CC0 and CC1, which are phase coherent, are in a first group (having a group value of 1), and CC2 and CC3, which are phase coherent, are in a second group (having a group value of 2). In some cases, CC0 may not include a bit value but may include a group value of 1.

[0127] A network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) may send bitmap 802 to a UE as an explicit indication of whether phase coherence (e.g., Δphase) exists across component carriers CC0, CC1, CC2, and CC3. Using the information in bitmap 802, the UE may group or adjust adjacent layers that are phase coherent into larger bandwidth pieces before determining its positioning (e.g., by estimating TOAs). Using the information provided by the bitmap of FIG. 8A , the UE may stitch CC0 and CC1 together (based on determining a bit value of 1 for CC1 or a group value of 1 for CC0 and CC1, indicating that CC1 and CC0 are phase coherent) and / or stitch CC2 and CC3 together (based on determining a bit value of 1 for CC3 or a group value of 2 for CC2 and CC3, indicating that CC3 and CC2 are phase coherent) to form a larger bandwidth.

[0128] In some cases, an indication of phase coherence can be signaled when the phase varies across resources of one or more TRPs. For example, if the phase also varies across resources of one TRP, the network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) can signal information to the UE indicating that the TRP has different phases across different resources and layers. In some examples, the information can be transmitted to the UE in one or more lists. For example, each list can include information summarizing groups of frequency layers and resources that are phase coherent. The lists need not be exhaustive and can include specific frequency layers and resources. Illustrative examples are provided with respect to Figures 9 and 10.

[0129] FIG. 9 illustrates example frequency layers and resources (e.g., resources 1-6) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. For example, FIG. 9 illustrates two frequency layers (including frequency layer 0 and frequency layer 1) and three corresponding resources on each frequency layer (including resources 1, 2, and 3 on frequency layer 0 and resources 4, 5, and 6 on frequency layer 1). In this example, two frequency layers with three resources each provide six different combinations of phase coherence relationships. As mentioned above, if the phase also varies across the resources of one TRP, the network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) can signal information to the UE indicating that the TRP has different phases across different resources and layers. For example, referring to FIG. 9, if resource n (e.g., resource 1, 2, or 3) of frequency layer 0 and resource m (e.g., resource 4, 5, or 6) of frequency layer 1 are not on any common list, the UE considers resource n of frequency layer 1 and resource m of frequency layer 2 to be not phase coherent.

[0130] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary phase coherence group 1005 for the frequency layers and resources shown in FIG. 9 . For example, FIG. 10 illustrates groups of resources with their corresponding phases. For example, group 0 includes resource 1, group 1 includes resources 2 and 4, group 2 includes resources 3 and 5, and group 3 includes resource 6. FIG. 10 further illustrates a phase coherence list 1010 including group 1 and group 2 from phase coherence group 1005 with the phase-coherent resources, with single-member groups omitted from the phase coherence list. In the example shown in FIG. 10 , group 1 (including resource 2 from frequency layer 0 and resource 4 from frequency layer 1) and group 2 (including resource 3 from frequency layer 0 and resource 5 from frequency layer 1) are listed as groups that are phase coherent. Once the phase coherence list (e.g., phase coherence list 1010) is generated by the network, the network can transmit the phase coherence list to the UE. Based on the information in the phase coherence list, the UE can determine a list of groups of resources that are phase coherent. Using the separate phase coherent resources identified in the phase coherence list, the UE can triangulate its position and / or exchange positioning data with the network.

[0131] In some examples, the UE may implement different algorithms to process the aggregated bandwidth over separate bands, such as by implementing PRS stitching. To obtain better performance or algorithmic demands (e.g., PRS in the downlink or SRS in the uplink), the UE may have a specific bandwidth implementation preference and provide this bandwidth implementation preference to the network to determine which frequency band to allocate to the UE. In some examples, the UE may include an information element (IE) and a control element (CE) in a signaling message to indicate its configuration preference for PRS stitching. The UE may send a signaling message with the information or control element to the network (e.g., to a base station, location server, or other network entity). For the uplink from the UE to the network (e.g., within one or more SRS resources), transmission may be initiated by the UE instead of the network. In some cases, the UE may provide a timing difference to the TRP when used to transmit data. An exemplary set of parameters including various signaling methods is described below, where the parameters can be explicitly signaled or can be implicitly derived by the UE (in this case, no information elements (IEs) are explicitly signaled).

[0132] Explicit signaling is when the UE transmits information including its explicit implementation preferences to the network (e.g., a base station such as a gNB, a location server or LMF, and / or other network entity), such as by signaling one or more IEs indicating the implementation preferences. The explicit signaling (e.g., one or more IEs) can be provided in a Master Information Block (MIB), a System Information Block (SIB), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a MAC Control Element (MAC-CE), a Downlink Control Information (DCI), and / or other signaling messages or resources. Implicit derivation is when the network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) implies that the UE has a particular preference based on information signaled or not signaled by the UE. Implicit derivation can also be defined as a default signaling implementation (not based on any signaling) utilized by the network and the UE.

[0133] In some aspects, the UE's band combination preference can be explicitly signaled or implicitly derived by the network (e.g., a base station, a location server, or an LMF, or other network entity). Examples of preference information that the UE can explicitly signal include an indication of whether the UE supports intra-band or inter-band only, an indication of whether the UE indicates discontinuous or contiguous bands only, or an indication of whether the UE supports only the same frequency (FRx) or disparate frequencies (FRx+FRy, such as FR1+FR2). Furthermore, the UE can explicitly signal in an IE a list containing specific bands (e.g., carrier bands), CCs, and / or frequencies that the UE prefers for positioning triangulation purposes. In instances where applying a time-domain based ranging algorithm does not benefit from widely separated bands, the UE may provide a preference for contiguous bands only. In instances utilizing advanced algorithms that allow the UE to utilize gapped separated bands, the UE may request or provide a preference for discontinuous inter-band or intra-band support. Thus, the UE can select a band combination as its preferred bandwidth implementation. As described herein, obtaining large contiguous blocks of bandwidth can be difficult. The techniques described herein that enable the use of disjoint bands alleviate the problem of obtaining contiguous blocks of bandwidth. By selecting a band combination using disjoint bandwidths, a larger bandwidth is provided. The larger bandwidth can provide more accurate positioning measurements and reduce multipath or false peak detection, among other benefits.

[0134] In some examples, the UE's band combination preference may be implicitly derived (e.g., if the IE is not included) by the network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity). For example, if the network determines that the UE has not provided an IE indicating specific preference information, the network may imply the UE's preference. In one illustrative example, if no IE information is signaled by the UE, the network may imply that the UE only supports in-band, only supports FRx, and only supports contiguous bands.

[0135] In other aspects, the UE's numerology and comb symbol pattern preferences can be explicitly signaled by the UE (e.g., in one or more IEs) or implicitly derived by the network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity). Examples of preference information that the UE can explicitly signal can include an indication of the same numerology, an indication of the same comb symbol pattern across multiple frequency layers, an indication of the same PRS frequency spacing after destaggering, and / or other information. These indications can span comb symbol patterns across multiple frequency layers or multiple component carriers of different numerologies and frequency layers.

[0136] By applying a time-domain based ranging algorithm, the UE may not benefit from uneven frequency sampling (e.g., due to stitching two adjacent bands with different numerologies) because the shape of the corresponding time-domain waveform may introduce ambiguity into the estimation of the signal arrival time. Advanced frequency-domain based algorithms can utilize the frequency samples to estimate the signal arrival time.

[0137] Depending on the algorithm employed by the UE, the UE can indicate to the network (e.g., by signaling one or more IEs to a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) preferred numerologies and / or comb symbol patterns for different component carriers for PRS transmission. Additionally, the UE's selection of preference can include timing drift between component carriers to ensure the component carriers are synchronized. The algorithm employed by the UE may also include a tolerance for delay, which can utilize measurements across different component carriers to calculate time drift and adjust accordingly. Thus, the UE can select a numerology and / or comb symbol pattern as its preferred bandwidth implementation.

[0138] Table 2 below provides an example of numerology and comm symbol patterns that a UE may prefer and / or use, and may also provide to the network (e.g., by sending one or more IEs to a base station, location server or LMF, or other network entity). In this example, the numerology selection ranges from 0 to 4, and the comm symbol pattern includes values ​​in the range of 12 to 14.

[0139] [Table 2]

[0140] Other numerologies and comb symbol patterns are contemplated in this disclosure. Different combinations of numerologies and comb symbol patterns may also be preferred and / or used by users across different component carrier frequencies, which may then be provided to the network. PRS spacing may also be a factor selected by the UE. PRS signals may be separated in the frequency domain across multiple symbols.

[0141] In some examples, when two signals (e.g., a first signal and a second signal) utilize the same comb symbol, transmission in the frequency domain can be shifted between the two signals to avoid overlapping of the two signals in the frequency domain, referred to as staggering. "De-staggering" refers to the frequency allocation of PRS tones being separated or non-overlapping between symbols. In one example, there can be a frequency separation (e.g., PRS location spacing in the frequency domain) of 240 kHz or the like for different PRSs. After the staggering process is performed across multiple tones, there can be approximately 30 kHz spacing between PRS tones. In some examples, the same comb can be utilized across different component carriers, and after the staggering process, the UE can determine whether the PRS frequency spacing is appropriate. In that case, the UE can prefer the same PRS frequency after the staggering and / or de-staggering process. This process can be utilized in 5G or LTE dynamic spectrum configurations (including asset tracking in industrial IoT settings that can track macro narrowband LTE IoT signals, allowing the industrial IoT setting to remain in a pure narrowband IoT configuration).

[0142] FIG. 11 shows an example table of comb symbol patterns according to some examples of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 shows an example chart of comb symbol patterns according to some examples of the present disclosure. For example, patterns of DL PRS resources within a slot are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. DL PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols with an overall frequency-domain staggered pattern. DL PRS resources can also be configured within any higher-layer configured DL or FL symbols of a slot. Furthermore, there may be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for the RE of a given DL PRS resource.

[0143] In some cases, the numerology, comb symbol pattern, and / or PRS frequency interval can be derived based on default settings if a preference is not signaled by the UE. In one illustrative example, if a preference is not signaled in one or more IEs by the UE, the network (e.g., a base station, location server or LMF, or other network entity) can infer that the UE will only prefer the same numerology, the same comb and symbols across frequency layers, and the same PRS frequency interval after destaggering.

[0144] In yet another aspect, the UE can utilize advanced algorithms to estimate and compensate for timing drift and timing error between different PRS layers and / or resources. Understanding the UE's tolerance for timing drift can provide better resource allocation for UE performance and network efficiency. Thus, the UE can select time drift as its preferred bandwidth implementation and provide a range to the network accordingly.

[0145] Furthermore, the UE may explicitly signal the time duration error or difference (e.g., Δ time period) between PRS resources from different frequency layers to the network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) as a preference. If the timing between two PRS resources is too small or too large, the aggregated bandwidth of the two PRS resources may not provide the wide bandwidth improvement discussed herein. Therefore, the UE may signal timing-related information, such as PRS resource timing accuracy, to utilize resources with low timing error. In some cases, the network may implicitly derive the time duration difference and / or other information.

[0146] In some examples, the UE may explicitly signal one or more IEs indicating a PRS resource timing accuracy preference, such as a timing error between PRS resources from different frequency layers. The timing error may include information about PRS resources that have a time difference of less than x seconds and within a window of y seconds. In other examples, the UE may indicate a preference for near-perfect synchronization between PRS resources or timing-related assistance data from the network.

[0147] In some examples, the network (e.g., a base station, location server or LMF, or other network entity) can implicitly derive the PRS resource timing accuracy preference (e.g., when one or more IEs are not signaled by the UE). In one illustrative example, the network can infer that the UE prefers near-perfect synchronization. In another illustrative example, the network can infer that the UE prefers that the network provide the UE with assistance data for timing purposes.

[0148] In addition to the listed preferences described herein, the UE can also indicate its capabilities. For example, UE capabilities may include information regarding the UE's ability to utilize information that transmissions are phase coherent across PRS resources. In one example, in an intra-band scenario, the UE can stitch contiguous bands into a single larger bandwidth when phase coherence is maintained across the PRS resources. In some other cases (e.g., FR1+FR2), the algorithm can jointly process FR1 and FR2 PRS resources, which may not fully utilize the coherence information. By knowing that the UE is capable of utilizing Tx coherence, the gNB may be able to avoid unnecessary processing by not attempting to maintain coherence for a UE that is unavailable to initiate. Furthermore, in instances where the UE is unable to provide its capabilities at the start of the processes described herein, the UE can provide an indication in the measurements of whether the UE is able to provide preferences to the network.

[0149] In some aspects, a preference related to a UE's ability to use phase coherence information may be explicitly signaled or may be implicitly derived by the network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity). An example of phase coherence-related preference information that a UE may explicitly signal may include an indication that the UE is capable of using phase coherence information across PRS resources. In some instances, phase coherence information may be used in stitching as described herein.

[0150] In some aspects, a network (e.g., a base station, a location server or LMF, or other network entity) may implicitly derive a preference related to the UE's ability to use the phase coherence information based on the UE's default preference (e.g., if the IE is not included). In one illustrative example, if information related to the UE's ability to use the phase coherence information is not signaled by the UE, the network may imply that the phase coherence information is not used by the UE when performing stitching.

[0151] In some examples, the methods and systems described herein may be utilized in the uplink (e.g., SRS) where transmissions may be initiated by the UE instead of the network. In some cases, the examples described herein may be utilized with sounding reference signals (SRS) for positioning or downlink PRS, which may be used in a similar manner as described above with respect to TRP.

[0152] FIG. 13 shows an example flow diagram of a process 1300 for performing signaling consideration operations for wireless positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments by a user equipment according to some examples of the present disclosure. At operation 1302, the process 1300 may include transmitting, by the user equipment, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration. In some examples, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a bandwidth combination preference as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In some implementations, the bandwidth combination preference includes a list of preferred carrier bands as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In some instances, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a numerology preference as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In some examples, the numerology preference includes comb and symbol information across frequency layers as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0153] In some implementations, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a timing error tolerance preference. For example, the UE can explicitly signal one or more IEs indicating a PRS resource timing accuracy preference, such as the timing error between PRS resources from different frequency layers. The timing error can include information about PRS resources that have a time difference of less than x seconds and within a window of y seconds. In other instances, the UE can indicate a preference for near-perfect synchronization between PRS resources or timing assistance data from the network.

[0154] At operation 1304, process 1300 may include receiving, at the user equipment, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on a preferred bandwidth configuration. For example, signaling considerations for positioning may include which signals, resources, frequency layers, frequencies, frequency bands, bandwidths, and / or component carriers to utilize for positioning purposes (e.g., positioning reference signal resources).

[0155] In some examples, the separate bandwidth segment includes multiple frequency layers, such as shown in Figure 7. In some implementations, each frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer, as shown in Figure 9. In some cases, the multiple frequency layers form multiple frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous with a group of the multiple frequency layer groups, as shown in Figure 10.

[0156] At operation 1306, process 1300 may include determining, at the user equipment, one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separate bandwidth segments. For example, the UE may receive an allocation of separate bandwidth segments for wireless positioning based on a preferred bandwidth implementation and may utilize the allocation of separate bandwidth segments in a downlink to receive positioning data from a base station.

[0157] In some examples, process 1300 includes receiving, at a user equipment, a request for a preferred bandwidth configuration from a base station.

[0158] FIG. 14 shows an example flow diagram of a process for performing wireless positioning using disjoint bandwidth segments by a base station according to some examples of the present disclosure. At operation 1402, process 1400 may include receiving, at the base station, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by the user equipment. In some examples, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a bandwidth combination preference as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In some implementations, the bandwidth combination preference includes a list of preferred carrier bands as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. In some instances, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a numerology preference as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. In some examples, the numerology preference includes comb and symbol information across frequency layers as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.

[0159] In some implementations, the preferred bandwidth configuration is a timing error tolerance preference. For example, the UE can explicitly signal one or more IEs indicating a PRS resource timing accuracy preference, such as the timing error between PRS resources from different frequency layers. The timing error can include information about PRS resources that have a time difference of less than x seconds and within a window of y seconds. In other instances, the UE can indicate a preference for near-perfect synchronization between PRS resources or timing assistance data from the network.

[0160] At operation 1404, process 1400 may include determining, at the base station, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on a preferred bandwidth configuration. For example, signaling considerations for positioning may include which signals, resources, frequency layers, frequencies, frequency bands, bandwidths, and / or component carriers to utilize for positioning purposes (e.g., positioning reference signal resources).

[0161] In some examples, the separate bandwidth segment includes multiple frequency layers, such as those shown in Figure 7. In some implementations, each frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer. In some cases, the multiple frequency layers form multiple frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous with a group of the multiple frequency layer groups.

[0162] At operation 1406, process 1400 may include providing, by the base station, a positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segments to the user equipment, for the user equipment to determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separate bandwidth segments. For example, the UE may receive an allocation of separate bandwidth segments for wireless positioning based on a preferred bandwidth implementation and may utilize the allocation of the separate bandwidth segments in a downlink to receive positioning data from the base station and determine one or more positioning measurements.

[0163] In some examples, process 1400 includes providing, by a base station, a request for a preferred bandwidth configuration to a user equipment.

[0164] 15 shows an example flow diagram of a process for performing wireless positioning using phase coherence and disjoint bandwidth segments by a user equipment according to some examples of the present disclosure. At operation 1502, process 1500 may include receiving, at the user equipment, an indication of phase coherence of multiple reference signals associated with multiple bandwidths such as those shown in FIG. 10. Examples of reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRSs), sounding reference signals (SRSs) used for positioning, among others. The multiple reference signals for which the indication of phase coherence is provided may include reference signals of the same type (e.g., PRSs, SRSs, etc.).

[0165] In some examples, the indication of phase coherence includes a list of Boolean indicators for pairs of frequency layers. In some implementations, the list of Boolean indicators includes one or more bitmaps associated with the pairs of frequency layers. For example, the list of Boolean indicators may include a list of frequency layers and corresponding Boolean indicators. The Boolean indicators may indicate whether any of the frequency layers are phase coherent. A Boolean indicator may also be associated with each pair of frequency layers of the TRP. In some instances, the frequency layers of each pair may be phase coherent with each other, as shown in FIG. 8A. In some cases, the Boolean indicator may be associated with a bitmap. In one illustrative example, the list of Boolean indicators may include four frequency layers with six different pairs and a six-bit long bitmap.

[0166] In some instances, the indication of phase coherence includes a bit array of multiple frequency layers. In some examples, the multiple frequency layers are sorted from low frequency to high frequency. In some implementations, the indication of phase coherence includes a list of frequency layers and resources that are phase coherent. In some instances, the UE can determine which frequency layers and their corresponding resources are phase coherent. The list of frequency layers and their corresponding Boolean indicators may be an exhaustive list of frequency layers.

[0167] At operation 1504, process 1500 may include determining whether to aggregate reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment of the multiple bandwidth segments based on an indication of phase coherence as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0168] In some examples, the multiple bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers, such as those shown in FIG. 10. In some implementations, each frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer. In some cases, the multiple frequency layers form multiple frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous with a group of the multiple frequency layer groups. In some examples, the multiple frequency layers include contiguous frequency layers and discontinuous frequency layers.

[0169] At operation 1506, in response to determining that reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, process 1500 may include determining, at the user equipment, one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signals from the multiple bandwidth segments. For example, the UE may receive an allocation of separate bandwidth segments for wireless positioning based on a preferred bandwidth implementation and may utilize the allocation of separate bandwidth segments on a downlink to receive positioning data from a base station. The user equipment may determine one or more positioning measurements using the aggregated reference signals from the separate bandwidth segments.

[0170] 16 shows an example flow diagram of a process for performing wireless positioning using phase coherence and disjoint bandwidth segments by a base station, in accordance with some examples of the present disclosure. At operation 1602, the process 1600 may include determining, at the base station, an indication of phase coherence of multiple reference signals associated with multiple bandwidth segments, such as those shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 .

[0171] In some examples, the indication of phase coherence includes a list of Boolean indicators for pairs of frequency layers. In some implementations, the list of Boolean indicators includes one or more bitmaps associated with the pairs of frequency layers. For example, the list of Boolean indicators may include a list of frequency layers and corresponding Boolean indicators. The Boolean indicators may indicate whether any of the frequency layers are phase coherent. A Boolean indicator may also be associated with each pair of frequency layers of the TRP. In some instances, the frequency layers of each pair may be phase coherent with each other, as shown in FIG. 8A. In some cases, the Boolean indicator may be associated with a bitmap. In one illustrative example, the list of Boolean indicators may include four frequency layers with six different pairs and a six-bit long bitmap.

[0172] In some instances, the indication of phase coherence includes a bit array of multiple frequency layers. In some examples, the multiple frequency layers are sorted from low frequency to high frequency. In some implementations, the indication of phase coherence includes a list of frequency layers and resources that are phase coherent. In some instances, the UE can determine which frequency layers and their corresponding resources are phase coherent. The list of frequency layers and their corresponding Boolean indicators may be an exhaustive list of frequency layers.

[0173] At operation 1604, the process 1600 may include transmitting, by the base station, an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, wherein each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

[0174] In some examples, the multiple bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers, such as those shown in FIG. 10. In some implementations, each frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer. In some cases, the multiple frequency layers form multiple frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer of the multiple frequency layers is discontinuous with a group of the multiple frequency layer groups. In some examples, the multiple frequency layers include contiguous frequency layers and discontinuous frequency layers.

[0175] At operation 1606, process 1600 may include receiving, at a base station, one or more positioning measurements based on aggregated reference signals from multiple bandwidth segments. The aggregated reference signals may be determined by the user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence. For example, the UE may receive an allocation of separate bandwidth segments for wireless positioning based on a preferred bandwidth implementation and may utilize the allocation of separate bandwidth segments in a downlink to receive positioning data from the base station.

[0176] In some examples, the processes described herein (e.g., processes 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600 and / or other processes described herein) may be performed by a computing device or apparatus. In one example, processes 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600 may be performed by a computing device or computing system 1700 shown in FIG. 17.

[0177] The computing device may include any suitable UE or device, such as a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone), a desktop computing device, a tablet computing device, a wearable device (e.g., a VR headset, an AR headset, AR glasses, a network-connected watch or smartwatch, or other wearable device), a server computer, an autonomous vehicle or autonomous vehicle computing device, a robotic device, a television, and / or any other computing device with the resource capabilities to perform the processes described herein, including processes 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600. In some cases, a computing device or apparatus may include various components, such as one or more input devices, one or more output devices, one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcomputers, one or more cameras, one or more sensors, and / or other components configured to perform the steps of the processes described herein. In some examples, a computing device may include a display, a network interface configured to communicate and / or receive data, any combination thereof, and / or other components. The network interface may be configured to communicate and / or receive Internet Protocol (IP)-based data or other types of data.

[0178] Components of a computing device may be implemented with circuitry. For example, components may include and / or be implemented using electronic circuitry or other electronic hardware, which may include one or more programmable electronic circuits (e.g., a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a central processing unit (CPU), a vision processing unit (VPU), a network signal processor (NSP), a microcontroller (MCU), and / or other suitable electronic circuitry), and / or may include and / or be implemented using computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof, to perform various operations described herein.

[0179] Processes 1300, 1400, 1500, and 1600 are illustrated as logical flow diagrams, whose operations represent sequences of actions that may be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, the actions represent computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or more processors, perform the described actions. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular functions or implement particular data types. The order in which the actions are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described actions may be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement a process.

[0180] Additionally, processes 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, and / or other processes described herein may be executed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that collectively execute on one or more processors, by hardware, or a combination thereof. As mentioned above, the code may be stored in a computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, for example, in the form of a computer program comprising instructions executable by one or more processors. The computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium may be non-transitory.

[0181] 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system for implementing some aspects of the present technology. Specifically, FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a computing system 1700, which may be, for example, an internal computing system, a remote computing system, a camera, or any computing device comprising any of these components, the components of the system communicating with each other using a connection 1705. The connection 1705 may be a physical connection using a bus or a direct connection to a processor 1710, such as in a chipset architecture. The connection 1705 may also be a virtual connection, a network connection, or a logical connection.

[0182] In some embodiments, computing system 1700 is a distributed system in which the functionality described in this disclosure may be distributed across a data center, multiple data centers, a peer network, etc. In some embodiments, one or more of the described system components represent many components, each performing some or all of the functionality for which the component is described. In some embodiments, the components may be physical or virtual devices.

[0183] The exemplary system 1700 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 1710 and connections 1705 that couple various system components to the processor 1710, including system memory 1715, such as read-only memory (ROM) 1720 and random access memory (RAM) 1725. The computing system 1700 may include a cache 1712 of high-speed memory directly connected to, close to, or integrated as part of the processor 1710.

[0184] Processor 1710 may include any general-purpose processor and hardware or software services, such as services 1732, 1734, and 1736 stored on storage device 1730, configured to control processor 1710 and special-purpose processors where software instructions are incorporated into the actual processor design. Processor 1710 may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, including multiple cores or processors, buses, memory controllers, caches, etc. Multi-core processors may be symmetric or asymmetric.

[0185] To enable user interaction, computing system 1700 includes input devices 1745, which may represent any number of input mechanisms, such as a microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphical input, a keyboard, a mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Computing system 1700 may also include output devices 1735, which may be one or more of a number of output mechanisms. In some instances, a multimodal system may allow a user to provide multiple types of input / output to communicate with computing system 1700. Computing system 1700 may include a communication interface 1740, which may generally govern and manage user input and system output.

[0186] Communication interfaces include audio jacks / plugs, microphone jacks / plugs, Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports / plugs, Apple® Lightning® ports / plugs, Ethernet ports / plugs, fiber optic ports / plugs, proprietary wired ports / plugs, BLUETOOTH® wireless signal transmission, BLUETOOTH® low energy (BLE) wireless signal transmission, IBEACON® wireless signal transmission, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) wireless signal transmission, Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless signal transmission, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) wireless signal transmission, 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless signal transmission, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) signal transmission, Visible Light Communication (VLC), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access The wireless communication device may perform or facilitate the reception and / or transmission of wired or wireless communications using wired and / or wireless transceivers, including those utilizing WiMAX, infrared (IR) communications wireless signal transmission, public switched telephone network (PSTN) signal transmission, integrated services digital network (ISDN) signal transmission, 3G / 4G / 5G / LTE cellular data network wireless signal transmission, ad hoc network signal transmission, radio wave signal transmission, microwave signal transmission, infrared signal transmission, visible light signal transmission, ultraviolet light signal transmission, wireless signal transmission along the electromagnetic spectrum, or any combination thereof.

[0187] Communications interface 1740 may also include one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers or transceivers used to determine the location of computing system 1700 based on reception of one or more signals from one or more satellites associated with one or more GNSS systems. GNSS systems include, but are not limited to, the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), the Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), the Chinese BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), and the European Galileo GNSS. Because there is no constraint to operating on any particular hardware configuration, the basic features herein may be easily replaced with improved hardware or firmware configurations as they are developed.

[0188] The storage device 1730 may be a non-volatile and / or non-transitory and / or computer-readable memory device, and may be a hard disk, or may be a magnetic cassette, a flash memory card, a solid-state memory device, a digital versatile disk, a cartridge, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, a magnetic strip / stripe, any other magnetic storage medium, a flash memory, a memristor memory, any other solid-state memory, a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) optical disk, a rewritable compact disk (CD) optical disk, a digital video disk (DVD) optical disk, a Blu-ray disk (BDD) optical disk, a holographic optical disk, another optical medium, a secure digital (SD) card, a micro secure digital (microSD) card, a memory stick card, a smart card, a smart card reader ... It may also be other types of computer-readable media capable of storing data that is accessible by a computer, such as a card chip, an EMV chip, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a mini / micro / nano / pico SIM card, another integrated circuit (IC) chip / card, random access memory (RAM), static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash EPROM (FLASHEPROM), cache memory (L1 / L2 / L3 / L4 / L5 / L#), resistive random access memory (RRAM / ReRAM), phase change memory (PCM), spin-transfer torque RAM (STT-RAM), another memory chip or cartridge, and / or combinations thereof.

[0189] Storage devices 1730 may include software services, servers, services, etc., where code defining such software, when executed by processor 1710, causes the system to perform functions. In some embodiments, hardware services that perform specific functions may include software components stored on computer-readable media that interface with necessary hardware components, such as processor 1710, connections 1705, output devices 1735, etc., to perform the functions. The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, portable or non-portable storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media that can store, contain, or carry instructions and / or data. Computer-readable media may also include non-transitory media, on which data may be stored and that do not include carrier waves and / or transitory electronic signals propagating wirelessly or over wired connections.

[0190] Examples of non-transitory media may include, but are not limited to, magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs), flash memory, memories, or memory devices. A computer-readable medium may store code and / or machine-executable instructions, which may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means, including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0191] Although specific details have been provided in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments and examples provided herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present application is not limited thereto. Accordingly, while exemplary embodiments of the present application have been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the concepts of the present invention may be embodied and employed in various other ways, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations, except insofar as limited by the prior art. Various features and aspects of the applications described above may be used individually or together. Furthermore, the embodiments may be utilized in any number of environments and applications other than those described herein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present specification. Accordingly, the specification and drawings should be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive. For illustrative purposes, methods have been described in a particular order. It should be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, methods may be performed in an order different from that described.

[0192] For clarity of explanation, in some instances, the technology may be presented as including individual functional blocks comprising devices, device components, and method steps or routines embodied in software, or a combination of hardware and software. Additional components other than those shown in the figures and / or described herein may be used. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, or other components may be shown as components in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0193] 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.

[0194] Individual embodiments may be described above as a process or method that is depicted as a flowchart, flow diagram, data flow diagram, structure diagram, or block diagram. While a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process terminates when its operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the diagram. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to the function returning to the calling function or the main function.

[0195] The processes and methods according to the examples described above may be implemented using computer-executable instructions stored or otherwise available from a computer-readable medium. Such instructions may include, for example, instructions and data that cause a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or processing device to perform a particular function or group of functions, or otherwise configure a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or processing device to perform a particular function or group of functions. Portions of the computer resources used may be accessible over a network. The computer-executable instructions may be, for example, binary, intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, or source code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used to store instructions, information used, and / or information created during methods according to the described examples include magnetic or optical disks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory, network-attached storage devices, etc.

[0196] In some embodiments, computer-readable storage devices, media, and memories may include cables or wireless signals containing bitstreams, etc. However, when referred to, non-transitory computer-readable storage media specifically excludes media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagnetic waves, and signals in its own right.

[0197] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in some cases partly on the particular application, partly on the desired design, partly on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0198] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof, and may take any of a variety of form factors. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, program code or code segments (e.g., a computer program product) to perform the necessary tasks may be stored on a computer-readable or machine-readable medium. A processor may perform the necessary tasks. Examples of form factors include laptops, smartphones, mobile phones, tablet devices or other small form factor personal computers, personal digital assistants, rack-mounted devices, standalone devices, etc. The functionality described herein may also be embodied in peripheral devices or add-in cards. Such functionality may also be implemented on circuit boards in different chips or processes executing in a single device, as a further example.

[0199] The instructions, media for carrying such instructions, computing resources for executing the instructions, and other structures for supporting such computing resources are exemplary means for providing the functionality described in this disclosure.

[0200] The techniques described herein may also be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Such techniques may be implemented in any of a variety of devices, such as a general-purpose computer, a wireless communication device handset, or an integrated circuit device having multiple uses, including applications in wireless communication device handsets and other devices. Any features described as modules or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable data storage medium comprising program code including instructions that, when executed, perform one or more of the methods, algorithms, and / or operations described above. The computer-readable data storage medium may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable medium may comprise a memory or data storage medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a magnetic or optical data storage medium, etc. The techniques may additionally or alternatively be realized at least in part by a computer-readable communication medium, such as a propagated signal or wave, that carries or communicates program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed, read, and / or executed by a computer.

[0201] The program code may be executed by a processor, which may include one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general-purpose microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Such a processor may be configured to perform any of the techniques described in this disclosure. 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. Accordingly, the term “processor,” as used herein, may refer to any of the above structures, any combination of the above structures, or any other structure or apparatus suitable for implementing the techniques described herein.

[0202] Those skilled in the art will understand that the less than ("<") and greater than (">") symbols or terms used herein may be replaced with the less than or equal to ("≦") and greater than or equal to ("≧") symbols, respectively, without departing from the scope of this description.

[0203] When a component is described as being "configured to" perform some operation, such configuration may be achieved, for example, by designing electronic circuitry or other hardware to perform the operation, by programming a programmable electronic circuit (e.g., a microprocessor or other suitable electronic circuitry) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof.

[0204] The phrase "coupled to" refers to any component that is physically connected, either directly or indirectly, to another component and / or that is in communication, either directly or indirectly, with another component (e.g., connected to another component via a wired or wireless connection and / or other suitable communication interface).

[0205] Claim language or other language reciting "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set indicates that one element of the set or multiple elements of the set (in any combination) satisfies the claim. For example, claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" means A, B, or A and B. In another example, claim language reciting "at least one of A, B, and C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" means A, B, C, or A and B, or A and C, or B and C, or A and B and C. The language "at least one of" a set and / or "one or more" of a set does not limit the set to the items listed in the set. For example, claim language reciting "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" can mean A, B, or A and B, and can additionally include items not listed in the set of A and B.

[0206] Illustrative aspects of the present disclosure include the following.

[0207] Aspect 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration; receive, via the transceiver, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and determine one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0208] Aspect 2. The apparatus of aspect 1, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a bandwidth combination preference that includes a list of preferred carrier bands.

[0209] Aspect 3. The apparatus of any one of aspects 1 or 2, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a numerology preference that includes comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers.

[0210] Aspect 4. The apparatus of any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a timing error tolerance preference.

[0211] Embodiment 5. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the separate bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers.

[0212] Embodiment 6. The apparatus of embodiment 5, wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer.

[0213] Aspect 7. The apparatus of any one of aspects 5 or 6, wherein the plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with a group among the plurality of frequency layer groups.

[0214] Aspect 8. The apparatus of any one of Aspects 1 to 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive, from a base station, a request for a preferred bandwidth configuration.

[0215] Aspect 9. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration for signaling considerations transmitted by user equipment; determine a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and provide, via the transceiver, the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segment to the user equipment, so that the user equipment determines one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signal in the separate bandwidth segment.

[0216] Aspect 10. The apparatus of aspect 9, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a bandwidth combination preference that includes a list of preferred carrier bands.

[0217] Aspect 11. The apparatus of any one of aspects 9 or 10, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a numerology preference that includes comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers.

[0218] Aspect 12. The apparatus of any one of aspects 9 to 11, wherein the preferred bandwidth configuration is a timing error tolerance preference.

[0219] Embodiment 13. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 9 to 12, wherein the separate bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers.

[0220] Aspect 14. The apparatus of aspect 13, wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer.

[0221] Aspect 15. The apparatus of any one of aspects 13 or 14, wherein the plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with a group among the plurality of frequency layer groups.

[0222] Aspect 16. The apparatus of any one of aspects 9 to 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to provide a request for a preferred bandwidth configuration to user equipment.

[0223] Aspect 17. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; determine, based on the indication of phase coherence, whether to aggregate the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments; and, in response to a determination that the reference signals associated with each bandwidth segment should be aggregated, determine one or more positioning measurements based on the aggregated reference signals from the plurality of bandwidth segments.

[0224] Aspect 18. The apparatus of aspect 17, wherein the indication of phase coherence includes a list of Boolean indicators for the pair of frequency layers, the list of Boolean indicators including one or more bitmaps associated with the pair of frequency layers.

[0225] Aspect 19. The apparatus of any one of aspects 17 to 18, wherein the indication of phase coherence includes a bit array of multiple frequency layers, the multiple frequency layers being sorted from low frequency to high frequency.

[0226] Aspect 20. The apparatus of any one of aspects 17 to 19, wherein the plurality of bandwidth segments comprises a plurality of frequency layers.

[0227] Aspect 21. The apparatus of aspect 20, wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer.

[0228] Aspect 22. The apparatus of any one of aspects 20 or 21, wherein the plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with a group among the plurality of frequency layer groups.

[0229] Embodiment 23. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 17 to 22, wherein the plurality of frequency layers includes contiguous frequency layers and discontinuous frequency layers.

[0230] Aspect 24. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; a transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine an indication of phase coherence of a plurality of reference signals associated with a plurality of bandwidth segments; transmit, via the transceiver, the indication of phase coherence of the plurality of reference signals for wireless positioning, wherein each bandwidth segment of the plurality of bandwidth segments is associated with a reference signal of the plurality of reference signals; and receive, via the transceiver, one or more positioning measurements based on an aggregated reference signal from the plurality of bandwidth segments, wherein the aggregated reference signal is determined by user equipment based on the indication of phase coherence.

[0231] Aspect 25. The apparatus of aspect 24, wherein the indication of phase coherence includes a list of Boolean indicators of pairs of frequency layers, and the list of Boolean indicators includes bitmaps of pairs of frequency layers.

[0232] Aspect 26. The apparatus of any one of aspects 24 or 25, wherein the indication of phase coherence includes a bit array of multiple frequency layers, the multiple frequency layers being sorted from low frequency to high frequency.

[0233] Embodiment 27. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 24 to 26, wherein the plurality of bandwidth segments comprises a plurality of frequency layers.

[0234] Aspect 28. The apparatus of aspect 27, wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from each other frequency layer.

[0235] Aspect 29. The apparatus of any one of aspects 27 or 28, wherein the plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and a frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with a group among the plurality of frequency layer groups.

[0236] Embodiment 30. The apparatus of any one of embodiments 24 to 29, wherein the plurality of frequency layers includes contiguous frequency layers and discontinuous frequency layers.

[0237] Aspect 31. A method comprising the operations of any of aspects 1 to 30.

[0238] Aspect 32. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of any of aspects 1-30.

[0239] Embodiment 33. An apparatus comprising one or more means for performing any of the operations of embodiments 1 to 30. [Explanation of symbols]

[0240] 100 Wireless Communication System 102 Base station 102' Small Cell Base Station 104UE 110 Geographic Coverage Areas 120 Communication Links 122 backhaul links 134 backhaul links 150 WLAN access points 152 WLAN STA 164 UE 170 Core Network 180 mmW base station 182 UE 184 mmW communication link 192 D2D P2P links 194 D2D P2P links 200 Wireless Network Structure 204 UE 210 5GC 212 User Plane Functions 213 User Plane Interface 214 Control Plane Functions 215 Control Plane Interface 220 New RAN 222 gNB 223 Backhaul Connection 224 ng-eNB 230 Location Server 250 Wireless Network Structure 260 5GC 262 User Plane Functions 263 User Plane Interface 264 Access and Mobility Management Features 265 Control Plane Interface 266 Session Management Function 270 LMF 272 SLP 307 UE 370 Computing Systems 374 Subscriber Identity Module 376 modem 378 Wireless Transceiver 380 output devices 382 Digital Signal Processor 384 processor 386 memory device 387 Antenna 389 Bus 802 bitmap 1005 Phase Coherence Group 1010 Phase Coherence List 1700 Computing System 1705 Connection 1710 processor 1712 Cache 1720 Read-Only Memory 1725 Random Access Memory 1730 Storage Devices 1732 Service 1734 Service 1735 output devices 1736 Service 1740 communication interface 1745 Input Devices

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus for determining a positioning, comprising: At least one memory; A transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor comprising: transmitting, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration, the preferred bandwidth configuration including at least one of a bandwidth combination preference including a list of preferred carrier bands, a numerology preference including comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers, or a timing error tolerance preference; receiving, via the transceiver, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment containing a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and determining one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separated bandwidth segments. Device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the separate bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from all other frequency layers.

4. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and at least one frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is non-contiguous with at least one group of the plurality of frequency layer groups.

5. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a request for the preferred bandwidth configuration from a base station.

6. A method for determining a position, performed by an apparatus, comprising: transmitting, via a transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration, the preferred bandwidth configuration including at least one of a bandwidth combination preference including a list of preferred carrier bands, a numerology preference including comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers, or a timing error tolerance preference; receiving, via the transceiver, a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment containing a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and determining one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separated bandwidth segments. method.

7. The discrete bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers. The method of claim 6.

8. Each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from all other frequency layers. The method of claim 7.

9. The plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and at least one frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with at least one group among the plurality of frequency layer groups. The method of claim 7.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a request for said preferred bandwidth configuration from a base station via a transceiver. The method of claim 6.

11. 1. An apparatus for determining a positioning, comprising: At least one memory; A transceiver; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor comprising: receiving, via the transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration, the preferred bandwidth configuration including at least one of a bandwidth combination preference including a list of preferred carrier bands, a numerology preference including comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers, or a timing error tolerance preference; determining a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and providing, via the transceiver, the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segments to the user equipment, so that the user equipment determines one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separate bandwidth segments. Device.

12. The separate bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers.

12. The apparatus of claim 11.

13. Each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from all other frequency layers.

13. The apparatus of claim 12.

14. The plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and at least one frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with at least one group of the plurality of frequency layer groups.

13. The apparatus of claim 12.

15. The at least one processor is configured to provide a request for the preferred bandwidth configuration to the user equipment.

12. The apparatus of claim 11.

16. A method for determining a position, performed by an apparatus, comprising: receiving, via a transceiver, one or more indications of a preferred bandwidth configuration, the preferred bandwidth configuration including at least one of a bandwidth combination preference including a list of preferred carrier bands, a numerology preference including comb and symbol information across multiple frequency layers, or a timing error tolerance preference; determining a positioning configuration indicating a separate bandwidth segment including a positioning reference signal based on the preferred bandwidth configuration; and providing, via the transceiver, the positioning configuration indicating the separate bandwidth segments to the user equipment, so that the user equipment determines one or more positioning measurements based on the positioning reference signals in the separate bandwidth segments. method.

17. The discrete bandwidth segments include multiple frequency layers.

17. The method of claim 16.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each frequency layer of the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous from all other frequency layers.

18. The method of claim 17.

19. The plurality of frequency layers form a plurality of frequency layer groups, and at least one frequency layer among the plurality of frequency layers is discontinuous with at least one group among the plurality of frequency layer groups.

18. The method of claim 17.

20. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a request for the preferred bandwidth configuration to the user equipment.

17. The method of claim 16.

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