Random access preamble for positioning instructions

Abstract

A technique for wireless communication is disclosed. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) receives an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS). The RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, the first set of RACH preambles being different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, and the first and second sets of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. The UE detects a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state. The UE transmits the RACH preamble to the BS. The UE receives an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS that is different from the RA response for communication purposes, the RA response for positioning purposes including a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including intermediate 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular 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]

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

[0004]

[0004] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. As such, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview related to all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope related to particular aspects. 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 as a prelude to the detailed description presented below.

[0005] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a method of wireless communication implemented by a UE. The method of wireless communication includes receiving, from a BS, an indication of a random access channel (RA) (RACH) preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. The method also includes detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or inactive state. The method also includes transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS. The method also includes receiving, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier that is mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0006] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a UE including: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, from a BS, an indication of a RACH preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes; detect a positioning event while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the RACH preamble to the BS; receive, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0007] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a UE. The user equipment includes means for receiving, from a BS, an indication of a RACH preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. The UE also includes means for detecting a positioning event while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state. The UE also includes means for transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS. The UE also includes means for receiving, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0008] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for receiving, from a BS, an indication of a RACH preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. The non-transitory computer-readable medium also includes instructions for detecting a positioning event while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state. The non-transitory computer-readable medium also includes instructions for transmitting, to the BS, a RACH preamble. The non-transitory computer-readable medium also includes instructions for receiving, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0009]

[0009] 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.

[0010]

[0010] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided merely to illustrate, not to limit, the aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B]FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0013] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a base station (BS) and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support communications as taught herein; [Figure 4]

[0014] 1 illustrates a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure between a UE and a BS, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates different radio resource control (RRC) states available in New Radio (NR), according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0016] FIG. 1 shows a conventional MSG2 preamble. [Figure 7]

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates a method of wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble in MSG2 for positioning, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012]

[0020] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, directed to various examples provided for purposes of illustration. 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.

[0013]

[0021] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the described feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0014]

[0022] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0015]

[0023] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by particular circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by at least one processor, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the sequence(s) of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied as a whole in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described actions.

[0016]

[0024] 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. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a commercially available consumer asset tracking device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., at some times) stationary and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The term “UE” as used herein may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT,” “client device,” “wireless device,” “subscriber device,” “subscriber terminal,” “subscriber station,” “user terminal” or “UT,” “mobile device,” “mobile terminal,” “mobile station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0017]

[0025] Depending on the network in which it is deployed, a base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs 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. Base stations may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling 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) may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0018]

[0026] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receiving point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the base station's cell (or several cell sectors). When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. A TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and therefore, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as referring to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0019]

[0027] In some aspects supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit reference signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0020]

[0028] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver is sometimes referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0021]

[0029] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs 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.

[0022]

[0030] The base stations 102 collectively form the 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 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 of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0023]

[0031] The base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, 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 cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term “cell” may refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0024]

[0032] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover regions), but some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be significantly overlapped by larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station (SC) 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) that may serve restricted groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0025]

[0033] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 (also called a reverse link) and / or downlink transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104 (also called a forward link). 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 with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0026]

[0034] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0027]

[0035] The SC102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the SC102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The SC102' employing LTE / 5G in the unlicensed frequency spectrum may boost 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.

[0028]

[0036] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The very high frequency (SHF) band, also referred to as centimeter wave, extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz. Communications using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above description is by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0029]

[0037] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a particular direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that particular direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (called a “phased array” or “antenna array”) that creates beams of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. In particular, RF current from the transmitter is supplied to individual antennas with the proper phase relationship so that the waves from the separate antennas add together to increase radiation in desired directions while canceling and suppressing radiation in undesired directions.

[0030]

[0038] A transmit beam may be quasi-colocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., a UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocation (QCL) relationships. In particular, a given type of QCL relationship means that some parameters related to a target reference RF signal on a target beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. 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 a target 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 a target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a target 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 target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0031]

[0039] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) an RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher relative to the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0032]

[0040] The receive beams may be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal may be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive 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.

[0033]

[0041] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0034]

[0042] 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 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 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 in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in licensed frequencies (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, signaling information and signals that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers.Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0035]

[0043] 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”). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0036]

[0044] 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.

[0037]

[0045] 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), WiFi Direct® (WiFi®-D), Bluetooth®, etc.

[0038]

[0046] 2A shows an example wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be functionally considered to have control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) that 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 the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may be in communication with the UE 204 (e.g., any of the UEs shown in FIG. 1). Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 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, may each 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 into components of the core network or alternatively, may be external to the core network.

[0039]

[0047] 2B shows another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, a 5GC 260 may be considered functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via 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.

[0040]

[0048] 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 authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In 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 it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264 functions also include location service management for barred services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and 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. Additionally, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) access networks.

[0041]

[0049] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / 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 "termination markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272.

[0042]

[0050] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and parts of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0043]

[0051] 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, may each 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 a core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, but the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and the UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0044]

[0052] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated in a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or perform any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different aspects. The illustrated components may also be incorporated in other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include similar components to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0045]

[0053] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communications medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. In particular, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0046]

[0054] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 are connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368.

[0047]

[0055] A transceiver circuit including at least one transmitter and at least one receiver may, in some aspects, comprise an integrated device (e.g., implemented as transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single communications device), may, in some aspects, comprise separate transmitter and receiver devices, or may be implemented in other manners in other aspects. In one aspect, a transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that enable each device to perform transmit “beamforming” as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that enable each device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, a transmitter and a receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit simultaneously. The wireless communication device of the UE 302 and / or base station 304 (e.g., one or both of the transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0048]

[0056] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide a means for receiving and / or measuring SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing the SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and actions from other systems as appropriate and perform the calculations necessary to determine the positions of the UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithms.

[0049]

[0057] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wire-based or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, and / or other types of information.

[0050]

[0058] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332, e.g., for providing wireless positioning-related functionality and other processing functions. The base station 304 includes a processing system 384, e.g., for providing wireless positioning-related functionality and other processing functions disclosed herein. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 394, e.g., for providing wireless positioning-related functionality and other processing functions disclosed herein. The processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, at least one processor, which in various aspects may be a general-purpose processor, a multi-core processor, an ASIC, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0051]

[0059] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). The memory components 340, 386, and 396 may therefore provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (or modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A shows possible locations of positioning component 342, which may be part of WWAN transceiver 310, memory component 340, processing system 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3B illustrates possible locations for a positioning component 388, which may be part of the WWAN transceiver 350, memory component 386, processing system 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.FIG. 3C illustrates possible locations for a positioning component 398, which may be part of the network interface(s) 390, memory component 396, processing system 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0052]

[0060] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the SPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0053]

[0061] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing instructions (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0054]

[0062] Referring more particularly to the processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions related to broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0055]

[0063] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), multi-level quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined with each other using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol streams are spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0056]

[0064] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover the spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency-domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to a processing system 332 that implements Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0057]

[0065] In the uplink, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0058]

[0066] Similar to the functionality described with respect to downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functions related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0059]

[0067] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to enable spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0060]

[0068] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 384.

[0061]

[0069] In the uplink, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0062]

[0070] For convenience, the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 are illustrated in Figures 3A-3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein, although it will be appreciated that the illustrated blocks may have different functions in different designs.

[0063]

[0071] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. The components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in various ways. In some aspects, the components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, at least one processor and / or one or more ASICs (which may include at least one processor), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a positioning entity," etc. However, it will be appreciated that such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by a particular component or combination of components, such as a UE, a base station, a positioning entity, etc., including processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0064]

[0072] FIG. 4 illustrates a contention-based random access (CBRA) procedure 400 between a UE 104 and a BS 102. At 402, the UE 104 sends an RA preamble known as “MSG1” to the BS 102. At 404, the BS 102 sends an RA response known as “MSG2” to the UE 104. At 406, the UE 104 sends a PUSCH transmission known as “MSG3” to the BS 102. There are several different types of MSG3; one type is an RRC connection request, which can be an RRC setup request or an RRC resumption request. At 408, the BS 102 sends a contention resolution message known as “MSG4” to the UE 104. In a scenario where MSG3 comprises an RRC connection request, MSG4 comprises RRC configuration parameters. In CBRA, the UE randomly selects an RA preamble from a pool of preambles shared with other UEs in the cell. If multiple UEs select / transmit the same preamble (MSG1), all those UEs will decode the same MSG2 content and transmit MSG3 on the same UL time / frequency resources. In the next step (MSG4), the network resolves the contention.

[0065]

[0073] After the random access procedure, the UE is in the RRC connected state. The RRC protocol is used on the air interface between the UE and the base station. The main functions of the RRC protocol include connection establishment and release functions, system information broadcasting, radio bearer establishment, reconfiguration and release, RRC connection mobility procedures, paging notification and release, and outer loop power control. In LTE, a UE can be in one of two RRC states (connected or idle), while in NR, a UE can be in one of three RRC states (connected, idle, or inactive). Different RRC states have different associated radio resources that the UE can use when the UE is in a given state. Note that while the different RRC states are often written in uppercase, as above, this is not necessary and these states can also be written in lowercase.

[0066]

[0074] 5 is a diagram 500 of different RRC states (also referred to as RRC modes) available in NR, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. When a UE is powered on, it is initially in an RRC Disconnected / Idle state 510, during which the UE's presence is generally unknown to the network at the cell level (the location of a UE in RRC Idle state is known to the network at the tracking area level, consisting of a group of cells), and the base station has no context for the UE. After a random access procedure, the UE moves to an RRC Connected state 520, during which the network maintains the UE's context, and during which there is activity on the physical link. If there is no activity at the UE for a short period of time, the UE can suspend its session by moving to an RRC Inactive state 530, during which the network maintains the UE's context, but there is no activity on the physical link. The UE can resume its session by performing a random access procedure to transition to the RRC connected state 520. Therefore, the UE needs to perform a random access procedure to transition to the RRC connected state 520 regardless of whether the UE is in the RRC idle state 510 or the RRC inactive state 530.

[0067]

[0075] Operations performed in the RRC idle state 510 include Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection, system information broadcast, cell reselection mobility, paging for mobile terminated data (initiated and managed by the 5GC), discontinuous reception (DRX) for core network paging (configured by the Non-Access Stratum (NAS)). Operations performed in the RRC connected state 520 include 5GC (e.g., 5GC 260) and new RAN (e.g., new RAN 220) connection establishment (both control and user plane), UE context storage in the new RAN and UE, new RAN knowledge of the cell to which the UE belongs, forwarding of unicast data to / from the UE, and network controlled mobility. Operations performed in the RRC inactive state 530 include broadcasting of system information, cell reselection for mobility, paging (initiated by the new RAN), RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) management (by the new RAN), DRX for RAN paging (configured by the new RAN), 5GC and new RAN connection establishment (both control plane and user plane) for the UE, storing UE context in the new RAN and UE, and new RAN knowledge of the RNA to which the UE belongs.

[0068]

[0076] The RA procedure shown in Figure 4 can be triggered by several events, including initial access from the RRC idle state, the RRC connection re-establishment procedure, UL data arrival in the RRC_CONNECTED state when the UL synchronization status is out of sync, a transition from the RRC inactive state, a request for on-demand system information, and other events. However, in conventional networks, a request for on-demand PRS configuration must be made while the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state. There is no mechanism for a UE in the RRC inactive or RRC idle state to request on-demand PRS configuration. To address this technical deficiency, the following technical solution is presented.

[0069]

[0077] There are 64 random access (RA) channel (RACH) preambles defined in NR for each time-frequency physical random access channel (PRACH) occasion. A preamble includes a cyclic prefix (CP) that occurs once, followed by a preamble sequence that may be repeated multiple times.

[0070]

[0078] 6 is a conventional MSG2 preamble 600. The MSG2 preamble 600 includes the following fields:

[0071] a 4-bit backoff indicator 602; A 4-bit Random Access Preamble Identifier (RAPID) 604, mapped to the preamble index contained in MSG1; An 11-bit Timing Advance (TA) 606 to be used by the UE for transmission to the BS; 27-bit Uplink (UL) Permit 608, and A 16-bit temporary Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) 610. This is an identification that is temporarily allocated to the UE and becomes permanent after a successful RACH procedure.

[0072]

[0079] In some aspects of the present disclosure, one or more of the RACH preambles are reserved for positioning, and modifications are made to the MSG2 preamble, the MSG4 preamble, or both, as described in more detail below.

[0073]

[0080] FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 of wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0074]

[0081] At 702, the BS 102 may transmit to the UE 104 information identifying RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the BS 102 may broadcast this information in a positioning-specific system information block (SIB), such as a Pos-SIB. In some aspects, the BS 102 may configure the UE 104 with the RACH preamble (e.g., for a contention-free random access (CFRA) mode) or with a group of RACH preambles (e.g., for a CBRA mode). Alternatively, the UE 104 may already be configured with this information.

[0075]

[0082] In some aspects, the following new fields may be provided to the UE 104 by the BS 102, for example, via a SIB or a positioning SIB:

[0076] A new field, RA-ResponseWindowPos, that defines the response window for positioning that should be used instead of the response window defined by the existing field RA-ResponseWindow for MSG2 transmissions.

[0077] · A new field RA-ContentionResolutionTimerPos that defines the contention resolution timer value for positioning, to be used instead of the contention resolution timer value defined by the existing field RA-ContentionResolutionTimer for MSG4 transmissions.

[0078]

[0083] The values ​​in these new fields account for different communication latencies in the network for positioning operations compared to conventional random access procedures. For example, the new field RA-ContentionResolutionTimerPos accounts for additional positioning-related interactions between the BS 102 and the LMF 270 or other location server that the BS 102 must complete before the BS 102 can send a response to the UE 104. Thus, the value of the new field RA-ContentionResolutionTimerPos can be larger than the value for the existing field RA-ContentionResolutionTimer because non-positioning-related RACH requests do not require such interactions between the BS 102 and the LMF 270.

[0079]

[0084] At 704, while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, the UE 104 detects a positioning event. In some aspects, the positioning event requires the UE 104 to make an on-demand positioning request.

[0080]

[0085] At 706, the UE 104 transmits MSG1 for positioning to the BS 102. The MSG1 for positioning includes a RACH preamble reserved for positioning purposes. When the UE 104 uses the RACH preamble reserved for positioning, the BS 102 understands that there is a Mobile Originated (MO) Location Request (LR) event (MO-LR).

[0081]

[0086] At 708, the BS 102 generates parameters to be included in MSG2 for positioning, which are referred to herein as MSG2 positioning parameters. The MSG2 positioning parameters may differ from parameters to be included in MSG2 that are not for positioning, such as MSG2 for data. In some aspects, the bandwidth of the RACH preamble used in MSG2 for positioning may be wider than the bandwidth of the RACH preamble used in MSG2 for data. Other differences are described in more detail below in FIG. 8.

[0082]

[0087] If the UE 104 is configured with the new field RA-ResponseWindowPos at 710, the UE 104 will use that value to determine how long it will wait to receive MSG2 from the BS 102. Otherwise, the UE 104 may set its waiting time based on the existing field RA-ResponseWindow.

[0083]

[0088] At 712, the BS 102 transmits to the UE 104 a MSG2 for positioning that includes the MSG2 positioning parameters.

[0084]

[0089] At 714, the UE 104 sends MSG3 for positioning to the BS 102. In FIG. 7, MSG3 comprises an RRC connection request. When the network places the UE 104 in an RRC inactive state, the network configures an inactive RNTI (I-RNTI) for the UE 104, which the UE 104 signals to the network as part of the RRC connection request in MSG3. In some embodiments, the MSG3 for positioning also includes an establishment clause indicating that establishment is occurring for positioning purposes. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the network may configure a second I-RNTI for positioning for the UE 104, which the UE 104 signals to the network in MSG3 for positioning to indicate the positioning cause.

[0085]

[0090] At 716, BS 102 generates parameters to be included in MSG4 responsive to MSG3 for positioning, which are referred to herein as MSG4 positioning parameters. The MSG4 positioning parameters may differ from the parameters to be included in MSG4 that are not for positioning. In some aspects, the MSG4 for positioning may include a MAC-CE that triggers SRS transmission, PRS measurement, or both.

[0086]

[0091] At 718, if the UE 104 is configured with the new field RA-ContentionResolutionTimerPos, the UE 104 will use that value to determine how long it will wait to receive MSG4 from the BS 102. Otherwise, the UE 104 may set its waiting time based on the existing field RA-ContentionResolutionTimer.

[0087]

[0092] At 720, the BS 102 sends a MSG4 for positioning including the MSG4 positioning parameters to the UE 104. In Figure 7, the MSG4 comprises an RRC configuration.

[0088]

[0093] 7 shows a four-step RACH process, in alternative embodiments, a two-step process may be used, in which the UE 104 transmits to the BS 102 an MSGA, which is a combination of MSG1 and MSG3, and the BS 102 transmits to the UE 104 an MSGB, which is a combination of MSG2 and MSG4 and may include both MSG2 and MSG4 parameters.

[0089]

[0094] 8 illustrates a RACH preamble in MSG2 for positioning according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 illustrates various ways in which the MSG2 RACH preamble for positioning may differ from the MSG2 RACH preamble for non-positioning, e.g., data.

[0090]

[0095] Backoff value 800. In some aspects, the backoff value used for positioning is different from the backoff value used for data. In some aspects, the backoff value used for positioning is larger than the backoff value used for data communications, e.g., to allow the network time to reserve positioning resources for the serving cell and neighboring cells. In some aspects, the backoff value used for positioning is also a function of the load of the neighboring cells as well as the load of the serving cell. For example, BS 102 may periodically communicate with neighbor base stations to understand the load and then derive an overall backoff indicator based on the cumulative network load. In some aspects, the backoff value used for positioning may be smaller than the backoff value used for data, such as if the network has already reserved some positioning resources.

[0091]

[0096] RAPID field 802. In some aspects, the RAPID field is mapped to a preamble index indicated for positioning.

[0092]

[0097] Timing Advance (TA) field 804. In some aspects, the width of the TA field used for positioning may be increased compared to the width of the TA field used for data communication to allow finer granularity of timing advance to improve positioning accuracy.

[0093]

[0098] UL grant field 806. In some aspects, the UL grant field used for positioning may include delta transmit power control (TPC) commands, e.g., normal TPC is used for data communications and delta TPC is used for SRS positioning.

[0094]

[0099] Preamble Bandwidth 808. In an aspect, the RACH preamble used for positioning may use a wider bandwidth than the RACH preamble used for data communication, which allows for more granular TA reporting.

[0095]

[0100] In some aspects, a different DCI is scrambled with a new RNTI for positioning (e.g., Pos-RA-RNTI) and used to transmit MSG2 corresponding to the RACH preamble reserved for positioning. In some aspects, MSG2 may be transmitted in CORESET0.

[0096]

[0101] In some aspects, if a UE in an RRC inactive state already has a PRS or SRS configuration stored and the RACH preamble is dedicated to the UE, such as in an on-demand low latency scenario, MSG2 or MSG4 may also include a MAC-CE that triggers an SRS transmission or PRS measurement. Conventional call flows, in contrast, do not trigger an SRS transmission or PRS measurement until after MSG4.

[0097]

[0102] The modifications and parameters described above may be used individually or in combination.

[0098]

[0103] 9 is a flowchart of an example process 900 related to a random access preamble for positioning indication. In some aspects, one or more process blocks of FIG. 9 may be performed by a BS (e.g., BS 102). In some aspects, one or more process blocks of FIG. 9 may be performed by another device or group of devices separate from or including the BS. Additionally or alternatively, one or more process blocks of FIG. 9 may be performed by one or more components of device 304, such as processing system 384, memory 386, transceiver 350, transceiver 360, and / or network interface 380.

[0099]

[0104] 9, process 900 may include transmitting, to a UE, an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS (block 902). For example, the BS may transmit, to the UE, an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from the second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS, as described above.

[0100]

[0105] 9, process 900 may include receiving, from the UE, a RACH preamble reserved for positioning (block 904). For example, the BS may receive, from the UE, a RACH preamble reserved for positioning, as described above.

[0101]

[0106] 9, process 900 may include generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to a RACH preamble reserved for positioning (block 906). For example, the BS may generate an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, as described above, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to a RACH preamble reserved for positioning.

[0102]

[0107] 9, process 900 may include sending an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE (block 908). For example, the BS may send an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE as described above.

[0103]

[0108] Process 900 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects, described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0104]

[0109] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response with a back-off value that differs from the back-off value for communication purposes.

[0105]

[0110] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises a timing advance field having a wider width than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0106]

[0111] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit power that differs from the transmit power for communication purposes.

[0107]

[0112] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0108]

[0113] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises downlink control information (DCI) scrambled with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that differs from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0109]

[0114] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises a Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers a positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement, a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, or both.

[0110]

[0115] In some aspects, transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes comprises using a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0111]

[0116] In some aspects, receiving a RACH preamble reserved for positioning comprises receiving MSG1.

[0112]

[0117] In some aspects, receiving a RACH preamble reserved for positioning comprises receiving a RACH preamble from a UE in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state.

[0113]

[0118] In some aspects, transmitting the RA response comprises transmitting MSG2.

[0114]

[0119] In some aspects, process 900 includes receiving an RRC connection request from the UE indicating a positioning cause and sending an RRC configuration to the UE.

[0115]

[0120] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating a positioning cause.

[0116]

[0121] In some aspects, the process 900 includes sending an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning to the UE, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0117]

[0122] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an RRC resume request.

[0118]

[0123] In some aspects, the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0119]

[0124] In some aspects, the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0120]

[0125] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a back-off value that differs from a back-off value for communication purposes.

[0121]

[0126] 9 illustrates example blocks of process 900, in some aspects process 900 may include additional, fewer, different, or differently configured blocks than those shown in FIG 9. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 900 may be performed in parallel.

[0122]

[0127] 10 is a flowchart of an example process 1000 related to a random access preamble for positioning indication. In some aspects, one or more process blocks of FIG. 10 may be performed by a UE (e.g., the UE 104). In some aspects, one or more process blocks of FIG. 10 may be performed by another device or group of devices separate from or including the UE. Additionally or alternatively, one or more process blocks of FIG. 10 may be performed by one or more components of the device 302, such as the processing system 332, the memory 340, the transceiver 310, the transceiver 320, and / or the user interface 346.

[0123]

[0128] 10, process 1000 may include receiving, from a BS, an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS (block 1010). For example, a UE may receive, from the BS, an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from the second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS, as described above.

[0124]

[0129] 10, process 1000 may include detecting a positioning event while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state (block 1020). For example, the UE may detect a positioning event while in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state, as described above.

[0125]

[0130] 10, process 1000 may include transmitting a RACH preamble reserved for positioning to the BS (block 1030). For example, the UE may transmit a RACH preamble reserved for positioning to the BS, as described above.

[0126]

[0131] 10, process 1000 may include receiving, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to a RACH preamble reserved for positioning (block 1040). For example, the UE may receive, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, as described above, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to a RACH preamble reserved for positioning.

[0127]

[0132] Process 1000 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects, described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0128]

[0133] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a timing advance field having a wider width than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0129]

[0134] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response that comprises an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit power that is different from the transmit power for communication purposes.

[0130]

[0135] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0131]

[0136] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled with a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0132]

[0137] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0133]

[0138] In some aspects, receiving an RA response for positioning purposes comprises receiving an RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0134]

[0139] In some aspects, transmitting a RACH preamble reserved for positioning comprises transmitting MSG1.

[0135]

[0140] In some aspects, receiving the RA response comprises receiving MSG2.

[0136]

[0141] In some aspects, process 1000 includes sending a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission indicating a positioning cause to a BS and receiving an RRC configuration from the BS.

[0137]

[0142] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating a positioning cause.

[0138]

[0143] In some aspects, process 1000 includes receiving, from the BS, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0139]

[0144] In some aspects, the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0140]

[0145] In some aspects, the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0141]

[0146] 10 illustrates example blocks of process 1000, in some aspects process 1000 may include additional, fewer, different, or differently configured blocks than those shown in FIG 10. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1000 may be performed in parallel.

[0142]

[0147] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a method of wireless communication implemented by a base station (BS). The method of wireless communication includes transmitting an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble to a user equipment (UE), where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. The method also includes receiving the RACH preamble reserved for positioning purposes from the UE. The method also includes generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble. The method also includes transmitting the RA response for positioning purposes to the UE.

[0143]

[0148] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response with a back-off value that differs from the back-off value for communication purposes.

[0144]

[0149] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that includes a timing advance field having a wider width than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0145]

[0150] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that includes an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit power that differs from the transmit power for communication purposes.

[0146]

[0151] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0147]

[0152] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises downlink control information (DCI) scrambled with a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that differs from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0148]

[0153] In some aspects, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response that comprises a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0149]

[0154] In some aspects, transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes comprises using a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0150]

[0155] In some aspects, receiving the RACH preamble comprises receiving MSG1.

[0151]

[0156] In some aspects, receiving the RACH preamble comprises receiving a MSGA comprising a RACH preamble reserved for positioning and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.

[0152]

[0157] In some aspects, receiving the RACH preamble comprises receiving the RACH preamble from a UE in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state.

[0153]

[0158] In some aspects, transmitting the RA response comprises transmitting MSG2.

[0154]

[0159] In some aspects, transmitting the RA response comprises transmitting a MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0155]

[0160] In some aspects, the method further comprises receiving a radio resource control (RRC) connection request from the UE indicating a positioning cause, and sending an RRC configuration to the UE.

[0156]

[0161] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating a positioning cause.

[0157]

[0162] In some aspects, the method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0158]

[0163] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an RRC resume request.

[0159]

[0164] In some aspects, the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0160]

[0165] In some aspects, the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0161]

[0166] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a BS including: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to send, to a UE, an indication of a RACH preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; generate an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes; and cause the at least one transceiver to send, to the UE, an RA response for positioning purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0162]

[0167] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response with a back-off value that is different from the back-off value for communication purposes.

[0163]

[0168] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, to generate an RA response having a timing advance field having a width wider than the timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0164]

[0169] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit power that is different from the transmit power for communication purposes.

[0165]

[0170] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, to generate an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0166]

[0171] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, to generate an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0167]

[0172] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0168]

[0173] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to use a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes when causing the at least one transceiver to transmit an RA response for positioning purposes.

[0169]

[0174] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to receive MSG1 when receiving the RACH preamble.

[0170]

[0175] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to, upon receiving the RACH preamble, receive a MSGA comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.

[0171]

[0176] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to receive the RACH preamble from a UE that is in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state when receiving the RACH preamble.

[0172]

[0177] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit MSG2 when causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the RA response.

[0173]

[0178] In some aspects, the at least one processor is configured to, when causing the at least one transceiver to transmit an RA response, cause the at least one transceiver to transmit an MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0174]

[0179] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) connection request from the UE indicating a positioning cause, and send an RRC configuration to the UE.

[0175]

[0180] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating a positioning cause.

[0176]

[0181] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to send, to the UE, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0177]

[0182] In some aspects, the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an RRC resume request.

[0178]

[0183] In some aspects, the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0179]

[0184] In some aspects, the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0180]

[0185] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a BS including: means for transmitting, to a UE, an indication of a RACH preamble from a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes that is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes; means for receiving a RACH preamble from the UE, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; means for generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes; and means for transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0181]

[0186] According to various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for transmitting, to a UE, an indication of a RACH preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with a BS. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes instructions for receiving, from the UE, the RACH preamble, generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, and transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, where the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0182]

[0187] 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.

[0183]

[0188] 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 various ways for each particular application, but such aspect decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0184]

[0189] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. 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.

[0185]

[0190] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0186]

[0191] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy discs, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0187]

[0192] While the above disclosure sets forth exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

[0188]

[0193] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0189]

[0194] Clause 1. A method of wireless communications implemented by a base station (BS), the method comprising: transmitting an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble to a user equipment (UE), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes; and transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes includes a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0190]

[0195] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response with a back-off value that differs from a back-off value for communication purposes.

[0191]

[0196] Clause 3. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response with a timing advance field having a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0192]

[0197] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response with an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power that differs from a transmission power for communication purposes.

[0193]

[0198] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0194]

[0199] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0195]

[0200] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises generating an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0196]

[0201] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein sending an RA response for positioning purposes comprises using a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0197]

[0202] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein receiving a RACH preamble comprises receiving MSG1.

[0198]

[0203] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 9, wherein receiving a RACH preamble comprises receiving a MSGA comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.

[0199]

[0204] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1 to 10, wherein receiving a RACH preamble comprises receiving a RACH preamble from a UE in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state.

[0200]

[0205] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 1 to 11, wherein sending an RA response comprises sending MSG2.

[0201]

[0206] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 1 to 12, wherein transmitting an RA response comprises transmitting an MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0202]

[0207] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 1 to 13, further comprising receiving a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request from the UE indicating a positioning cause; and sending an RRC configuration to the UE.

[0203]

[0208] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating positioning.

[0204]

[0209] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 14 to 15, further comprising sending to the UE an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0205]

[0210] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 14 to 16, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an RRC resume request.

[0206]

[0211] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 14 to 17, wherein the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0207]

[0212] Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 14 to 18, wherein the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0208]

[0213] Clause 20. A method of wireless communications performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; transmitting a RACH preamble to the BS; and receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, the RA response for positioning purposes different from the RA response for communication purposes, the RA response comprising a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0209]

[0214] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a back-off value that differs from a back-off value for communication purposes.

[0210]

[0215] Clause 22. A method according to any of clauses 20 to 21, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a timing advance field having a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0211]

[0216] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 20 to 22, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power that differs from a transmission power for communication purposes.

[0212]

[0217] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 20 to 23, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0213]

[0218] Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 20 to 24, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0214]

[0219] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 20 to 25, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0215]

[0220] Clause 27. The method of any of clauses 20 to 26, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes comprises receiving an RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0216]

[0221] Clause 28. The method of any of clauses 20 to 27, wherein transmitting a RACH preamble comprises transmitting MSG1.

[0217]

[0222] Clause 29. The method of any of clauses 20 to 28, wherein transmitting a RACH preamble comprises transmitting a MSGA comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.

[0218]

[0223] Clause 30. The method of any of clauses 20 to 29, wherein receiving the RA response comprises receiving MSG2.

[0219]

[0224] Clause 31. The method of any of clauses 20 to 30, wherein receiving an RA response comprises receiving a MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0220]

[0225] Clause 32. The method of any of clauses 20 to 31, further comprising: sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request to a BS indicating a positioning cause; and receiving an RRC configuration from the BS.

[0221]

[0226] Clause 33. The method of clause 32, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating positioning.

[0222]

[0227] Clause 34. The method of any of clauses 32 to 33, further comprising receiving, from the BS, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0223]

[0228] Clause 35. The method of any of clauses 32 to 34, wherein the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0224]

[0229] Clause 36. The method of any of clauses 32 to 35, wherein the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0225]

[0230] Clause 37. A base station (BS) comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble to a user equipment (UE), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; generate an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes; and cause the at least one transceiver to transmit an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0226]

[0231] Clause 38. The BS of clause 37, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response with a back-off value that is different from the back-off value for communication purposes.

[0227]

[0232] Clause 39. A BS according to any of clauses 37 to 38, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response having a timing advance field having a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0228]

[0233] Clause 40. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 39, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power that is different from the transmission power for communication purposes.

[0229]

[0234] Clause 41. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 40, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0230]

[0235] Clause 42. A BS according to any of clauses 37 to 41, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0231]

[0236] Clause 43. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 42, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, generate an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0232]

[0237] Clause 44. A BS according to any of clauses 37 to 43, wherein at least one processor is configured to use a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes when transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes.

[0233]

[0238] Clause 45. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 44, wherein at least one processor is configured to receive MSG1 when receiving a RACH preamble.

[0234]

[0239] Clause 46. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 45, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, upon receiving the RACH preamble, receive a MSGA comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request.

[0235]

[0240] Clause 47. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 46, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a RACH preamble from a UE in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state when receiving the RACH preamble.

[0236]

[0241] Clause 48. The BS according to any one of clauses 37 to 47, wherein at least one processor is configured to send MSG2 when sending an RA response.

[0237]

[0242] Clause 49. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 48, wherein the at least one processor is configured, when transmitting an RA response, to transmit an MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0238]

[0243] Clause 50. The BS of any of clauses 37 to 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) connection request from the UE, the radio resource control (RRC) connection request indicating a positioning cause, and to send an RRC configuration to the UE.

[0239]

[0244] Clause 51. The BS of clause 50, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establishment clause indicating a positioning cause.

[0240]

[0245] Clause 52. The BS of any of clauses 50 to 51, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send, to the UE, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0241]

[0246] Clause 53. The BS of any of clauses 50 to 52, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an RRC resume request.

[0242]

[0247] Clause 54. The BS according to any of clauses 50 to 53, wherein the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0243]

[0248] Clause 55. The BS according to any one of clauses 50 to 54, wherein the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0244]

[0249] Clause 56. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; detect a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; cause the at least one transceiver to transmit a RACH preamble to the BS; receive from the BS an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes; and receive from the BS an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from the RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0245]

[0250] Clause 57. The UE of clause 56, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response having a timing advance field having a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

[0246]

[0251] Clause 58. A UE according to any of clauses 56 to 57, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response comprising an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power that is different from the transmission power for communication purposes.

[0247]

[0252] Clause 59. A UE according to any of clauses 56 to 58, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

[0248]

[0253] Clause 60. A UE as described in any of clauses 56 to 59, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from the RNTI used for communication purposes.

[0249]

[0254] Clause 61. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 60, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

[0250]

[0255] Clause 62. A UE as described in any of clauses 56 to 61, wherein at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes, receive the RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

[0251]

[0256] Clause 63. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 62, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transmit MSG1 when transmitting a RACH preamble.

[0252]

[0257] Clause 64. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 63, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transmit a MSGA comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request when transmitting the RACH preamble.

[0253]

[0258] Clause 65. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 64, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive MSG2 when receiving an RA response.

[0254]

[0259] Clause 66. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 65, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, upon receiving the RA response, receive a MSGB comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0255]

[0260] Clause 67. The UE of any of clauses 56 to 66, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission to the BS indicating a positioning cause; and receive an RRC configuration from the BS.

[0256]

[0261] Clause 68. The UE of clause 67, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establishment clause indicating positioning.

[0257]

[0262] Clause 69. The UE of any of clauses 67 to 68, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the BS, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating the positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

[0258]

[0263] Clause 70. The UE of any of clauses 67 to 69, wherein the RRC connection request comprises MSG3.

[0259]

[0264] Clause 71. The UE of any of clauses 67 to 70, wherein the RRC configuration comprises MSG4.

[0260]

[0265] Clause 72. A base station (BS), comprising: means for transmitting an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble to a user equipment (UE), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; means for generating an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes; and means for transmitting an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0261]

[0266] Clause 73. A user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; means for detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; means for transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; and means for receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, the RA response for positioning purposes being different from the RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0262]

[0267] Clause 74. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of a base station (BS), cause the BS to: send an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble to a user equipment (UE), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; generate an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from the RA response for communication purposes; and send an RA response for positioning purposes to the UE, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble.

[0263]

[0268] Clause 75. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions, which when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to receive an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, where the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; detect a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; transmit a RACH preamble to the BS; and receive an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, the RA response for positioning purposes being different from the RA response for communication purposes, where the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble. The inventions described in the claims of the present application as originally filed are set forth below. [C1] 1. A method of wireless communications implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station (BS), an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble, wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, and wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS. Detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, which is different from an RA response for communication purposes, and the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble; A method comprising: [C2] The method of C1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a backoff value that is different from a backoff value for communication purposes. [C3] The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response having a timing advance field that has a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes. [C4] The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power that is different from a transmission power for communication purposes. [C5] The method of C1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes. [C6] The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes. [C7] The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both. [C8] The method of C1, wherein receiving the RA response for positioning purposes comprises receiving the RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes. [C9] The method of C1, wherein transmitting the RACH preamble comprises transmitting a message comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. [C10] The method of C1, wherein receiving the RA response comprises receiving a message comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration. [C11] sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request to the BS indicating a positioning cause; and receiving an RRC configuration from the BS. The method of C1, further comprising: [C12] The method of C11, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establishment clause indicating positioning. [C13] The method of C11, further comprising receiving, from the BS, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning. [C14] Memory and at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver; 1. A user equipment (UE) comprising: receiving an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communications purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; Detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the RACH preamble to the BS; receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, which is different from an RA response for communication purposes, and the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble; A user equipment (UE) configured to perform the following: [C15] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RA response having a timing advance field having a width wider than a timing advance field for communication purposes when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes. [C16] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RA response comprising an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmission power different from the transmission power for communication purposes when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes different from an RA response for communication purposes. [C17] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes. [C18] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, receive an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled using a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes. [C19] The UE of C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RA response comprising a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, or both when receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes. [C20] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured, when receiving the RA response for positioning purposes, to receive the RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes. [C21] The UE described in C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, when causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the RACH preamble, cause the at least one transceiver to transmit a message comprising the RACH preamble and a radio resource control (RRC) connection request. [C22] The UE of C14, wherein the at least one processor is configured, when receiving the RA response, to receive a message comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration. [C23] The at least one processor: causing the at least one transceiver to send a radio resource control (RRC) connection request to the BS indicating a positioning cause; receiving an RRC configuration from the BS; The UE of C14, further configured to: [C24] The UE of C23, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establishment clause indicating positioning. [C25] The UE of C23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive from the BS an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning. [C26] means for receiving, from a base station (BS), an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble, wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communications purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; means for detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; means for transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; means for receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, the RA response for positioning purposes being different from an RA response for communication purposes, the RA response for positioning purposes comprising a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble; A user equipment (UE) comprising: [C27] 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receiving an indication of a random access channel (RACH) preamble from a base station (BS), wherein the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles is different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, wherein the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles are associated with the BS; Detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, which is different from an RA response for communication purposes, and the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble; A non-transitory computer-readable medium that causes

Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station (BS), an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, the first set of RACH preambles being different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, and the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles being associated with the BS; and a value indicating a first waiting time that the UE should wait to receive an RRC configuration from the BS; Detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; receiving an RA response for positioning purposes from the BS, the RA response for positioning purposes being different from an RA response for communication purposes, the RA response for positioning purposes comprising a random access preamble identifier mapped to the RACH preamble; sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request to the BS indicating a positioning cause; receiving an RRC configuration from the BS within the first waiting time; A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a back-off value that differs from a back-off value for communication purposes.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with a timing advance field having a wider width than a timing advance field for communication purposes.

4. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response with an uplink (UL) grant indicating a transmit power that is different from a transmit power for communication purposes.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that differs from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising a RACH preamble having a wider bandwidth than a RACH preamble for communication purposes.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response comprising downlink control information (DCI) scrambled with a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) used for positioning purposes that is different from an RNTI used for communication purposes.

7. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes comprises receiving an RA response that comprises a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) that triggers positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, or both.

8. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the RA response for positioning purposes comprises receiving the RA response for positioning purposes during a response window for positioning purposes that is different from a response window for communication purposes.

9. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the RACH preamble comprises transmitting a message comprising the RACH preamble and a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the RA response comprises receiving a message comprising the RA response and a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises an establish clause indicating a positioning cause.

12. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the BS, an indication of an inactive radio network temporary identifier (I-RNTI) for positioning, wherein the RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause comprises the I-RNTI for positioning.

13. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving, from a base station (BS), an indication of a random access (RA) channel (RACH) preamble, where the RACH preamble is a member of a first set of RACH preambles reserved for positioning purposes, the first set of RACH preambles being different from a second set of RACH preambles reserved for communication purposes, and the first set of RACH preambles and the second set of RACH preambles being associated with the BS; and a value indicating a first waiting time that the UE should wait to receive an RRC configuration from the BS; means for detecting a positioning event while in a radio resource control (RRC) idle or RRC inactive state; means for transmitting the RACH preamble to the BS; means for receiving, from the BS, an RA response for positioning purposes that is different from an RA response for communication purposes, wherein the RA response for positioning purposes comprises a random access preamble identifier that is mapped to the RACH preamble; means for transmitting a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request to the BS indicating a positioning cause; means for receiving an RRC configuration from the BS within the first waiting time; A user equipment (UE) comprising:

14. Memory and at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver; wherein the at least one processor 14. The UE of claim 13, configured to operate as: means for receiving an indication of a RACH preamble; means for detecting a positioning event; means for causing the at least one transceiver to transmit the RACH preamble to the BS; means for receiving an RA response for positioning purposes; means for transmitting an RRC connection request indicating a positioning cause; and means for receiving an RRC configuration.

15. 13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12.

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