Measurement reporting for sidelink-assisted positioning

Abstract

According to embodiments herein, use of the SL interface in positioning a UE may include additional reporting from the UE or anchor UE related to reference signals sent over the SL interface. This information may include information regarding the received power and / or timing of the reference signal, the angle at which it was received, the orientation of the receiving UE, and various other considerations that may not be necessary at the Uu interface with the base station.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to determining the location of user equipment (UE) using radio frequency (RF) signals. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] The use of a sidelink (SL) interface in positioning of a UE (or target UE) whose position is to be determined can be in a manner similar to that of a base station. However, the specific details provided over the SL interface, assistance data, and measurement reporting for positioning using the SL interface have not yet been determined. There is no definition for SL-based assistance measurements in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) reporting. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to embodiments herein, the use of the SL interface in positioning a target UE may include additional reporting from the target UE or anchor UE related to reference signals sent over the SL interface. This information may include information regarding the received power and / or timing of the reference signal, the angle at which it was received, the orientation of the receiving UE, and various other considerations that may not be necessary at the Uu interface with the base station.

[0004] An example method for providing a positioning measurement report for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure may comprise obtaining, with the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE. The method may also comprise obtaining, with the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. The method may also comprise sending, with the first UE, information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement.

[0005] An exemplary first user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of the first UE may include a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain, using the transceiver, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE. The one or more processors may be further configured to obtain, using the transceiver, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. The one or more processors may be further configured to send, using the transceiver, information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement.

[0006] An example apparatus for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure may include means for obtaining, at the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent via a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE. The apparatus may further include means for obtaining, at the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. The apparatus may further include means for sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an exemplary non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for providing a positioning measurement report for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the instructions comprising: code for obtaining, with the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; code for obtaining, with the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; and code for sending, with the first UE, information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement.

[0008]

[0008] This Summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim. The above, along with other features and examples, are described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a positioning system, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2]

[0010] 5G New Radio (NR) positioning system diagram illustrating one embodiment of a positioning system implemented within a 5G NR communication system (e.g., the positioning system of FIG. 1). [Figure 3]

[0011] 1 is a diagram of one type of positioning method used to determine the location of a UE. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram of one type of positioning method used to determine the location of a UE. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram of one type of positioning method used to determine the location of a UE. [Figure 6]

[0012] 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating how an anchor UE may be used in positioning a target UE in a 5G NR network, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7A]

[0013] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for providing measurement reports related to an SL interface for use in determining the location of a target UE, according to some embodiments. [Figure 7B] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for providing measurement reports related to an SL interface for use in determining the location of a target UE, according to some embodiments. [Figure 8]

[0014] 1 illustrates an embodiment of a UE that may be utilized in embodiments described herein. [Figure 9]

[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a base station that may be utilized in the embodiments described herein. [Figure 10]

[0016] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system that may be utilized in embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010]

[0017] The same reference numerals in various figures indicate the same elements, according to some exemplary implementations. Additionally, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by the element's first number followed by a letter or hyphen and a second number. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When referring to such an element using only the first number, it should be understood as any instance of the element (e.g., element 110 in the previous example would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).

[0011]

[0018] Several example embodiments are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. Although some embodiments of one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented as described below, other embodiments may be used, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0012]

[0019] The following description is directed to several implementations for the purpose of describing the inventive aspects of various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations include systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standard (including those identified as Wi-Fi technology), Bluetooth standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Based Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, EV-DO Rev C, EV-DO Rev D, EV-DO Rev E, EV-DO Rev F, EV-DO Rev H, EV-DO Rev I ... B, may be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communications standard, such as High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or other known signals used to communicate within wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0013]

[0020] As used herein, an “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves that transport information through space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. Furthermore, references such as “reference signal,” “positioning reference signal,” “reference signal for positioning,” etc. may be used to refer to signals used for positioning of user equipment (UE). As described in further detail herein, such signals may comprise any of a variety of signal types, but are not necessarily limited to positioning reference signals (PRS) defined in relevant wireless standards.

[0014]

[0021] 1 is a simplified diagram of a positioning system 100 in which a UE 105, a location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 can use techniques provided herein to determine and estimate a location of the UE 105, according to one embodiment. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 may include a UE 105, one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as space vehicles (SVs)) for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or Beidou, a base station 120, an access point (AP) 130, a location server 160, a network 170, and an external client 180. Generally speaking, the positioning system 100 can estimate the location of the UE 105 based on RF signals received by and / or transmitted from the UE 105 and the known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base stations 120, APs 130) transmitting and / or receiving the RF signals. Further details regarding specific location estimation techniques are discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 2.

[0015]

[0022] It should be noted that FIG. 1 provides only a generalized illustration of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be replicated as needed. In particular, while only one UE 105 is shown, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include a greater or lesser number of base stations 120 and / or APs 130 than those shown in FIG. 1. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the positioning system 100 comprise data and signaling connections that may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, the external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications to the illustrated components.

[0016]

[0023] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may comprise any of a variety of wireless and / or wireline networks. Network 170 may comprise, for example, any combination of public and / or private networks, local and / or wide area networks, etc. Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may comprise, for example, a cellular or other mobile network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include a long-term evolution (LTE) wireless network, a fifth-generation (5G) wireless network (also referred to as a new radio (NR) wireless network or a 5G NR wireless network), a Wi-Fi WLAN, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include two or more networks and / or two or more types of networks.

[0017]

[0024] The base stations 120 and access points (APs) 130 may be communicatively coupled to the network 170. In some embodiments, the base stations 120s may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies, as described herein below. Depending on the technology of the network 170, the base stations 120 may comprise a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNode B or eNB), a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station (RBS), an NR Node B (gNB), a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. A base station 120 that is a gNB or ng-eNB may be part of a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that may connect to a 5G core network (5GC) if the network 170 is a 5G network. The APs 130 may comprise, for example, a Wi-Fi AP or a Bluetooth AP or an AP with cellular capabilities (e.g., 4G LTE and / or 5G NR). Thus, the UE 105 can send and receive information to and from network-connected devices, such as the location server 160, by accessing the network 170 via the base station 120 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, the AP 130 may also be communicatively coupled to the network 170, so that the UE 105 may communicate with network- and internet-connected devices, including the location server 160, using the second communication link 135 or via one or more other UEs 145.

[0018]

[0025] The term “base station” as used herein may generally refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple co-located physical transmission points, which may be located at a base station 120. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also known as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term “TRP” may be used interchangeably with the terms “gNB,” “ng-eNB,” and “base station” herein. In some cases, a base station 120 may comprise multiple TRPs, e.g., each TRP associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array for the base station 120. A physical transmission point may comprise an array of antennas at the base station 120 (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or when the base station employs beamforming). The term “base station” may further refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, which 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).

[0019]

[0026] The term "cell," as used herein, may refer generally to a logical communication entity used for communication with base station 120 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish between neighboring cells operating over the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of a geographic coverage area over which the logical entity operates.

[0020]

[0027] The location server 160 may comprise a server and / or other computing device configured to determine an estimated location of the UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “assistance data”) to the UE 105 to facilitate location measurements and / or location determination by the UE 105. According to some embodiments, the location server 160 may comprise a Home SUPL Location Platform (H-SLP), which may support the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) user plane (UP) location solution defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and may support location services for the UE 105 based on subscription information of the UE 105 stored in the location server 160. In some embodiments, the location server 160 may comprise a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). The location server 160 may also comprise an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC), which supports the location of the UE 105 using a Control Plane (CP) location solution for LTE radio access by the UE 105. The location server 160 may further comprise a location management function (LMF) that supports the location of the UE 105 using a control plane (CP) location solution for NR or LTE radio access by the UE 105.

[0021]

[0028] In a CP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the UE 105 may be exchanged between elements of the network 170 and with the UE 105 using existing network interfaces and protocols, and as signaling from the perspective of the network 170. In a UP location solution, signaling for controlling and managing the location of the UE 105 may be exchanged between the location server 160 and the UE 105 as data from the perspective of the network 170 (e.g., data transported using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0022]

[0029] As mentioned above (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated location of the UE 105 may be based on measurements of RF signals sent from and / or received by the UE 105. In particular, these measurements may provide information regarding the relative distance and / or angle of the UE 105 from one or more components in the positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, AP 130, base station 120). The estimated location of the UE 105 may be estimated geometrically (e.g., using multiangulation and / or multilateration) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known positions of the one or more components.

[0023]

[0030] Terrestrial components such as the AP 130 and base station 120 may be fixed, although embodiments are not so limited. Mobile components may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of the UE 105 may be estimated based at least in part on measurements of RF signals 140 communicated between the UE 105 and one or more other UEs 145, which may be mobile or fixed. When one or more other UEs 145 are used in determining the position of a particular UE 105, the UE 105 whose position is to be determined may be referred to as a “target UE,” and each of the one or more other UEs 145 used may be referred to as an “anchor UE.” For purposes of determining the position of the target UE, the respective positions of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or may be determined together with the target UE. Direct communication between the one or more other UEs 145 and the UE 105 may comprise sidelink and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelink, as defined by 3GPP, is a form of D2D communication under the cellular-based LTE and NR standards.

[0024]

[0031] The estimated location of the UE 105 may be used in various applications, such as, for example, to assist a user of the UE 105 in direction-finding or navigation or to assist another user (e.g., associated with the external client 180) in locating the UE 105. “Location” may also be referred to herein as a “location estimate,” “estimated location,” “location,” “position,” “position estimate,” “position fix,” “estimated position,” “location fix,” or “fix.” The process of determining a location may be referred to as a “positioning,” “position determination,” “location determination,” or the like. The location of the UE 105 may comprise the absolute location of the UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possibly altitude) or the relative location of the UE 105 (e.g., a location expressed as a distance north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below from some other known fixed location (e.g., including the location of a base station 120 or AP 130) or some other location, such as the location of the UE 105 at some known prior time or the location of another UE 145 at some known prior time). A location may be specified as a geodetic location comprising coordinates that may be absolute (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), relative (e.g., relative to some known absolute location), or local (e.g., X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined for a local area such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, sports stadium, or convention center). A location may alternatively be a civic location, in which case it may comprise one or more of a street address (e.g., including a country, state, county, city, road and / or street name or label, and / or road or street number), and / or a label or name of a place, building, part of a building, floor of a building, and / or room within a building, etc.The location may further include an uncertainty or error indication, such as the horizontal and possibly vertical distance by which the location is expected to be incorrect, or an indication of an area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) within which the UE 105 is expected to be located with some confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0025]

[0032] The external client 180 may be a web server or remote application that may have some association with the UE 105 (e.g., that may be accessed by a user of the UE 105), or may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to some other user or users that may include obtaining and providing the location of the UE 105 (e.g., to enable services such as a friend or relative finder, or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, the external client 180 may obtain and provide the location of the UE 105 to an emergency service provider, a government agency, or the like.

[0026]

[0033] As previously mentioned, the exemplary positioning system 100 may be implemented using a wireless communication network, such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network. FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200 illustrating one embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 105 by using access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to base stations 120 and access points 130 of FIG. 1 ) and (in some cases) an LMF 220 (which may correspond to location server 160) to implement one or more positioning methods. Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 comprises the UE 105 and components of a 5G NR network, including a Next Generation (NG) Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G Core Network (5G CN) 240. The 5G network may also be referred to as an NR network, the NG-RAN 235 may also be referred to as a 5G RAN or an NR RAN, and the 5G CN 240 may also be referred to as an NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from a GNSS system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar systems (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additional components of the 5G NR positioning system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or alternative components.

[0027]

[0034] 2 provides only a generalized illustration of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as necessary. In particular, while only one UE 105 is shown, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a greater (or lesser) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNBs 210, ng-eNBs 214, wireless local area networks (WLANs) 216, access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Additionally, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0028]

[0035] The UE 105 may comprise and / or be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a secure user plane location (SUPL)-enabled terminal (SET), or by some other name. Moreover, the UE 105 may correspond to a cell phone, a smartphone, a laptop, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or movable device. Typically, but not necessarily, the UE 105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as using GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240), etc. The UE 105 may also support wireless communications using a WLAN 216, which may connect to other networks, such as the Internet (such as one or more RATs and as described above with respect to FIG. 1). Use of one or more of these RATs may enable the UE 105 to communicate with and / or receive location information regarding the UE 105 (e.g., via elements of the 5G CN 240 not shown in FIG. 2 or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225) external clients 230. The external clients 230 of FIG. 2 may correspond to the external clients 180 of FIG. 1 implemented in or communicatively coupled to a 5G NR network.

[0029]

[0036] The UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where a user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of the location of the UE 105 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geodetic and thus provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the UE 105 that may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above or below ground level, floor level or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or as a designation of some point or small area in a building such as a particular room or floor). The location of the UE 105 may also be expressed as an area or volume (defined geodesically or in urban terms) within which the UE 105 is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may further be a relative location comprising distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to some origin in a known location, which may be defined, for example, geodesically, in urban terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may comprise any of these variations unless otherwise specified. When calculating the location of a UE, it is customary to solve for local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates and then convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates if necessary (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude below or above mean sea level).

[0030]

[0037] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may correspond to the base stations 120 of FIG. 1 and may include NR Node Bs (gNBs) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generally referred to herein as gNBs 210). Pairs of gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235 may be connected to each other (e.g., directly as shown in FIG. 2 or indirectly via other gNBs 210). The communication interface between the base stations (gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNBs 214) may be referred to as the Xn interface 237. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communication between the UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 210, which may provide wireless communication access to the 5G CN 240 for the UE 105 using 5G NR. The wireless interface between the base stations (gNBs 210 and / or ng-eNBs 214) and the UE 105 may be referred to as the Uu interface 239. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. In Figure 2, it is assumed that the serving gNB for the UE 105 is gNB 210-1, but other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) may act as serving gNBs if the UE 105 moves to another location or as secondary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE 105.

[0031]

[0038] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in FIG. 2 may also or instead include next-generation evolved node Bs 214, also referred to as ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs 214 may be connected to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235, e.g., directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs 214 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNBs 214 in FIG. 2 may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons, which may transmit signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcast assistance data to assist in positioning the UE 105, but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs. Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2 and / or another gNB not shown) and / or ng-eNB 214 may be configured to function as detection-only nodes that may scan for signals containing, for example, PRS data, assistance data, or other location data. Such detection-only nodes may not transmit signals or data to UEs, but may transmit signals or data (e.g., related to PRS, assistance data, or other location data) to other network entities (e.g., one or more components of 5G CN 240, external client 230, or a controller), which may receive, store, or use the data for positioning of at least UE 105. Note that while only one ng-eNB 214 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations 210, 214 may communicate directly with each other via an Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, the base stations 210, 214 may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as the LMF 220 and the AMF 215.

[0032]

[0039] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that may connect to a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for the UE 105 and may comprise one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., the AP 130 of FIG. 1 ). Here, the N3IWF 250 may connect to other elements in the 5G CN 240, such as the AMF 215. In some embodiments, the WLAN 216 may support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. The N3IWF 250 may provide support for secure access by the UE 105 to other elements in the 5G CN 240 and / or support interworking of one or more protocols used by the WLAN 216 and the UE 105 to one or more protocols used by other elements of the 5G CN 240, such as the AMF 215. For example, the N3IWF 250 may support IPSec tunnel establishment with the UE 105, termination of the IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with the UE 105, termination of the N2 and N3 interfaces to the 5G CN 240 for the control plane and user plane, respectively, and relaying uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE 105 and the AMF 215 via the N1 interface. In some other embodiments, the WLAN 216 may connect directly to an element in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., the AMF 215 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2 ) without going through the N3IWF 250. For example, direct connection of the WLAN 216 to the 5G CN 240 may occur when the WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN for the 5G CN 240 and may be enabled using a Trusted WLAN Interworking Function (TWIF) (not shown in FIG. 2 ), which may be an element within the WLAN 216. It should be noted that although only one WLAN 216 is shown in FIG. 2, some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0033]

[0040] An access node may comprise any of a variety of network entities that enable communication between the UE 105 and the AMF 215. This may include a gNB 210, an ng-eNB 214, a WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, an access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities that enable communication to any of a variety of RATs not shown in FIG. 2, which may include non-cellular technologies. Thus, the term “access node,” as used in the embodiments described herein below, may include, but is not necessarily limited to, a gNB 210, an ng-eNB 214, or a WLAN 216.

[0034]

[0041] In some embodiments, an access node such as the gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216 (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals (received from the UE 105) and / or obtain downlink (DL) location measurements from the UE 105 obtained by the UE 105 for DL ​​signals received by the UE 105 from one or more access nodes in response to receiving a request for location information from the LMF 220. As mentioned, FIG. 2 illustrates access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively, but access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols may be used, such as, for example, Node Bs using a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol for a Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), eNBs using an LTE protocol for an Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or Bluetooth Beacons using a Bluetooth protocol for a WLAN. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to the UE 105, the RAN may comprise an E-UTRAN, which may comprise a base station with an eNB supporting LTE wireless access. The core network of the EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may then comprise an E-UTRAN+EPC, where E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN 235 and EPC corresponds to the 5GCN 240 of FIG. 2. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining the urban location of a UE 105 may be applicable to such other networks.

[0035]

[0042] The gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 may communicate with an AMF 215, which communicates with the LMF 220 for positioning functions. The AMF 215 may support mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers of the UE 105 from a first RAT access node 210, 214, or 216 to a second RAT access node 210, 214, or 216. The AMF 215 may also be responsible for supporting signaling connections to the UE 105 and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 220 may support positioning of the UE 105 using a CP location solution when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 235 or the WLAN 216, and may support location procedures and methods, including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based procedures / methods, such as Aided GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference Of Arrival (OTDOA) (sometimes called Time Difference Of Arrival (TDOA) in NR), Real Time Kinematic (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (ECID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, Round Trip Signal Propagation Delay (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. The LMF 220 may also process location service requests for the UE 105, for example, received from the AMF 215 or the GMLC 225. The LMF 220 may be connected to the AMF 215 and / or the GMLC 225. In some embodiments, a network such as the 5GCN 240 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a SUPL Location Platform (SLP).It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the positioning functionality (including determining the location of the UE 105) may be performed at the UE 105 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as the gNB 210, the ng-eNB 214 and / or the WLAN 216, and / or using assistance data provided to the UE 105 by, for example, the LMF 220).

[0036]

[0043] The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 225 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 230 and may forward such location requests to the AMF 215 for forwarding by the AMF 215 to the LMF 220. A location response from the LMF 220 (e.g., including a location estimate for the UE 105) may similarly be returned to the GMLC 225 directly or via the AMF 215, which may then return the location response (e.g., including the location estimate) to the external client 230.

[0037]

[0044] A network exposure function (NEF) 245 may be included in the 5GCN 240. The NEF 245 may support secure exposure of capabilities and events related to the 5GCN 240 and the UE 105 to the external client 230, which may then be referred to as an access function (AF), and may enable secure provision of information from the external client 230 to the 5GCN 240. The NEF 245 may be connected to the AMF 215 and / or the GMLC 225 for the purposes of obtaining the location (e.g., civic location) of the UE 105 and providing the location to the external client 230.

[0038]

[0045] As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF 220 may communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 using the NR Positioning Protocol Annex (NRPPa) defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages may be transferred between the gNB 210 and the LMF 220 and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215. As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF 220 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 105 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215 and the serving gNB 210-1 or serving ng-eNB 214 for the UE 105. For example, LPP messages may be transferred between the LMF 220 and the AMF 215 using service-based operation messages (e.g., based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)) and between the AMF 215 and the UE 105 using a 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AoD, and / or ECID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using network-based location methods such as ECID, AoA, uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA), and / or may be used by the LMF 220 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as parameters defining DL-PRS transmissions from the gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0039]

[0046] In the case of UE 105 access to WLAN 216, LMF 220 may use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 105 in a manner similar to that just described for UE 105 access to gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Accordingly, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based positioning of UE 105 and / or forwarding of other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages may be forwarded between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based positioning of UE 105 based on location-related information and / or location measurements known to or accessible to N3IWF 250 and forwarded from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages may be transferred between the UE 105 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215, the N3IWF 250, and the serving WLAN 216 for the UE 105 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of the UE 105 by the LMF 220.

[0040]

[0047] In a 5G NR positioning system 200, positioning methods may be categorized as being “UE-assisted” or “UE-based.” This may depend on where the request to determine the position of the UE 105 originates. For example, if the request originates in the UE (e.g., from an application, or “app,” executed by the UE), the positioning method may be categorized as being UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or AF 230, LMF 220, or other device or service within the 5G network, the positioning method may be categorized as being UE-assisted (or “network-based”).

[0041]

[0048] Using a UE-assisted location method, the UE 105 may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF 220) for calculation of a location estimate of the UE 105. In a RAT-dependent location method, the location measurements may include one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an AoA, a receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), a differential AoA (DAoA), an AoD, or a timing advance (TA) of one or more access points for the gNB 210, the ng-eNB 214, and / or the WLAN 216. Additionally or alternatively, if the locations of other UEs are known, similar measurements may be made of sidelink signals transmitted by these other UEs, which may serve as anchor points for positioning of the UE 105. Location measurements may also or instead include measurements of RAT-independent positioning methods, such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudoranges, GNSS code phases, and / or GNSS carrier phases of GNSS satellites 110), WLAN, etc.

[0042]

[0049] Using the UE-based location method, the UE 105 may obtain location measurements (which may, for example, be the same as or similar to the location measurements of the UE-assisted location method) and may further calculate the location of the UE 105 (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as the LMF 220, SLP, or broadcast by the gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216).

[0043]

[0050] Using network-based location methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB210 and / or ng-eNB214), one or more APs (e.g., in WLAN216), or N3IWF250 may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AoA, or TOA measurements) of signals transmitted by UE105 and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE105 or, in the case of N3IWF250, by APs in WLAN216, and may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF220) for calculation of a location estimate of UE105.

[0044]

[0051] Positioning of the UE 105 may also be categorized as UL, DL, or DL-UL based depending on the type of signal used for positioning. For example, if the positioning is based solely on signals received at the UE 105 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning may be categorized as DL-based. On the other hand, if the positioning is based solely on signals transmitted by the UE 105 (e.g., which may be received by a base station or other UE), the positioning may be categorized as UL-based. Positioning that is DL-UL based includes positioning that is based on signals both transmitted and received by the UE 105, such as RTT-based positioning. Sidelink (SL)-assisted positioning comprises signals communicated between the UE 105 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, the UL, DL, or DL-UL positioning described herein may be capable of using SL signaling as a supplement or replacement for SL, DL, or DL-UL signaling.

[0045]

[0052] Depending on the type of positioning (e.g., UL, DL, or DL-UL based), the type of reference signal used may vary. For example, in DL-based positioning, these signals may comprise PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by a base station or SL-PRS transmitted by another UE) that may be used for TDOA, AoD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that may be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include sounding reference signals (SRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signals (SS)), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc. Moreover, reference signals may be transmitted in the Tx beam and / or received in the Rx beam (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which may affect angle measurements such as AoD. Examples of how PRS (and / or other RF signals) may be used for OTDOA, AoD, and RTT-based positioning are described below with respect to Figures 3-5. Although the examples shown in Figures 3-5 illustrate and discuss base stations (which may correspond to the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 of Figure 2 and / or the base station 120 of Figure 1), it may be noted that the positioning techniques may use the particular TRP of the base station to provide accurate positioning.

[0046]

[0053] 3 is a diagram of how OTDOA-based positioning (also known as downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA)) may be performed in accordance with some embodiments. Briefly, OTDOA-based positioning is positioning that is performed based on the known locations of base stations (e.g., base stations 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3, collectively and generally referred to herein as base stations 310), the known times at which the base stations transmit their respective reference signals (e.g., PRS), and the difference in the time at which the UE 105 receives the reference signals from each base station.

[0047]

[0054] In OTDOA-based positioning, the location server may provide OTDOA assistance data to the UEP 105 for a reference base station (which may be referred to as a "reference cell" or "reference resource") and one or more neighboring base stations (which may be referred to as a "neighbor cell" or "neighboring cell," and individually may be referred to as a "target cell" or "target resource") with respect to the reference base station. For example, the assistance data may include the center channel frequency of each base station, various PRS configuration parameters (e.g., N PRS , T PRS , muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, PRS ID, PRS bandwidth), base station (cell) global ID, PRS signal characteristics associated with directional PRS, and / or other base station-related parameters applicable to OTDOA or some other location method. OTDOA-based positioning by the UE 105 may be facilitated by indicating the serving base station for the UE 105 in the OTDOA assistance data (e.g., the reference base station is indicated as being the serving base station). In some aspects, the OTDOA assistance data may also include an “expected RSTD” parameter that provides the UE 105 with information regarding the reference signal time difference (RSTD) value that the UE 105 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference base station and each neighbor base station, along with the uncertainty of this expected RSTD parameter. The expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window for the UE 105 within which the UE 105 is expected to measure the RSTD value. The OTDOA assistance information may also include PRS configuration information parameters that enable the UE 105 to determine when PRS positioning occasions occur on signals received from various neighbor base stations relative to the PRS positioning occasion of the reference base station, and to determine the PRS sequences transmitted from various base stations to measure TOA or RSTD. The TOA measurement may be an RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) measurement of the average power of the resource elements (REs) carrying the PRS (or other reference signals).

[0048]

[0055] Using the RSTD measurements, the known absolute or relative transmit timing of each base station, and the known locations of the wireless node physical transmit antennas of the reference and neighboring base stations, the UE location may be calculated (e.g., by the UE 105 or a location server). More specifically, the RSTD of a neighbor base station "k" relative to a reference base station "Ref" is calculated as the difference between the TOA measurements of the signals from each base station (i.e., the TOA k -TOA Ref ), where the TOA values ​​may be measured modulo one subframe duration (1 ms) to remove the effects of measuring different subframes at different times. In FIG. 3, for example, the first base station 310-1 may be designated as the reference base station, and the second and third base stations (P110-2 and P310-3) are neighbor base stations. If the UE 105 receives reference signals from the first base station 310-1, the second base station 310-2, and the third base station 310-3 at times T1, T2, and T2, respectively, the RSTD measurement of the second base station 310-2 may be determined as T2-T1, and the RSTD measurement of the third base station 310-3 may be determined as T3-T1. The RSTD measurements may be used by the UE 105 and / or sent to a location server to determine the location of the UE 105 using (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each base station, (iii) the known position of the base station 310 relative to a reference base station and neighboring base stations, and / or (iv) directional PRS characteristics such as direction of transmission. Geometrically, information (i)-(iv) allows the possible locations of the UE 105 to be determined for each RSTD (where each RSTD yields a hyperbola as shown in FIG. 3) and the position of the UE 105 to be determined from the intersection of the possible locations of all the RSTDs.

[0049]

[0056] 4 is a diagram of how RTT-based positioning (or multi-RTT) may be performed according to some embodiments. Briefly, RTT-based positioning involves a positioning method in which the position of the UE 105 is determined based on the known location of a base station (e.g., base station 410, which may also correspond to gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214 of FIG. 2) and the known distance between the UE 105 and the base station. RTT measurements between the UE 105 and each base station are used to determine the distance between the UE 105 and the respective base station, and multilateration may be used to determine the location of the UE 105.

[0050]

[0057] In RTT-based positioning, a location server may coordinate RTT measurements between the UE 105 and each base station. Information provided to the UE 105 may be included in RTT assistance data. This may include, for example, reference signal (e.g., PRS) timing and other signal characteristics, base station (cell) ID, and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to multi-RTT or some other location method. Depending on the desired functionality, the RTT measurements may be performed (and initiated) by the UE 105 or the base station 410.

[0051]

[0058] RTT measurements use over-the-air (OTA) delay to measure distance. An initiating device (e.g., UE 105 or base station 410) transmits a first reference signal at a first time T1, which propagates to the responding device. At a second time T2, the first reference signal arrives at the responding device. The OTA delay (i.e., the propagation time it takes for the first reference signal to travel from the initiating device to the responding device) is the difference between T1 and T2. The responding device then transmits a second reference signal at a third time T3, which is received and measured by the initiating device at a fourth time T4. RSRP measurements can be used to determine the TOAs of times T2 and T4. The distance d between the initiating device and the responding device can therefore be determined using the following equation:

[0052]

number

[0053] (As will be appreciated, the distance d divided by the RF propagation velocity c equals the OTA delay.) Thus, an accurate determination of the distance between the initiating device and the responding device can be made.

[0054]

[0059] The RTT measurements between the UE 105 and the base stations 410 may therefore enable the location of the UE 105 to be determined using multilateration. That is, the RTT measurements between the UE 105 and the first base station 410-1, the second base station 410-2, and the third base station 410-3 (RTT measurements RTT1, RTT2, and RTT3, respectively) result in a determination of the distance of the UE 105 from each of the base stations 410. These distances may be used to trace circles around the known location of the base station 410 (where circle 1 corresponds to base station 410-1, circle 2 corresponds to base station 410-2, and circle 3 corresponds to base station 410-3). The location of the UE 105 may be determined as the intersection between the circles.

[0055]

[0060] 5 is a diagram of how AoD-based positioning (or DL-AoD) can be performed according to some embodiments. Briefly, AoD-based positioning is positioning performed based on reference signals (e.g., PRS) transmitted by several beams of a base station 510 and received by a UE 505 and the corresponding coverage areas covered by the beams.

[0056]

[0061] In AoD-based positioning, a location server may provide AoD assistance data to the UE 505. This assistance data, which may be based on the approximate location of the UE 505, may include the center channel frequency of each base station, various PRS configuration parameters (e.g., N PRS , T PRS, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, PRS ID, PRS bandwidth, beam ID), base station (cell) global ID, PRS signal characteristics related to directional PRS, and / or other base station related parameters applicable to AoD or some other location method.

[0057]

[0062] Using this information, the UE 505 and / or a location server can determine the location of the UE by the beam on which the UE 505 detects the PRS from each base station 510. More specifically, the PRS from the base stations 510 are transmitted via beams centered along angular regions or bins 530. Thus, each bin can correspond to a PRS from a different respective beam. The bins 530 from different base stations 510 can form an angular grid that can be used to determine the location of the UE 505. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, bin 530-1 of base station 510-1 intersects with bin 530-2 of base station 510-2 to form an angular grid. The UE 505 can measure the PRS of the different beams of each base station 510 (e.g., using RSRP measurements). These measurements may be used by the UE 505 or sent to a location server to determine the location of the UE 505 from a corresponding bin intersection 550, where a bin 530-1 corresponding to the PRS of a first base station 510-1 intersects with a bin 530-2 corresponding to the PRS of a second base station 510-2. To provide further accuracy, similar measurements may be made from additional base stations (not shown). Additionally or alternatively, measurements from multiple beams of a single base station 510 can enable interpolation for higher resolution positioning.

[0058]

[0063] While the positioning methods of Figures 3-5 conventionally use base stations (as shown) as anchor points by which the position of target UE 603 ​​is to be determined, 5G NR is developing the possibility of using other UEs in addition to or instead of base stations as anchor points, as previously shown with respect to UE 145 in Figure 1. Figure 6 provides a more detailed example.

[0059]

[0064] FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram illustrating how an anchor UE 605 may be used in positioning a target UE 603 ​​in a 5G NR network, according to one embodiment. Here, arrows between various components indicate communication links. As shown in FIG. 2, this may involve wireless and / or wired communication technologies and may include one or more intermediate components. For simplicity, gNBs (e.g., corresponding to gNB 210 in FIG. 2) are simply labeled gNB1-gNB4, and a single anchor UE 605 is illustrated. In some cases, only one anchor UE 605 may be used, while other cases may use two or more. Moreover, in some cases, the anchor UE 605 may comprise the sole type of anchor point for positioning and / or a gNB that is not used as an anchor point. (Again, as used herein, the term “anchor point” refers to a device with a known location used to determine the location of the target UE 603.)

[0065] To determine the position of the target UE 603 ​​(e.g., using any of the positioning techniques previously described), the target UE 603 ​​may take measurements of wireless signals sent from different anchor points, gNB1-gNB3 and anchor UE 605. As shown in FIG. 4, the target UE 603 ​​may communicate with and / or obtain measurements from gNB1-gNB3 using a Uu (network) interface 630. The measurements may be made from reference signals from the gNBs, such as PRSs (e.g., DL-PRSs). With respect to the anchor UE 605, the target UE 603 ​​may communicate using an SL interface 650. As previously described, the SL interface 650 enables direct (D2D) communication between the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 and may be used in a manner similar to the Uu interface 630 to enable the target UE 603 ​​to obtain position relationship measurements in connection with determining the location of the target UE 603. Thus, the anchor UE 605 may be configured to provide a PRS (e.g., SL-PRS) and / or similar reference signals that may be transmitted in a similar manner as the gNB. As part of that, the anchor UE 605 may also communicate with the LMF 220 via the gNB4 using the Uu interface 630. In this example, the gNB4 may comprise the serving gNB for the anchor UE 605.

[0060]

[0066] The use of the anchor UE 605 in positioning the target UE 603 ​​is similar to the use of the base station in Figures 3-5 for OTDOA, RTT, and AoD-based positioning. However, specific details regarding the use of the anchor UE 605 have not yet been determined. There is no definition for SL-based or SL-assisted measurements in LPP reporting. And it is unclear what type of reporting should be provided by the target UE 603.

[0061]

[0067] According to embodiments herein, the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 may be configured to provide measurements specific to SL-assisted positioning (e.g., positioning using SL-based or SL-assisted measurements). That is, in positioning where at least one anchor UE 605 is used as an anchor point, the target UE 603 ​​and / or at least one anchor UE 605 may be configured by the LMF 220 and / or a gNB to take several SL-based and / or SL-assisted measurements to facilitate SL positioning. When configured by a gNB, the target UE 603 ​​may be configured by its serving gNB (gNB1), and the anchor UE 605 may be configured by its serving gNB (gNB4).

[0062]

[0068] An example of a measurement specific to SL-assisted positioning, according to some embodiments, is an RSTD measurement involving one or more anchor UEs 605. As previously described, RSTD measurements may be performed by determining the difference in PRS TOAs from two different network nodes: a reference node and a neighbor node. Because the reference node is used in multiple RSTD measurements for OTD-assisted OTD-assisted positioning, reference node accuracy may be particularly important to the final accuracy of the OTD-assisted OTD-assisted positioning. Thus, according to some embodiments, if a gNB is available for SL-assisted OTD-assisted positioning, the gNB may be used as the reference node for the RSTD measurements, and one or more anchor UEs 605 may be used as the neighbor node. This is because aspects of the gNB related to accuracy (e.g., known location, drift rate, etc.) tend to be more accurate than those of the UE. Therefore, using a gNB as the reference node for RSTD measurements in SL-assisted OTD-assisted positioning of the target UE 603 ​​can result in higher accuracy than if the anchor UE 605 were used as the reference node. According to some embodiments, the LMF 220 may indicate to the target UE 603 ​​which gNB to use as a reference node for RSTD measurements and / or may indicate to the target UE 603 ​​that the anchor UE 605 should not be used as a reference node.

[0063]

[0069] That said, embodiments may still use the anchor UE 605 as a reference node. The anchor UE 605 may be used as a reference node, for example, in cases where a gNB is not available for OTDOA positioning. Additionally or alternatively, if the anchor UE 605 meets certain accuracy requirements, it may be used as a reference node. For example, if the anchor UE 605 has an accurate synchronization source that can reduce the effects of drift rate, has a position with an uncertainty value below a certain threshold, and / or meets similar accuracy-related conditions or an overall accuracy threshold, it may be used as a reference node.

[0064]

[0070] Another measurement specific to SL-assisted positioning is RTT using the SL interface 650 between the target UE 603 ​​and the reference node 605. In an RTT measurement using the SL interface 650, both the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 take Rx-Tx measurements. (The term "Rx-Tx measurement" referred to herein refers to a time difference measurement taken by initiating and receiving from a device for RTT measurement.) The RTT measurement in this case can be an SL-assisted measurement, in which the target UE 603 ​​initiates the RTT measurement, or an SL-based measurement, in which the anchor UE 605 initiates the RTT measurement.

[0065]

[0071] According to some embodiments, the anchor UE 605 may perform RTT in either a “transparent mode” or an “advanced mode,” which may be based on the capabilities of the target UE 603 ​​and / or the anchor UE 605. In transparent mode, the anchor UE 605 may provide Uu-like functionality over the SL interface 650, mimicking the functionality of a gNB over the Uu interface 630 (e.g., providing a Uu-like PRS) to perform or obtain RTT measurements. In transparent mode, the LMF 220 may communicate with the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 to coordinate RTT measurements, and both the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 may report their respective Rx-Tx measurements to the LMF 220 to determine RTT. Because the anchor UE 605 behaves like a gNB in ​​transparent mode, it may enable older target UEs 603 that would otherwise be unable to perform RTT over the SL interface 650 to do so.

[0066]

[0072] In the advanced mode, one UE may report its respective Rx-Tx measurements to the other UE. That is, in an SL-based RTT measurement initiated by the anchor UE 605, the target UE 603 ​​can provide its respective Rx-Tx measurements (or the difference between the RTT transmitted signal and the RTT received signal) to the anchor UE 605, which can then relay the Rx-Tx measurements of both the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 to the LMF 220. In an SL-assisted RTT measurement initiated by the target UE 603, the anchor UE 605 can provide its respective Rx-Tx measurements to the target UE 603, which can then relay the Rx-Tx measurements of both the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605 to the LMF 220. In this way, the advanced mode may require only a single LPP session between the LMF 220 and the UE initiating the RTT measurement, rather than a separate LPP session from each UE (as may be the case in the transparent mode). That said, in some cases and / or embodiments of the advanced mode, each UE may have a separate LPP session and / or provide separate reports.

[0067]

[0073] The decision of whether to use transparent mode or advanced mode can vary depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, this decision may be made by the LMF 220 based on the capabilities of the anchor UE 605 and the target UE 603. For example, the LMF 220 may determine (e.g., via the target UE 603's 3GPP release number) that the target UE 603 ​​is not capable of taking RTT measurements using the SL interface 650 in advanced mode. Thus, the LMF 220 may, for example, configure the anchor UE 605 to operate in transparent mode using direct (e.g., LPP) communication with the anchor UE 605, or use communication to the gNB 4 (e.g., via LPPa), which then configures the anchor UE 605 to operate in transparent mode. Additionally or alternatively, the anchor UE 605 may make this same decision when establishing the SL interface 650 with the target UE 603. In either case, the anchor UE 605 may operate in a transparent mode when taking RTT measurements using the SL interface 650 based on this determination.

[0068]

[0074] Angle-based measurements using the SL interface 650 may be used, according to some embodiments, when the anchor UE 605 is capable of beamforming to provide AoD / AoA measurements. Depending on the desired functionality, AoD measurements based on PRS RSRP using the SL interface 650 (e.g., “SLTx AoD”) may be reported in the same manner as the gNB's DL AoD measurements (based on DL PRS RSRP measurements). That is, the UE 150 may report the RSRP of the PRS transmitted on the anchor UE 605's beam via the SL interface 650. Similarly, AoA measurements by the anchor UE 605 based on PRS RSRP using the SL interface 650 (e.g., “SLRx AoA”) may be reported in the same manner as the gNB's UL AoA measurements (based on UL PRS RSRP measurements). That is, the anchor UE 605 may report the RSRP of the PRS transmitted by the target UE 603.

[0069]

[0075] However, with these SL angle-based measurements, the target UE 603 ​​and / or the anchor UE 605 may provide additional information. Traditionally, the gNB would take AoD and AoA measurements of the target UE 603, assuming the gNB has much more antennas and therefore much higher beamforming resolution. The angle measurements taken by the target UE 603 ​​are unlikely to add any additional information in such cases. However, due to the symmetry in the SL interface 650 between the target UE 603 ​​and the anchor UE 605, both UEs (105, 605) may take additional measurements. For example, not only can the anchor UE 605 provide the SL-PRS on the beam measured by the target UE 603 ​​to determine the AoD, but the target UE 603 ​​may also take Rx AoA measurements. When the target UE 603 ​​provides signals to the anchor UE 605, the roles may be reversed, such that the anchor UE 605 can take both RSRP measurements to determine the AoD as well as the AoA measurements. Thus, unlike conventional embodiments, embodiments in which SL angle-based measurements are taken can include angle-based measurements taken by the target UE 603. This information can be used by the LMF 220 or the target UE 603 ​​for position determination of the target UE 603.

[0070]

[0076] To enable SL angle-based position determination, the orientation of the anchor UE 605 (and possibly the target UE 603) may be required. Accordingly, the anchor UE 605 (and possibly the target UE 603) may further provide an orientation report indicating its orientation when transmitting a signal (e.g., PRS). Unlike a gNB that has a known, fixed orientation (resulting in beams with respective known angles / coverage areas), the orientation of the target UE 603 ​​and / or the anchor UE 605 may change. And therefore, knowledge of the orientation of each UE at the time the signal is transmitted, along with AoD / AoA measurements, may be used in determining the location of the target UE 603. Depending on the desired functionality, the orientation may be reported, for example, in a global coordinate system (GCS) or a local coordinate system (LCS), which may be defined under the governing standard (e.g., 3GPP).

[0071]

[0077] Other embodiments may enable "rich reporting" measurements that provide additional information beyond traditional measurement reporting. For example, the target UE 603 ​​or anchor UE 605 may report Doppler, power delay profile (PDP), polarization phase, "same Rx beam used" indication, group delay information, waveform, and / or similar information. This information may also be used in determining the location of the target UE 603, according to some embodiments.

[0072]

[0078] Furthermore, depending on the desired functionality, the measurement reports may be sent to different entities. In network-based positioning, measurement reports from the target UE 603 ​​and / or anchor UE 605 may be provided to the LMF 220. In some embodiments, measurement reports may be sent from a first UE (e.g., the target UE 603 ​​or anchor UE 605) to a second UE (e.g., the anchor UE 605 or target UE 603) via the SL interface, which is then relayed by the second UE to the LMF 220. In UE-based positioning (where the location of the target UE 603 ​​is determined by the target UE 603), measurement reports from the anchor UE 605 may be provided in the direction of the target UE 603 ​​via the SL interface 650 or indirectly via the LMF 220.

[0073]

[0079] It may be noted that measurement reports for SL-assisted positioning using the techniques herein may be communicated in a manner similar to measurement reports in a conventional LPP session. That is, the general procedure for an LPP session may comprise establishing an LPP session, exchanging positioning capabilities (e.g., using RequestCapabilities and ProvideCapabilities information elements (IEs)), transferring assistance data (e.g., using RequestAssistanceData and ProvideAssistanceData IEs), and transferring location information (e.g., positioning measurements and / or location estimates via RequestLocationInformation and ProvideLocationInformation IEs). As an example of communication of measurement reports, the LMF 220 may configure the target UE 603 ​​(e.g., in an Assistance Data exchange or Request Location Information exchange) regarding what to provide in the report (e.g., what to include in the report, which signals to measure, etc.). As another example, in advanced mode, the anchor UE 605 or target UE 603 ​​may provide its Rx-Tx measurements to other UEs and / or provide measurement reports via ProvideLocationInformation. And further, in another example where angle-based positioning is implemented, the LMF 220 may provide information to the anchor UE 605 (via the LPP or NRPPa) in response to an information request for angle / beam / orientation information.

[0074]

[0080] FIG. 7A is a flow diagram of a method 700-A for providing measurement reports for determining the location of a first UE according to one embodiment. In some aspects, method 700-A describes a method performed by a first UE corresponding to the target UE 603 ​​previously described with respect to FIG. 6 or a second UE corresponding to the anchor UE 605 of FIG. 6. Alternative embodiments may perform functions in a different order, in parallel, and / or reorder the flow of functions shown in FIG. 7A differently. The means for performing the functions shown in the blocks shown in FIG. 7A may be implemented by hardware and / or software components of a UE. Example components of a UE are shown in FIG. 8, which is described in more detail below.

[0075]

[0081] In block 710, the function comprises obtaining measurements of a reference signal sent over an SL interface between the first UE and the second UE. As mentioned, the function of FIG. 7A may be performed by the target UE 603 ​​or the anchor UE 605 of FIG. 6. Thus, according to some embodiments, the measurements may be obtained by the first UE or the second UE. The reference signal may comprise an SL-PRS, and the measurements may comprise RSRP and / or TOA measurements. The type of measurement taken may be based on the type of positioning (e.g., OTT, DOA, RTT, AoA, or AoD-based positioning). Means for performing the function of block 710 may comprise a wireless communication interface 830, bus 805, memory 860, processor 810, digital signal processor (DSP) 820, and / or other components of a UE, such as the UE 105 shown in FIG. 8 and described in more detail below.

[0076]

[0082] At block 720, the function comprises sending information indicative of the measurement values. As further shown in block 720, according to some embodiments, the information indicative of the measurement values ​​may comprise information indicative of an RSTD based on the measurement value of the reference signal and the second measurement value of the second signal, an RTT based on the measurement value of the reference signal, an AoD based on the measurement value of the reference signal, or an AoA based on the measurement value of the reference signal, or any combination thereof. If the reference signal is measured at the first UE, the information may be sent to a location server. If the reference signal is measured at the second UE, the information may be sent to the first UE or the location server.

[0077]

[0083] As previously described, RSTD can be determined from TOA measurements of reference signals received over the SL and Uu interfaces. In such cases, the second signal is transmitted by a base station, and the reference signal is measured at a first UE that can determine RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for the RSTD determination. Use of the base station as a reference node can be based on the first UE determining that the second reference signal is transmitted by the base station. Alternatively, use of the base station as a reference node can be based on the first UE receiving an indication from a location server to do so.

[0078]

[0084] However, as mentioned, the UE may be used as a reference node in instances where the UE is determined to satisfy the accuracy threshold. Thus, in some embodiments of method 700-A in which a reference signal is measured at a first UE and the information indicative of the measurements comprises information indicative of an RSTD based on the measurement of the reference signal and a second measurement of a second reference signal, the first UE may receive (e.g., directly from the second UE or via a location server or base station) an indication that the second UE satisfies the accuracy threshold, and in response to the indication that the second UE satisfies the accuracy threshold, the first UE may use the second UE as a reference node in determining the RSTD.

[0079]

[0085] As mentioned, reporting of RTT-related measurements may vary depending on the desired functionality. RTT may be initiated by a first UE (e.g., target UE 603 ​​and FIG. 6) or a second UE (e.g., anchor UE 605). In either case, Rx-Tx measurements made by one UE based on a reference signal (e.g., the TOA of the reference signal) may be sent to the other UE and relayed by the other UE to a location server. Additionally or alternatively, the other UE may determine the RTT based on the Rx-Tx measurements from both UEs and then provide the RTT measurements to the location server. Thus, an alternative embodiment of method 700-A may further comprise determining a first Rx-Tx measurement based on the reference signal and receiving a second Rx-Tx measurement via the SL interface. In such a case, sending information indicative of the RTT based on the measurement of the reference signal comprises sending the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or the RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or any combination thereof.

[0080]

[0086] As noted in previously described embodiments, angle measurements for AoD and AoA determination may be made via the SL interface and reported to a location server or the first UE. The AoD determination may be made based on RSRP measurements from a device measuring one or more reference signals sent by the first UE or the second UE, together with an indication of the beam used to transmit the measured reference signals and an identification of the orientation of the transmitting UE. Similarly, the AoA determination may be made based on beam and orientation information from the receiving UE. Thus, according to some embodiments of method 700-A, the indication of AoD based on the measurements of the reference signals comprises the RSRP measurements of the reference signals and a beam ID (or beam index). Additionally or alternatively, according to some embodiments of method 700-A, the indication of AoA based on the measurements of the reference signals comprises the orientation of the device measuring the reference signals and a receiving beam or angle, where the device comprises the first UE or the second UE.

[0081]

[0087] Means for performing the functions of block 720 may comprise a wireless communication interface 830, a bus 805, a memory 860, a processor 810, a DSP 820, and / or other components of a UE, such as the UE 105 shown in FIG. 8 and described in more detail below.

[0082]

[0088] FIG. 7B is a flow diagram of a method 700-B of providing measurement reports for determining the location of a first UE according to another embodiment. Similar to the method 700-A of FIG. 7A, aspects of the method 700-B describe a method performed by a first UE, corresponding to the target UE 603 ​​previously described with respect to FIG. 6. Here, however, the second UE may correspond to the anchor UE 605 of FIG. 6. Alternative embodiments may perform the functions in a different order, in parallel, and / or reorder the flow of the functions shown in FIG. 7B differently. The means for performing the functions shown in the blocks illustrated in FIG. 7B may be implemented by hardware and / or software components of the UE. Example components of the UE are shown in FIG. 8, which is described in more detail below.

[0083]

[0089] In block 730, the function comprises obtaining, with a first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over an SL interface between the first UE and a second UE. As previously described, the first UE may correspond to the target UE 603 ​​of FIG. 6, and the second UE may correspond to the anchor UE 605 of FIG. 6. The reference signal may comprise, for example, an SL-PRS, and the measurement may comprise an RSRP and / or TOA measurement. The type of measurement taken may be based on the type of positioning (e.g., RSTD, RTT, AoA, or AoD-based positioning). Means for performing the function of block 730 may comprise a wireless communication interface 830, a bus 805, a memory 860, a processor 810, a digital signal processor (DSP) 820, and / or other components of a UE, such as the UE 105 shown in FIG. 8 and described in more detail below.

[0084]

[0090] At block 720, the function comprises obtaining, using the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by the base station, where the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. By measuring the reference signal from the base station, some embodiments may leverage increased timing and / or location information of the base station when obtaining measurements and / or ultimately determining the location of the first (target) UE. For example, according to some embodiments, the first UE may determine RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for the RSTD determination. That said, in some circumstances, embodiments may utilize the second UE as a reference node. For example, according to some embodiments of method 700-B, the first UE may receive an indication that the second UE meets an accuracy threshold, and in response to the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, the first UE may use the second UE as a reference node in determining RSTD. Depending on the desired functionality, the accuracy threshold may be determined based on, for example, a confidence level, accuracy, and / or other metric of the determined location of the second UE.

[0085]

[0091] The use of a time window within which the first and second reference signals are transmitted and / or the first and second measurements are obtained can help ensure accuracy when determining the location of the first UE. The smaller the time window, the more likely the UE will be at or near the same location for both measurements. The time window may be defined, for example, by a number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) slots, a number of OFDM subframes, a number of OFDM frames, a start time and end time, a time duration, a number of measurement gaps (MGs), or a number of processing windows, or a combination thereof.

[0086]

[0092] Depending on the desired functionality, the time window may be dynamically determined. According to some embodiments, the time window may be determined based on characteristics of the first UE, such as speed, timing accuracy, clock drift, etc. Other characteristics may be based on reference signal timing, such as reference signal periodicity (of the second UE and / or base station). In some embodiments, a separate device, such as a location server, a base station, or the second UE, may determine the time window and provide it to the first UE in a configuration. In such cases, method 700-B may further comprise receiving, with the first UE, information indicating the predetermined time window prior to obtaining the first and second measurements. In some embodiments, the first UE may determine the time window.

[0087]

[0093] Means for performing the functions of block 740 may comprise a wireless communication interface 830, a bus 805, a memory 860, a processor 810, a digital signal processor (DSP) 820, and / or other components of a UE, such as the UE 105 shown in FIG. 8 and described in more detail below.

[0088]

[0094] At block 750, the function comprises sending information indicative of the first measurement value and information indicative of the second measurement value. The information indicative of either the first measurement value or the second measurement value may be similar to the information previously described with respect to method 700-A of FIG. 7A. Here, however, the information may be included in a single measurement report, or in different measurement reports and positioning sessions, to enable a receiving device (e.g., a location server) to determine the location of the first UE using both the first and second measurements. Thus, according to some embodiments, the information indicative of the first measurement value and / or the second measurement value may include information that enables the receiving device to associate the first and second measurements. This may include, for example, a flag or other identifier that identifies the first measurement value and / or the second measurement value. According to some embodiments, the second measurement value may be tagged with a TRP ID, a reference signal ID (e.g., PRS resource), and / or other flag, and the first measurement value may be tagged with a UE ID, a reference signal ID, etc.

[0089]

[0095] Depending on the type of measurement obtained, the information indicative of the first measurement value and / or the second measurement value may comprise various types of information. For example, according to some embodiments, the information indicative of the first measurement value may comprise information indicative of an RTT based on a first measurement value of a first reference signal. In such embodiments, obtaining the first measurement value may comprise determining a first Rx-Tx measurement value based on the first reference signal, wherein the first UE further receives a second Rx-Tx measurement value taken by a second UE via the SL interface, and sending the information indicative of the RTT based on the measurement value of the reference signal may comprise sending the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or an RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or any combination thereof. According to some embodiments, the information indicative of the first measurement value may comprise information indicative of an AoD based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. In such embodiments, the indication of the AoD based on the first measurement of the first reference signal may comprise an RSRP measurement of the first reference signal and a beam ID. According to some embodiments, the information indicative of the first measurement may comprise information indicative of the AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal. In such embodiments, the indication of the AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal may comprise an orientation of the first UE and a receive beam or angle. According to some embodiments, sending the information indicative of the first measurement and the information indicative of the second measurement may comprise sending the information to a location server.

[0090]

[0096] The means for performing the functions of block 750 may comprise a wireless communication interface 830, a bus 805, a memory 860, a processor 810, a DSP 820, and / or other components of a UE, such as the UE 105 shown in FIG. 8 and described in more detail below.

[0091]

[0097] FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of a UE 105 that may be utilized as described hereinabove (e.g., in connection with FIGS. 1-7). For example, the UE 105 may perform one or more of the functionality of the methods illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. It should be noted that FIG. 8 is intended only to provide a generalized view of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. It should be noted that in some instances, the components illustrated by FIG. 8 may be localized in a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different physical locations. Additionally, as previously mentioned, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments may be performed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0092]

[0098] The UE 105 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or otherwise in communication, as appropriate) via a bus 805. The hardware elements may include a processor 810, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or means. The processor 810 may comprise one or more processing units that may be stored in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. As shown in FIG. 8, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 820 depending on desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processor 810 and / or the wireless communication interface 830 (discussed below). The UE 105 may also include one or more input devices 870, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc., and one or more output devices 815, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0093]

[0099] The UE 105 may also include a wireless communication interface 830, which may comprise, without limitation, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device, and / or various cellular devices), which may enable the UE 105 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 830 may enable data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) with the TRP of the network, as described herein, for example, via an eNB, a gNB, an ng-eNB, an access point, various base stations and / or other access node types, and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled to the TRP. Communication may occur via one or more wireless communication antennas 832 that send and / or receive wireless signals 834. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna 832 may comprise multiple individual antennas, an antenna array, or any combination thereof. The antenna 832 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). The beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques with digital and / or analog circuitry, respectively. The wireless communication interface 830 may include such circuitry.

[0094]

[0100] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 830 may comprise separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, for communicating with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers, such as wireless devices and access points. The UE 105 may communicate with various data networks, which may comprise various network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, etc. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000, WCDMA, etc. CDMA2000 includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. CDMA2000 is described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A WLAN may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, an IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0095]

[0101] The UE 105 may further include sensors 840. The sensors 840 may comprise, without limitation, one or more inertial and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain location-related measurements and / or other information.

[0096]

[0102] An embodiment of the UE 105 may also include a GNSS receiver 880 capable of receiving signals 884 from one or more Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites using an antenna 882 (which may be similar to antenna 832). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be utilized to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 880 may extract the position of the UE 105 from GNSS satellites 110 of a GNSS system, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), India's IRNSS, or China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), using conventional techniques. Moreover, the GNSS receiver 880 may be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-Function Satellite Augmentation Systems (MSAS), and Geo-Augmented Navigation Systems (GAGAN).

[0097]

[0103] It may be noted that while the GNSS receiver 880 is shown as a separate component in FIG. 8 , embodiments are not so limited. The term “GNSS receiver,” as used herein, may comprise hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). In some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may therefore comprise a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processors, such as the processor 810, the DSP 820, and / or a processor within the wireless communication interface 830 (e.g., in a modem). The GNSS receiver may also, in some cases, include a positioning engine that can use the GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the position of the GNSS receiver using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a Hatch filter, a particle filter, or the like. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors, such as the processor 810 or the DSP 820.

[0098]

[0104] The UE 105 may further include and / or be in communication with memory 860. The memory 860 may include local and / or network-accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices, such as, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0099]

[0105] The memory 860 of the UE 105 may also comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 8 ) including other code, such as an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, that may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or that may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 860 executable by the UE 105 (and / or the processor 810 or DSP 820 within the UE 105). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0100]

[0106] 9 illustrates one embodiment of a base station 120 that may be utilized as described herein above (e.g., in connection with FIGS. 1-8). Note that FIG. 9 is intended only to provide a generalized view of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. In some embodiments, the base station 120 may correspond to a gNB, an ng-eNB, and / or (more generally) a TRP.

[0101]

[0107] Base station 120 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or in other communication, as appropriate) via bus 905. The hardware elements may include a processor 910, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing structures or means. As shown in FIG. 9, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 920 depending on the desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communications may be provided in processor 910 and / or wireless communications interface 930 (discussed below), according to some embodiments. Base station 120 may also include one or more input devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a display, a mouse, a microphone, buttons, dials, switches, etc., and one or more output devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a display, a light-emitting diode (LED), a speaker, etc.

[0102]

[0108] The base station 120 may also include a wireless communication interface 930, which may comprise, without limitation, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a cellular communication facility, etc.), which may enable the base station 120 to communicate as described herein. The wireless communication interface 930 may enable data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) to UEs, other base stations / TRPs (e.g., eNBs, gNBs, and ng-eNBs), and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Communication may occur via one or more wireless communication antennas 932 that send and / or receive wireless signals 934.

[0103]

[0109] Base station 120 may also include a network interface 980, which may include support for wireline communication technologies. Network interface 980 may include a modem, a network card, a chipset, etc. Network interface 980 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data to be exchanged with a network, a communication network server, a computer system, and / or any other electronic device described herein.

[0104]

[0110] In many embodiments, base station 120 may further comprise memory 960. Memory 960 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, such as RAM and / or ROM, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices, which may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0105]

[0111] The memory 960 of the base station 120 may also comprise software elements (not shown in FIG. 9 ) including other code, such as an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more application programs, that may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or that may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 960 executable by the base station 120 (and / or the processor 910 or DSP 920 within the base station 120). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described methods.

[0106]

[0112] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a computer system 1000 that may be used, in whole or in part, to provide the functionality of one or more network components described in embodiments herein (e.g., location server 160 of FIG. 1 or LMF 220 of FIGS. 2 and 6). It should be noted that FIG. 10 is intended only to provide a generalized view of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. FIG. 10 therefore broadly illustrates how individual system elements may be implemented in a relatively separate or more relatively integrated manner. Additionally, it should be noted that the components illustrated by FIG. 10 may be localized on a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different geographic locations.

[0107]

[0113] A computer system 1000 is shown comprising hardware elements that may be electrically coupled (or in other communication, as appropriate) via a bus 1005. The hardware elements may include a processor 1010, which may comprise, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (digital signal processing chips, graphics acceleration processors, etc.), and / or other processing structures that may be configured to perform one or more of the methods described herein. The computer system 1000 may also comprise one or more input devices 1015, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc., and one or more output devices 1020, which may comprise, but is not limited to, a display device, printer, etc.

[0108]

[0114] Computer system 1000 may further include (and / or be in communication with) one or more non-transitory storage devices 1025, which may comprise, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage and / or solid-state storage devices such as, but not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash-updateable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data store, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data stores may include databases and / or other data structures used to store and manage messages and / or other information to be sent to one or more devices via the hub, as described herein.

[0109]

[0115] The computer system 1000 may also include a communications subsystem 1030, which may comprise wireless communications technologies managed and controlled by a wireless communications interface 1033, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communications, and Universal Serial Bus (USB)). The wireless communications interface 1033 may comprise one or more wireless transceivers that may transmit and receive wireless signals 1055 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via a wireless antenna 1050. Thus, the communications subsystem 1030 may comprise a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communications device, a wireless communications device, and / or a chipset, etc., that may enable the computer system 1000 to communicate over any or all of the communications networks described herein to any device on the respective network, including user equipment (UE), base stations and / or other TRPs, and / or any other electronic device described herein. Thus, the communications subsystem 1030 may be used to receive and transmit data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0110]

[0116] In many embodiments, computer system 1000 further comprises working memory 1035, which may comprise a RAM or ROM device, as described above. The software elements shown as being located within working memory 1035 may comprise computer programs provided by various embodiments, as described herein, and / or may comprise other code, such as an operating system 1040, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or one or more applications 1045, that may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processor within a computer), in which case, in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations in accordance with the described method.

[0111]

[0117] A set of these instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as storage device 1025 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated within a computer system, such as computer system 1000. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium such as an optical disk) and / or may be provided in an installation package such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer with the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions may take the form of executable code that is executable by computer system 1000 and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code that takes the form of executable code when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1000 (e.g., using any of various publicly available compilers, installation programs, compression / decompression utilities, etc.).

[0112]

[0118] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations can be made according to particular requirements. For example, customized hardware may be used and / or particular elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connection to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be employed.

[0113]

[0119] With respect to the accompanying figures, components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may participate in providing instructions / code to a processor and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or transport such instructions / code. In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with patterns of holes, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), flash EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0114]

[0120] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to some embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Various aspects and elements of the embodiments may be similarly combined. Various components of the diagrams provided herein may be implemented in hardware and / or software. Also, because technology evolves, many of the elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the disclosure to those specific examples.

[0115]

[0121] It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise expressly indicated, and as is clear from the above discussion, it should be appreciated that throughout this specification, discussions utilizing terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “ascertaining,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” “performing,” and the like refer to acts or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals that are commonly represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within the memories, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0116]

[0122] As used herein, the terms "and" and "or" can have a variety of meanings that are expected to depend, at least in part, on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, when "or" is used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, it is intended to mean A, B, and C, used herein in an inclusive sense, as well as A, B, or C, used herein in an exclusive sense. Additionally, as used herein, the term "one or more" can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or it can be used to describe any combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term "at least one of," when used to associate a list, such as A, B, or C, can be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0117]

[0123] Although several embodiments have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be merely components of a larger system, in which other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Also, some steps may occur before, during, or after the above elements are considered. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0118]

[0124] In view of this specification, embodiments may include various combinations of features. Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0119] Clause 1. A method of providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining, using the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; obtaining, using the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station; and sending, using the first UE, information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window.

[0120] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises information indicative of a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on a first measurement value of a first reference signal and a second measurement value of a second reference signal.

[0121] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the first UE determines the RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for the RSTD determination.

[0122] Clause 4. The method of clause 2, wherein the first UE receives an indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, and in response to the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, the first UE uses the second UE as a reference node in determining the RSTD.

[0123] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises information indicative of a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0124] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein obtaining a first measurement value comprises determining a first Rx-Tx measurement value based on a first reference signal, wherein the first UE further receives, via the SL interface, a second Rx-Tx measurement value taken by a second UE, and wherein sending information indicative of the RTT based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal comprises sending the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or an RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or any combination thereof.

[0125] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1-6, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises an indication of an angle of departure (AoD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0126] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the indication of AoD based on the first measurement of the first reference signal comprises a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the first reference signal and a beam ID.

[0127] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises an indication of an angle of arrival (AoA) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0128] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the indication of AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal comprises an orientation and a receive beam or angle of the first UE.

[0129] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 1-10, wherein sending the information indicative of the first measurement value and the information indicative of the second measurement value comprises sending the information to a location server.

[0130] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 1-11, wherein the predetermined time window comprises a time window defined by a number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) slots, a number of OFDM subframes, a number of OFDM frames, a start time and an end time, a duration, a number of measurement gaps (MGs), or a number of processing windows, or a combination thereof.

[0131] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 1-12, further comprising receiving, using the first UE, information indicating a predetermined time window prior to obtaining the first measurement value and the second measurement value.

[0132] Clause 14. A first user equipment (UE), the first UE for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of the first UE, comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: use the transceiver to obtain a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a side link (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; use the transceiver to obtain a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station; and, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window, send, using the transceiver, information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement.

[0133] Clause 15. The first UE of Clause 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicating the first measurement value, information indicating a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on a first measurement value of the first reference signal and a second measurement value of the second reference signal.

[0134] Clause 16. The first UE of clause 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for the RSTD determination.

[0135] Clause 17. The first UE of clause 15, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive an indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold; and, in response to receiving the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, use the second UE as a reference node to determine the RSTD.

[0136] Clause 18. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicating the first measurement value, information indicating a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0137] Clause 19. The first UE of Clause 18, wherein to obtain the first measurement value, one or more processors are configured to determine a first Rx-Tx measurement value based on a first reference signal, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive, via the SL interface, a second Rx-Tx measurement value taken by the second UE, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to send information indicative of an RTT based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicative of the RTT, the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or an RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement value and the second Rx-Tx measurement value, or any combination thereof.

[0138] Clause 20. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicative of the first measurement value, an indication of an angle of departure (AoD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0139] Clause 21. The first UE of Clause 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of the first reference signal and a beam ID in the indication of AoD based on the first measurement of the first reference signal.

[0140] Clause 22. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicative of the first measurement value, an indication of an angle of arrival (AoA) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal.

[0141] Clause 23. The first UE of clause 22, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include an orientation and a receive beam or angle of the first UE in an indication of AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal.

[0142] Clause 24. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 23, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send information to the location server to send information indicative of the first measurement value and information indicative of the second measurement value.

[0143] Clause 25. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 24, wherein the predetermined time window comprises a time window defined by a number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) slots, a number of OFDM subframes, a number of OFDM frames, a start time and an end time, a duration, a number of measurement gaps (MGs), or a number of processing windows, or a combination thereof.

[0144] Clause 26. The first UE of any of clauses 14 to 25, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive, via the transceiver, information indicating a predetermined time window prior to obtaining the first measurement value and the second measurement value.

[0145] Clause 27. An apparatus for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining the method of any one of clauses 1 to 14.

[0146] Clause 28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for providing a positioning measurement report for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the instructions comprising code for obtaining the method of any one of clauses 1 to 14. The inventions described in the claims of the present application as originally filed are set forth below. [C1] 1. A method for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining, using the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; and obtaining, using the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. sending, using the first UE, information indicative of the first measurement value and information indicative of the second measurement value; A method comprising: [C2] The method of C1, wherein the information indicating the first measurement value comprises information indicating a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal and the second measurement value of the second reference signal. [C3] The method of C2, wherein the first UE determines the RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for determining the RSTD. [C4] The method of C2, wherein the first UE receives an indication that the second UE meets an accuracy threshold, and in response to the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, the first UE uses the second UE as a reference node in determining the RSTD. [C5] The method of C1, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises information indicative of a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C6] obtaining the first measurement comprises determining a first Rx-Tx measurement based on the first reference signal, wherein: the first UE further receives, via the SL interface, second Rx-Tx measurements taken by the second UE; sending the information indicative of the RTT based on the first measurement of the first reference signal; the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or the RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or Any combination of them providing for sending The method described in C5. [C7] The method of C1, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises an indication of an angle of departure (AoD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C8] The method of C7, wherein the indication of the AoD based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal comprises a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement value of the first reference signal and a beam ID. [C9] The method of C1, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement value comprises an indication of an angle of arrival (AoA) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C10] The method of C9, wherein the indication of the AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal comprises an orientation and receive beam or angle of the first UE. [C11] The method of C1, wherein sending the information indicative of the first measurement value and the information indicative of the second measurement value comprises sending the information to a location server. [C12] The predetermined time window is: the number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) slots, the number of OFDM subframes, the number of OFDM frames, start and end times, duration, Number of measurement gaps (MG), or the number of processing windows, or combinations of these The method according to claim 1, comprising a time window defined by: [C13] The method of C1, further comprising receiving, by the first UE, information indicative of the predetermined time window prior to obtaining the first measurement value and the second measurement value. [C14] a first user equipment (UE) for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of the first UE, the first UE comprising: A transceiver; Memory and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors: obtaining, using the transceiver, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; obtaining, using the transceiver, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; using the transceiver to send information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement; configured to: First UE. [C15] The first UE described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include information indicating a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal and the second measurement value of the second reference signal in the information indicating the first measurement value. [C16] The first UE of C15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the RSTD by at least partially using the base station as a reference node for determining the RSTD. [C17] the one or more processors: receiving an indication that the second UE meets an accuracy threshold; and in response to receiving the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, using the second UE as a reference node for determining the RSTD. The first UE of C15, further configured to: [C18] A first UE as described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicating the first measurement value, information indicating a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C19] To obtain the first measurement value, the one or more processors are configured to determine a first Rx-Tx measurement value based on the first reference signal, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive, via the SL interface, a second Rx-Tx measurement value taken by the second UE; The one or more processors are configured to send the information indicative of the RTT based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal, wherein the one or more processors include in the information indicative of the RTT: the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or the RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or Any combination of them configured to include The first UE according to C18. [C20] The first UE described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include in the information indicating the first measurement value an indication of an angle of departure (AoD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C21] A first UE as described in C20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement value of the first reference signal and a beam ID in the indication of the AoD based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C22] The first UE described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include, in the information indicating the first measurement value, an indication of an angle of arrival (AoA) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C23] The first UE of C22, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include the orientation and receive beam or angle of the first UE in the indication of the AoA based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C24] The first UE described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the information indicating the first measurement value and the information indicating the second measurement value to a location server. [C25] The predetermined time window is: the number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) slots, the number of OFDM subframes, the number of OFDM frames, start and end times, duration, Number of measurement gaps (MG), or the number of processing windows, or combinations of these The first UE of C14, comprising a time window defined by: [C26] The first UE described in C14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive information indicating the predetermined time window via the transceiver prior to acquiring the first measurement value and the second measurement value. [C27] 1. An apparatus for providing positioning measurement reports for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means, at the first UE, for obtaining a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; means, at the first UE, for obtaining a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; means for sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement. [C28] The apparatus of C27, wherein the means for sending information indicative of the first measurement value comprises means for sending information indicative of a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal and the second measurement value of the second reference signal. [C29] The apparatus of C27, wherein the means for sending information indicative of the first measurement value comprises means for sending an indication of a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal. [C30] 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions for providing a positioning measurement report for determining a location of a first user equipment (UE), the instructions comprising: code for obtaining, with the first UE, a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; code for obtaining, with the first UE, a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window. code for sending, using the first UE, information indicative of the first measurement value and information indicative of the second measurement value; 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a side link (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; obtaining a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement to a location server in one or more positioning measurement reports; Equipped with the information indicative of the first measurement comprises information indicative of a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal and the second measurement of the second reference signal; The method includes: the first UE receiving an indication that the second UE meets an accuracy threshold; and in response to the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold, the first UE using the second UE as a reference node in determining the RSTD.

2. A method performed by a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: obtaining a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a side link (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; obtaining a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement to a location server in one or more positioning measurement reports; Equipped with the information indicative of the first measurement comprises information indicative of a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal; obtaining the first measurement comprises determining a first Rx-Tx measurement based on the first reference signal, wherein: the first UE further receives, via the SL interface, second Rx-Tx measurements taken by the second UE; sending the information indicative of the round trip time based on the first measurement of the first reference signal; the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or the RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or Any combination of them The method comprises sending

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement comprises an indication of an angle of departure (AoD) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication of the AoD based on the first measurement value of the first reference signal comprises a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement value of the first reference signal and a beam ID.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement comprises an indication of an angle of arrival (AoA) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal.

6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication of the AoA based on the first measurement of the first reference signal comprises an orientation and a receive beam or angle of the first UE.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein sending the information indicative of the first measurement value and the information indicative of the second measurement value comprises sending the information to a location server.

8. The predetermined time window is: the number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) slots; the number of OFDM subframes, the number of OFDM frames, start and end times, duration, the number of measurement gaps (MG), or the number of processing windows, or combinations of these The method of claim 1 or 2, comprising a time window defined by:

9. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the first UE, information indicative of the predetermined time window prior to obtaining the first measurement value and the second measurement value.

10. 1. An apparatus for a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a side link (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE; means for obtaining a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; means for sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement to a location server in one or more positioning measurement reports, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement comprises information indicative of a Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal and the second measurement of the second reference signal. means for receiving an indication that the second UE meets an accuracy threshold; means for using the second UE as a reference node in determining the RSTD in response to the indication that the second UE meets the accuracy threshold.

11. An apparatus for a first user equipment (UE), comprising: means for obtaining a first measurement of a first reference signal sent over a sidelink (SL) interface between the first UE and a second UE, wherein the means for obtaining the first measurement comprises means for determining a first Rx-Tx measurement based on the first reference signal; means for obtaining a second measurement of a second reference signal transmitted by a base station, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement are obtained within a predetermined time window; means for sending information indicative of the first measurement and information indicative of the second measurement to a location server in one or more positioning measurement reports, wherein the information indicative of the first measurement comprises information indicative of a round trip time (RTT) based on the first measurement of the first reference signal. means for receiving, via the SL interface, second Rx-Tx measurements taken by the second UE; the means for sending the information indicative of the round trip time based on the first measurement of the first reference signal, the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or the RTT determined from the first Rx-Tx measurement and the second Rx-Tx measurement; or Any combination of them means for transmitting the Device.

12. 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions comprising code that, when executed by a processor of a first user equipment (UE), causes the first UE to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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