System and method for positioning

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for positioning. A system and method for carrier phase positioning is presented. A wireless communication device may receive configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning from a wireless communication node. The wireless communication device may measure the reference signal for positioning. The wireless communication device may transmit a report including a measurement result of the reference signal for positioning to a network.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Technical Field FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, including, but not limited to, systems and methods for positioning. [Background technology]

[0002] background The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), a standards organization, is currently developing specifications for a new radio interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN, or NGC). 5G NR has three main components: the 5G Access Network (5G-AN), the 5G Core Network (5GC), and the User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the enablement of various data services and requirements, the elements of the 5GC, also known as network functions, have been simplified, with some of them being software-based and some being hardware-based, allowing them to be adapted as needed. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] overview The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed not only to solving one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, but also to providing additional features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. It will be understood, however, that these embodiments are presented by way of example, and not limitation, and that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of the present disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect is directed to the following system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium: A wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) may receive configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS)) from a wireless communication node. The wireless communication device may measure the reference signal for positioning. The wireless communication device may transmit a report to a network including measurement results of the reference signal for positioning. The configuration information may indicate that when the wireless communication device reports its capabilities in a phase error group (PEG), the wireless communication device can be configured to report the corresponding phase error of the PEG.

[0005] In some embodiments, the configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured to report a phase error in the PEG when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement in the PEG. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured to report a phase error in the PEG when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement in the PEG, and that the phase error is estimated in the PEG. The configuration information may indicate that subcarriers in one or more resource blocks (RBs) can overlap for signals in two adjacent symbols with different resource element (RE) offsets.

[0006] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may be configured to report a carrier phase (CP) at the nearest subcarrier with a subcarrier ID if a frequency center subcarrier or a direct current (DC) subcarrier is not present. When performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may assume that a reference point for the CP measurement is an antenna connector of the wireless communication device. When performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center. When performing the measuring step, in response to identifying that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the wireless communication device. When performing the measuring step, in response to identifying that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center.

[0007] In some embodiments, a DC position index for CP measurements in a reference signal may be configured by the network. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with reference signal resources characterized by a comb size, a comb offset, and a number of repetitions within a slot. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of the reference signal resources and a starting symbol index of the first of the repetitions. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of the slot of the reference signal resources having different comb offsets. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a comb size of 1 (e.g., comb size is 1; combSize=1; all subcarriers in a symbol are allocated to the PRS) with a repetition within a slot.

[0008] In some embodiments, when performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may be configured to measure one or more hops or a combination of one or more hops of the reference signal. The report may further include an indication of a combination of one or more hops associated with the measurement results. The report may further include an indication of frequency-related information associated with the measurement results. The report may further include an indication of resource-related information associated with the measurement results. The report may further include measurement results related to a combination of multiple segments of the reference signal resource. The report may further include measurement results related to a combination of multiple bandwidths of the reference signal resource. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to any combination of one or more hops. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to an indicated frequency. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to an indicated bandwidth.

[0009] In some embodiments, in response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, the wireless communication device may be enabled to drop one or more hops of the SRS transmission, which may involve half-duplex hopping for frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) UEs.

[0010] In response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, a wireless communication device may be enabled to continue SRS transmission even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. SRS transmission may involve half-duplex hopping for frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) UEs. If one hop receiving a reference signal is outside the PPW / MG, the wireless communication device may be enabled to continue receiving one or more other hops of the reference signal. One or more reserved bits in downlink control information (DCI) received by the wireless communication device may be configured to trigger simultaneous SRS transmission for multiple carriers. A combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device may indicate simultaneous SRS transmission on multiple carriers.

[0011] In some embodiments, one or more reserved bits in a DCI received by a wireless communication device may be configured to trigger simultaneous reception for reference signals on multiple positioning frequency layers.

[0012] In some embodiments, a combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device may indicate simultaneous reception of reference signals on multiple positioning frequency layers. As a RedCap UE, the wireless communication device may be enabled to request the number of hops for a PRS transmission. The on-demand PRS transmission procedure allows the LMF to control and determine whether a PRS is transmitted and to change the characteristics of an ongoing PRS transmission. The on-demand PRS transmission procedure may be initiated by the UE or the LMF. The actual PRS change may be requested by the LMF, regardless of whether the procedure is UE-initiated or LMF-initiated.

[0013] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may be enabled as a RedCap UE to request an intra-slot repetition factor for the reference signal. The wireless communication device may be enabled as a RedCap UE to request frequency information for the reference signal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning from a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may measure the reference signal for positioning. The wireless communication node may transmit a report to the network including measurement results of the reference signal for positioning. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a port ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a hopping ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a PEG ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with an SRS resource ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communications node can be configured to report SRS-related configuration information when reporting CP measurements. The SRS-related configuration information may include at least one of a band, a carrier index, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), a carrier center frequency, a carrier center frequency of the hop, a start frequency of the hop, an end frequency of the hop, a bandwidth of this carrier, a bandwidth of the hop being measured, and a hopping ID.

[0015] In some embodiments, within an SRS measurement window, a wireless communication node may be configured to process only SRS reception while the wireless communication node drops all other signals or channels. Upon identifying that within an SRS processing window, the time gap between an SRS transmission and a PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH transmission is less than the duration, the wireless communication node may be configured to continue processing the SRS transmission and drop the other signals or channels, even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. The wireless communication node may be requested by the network to measure CPs at the PEGs in the TEG when the wireless communication node performs timing-related measurements. The configuration information may indicate that symbols with index {{S, S+1,..., S+L-1}+i*L} may be assigned to the PRS, where i is an integer in {0, 1, 2,..., R-1}, R is the number of repetitions in the slot, L is the number of symbols for the PRS, and S is the starting symbol index. In some embodiments, the measurement may include that when the TRP measures the relative time of arrival (RTOA), the RTOA reference time may include a nominal start time of system frame number 0 provided by the system frame number initialization time of the first hop. The measurement may include being able to request the TRP with a PRS transmission over a positioning frequency layer (PFL) aggregation. The present invention provides, for example, the following items. (Item 1) 1. A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: receiving, by a wireless communication device, from a wireless communication node, configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning; measuring, by the wireless communication device, the reference signal for positioning; transmitting, by the wireless communication device, a report to a network including measurement results of the reference signal for positioning; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 2) 2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that when the wireless communication device reports its capabilities in a phase error group (PEG), the wireless communication device is configured to report the corresponding phase error of the PEG. (Item 3) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication device is configured to report a phase error of the PEG when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement result in the PEG. (Item 4) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement result in a PEG, the wireless communication device is configured to report a phase error in the PEG, and the phase error is estimated in the PEG. (Item 5) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that subcarriers within one or more resource blocks (RBs) can be overlapped for signals in two adjacent symbols with different resource element (RE) offsets. (Item 6) Item 10. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to report the carrier phase (CP) of the nearest subcarrier accompanied by a subcarrier ID if a frequency center subcarrier or a direct current (DC) subcarrier is not present. (Item 7) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein when performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device assumes that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the wireless communication device. (Item 8) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein, when performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device is configured to estimate the CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center. (Item 9) Item 1, wherein, when performing the measuring step, in response to identifying a reference point for the CP measurement as the antenna phase center, the wireless communication device is configured to estimate a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is an antenna connector of the wireless communication device. (Item 10) Item 1, wherein, when performing the measuring step, in response to identifying that a reference point for the CP measurement is an antenna connector of the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device is configured to estimate a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is an antenna phase center. (Item 11) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein a DC position index for CP measurement in the reference signal is configured by the network. (Item 12) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication device can be configured with reference signal resources characterized by a comb size, a comb offset, and a number of repetitions within a slot. (Item 13) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of a reference signal resource and a starting symbol index of a first one of the repetitions. (Item 14) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of slots of reference signal resources having different Comb offsets. (Item 15) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication device can be configured with a Comb size of 1 with repetition within a slot. (Item 16) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein when performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device is configured to measure one or more hops or a combination of one or more hops of the reference signal. (Item 17) Item 1, wherein the report further includes an indication of one or more hop combinations associated with the measurement results. (Item 18) Item 1, wherein the report further includes an indication of frequency-related information associated with the measurement results. (Item 19) Item 1, wherein the report further includes an indication of resource-related information associated with the measurement results. (Item 20) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the report further includes measurement results regarding a combination of multiple segments of a reference signal resource. (Item 21) Item 1, wherein the report further includes measurement results regarding the combination of multiple bandwidths of the reference signal resource. (Item 22) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is requested to report measurement results for any combination of one or more hops. (Item 23) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is requested to report measurement results on the indicated frequency. (Item 24) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is requested to report measurements related to the indicated bandwidth. (Item 25) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein, in response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, the wireless communication device is enabled to drop one or more hops of the SRS transmission. (Item 26) Item 1, wherein, in response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, the wireless communication device is enabled to continue the SRS transmission even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. (Item 27) Item 10. The wireless communication method of claim 1, wherein if one hop that receives the reference signal is outside of a PPW / MG, the wireless communication device is enabled to continue receiving one or more other hops of the reference signal. (Item 28) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein one or more reserved bits in downlink control information (DCI) received by the wireless communication device are configured to trigger simultaneous SRS transmission for multiple carriers. (Item 29) Item 1, wherein a combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device indicates simultaneous SRS transmission on multiple carriers. (Item 30) Item 10. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein one or more reserved bits in a DCI received by the wireless communication device are configured to trigger simultaneous reception of the reference signal on multiple positioning frequency layers. (Item 31) Item 1, wherein a combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device indicates simultaneous reception of the reference signal on multiple positioning frequency layers. (Item 32) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is enabled as a RedCap UE to request the number of hops for a PRS transmission. (Item 33) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is enabled as a RedCap UE to request an intra-slot repetition factor for the reference signal. (Item 34) Item 1. The wireless communication method of item 1, wherein the wireless communication device is enabled as a RedCap UE to request frequency information of the reference signal. (Item 35) 1. A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: receiving, by the wireless communication node, from the wireless communication device, configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning; measuring, by the wireless communication node, the reference signal for positioning; transmitting, by said wireless communication node, to a network, a report including measurement results of said reference signals for positioning; A wireless communication method comprising: (Item 36) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. (Item 37) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port accompanied by a port ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. (Item 38) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a hopping ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. (Item 39) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port accompanied by a PEG ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. (Item 40) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port accompanied by an SRS resource ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. (Item 41) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that the wireless communication node is configured to report SRS-related configuration information when the wireless communication node reports CP measurement results. (Item 42) Item 42. The wireless communication method of item 41, wherein the SRS-related configuration information includes at least one of a band, a carrier index, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), a carrier center frequency, a carrier center frequency of a hop, a start frequency of a hop, an end frequency of a hop, a bandwidth of this carrier, a bandwidth of the hop being measured, and a hopping ID. (Item 43) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein within an SRS measurement window, the wireless communication node is configured to process SRS reception only while the wireless communication node drops all other signals or channels. (Item 44) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein upon identifying that a time gap between an SRS transmission and a PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH transmission within an SRS processing window is less than a duration, the wireless communication node is configured to continue processing the SRS transmission and drop other signals or channels, even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. (Item 45) Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, wherein when the wireless communication node performs timing-related measurements, the wireless communication node is requested by the network to measure CPs at PEGs in a TEG. (Item 46) Item 36. A wireless communication method as described in Item 35, wherein the configuration information indicates that symbols with indexes {{S, S+1, ..., S+L-1}+i*L} can be assigned to the PRS, where i is an integer in {0, 1, 2, ..., R-1}, R is the number of repetitions in a slot, L is the number of symbols of the PRS, and S is the starting symbol index. (Item 47) The above measurements are When the TRP measures the relative time of arrival (RTOA), the RTOA reference time includes the nominal start time of system frame number 0 provided by the system frame number initialization time of the first hop; Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, comprising: (Item 48) The above measurements are TRP is required for PRS transmission with Positioning Frequency Layer (PFL) aggregation Item 36. The wireless communication method of item 35, comprising: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following figures or drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and merely depict exemplary embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a cellular communication network in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example base station and a user equipment device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 3] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of positioning, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of positioning, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 5] FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of radio waves having multiple wavelengths, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of positioning, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 7] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of positioning, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for positioning, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Detailed Description 1. Mobile communication technology and environment 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network and / or system 100 in which the techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the following description, the wireless communication network 100 may be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as “network 100.” Such exemplary network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter BS 102, also referred to as a wireless communication node) and a user equipment device 104 (hereinafter UE 104, also referred to as a wireless communication device), which can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), as well as a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 that overlap in a geographic region 101. In FIG. 1, the BS 102 and the UE 104 are contained within the corresponding geographic boundaries of the cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating in its assigned bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users.

[0026] For example, the BS 102 may operate in an assigned channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate coverage to the UE 104. The BS 102 and the UE 104 may communicate via downlink radio frames 118 and uplink radio frames 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In this disclosure, the BS 102 and the UE 104 are generally described herein as non-limiting examples of “communication nodes” capable of practicing the methods disclosed herein. Such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication in accordance with various embodiments of the present solution.

[0027] 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) in accordance with some embodiments of the present solution. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operational functions that need not be described in detail herein. In one exemplary embodiment, system 200 may be used to communicate (e.g., transmit and receive) data symbols in a wireless communication environment, such as wireless communication environment 100 of FIG. 1, as previously described.

[0028] The system 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter “BS 202”) and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter “UE 204”). The BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled and interconnected as needed via a data communication bus 220. The UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled and interconnected as needed via a data communication bus 240. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 over a communication channel 250, which may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for the transmission of data as described herein.

[0029] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, system 200 may further include any number of modules other than those shown in FIG. 2 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software may depend on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a manner suitable for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an “uplink” transceiver 230, including a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each with circuitry coupled to the antenna 232. Alternatively, a duplexing switch (not shown) may couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-duplexed manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a “downlink” transceiver 210, including an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each with circuitry coupled to the antenna 212. Alternatively, a downlink duplexing switch may couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time-duplexed manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 at the same time that the uplink receiver circuitry is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for reception of transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 at the same time that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 for reception of transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250. In some embodiments, there is close time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in duplex direction.

[0031] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate over a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna array 212 / 232 capable of supporting a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In an exemplary embodiment, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard and the emerging 5G standard. However, it is understood that this disclosure is not necessarily limited to any particular standard and associated protocol. Rather, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0032] According to various embodiments, the BS 202 may be, for example, an evolved Node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station. In some embodiments, the UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user devices, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. The processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or realized with a general-purpose processor, a content-addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. As such, a processor may be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0033] Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, firmware, a software module executed by processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may be incorporated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230. Additionally, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0034] The network communications module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional communications between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communications nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communications module 218 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX traffic. In a typical deployment, without limitation, the network communications module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface to enable the base station transceiver 210 to communicate with conventional Ethernet-based computer networks. In this manner, the network communications module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network, e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC). As used herein with respect to a specified operation or function, the terms “configured for,” “configured to,” and conjugations thereof refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically configured, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function.

[0035] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "Open Systems Interconnection Model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by open systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) to interconnect and communicate with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each of which represents a conceptual collection of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines logical networks, which effectively describe computer packet transfers through the use of protocols at different layers. The OSI model may also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be the medium access control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be the radio link control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be the radio resource control (RRC) layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be a non-access stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is some other layer.

[0036] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present solution. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Furthermore, any specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example approach. The specific order or hierarchy of steps in any disclosed method or process can be rearranged based on design preferences while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or operations in a sample order, and that the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented, unless otherwise specified.

[0037] 2. SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR POSITIONING Demand for positioning is increasing. For example, in parking lots (especially underground parking lots), it may not be easy to find a car (especially during peak hours). Fifth-generation mobile communication systems (e.g., 5G, New Radio Access Technology, or 5G-NR) may provide methods for positioning on the radio side (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS) from base stations (e.g., gNBs)) and / or sounding reference signals (SRS) from user equipment (UEs). However, the positioning accuracy of existing 5G-NR-based positioning solutions may not be high enough (e.g., 1 meter or worse). In some harsh environments (e.g., dense urban areas), the positioning accuracy of existing 5G-NR-based positioning solutions may be even worse. In some commercial scenarios, a positioning accuracy of 0.2 meters may be required. In some cases, the target (e.g., 0.2 meters) for some commercial scenarios may be difficult to achieve with existing 5G-NR-based positioning solutions. The present disclosure relates to improving the positioning accuracy in 5G-NR-based positioning.

[0038] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications regarding how to improve positioning accuracy in 5G-NR-based positioning. In the downlink (DL) as shown in FIG. 3, positioning reference signals (PRS) can be transmitted by one or more gNBs. To achieve "good" positioning accuracy, multiple gNBs (e.g., three base stations) can be involved. A UE may measure at least one PRS. The UE may report the measurement result(s) to a network (e.g., a core network (CN) or a location management function (LMF) in a 5G CN (5GC)). The network element may include at least one of a gNB, a CN, or a UE.

[0039] In the uplink (UL) as shown in Figure 4, a sounding reference signal (SRS) may be transmitted by the UE. One or more gNBs (e.g., multiple gNBs) may measure the SRS. One or more gNBs may report the measurement(s) to the network (e.g., LMF).

[0040] Transmission of PRS and / or SRS for positioning purposes is susceptible to the influence of wireless propagation environments (e.g., fading, distortion). This may limit the positioning accuracy. The present disclosure may provide a method for achieving higher positioning accuracy.

[0041] In Figure 5, radio waves can travel from a transmitter to a receiver with multiple wavelengths. For all wavelengths, the corresponding carrier phase (or carrier phase difference between the transmitter and receiver) can be 2π (equivalently, 0 phase). For a portion of the wavelengths, the corresponding carrier phase can be a value within (0, 2π). If the carrier phase can be measured (and assuming no noise interference and line of sight (LOS) between the transmitter and receiver), the distance (D) between the transmitter and receiver is [ka] Φ may be a fraction of the measured carrier phase (in units of 2π, ranging from 0 to 1.0). N may be an integer part of the measured carrier phase. λ may be the wavelength of the radio wave transmitted by the transmitter. c may be the speed of light. f may be the carrier frequency of the radio wave transmitted by the transmitter.

[0042] In some embodiments, if the UE can measure the carrier phase (e.g., Φ, N, or Φ+N, where N can be searched for by a particular algorithm), it can determine the distance between the transmitter and receiver. In certain embodiments, the carrier phase can refer only to the fractional part (Φ) because the integer N cannot be "measured" directly (e.g., it can be inferred with minimal error).

[0043] Example 1: Carrier Phase Positioning (CPP) Phase Error Group (PEG) In carrier phase positioning (CPP), the measured carrier phase (CP) value may differ from the true CP value. That is, there may be a (carrier) phase error in the CP measurement. If the (carrier) phase error is within a margin (e.g., 0.1%), the CP measurement may be very reliable.

[0044] A UE (or gNB, or transmit / receive point (TRP)) may be equipped with multiple antennas (including transmit and / or receive antennas). One antenna may have a different phase error than other antennas. One or more antennas within the phase error margin can be grouped into a phase error group (PEG, including a transmit PEG (Tx PEG), a receive PEG (Rx PEG), and a receive-and-transmit PEG (Rx-Tx PEG)).

[0045] All antennas within a PEG may have phase coherency (or phase consistency). For example, CPs measured by antennas within a PEG may have coherent phase (e.g., these CPs are internally related to some degree). Alternatively, one or more antennas with phase coherency may be grouped into a PEG. Alternatively, the frequency error of antennas within a PEG may be within a margin (e.g., 0.01 PPM). Alternatively, the timing error of antennas within a PEG may be within a margin (e.g., 0.1 ns). Alternatively, the frequency error of the PEG may be within a margin. Alternatively, the timing error of the PEG may be within a margin.

[0046] When the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or capabilities in the CPP, or capabilities in the CP, or capabilities in the CP measurement), the UE may report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG (e.g., Rx PEG). Alternatively, when the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or CP), the UE may report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG's antenna.

[0047] When the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or capabilities in the CPP, or capabilities in the CP, or capabilities in the CP measurement), the UE may report the distribution of the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG. Alternatively, when the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or CP), the UE may report the distribution of the phase error (or phase error margin) of the antenna of the PEG.

[0048] When the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or capabilities in the CPP, or capabilities in the CP, or capabilities in the CP measurement), the UE may report the consistency of the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG. Alternatively, when the UE reports its capabilities in the PEG (or CP), the UE may report the consistency of the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG's antenna.

[0049] When the UE reports a CP measurement result on the PEG, the UE may report the phase error (or phase error margin) of this PEG, or alternatively, when the UE reports a CP measurement result on the PEG, the UE may report the phase error (or phase error margin, or phase error margin value) of the antenna of this PEG.

[0050] When the UE reports a CP measurement result on the PEG, the UE may report a phase error (or phase error margin) of this PEG, where the phase error (or phase error margin) is estimated by the UE. Alternatively, when the UE reports a CP measurement result on the PEG, the UE may report a timing error (or timing error margin) of the PEG. Alternatively, when the UE reports a CP measurement result on the PEG, the UE may report an antenna timing error (or timing error margin) of this PEG.

[0051] When the UE reports CP measurement results on the PEG, the UE may report the phase error (or phase error margin) using the PEG ID of the PEG. When the UE reports CP measurement results on the PEG, the UE may report the phase difference of this PEG. The LMF may request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG (e.g., Tx PEG or Rx PEG). The LMF may request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the PEG's antenna.

[0052] A positioning reference unit (PRU, similar to a UE with a known / fixed location) may transmit an SRS. The TRP (or gNB) can then measure the phase error of the PRU's Tx PEG by measuring the CP in the SRS, provided that the TRP's (or gNB's) receive phase is calibrated. Alternatively, the LMF can calculate the phase error of the TRP's (or gNB's) Rx PEG using the CP measurement from the TRP (or gNB). The LMF can then forward the phase error of the TRP's (or gNB's) Rx PEG to the TRP (or gNB). Alternatively, if the PRU's location is known to the TRP (or gNB), the TRP (or gNB) can calculate the receive phase error of the Rx PEG (TRP or gNB) provided that the PRU's transmit phase error is calibrated. Alternatively, the CP measurement (or phase error) measured by hardware (e.g., a phase-locked loop (PLL)) can be reported. Alternatively, the CP measurements (or phase errors) measured by the panel (or antenna panel, or different panel) can be reported.

[0053] To support phase continuity between two (adjacent) symbols (or two positioning reference signal resources with different resource element offsets or comb offsets), some resource elements (REs) or subcarriers in some resource blocks (RBs) may overlap in frequency (or with the same subcarriers, or with the same subcarrier index). Alternatively, muting for these RBs / REs / subcarriers between gNBs (or TRPs) may be applied.

[0054] During UE (or gNB, or TRP) capability reporting, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report its PEG (including Tx, Rx, and Rx-Tx PEG)-related information. Alternatively, the PEG-related information may include the number of PEGs, the PEG configuration (e.g., the number of antennas), the phase error with granularity (e.g., 0.1 degree, or 0.01 of 2π, or 0.001 Rad), and the phase error margin with granularity (e.g., 0.1 degree, or 0.01 of 2π, or 0.001 Rad). Alternatively, the UE may report multiple CP measurements (or differential CP measurements, e.g., eight measurements) associated with different DL PRS resources per UE Rx PEG per TRP (with a PRS ID). Alternatively, the UE may measure / report CP measurements (or differential CP measurements) on PRS resources associated with a TRP (with a PRS ID) using multiple different UE Rx PEGs (e.g., eight Rx PEGs) with the same PRS reference information. Alternatively, when the UE reports CP measurements by PEG (or PEG ID), the UE can report the relationship with the timing error group (TEG). For example, PEG 1 can be mapped to TEG 2 in CP measurements. Alternatively, the PEG can be a subset of the TEG (e.g., a TEG has two PEGs). Alternatively, the number of PEGs (e.g., two PEGs) can be less than or equal to the number of TEGs (e.g., four TEGs). Alternatively, the antennas (e.g., antenna #1, antenna #2) in the PEG can be a subset of the antennas (e.g., antenna #1, antenna #2, antenna #3, antenna #4) in the TEG. Alternatively, the antenna ports (e.g., port #0, port #1) of the PEG can be a subset of the antenna ports (e.g., port #0, port #1, port #2, port #3) of the TEG. Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) can be requested by the network (e.g., LMF) to measure CP on the PEGs in the TEG.Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may be requested by the network to measure CPs on PEGs in a TEG when the UE (or gNB, or TRP) performs timing-related measurements (e.g., time difference of arrival (TDOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD)). Alternatively, the TEG may be a subset of PEGs. Alternatively, the number of TEGs (e.g., 2 TEGs) may be less than or equal to the number of PEGs (e.g., 4 PEGs). Alternatively, the antennas of the TEG (e.g., antenna #1, antenna #2) may be a subset of the antennas of the PEG (e.g., antenna #1, antenna #2, antenna #3, antenna #4). Alternatively, the antenna ports of the TEG (e.g., port #0, port #1) may be a subset of the antenna ports of the PEG (e.g., port #0, port #1, port #2, port #3).

[0055] For some PRS / SRS resources, such as those in Figure 6, neither a frequency center subcarrier nor a direct current (DC) subcarrier may exist (e.g., there is no subcarrier with k=0 as a resource on symbol #1 with black block ■). In this situation, the UE can measure / report CP on the nearest subcarrier with the subcarrier ID. Alternatively, if the PRS / SRS is not configured on the subcarrier with k=0, the UE can measure / report CP on the nearest subcarrier with the subcarrier ID. Alternatively, the UE can measure CP on the subcarrier with k≠0 and infer / report the CP value on the subcarrier with k=0. Alternatively, for symbol ID=0, 1, 2,..., CombSize-1, the UE can measure / report CP on the subcarrier whose subcarrier index is the symbol ID. Alternatively, the LMF can configure which subcarriers can be measured / reported. Alternatively, the reference point for CP measurement can be the antenna connector of the UE (or TRP). Alternatively, the UE (or TRP) may infer the CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center (e.g., according to the distance difference between the antenna connector and the antenna phase center). Alternatively, if the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the UE (or TRP), the UE (or TRP) may infer the CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center of the UE (or TRP). Alternatively, if the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center, the UE (or TRP) may infer the CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the UE (or TRP). Alternatively, the reference point for the CP measurement may be configured by the network (e.g., LMF). Alternatively, when the UE (or gNB, or TRP) measures CP, the reference point for the CP measurement can be the same as the reference point for timing-based positioning (e.g., time difference of arrival (TDOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), or the antenna connector of the UE, gNB, or TRP). Alternatively, the phase error may be signaled to the UE (or TRP) by the network (eg, LMF).Alternatively, the network (e.g., LMF) can configure whether the original CP value or the differential CP value is reported. Alternatively, the original CP value can be reported for the reference TRP / reference PRS resource / reference (sub)carrier / reference segment. Alternatively, a differential CP value (relative to the reference TRP) can be reported for a non-reference TRP / non-reference PRS resource / non-reference (sub)carrier / non-reference segment. Alternatively, a phase continuity indicator can be present when the UE reports the CP measurement. For example, in slots #1 and #2, the UE may measure the CP twice to find phase discontinuity, and then the UE may report the CP with a phase continuity indicator (e.g., one bit "1" in this case).

[0056] For sidelink positioning, the DC position (or DC subcarrier) index for CP measurement on the sidelink PRS can be configured by the network (e.g., gNB / TRP / LMF) or other UEs. Alternatively, the last RB of the sidelink resource pool for positioning can be occupied by the sidelink PRS. Alternatively, the flex symbols (F) on the downlink / uplink can be occupied by the sidelink PRS. Alternatively, for a specific comb size (e.g., 4), only comb / 2 (e.g., 4 / 2 = 2) UEs can multiplex on the symbols (or resources). This can avoid inter-subcarrier interference. Alternatively, for sidelink positioning, a node ID (or UE ID, e.g., 16 bits) is accompanied by a gNB ID (or TRP ID, e.g., 10 bits). The ID can be used to generate the sequence of the sidelink PRS. Alternatively, for sidelink positioning, if both random resource selection and sensing-based resource allocation are configured for sidelink resource allocation scheme 2 (e.g., UE-initiated resource allocation), sensing-based resource allocation can be selected first. Alternatively, the code-domain power of the sidelink PRS can be measured for sensing-based resource allocation, where the reference point for sensing is the UE antenna connector.

[0057] In this way, the position calculation end (e.g., LMF) can select the appropriate antenna / PEG for CP measurement / reporting, thus minimizing the phase error and improving the positioning performance.

[0058] Example 2: UL Positioning using Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) for Carrier Phase Positioning (CPP) A UE (or gNB, or TRP) may be equipped with multiple antennas (including transmit and receive antennas). These antennas may form a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. The UE may transmit an SRS using a MIMO scheme (e.g., MIMO SRS).

[0059] A channel / signal (e.g., SRS) transmission using MIMO may have a port (or an antenna port with a port ID, e.g., port ID 6000) through which the channel / signal may be transmitted using beamforming. A MIMO port may have one or more antennas. Different MIMO SRS ports may have different (carrier) phase errors (or phase error margins). When the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port. When the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS resource port. Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port applied by the UE for MIMO SRS transmission. Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB (or TRP) may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port with the port ID. Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB (or TRP) may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port with the SRS resource (set) ID. Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB (or TRP) may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port with the hopping ID (HopID, if the SRS is transmitted by frequency hopping). Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB (or TRP) may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port with the PEG ID (including Tx PEG ID, Rx PEG ID, Rx-Tx PEG ID). Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures / reports CP measurement results, the gNB (or TRP) may measure / report the phase error (or phase error margin) of the MIMO SRS port with the SRS resource (set) ID.Alternatively, an SRS resource may be mapped to one MIMO SRS port, or an SRS resource in an SRS resource set may be mapped to one MIMO SRS port.

[0060] In the case of MIMO SRS transmission with hopping, the carrier center frequency of the hop (or transmission with hopping) may be different from the carrier center frequency of the carrier of the SRS (or SRS resource). Therefore, when the gNB (or TRP) reports CP measurements on the MIMO SRS (resource), the gNB (or TRP) may report SRS-related (configuration) information. Alternatively, the SRS-related (configuration) information may include at least one of a band, a carrier index, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), a carrier center frequency, a carrier center frequency of the hop, a start frequency (of the hop / this hop), an end frequency (of the hop / this hop), a bandwidth of this carrier, a bandwidth of this hop (being measured), and a hopping ID (or HopID).

[0061] In this way, the position calculation end (e.g., LMF) can select the appropriate antenna / MIMO SRS port for CP measurement / reporting, thus minimizing the phase error and improving the positioning performance.

[0062] Example 3: Intra-slot Rx hopping of PRS for reduced capability (RedCap) UE For a reduced capability (RedCap) UE, the UE can only transmit / receive limited bandwidth (e.g., only 20 MHz in frequency range 1, FR 1). There may be no restriction on the gNB (or TRP) where the gNB (or TRP) can transmit a wide bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz on a carrier in FR 1).

[0063] A UE may be configured with PRS resources with repetition within a slot. Alternatively, a UE may be configured with PRS resources with a comb size, comb offset (RE offset, within symbols), and number of repetitions within a slot. For example, a PRS resource may be configured with a comb size of 2 and 6 repetitions within a slot (2 x 6 = 12 symbols total, symbols #2-#13, intra-slot repetition) as shown in Figure 7.

[0064] Alternatively, if the number of symbols in a PRS (resource) is L, the starting symbol index can be S, and the number of repetitions within a slot (note: a repetition involves L symbols) can be R. Symbols with indices {{S, S+1,..., S+L-1}+i*L} can be assigned to a PRS, where i can be an integer in {0, 1, 2,..., R-1}. Alternatively, symbols with indices {S+i*L, S+i*L+1,..., S+i*L+L-1} can be assigned to a PRS. For example, if S=2, L=2, and R=6, symbols with indices {{2,3}, {4,5}, {6,7}, {8,9}, {10,11}, {12,13}} can be assigned to a PRS (e.g., symbols #2-13). Alternatively, the number of repetitions R can be within a combination of multiple slots. For example, if there are 12 symbols in a slot, there can be 24 symbols in a combination of two slots. If S=2, L=4, and R=4, the symbols with indices {{2,3,4,5}, {6,7,8,9}, {10,11,12,13}, {14,15,16,17}} can be assigned to the PRS (Note: {14,15,16,17} can be on the second slot. The actual symbol ID can be {14,15,16,17}-14+S={2,3,4,5}, where "14" can be the number of symbols in the slot). Alternatively, in this case, the PRS (resource) can start in an even slot (e.g., the modulus of 2 in the slot ID can be 0). Alternatively, in frequency, this PRS resource can be configured outside the bandwidth portion (BWP) of this UE, as in FIG. 7.

[0065] In this example, a UE may be assigned a Comb offset of 0 (i.e., RE offset 0) in symbols #2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, while symbols #3, 5, 7, and 11 serve as guard symbols (or gaps, or radio frequency, RF retuning times) for the UE. Note that symbols #3, 5, 7, and 11 may be assigned to other UEs while symbols #2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 serve as guard symbols. Additionally, a repetition offset (from 0 to the repetition number minus 1) may be indicated to the UE.

[0066] In this example, the gNB (or TRP) can transmit the entire large bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz) in all repetitions of the PRS, but the UE receives only a subset of the repetitions of the PRS (e.g., symbols #2, 4, 6, 8, 10) with different frequency portions of the repetitions (e.g., 20 MHz each, with overlapping RBs between two adjacent repetitions or two adjacent hops). In this example, only one repetition (or transmission, or hop) of the PRS can be within the UE's BWP, while the others are outside. Alternatively, the UE can be configured with the number of repetitions of the PRS resource and the starting symbol index of the first repetition (or first transmission). Alternatively, the UE can be configured with the number of repetitions of the slots of the PRS resource (e.g., equal to the comb size). Alternatively, the UE can be configured with the number of repetitions of the slots of the PRS resource (e.g., equal to the comb size) with different comb offsets (or RE offsets, or symbol offsets, e.g., if the RE offset + slot index, a modular value of the number of repetitions of the slot is used). Alternatively, the UE may be configured with a comb size of 1 (e.g., all REs / subcarriers in a symbol are occupied) with repetition within a slot (i.e., intra-slot repetition). The number of repetitions may be configurable (e.g., 12 repetitions from symbols #2 to #13). Alternatively, the UE may be configured with a comb size of 12 (e.g., one RE / subcarrier in an RB is occupied) with a RE offset and one symbol with repetition within a slot (e.g., intra-slot repetition, such as 12 repetitions). At the same time, the UE may be configured with the number of slot repetitions (e.g., four-slot repetition). Alternatively, the RE offset in each repetition may not be configurable but may be inferred from the symbol index and repetition number for all intra-slot and inter-slot repetitions. For example, if the intra-slot repetition (M) is 12 and the inter-slot repetition (P) is 0, the PRS may start from Symbol ID 2, which is the number of symbols available for the PRS (W=12), in which case the RE offset may be (M+W*P-SymbolID) mod CombSize=(12+12*0-2) mod 12=10.Alternatively, the RE offset can be fixed at some value (eg, 0) that is useful for CP measurements.

[0067] In some embodiments, some subcarriers may be received again between adjacent receptions (e.g., with overlapping subcarriers in each reception), with each repetition having a different RE offset among them. Alternatively, the UE may report its capability in terms of the switching time between hops. Alternatively, if the UE supports a short switching time (e.g., one symbol, two symbols), intra-slot frequency hopping and a small comb size may be configured for repetitions (e.g., 5, 6, 20, 24, 25, 26, or 27 repetitions) (e.g., comb=2). Alternatively, the UE may report its capability in terms of PRS data buffering. For example, the UE may report that it can buffer 100 MHz data for the PRS. Alternatively, this capability for PRS data buffering may be related to data channel processing. For example, if the UE supports eight hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) processes, with each HARQ process capable of holding 20 MHz data for the data channel, the UE can process 8*20 MHz=160 MHz data for the PRS.

[0068] Alternatively, when the gNB (or TRP) measures the relative time of arrival (RTOA) of the SRS from the UE, the UL RTOA reference time may include T0. T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the system frame number (SFN) initialization time of the first hop for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the system frame number (SFN) initialization time of the last hop for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the system frame number (SFN) initialization time of the last hop for the SRS for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the system frame number (SFN) initialization time of the last hop for the SRS resource for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the SFN initialization time of the first SRS resource for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the SFN initialization time of the first SRS resource for hopping for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the SFN initialization time of the first segment of SRS resources for the RedCap UE. Alternatively, T0 may be the nominal start time of SFN 0 provided by the SFN initialization time of the first segment of SRS resources with hopping for the RedCap UE.

[0069] In this method, a RedCap UE can receive a partial bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) of a repetition (e.g., 100 MHz) of a PRS. The UE can then concatenate the receptions together to form a larger bandwidth. The UE can then measure the concatenated PRS. A concatenated bandwidth larger than the limited bandwidth (20 MHz) can improve positioning performance for the RedCap UE (e.g., the larger the bandwidth, the higher the positioning accuracy).

[0070] Example 4: (RedCap UE) Hopping in RRC_INACTIVE For a RedCap UE, before entering the Radio Resource Control (RRC) Inactive state (RRC_Inactive) from the RRC_Connected state, the UE may be configured with PRS / SRS hopping related information (e.g., via RRC release signaling, system information broadcast (SIB)).

[0071] Alternatively, the hopping order (or hopping sequence, e.g., which frequencies may be performed for hopping and which HoppingID / HopID may be indicated in order) may be included in the RRC signaling / SIB. Alternatively, frequency resource-related information (e.g., starting RB number, e.g., the starting RB number may involve mod(#RB, 4)==0, where mod() is a modular operation, and may also involve RB length, RB end, RB allocation granularity, e.g., granularity of 4 RBs, number of overlapping RBs) may be included in the RRC signaling / SIB. Alternatively, frequency resource-related information for each hop may be included in the RRC signaling / SIB. Alternatively, time resource-related information for each hop (e.g., periodicity, slot, slot offset, and / or repetition) may be included in the RRC signaling / SIB. Alternatively, PRS / SRS resource (set)-related information for each hop may be included in the RRC signaling / SIB. Alternatively, the PRS / SRS power control (or power allocation) related information for each hop can be included in the RRC signaling / SIB, or a constant energy per RE (EPRE) for the PRS / SRS for each hop can be allocated in the RRC signaling / SIB.

[0072] Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may measure one or more hops or hop combinations or hop combinations of the PRS (or SRS). For example, the UE may measure the hop combinations {{1}, {1,2}, {1,2,3}, {1,2,3,4}, {1,2,3,4,5}}, where the number in parentheses may be a hop ID (e.g., two numbers (e.g., {1,2}) for a two-hop combination, three numbers (e.g., {1,2,3}) for a three-hop combination). Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report measurement results with an indication of the hop combination. For example, a UE may report measurement results for hop combinations of {{1}, {1,2}, {1,2,3}, {1,2,3,4}, {1,2,3,4,5}}, where {1} indicates that the measurement results are for hop ID #1 and {1,2} indicates that the measurement results are for the combination of hop IDs #1 and #2. Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report measurement results with an indication of frequency-related information (e.g., start frequency, end frequency, and / or bandwidth of the measurement). Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report measurement results with an indication of resource-related information (e.g., PRS / SRS resource, PRS / SRS resource set). For example, a UE may report measurement results for the combination of PRS resource 1, PRS resource 2, and PRS resource 3. Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report measurement results for a combination of multiple segments (or multiple hops) of PRS / SRS resources (e.g., for a combination of wide bandwidth, e.g., 100 MHz segments {1, 2, 3}). Alternatively, the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may report measurement results for a combination of multiple bandwidths of PRS / SRS resources (e.g., for a combination of bandwidths 20 MHz, 20 MHz, 20 MHz; e.g., equivalent to 60 MHz). Alternatively, the location calculation end (e.g., LMF) may request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report measurement results for any combination of hops. For example, the LMF may request the UE to report measurement results for the combination of hops {1, 2, 3}.

[0073] In some embodiments, the location calculation end (e.g., LMF) can request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report measurement results for an indicated frequency (e.g., from a start frequency to an end frequency, e.g., 2000 MHz to 2100 MHz, which can be represented by ARFCN). Alternatively, the location calculation end (e.g., LMF) can request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report measurement results for an indicated bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz, 20 MHz, 20 MHz). Alternatively, the location calculation end (e.g., LMF) can request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report measurement results for an indicated total bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz, which can be represented by the number of RBs in a subcarrier spacing (SCS)). Alternatively, the location calculation end (e.g., LMF) can request the UE (or gNB, or TRP) to report measurement results for any combination of PRS / SRS resources (e.g., for a combination of SRS resource 1, SRS resource 2, and SRS resource 3).

[0074] A RedCap UE can receive / transmit PRS / SRS outside its supported / configured BWP (e.g., outside a 20 MHz BWP). For example, for SCS=30 kHz, there may be a total of 51 RBs, but a RedCap UE may receive 52 (or 56) RBs of PRS per hop (with overlapping RBs for phase tracking between hops). In another example, a RedCap UE may transmit 52 (or 56) RBs of SRS per hop (with overlapping RBs for phase tracking between hops, in the case of gNB / TRP). Alternatively, a PRS / SRS-specific BWP can be configured for a UE that includes only PRS / SRS and no other signals / channels. Alternatively, signals in a PRS / SRS-specific BWP can be quasi-colocated (QCL) with a synchronization signal block (SSB). Alternatively, the number of PRS / SRS-specific BWPs (e.g., 20 BWPs, 32 BWPs) can be configured by the network (e.g., LMF). Alternatively, there may be multiple activated PRS / SRS-specific BWPs (e.g., 5 active BWPs). Alternatively, the switching order of the PRS / SRS-specific BWPs may be configured by the network (e.g., LMF). Alternatively, the PRS / SRS-specific BWPs may be configured within the PRS / SRS resources (including the start frequency and / or end frequency).

[0075] Alternatively, there may be a virtual wide bandwidth that includes multiple RB sets. Alternatively, hops may be performed between two adjacent frequency RB sets. Alternatively, PRS / SRS resources may exist on the RB set. Alternatively, PRS / SRS resources may be configured on all RB sets. Alternatively, the number of hops may be configured by the network (e.g., LMF), and the virtual wide bandwidth is divided evenly among the hops / RB sets. Alternatively, the RB sets may be configured by the network (e.g., LMF).

[0076] In this method, a RedCap UE can receive a partial bandwidth (e.g., 20 MHz) of a repetition (e.g., 100 MHz) of a PRS. The UE can then concatenate the receptions together to form a larger bandwidth. The UE can then measure the concatenated PRS. A concatenated bandwidth larger than the limited bandwidth (20 MHz) can improve positioning performance for the RedCap UE (e.g., a larger bandwidth can provide higher positioning accuracy).

[0077] Example 5: Priority process for RedCap UE hopping For PRS measurements, the UE may be configured with a measurement gap (MG, eg, a certain period of time) or a PRS processing window (PPW, eg, a certain period of time).

[0078] For RedCap UEs with PRS reception hopping, one MG instance (or PPW instance) may be sufficient if the duration of all hops is short (e.g., two slots). If the duration of all hops is long (e.g., 10 slots), multiple MG instances (or PPW instances) can be configured (however, the number of instances can be limited to, e.g., a maximum of two instances to reduce signaling overhead). Alternatively, there may be a time overlap between two instances of MG / PPW.

[0079] In the case of PRS reception hopping, some PRS receptions may collide with other higher priority signals / channels. For example, in the case of PRS reception with PPW, the PRS may collide with a synchronization signal block (SSB) with a higher priority. In this situation, one or more hops of the PRS reception may be dropped (for example, the last two hops of five hops are dropped).

[0080] For SRS transmissions involving half-duplex hopping for frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) UEs, the SRS transmission may collide with the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signals / channels. In such cases, one or more hops of the SRS transmission may be dropped (e.g., the last three hops of five hops may be dropped) even if the SRS transmission has a higher priority. Alternatively, for SRS transmissions from HD-FDD UEs (e.g., periodic, semi-periodic, or aperiodic transmissions), at least N (e.g., N = 6) symbols may be required between the PDCCH scheduling the PDSCH and the SRS transmission. Otherwise (e.g., a small N, e.g., N < 6), the SRS transmission may continue even if the SRS has a lower priority. Alternatively, otherwise (e.g., a small N, e.g., N < 6), the SRS transmission may continue while the PDSCH is dropped even if the PDSCH has a higher priority.

[0081] Alternatively, if there is a collision between the SRS transmission and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) / physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the SRS transmission may be dropped if it has a lower priority. Alternatively, if there is a collision between the SRS transmission and the PUSCH / PUCCH, the SRS transmission may be dropped even if it has a higher priority. Alternatively, if the PRS reception (for one hop) is outside the PPW / MG, the UE may continue to receive this (hop) PRS. Alternatively, if the last hop of the PRS reception is outside the PPW / MG, the UE may receive this hop of the PRS.

[0082] Alternatively, an SRS transmission window (e.g., 10 slots) may exist in the uplink (or downlink) or sidelink where only SRS transmissions are present and no other signals / channels are present. Alternatively, in the uplink, an SRS measurement window (i.e., a period of time) may be configured for the gNB (or TRP) by the network (e.g., LMF). Within this window, the gNB (or TRP) may process only SRS reception. Alternatively, within this window, the gNB (or TRP) may process SRS for positioning only while dropping all other signals / channels. Alternatively, in the uplink, an SRS processing window (i.e., a period of time) with signal / channel priority may be configured for the gNB (or TRP). Within this window, the gNB (or TRP) may process SRS reception according to the signal / channel priority. For example, if an SRS has a higher priority than other signals / channels, it may process this SRS reception. In another example, if an SRS has a lower priority than one signal / channel, this SRS reception may be dropped. Alternatively, if the time gap between the SRS transmission and the scheduled (or configured) PUSCH / PUCCH / Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission is less than a certain time (e.g., one slot, e.g., seven symbols), the SRS transmission may be processed. Alternatively, if the time gap between the SRS transmission and the scheduled (or configured) PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH transmission is less than a certain time (e.g., one symbol), the SRS transmission may be processed while other signals / channels may be dropped. Alternatively, if the time gap between the SRS transmission and the scheduled (or configured) PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH transmission is less than a certain time (e.g., two symbols), the SRS transmission may be processed while other signals / channels may be dropped, even if the SRS has a lower priority than the other signals / channels.

[0083] This method can ensure PRS / SRS transmission, thus maintaining or improving positioning performance.

[0084] Example 6: Positioning under Carrier Aggregation (CA) The downlink control information (DCI) in the PDCCH can be used to trigger one SRS transmission for uplink channel estimation. Alternatively, the DCI can be used to trigger SRS transmission for positioning measurements on multiple cells (or carriers, or frequency layers). Alternatively, one or more reserved bits in the DCI can be used to trigger simultaneous SRS transmission (e.g., carrier aggregation, CA) for positioning measurements on multiple carriers. For example, the (first or last) three reserved bits can be used to indicate which carriers can have (simultaneous) SRS transmission (e.g., a value of "1" represents SRS transmission; e.g., the first, second, and third bits are for the first, second, and third carriers). In another example, the first two reserved bits are used to indicate which carriers have SRS transmission (e.g., a code point, e.g., decimal value of the bits, e.g., "00" for no trigger, "01" for the first and second carriers can have simultaneous SRS transmission / CA, "10" for the second and third carriers can have simultaneous SRS transmission / CA, "11" for the first, second, and third carriers can have simultaneous SRS transmission / CA. The decimal values ​​"00", "01", "10", and "11" can be 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively).

[0085] Alternatively, a bit combination in one or more fields in the DCI can indicate (simultaneous) SRS transmission. For example, in the case of the Frequency Domain Resource Allocation (FDRA) field, if FDRA is all 0 bits, SRS transmission on all carriers can be simultaneous (e.g., CA). As another example, if FDRA is all 0 bits, the first three bits of the Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) field can indicate which SRS transmissions on carriers are simultaneous (or which SRS resources / SRS resource sets are transmitted simultaneously on carriers).

[0086] Alternatively, one or more reserved bits in the DCI can be used to trigger simultaneous PRS transmission on multiple carriers from the gNB (or TRP) (e.g., CA of PRS, or bandwidth aggregation of positioning frequency layers). Alternatively, one or more reserved bits in the DCI can be used to trigger simultaneous PRS reception on multiple carriers for the UE. Alternatively, one or more reserved bits in the DCI can be used to trigger simultaneous PRS reception on multiple positioning frequency layers for the UE. Alternatively, a bit combination in one or more fields in the DCI can indicate (simultaneous) PRS transmission from the gNB (or TRP). Alternatively, a bit combination in one or more fields in the DCI can indicate (simultaneous) PRS reception on multiple carriers for the UE. Alternatively, a bit combination in one or more fields in the DCI can indicate (simultaneous) PRS reception on multiple positioning frequency layers for the UE.

[0087] The PDCCH carrying the DCI may occupy 4, 8, 16, or 32 control channel elements (CCEs), each with 4, 2, 1, or 1 candidate. Alternatively, the PDCCH carrying the DCI may occupy 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, or 28 CCEs, all of which have one candidate.

[0088] Alternatively, the transmit power of the PRS / SRS can be allocated equally among multiple carriers. Alternatively, the transmit power per RE (e.g., EPRE) of the PRS / SRS can be allocated equally among multiple carriers. Alternatively, if the total transmit power of the SRS exceeds the transmit power granted to the UE before transmission, the transmit power of the SRS can be scaled and allocated equally. Alternatively, if the transmit power of the SRS on each carrier exceeds the transmit power granted to the UE's carrier before transmission, the transmit power of the SRS can be scaled and allocated equally, which is determined by the carrier with the lowest granted EPRE.

[0089] This method can ensure carrier aggregation of PRS / SRS, which can provide more accurate positioning accuracy (e.g., larger bandwidth means higher positioning accuracy), thus improving positioning performance.

[0090] Example 7: On-Demand PRS / SRS for RedCap UE The UE (or gNB, or TRP) can request the network (e.g., LMF) to configure a configuration appropriate for PRS reception (or SRS transmission, i.e., on-demand transmission). After receiving this request, the network (e.g., LMF) can configure a better configuration for the UE (or gNB, or TRP).

[0091] The RedCap UE can request the PRS resource bandwidth at a single hop (or at each hop). The RedCap UE can request the total PRS resource bandwidth of all hops. Alternatively, the RedCap UE can request the total PRS resource bandwidth of all hops after concatenation of these hops. Alternatively, the RedCap UE can request the total PRS resource bandwidth of all hops after concatenation of these hops and removal of overlapping bandwidth. Alternatively, the RedCap UE can request the total PRS resource bandwidth of all hops after concatenation of these hops where resources (or resource blocks (RBs)) do not overlap. For example, if a 20 MHz bandwidth has a PRS of 48 RBs @ SCS = 30 kHz for each hop with one RB overlap, there may be 6 hops, and the total bandwidth requested may be (48-1) * (6-1) + 48 = 283 RBs. Since 283 is greater than a 100 MHz bandwidth with 272 RBs for the PRS, the final total bandwidth requested may be 272 RBs. Alternatively, the RedCap UE may request the number of hops of PRS hopping. Alternatively, the RedCap UE may request the number of hops of PRS transmission hopping. Alternatively, the RedCap UE may request the number of hops and bandwidth of each hop of PRS hopping. This may be useful for positioning in the 700 MHz band.

[0092] For RedCap UEs, the normal cyclic prefix of the PRS / SRS can be configured (or fixed). The requirement on the cyclic prefix of the PRS can be disabled (e.g., not applicable or not present). For RedCap UEs, the comb size N=2 (or N=1) of the PRS / SRS can be configured (or fixed). The requirement on the comb size of the PRS can be disabled.

[0093] For RedCap UEs, a short periodicity of PRS / SRS (e.g., 1 slot, 2 slots) may be requested, which can reduce the total measurement delay. Alternatively, for RedCap UEs, a periodicity and offset of PRS / SRS may be requested (e.g., 2^u slot periodicity, where u=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 for SCS=15, 30, 60, 120, 240, 480, 960 kHz, respectively, and slot offset=0, 1, ..., 2^u-1; e.g., 2*2^u slots; e.g., 3*2^u slots).

[0094] For RedCap UEs, a PRS / SRS intra-slot repetition factor (e.g., 6 repetitions within a slot or 6 repetitions within 12 symbols, with each repetition having two consecutive symbols) may be required. This method can achieve better channel estimation and reduce measurement delay. For RedCap UEs, a PRS / SRS symbol count (e.g., 12 symbols) may be required. Alternatively, the number may be a multiple of the comb size (e.g., two comb sizes of 2, e.g., 2 × 2 = 4). Alternatively, the number may be a multiple of 2, 3, 4, or 6 within a slot. Alternatively, the number may be a multiple of 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8 for two (or more) consecutive slots for PRS / SRS.

[0095] For RedCap UEs, the QCL information of PRS / SRS can be configured (or fixed, e.g., QCL with SSB with type C). The request for QCL information of PRS may be disabled. Alternatively, for RedCap UEs, a QCL with Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) or TRS for UEs under RRC_Inactive / RRC_Idle may be requested.

[0096] For a RedCap UE, frequency information of the PRS / SRS can be requested. For example, the ARFCN of the hop (or the ARFCNs of all hops) can be requested. Alternatively, each hop may have frequency information (e.g., ARFCN). For a RedCap UE, the duration of the PRS / SRS of each hop (or all hops) can be requested.

[0097] The gNB (or TRP) may be requested by the network (e.g., LMF) or the UE (via the LMF) for PRS transmission with hopping. For example, after receiving a request from the UE for PRS transmission with hopping, the network (e.g., LMF) may forward the request to the gNB (or TRP). In another example, after receiving a request from the UE for PRS transmission with hopping, the network (e.g., LMF) may request the gNB (or TRP) for PRS transmission with hopping based on the request from the UE.

[0098] Alternatively, the request from the UE (or gNB, or TRP) may be UE-specific (or TRP-specific), PRS / SRS resource-specific, FR-specific, band-specific, or carrier-specific. Alternatively, the UE (or LMF) may request a PRS transmission with a wider bandwidth from the gNB (or TRP). Alternatively, the UE (or LMF) may request a PRS transmission with positioning frequency layer (PFL) aggregation (e.g., 3 PFL aggregation, 3×100 MHz=300 MHz) from the gNB (or TRP). This wider bandwidth may improve positioning accuracy. Alternatively, the LMF (or UE) may request an SRS transmission with SRS carrier aggregation (e.g., 2 carrier aggregation, 2×100 MHz=200 MHz) from the gNB (or TRP). In some embodiments, the SRS may be controlled by the gNB. The gNB may request a PRS transmission with a wider bandwidth from the LMF.

[0099] In this way, a better configuration for the RedCap UE (e.g., wider bandwidth) can be achieved, and thus the positioning performance can be improved.

[0100] It should be understood that one or more features from the above embodiments are not limited to a particular embodiment and can be combined in any manner (e.g., in any priority and / or order, simultaneously or otherwise).

[0101] 8 shows a flow diagram of a method 800 for carrier phase positioning. Method 800 may be implemented using any one or more of the components and devices detailed herein in connection with FIGS. 1-2. In summary, method 800 may be performed by a wireless communication device or a wireless communication node in some embodiments. Depending on the embodiment, additional, fewer, or different operations may be performed in method 800. At least one aspect of these operations is directed to a system, a method, an apparatus, or a computer-readable medium.

[0102] A wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) may receive configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS)) from a wireless communication node. The wireless communication device may measure the reference signal for positioning. The wireless communication device may transmit a report to the network including measurement results of the reference signal for positioning. The configuration information may indicate that when the wireless communication device reports its capabilities in a phase error group (PEG), the wireless communication device can be configured to report the corresponding phase error of the PEG.

[0103] In some embodiments, the configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured to report a phase error in the PEG when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement in the PEG. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured to report a phase error in the PEG when the wireless communication device reports a carrier phase (CP) measurement in the PEG, and that the phase error is estimated in the PEG. The configuration information may indicate that subcarriers in one or more resource blocks (RBs) can overlap for signals in two adjacent symbols with different resource element (RE) offsets.

[0104] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may be configured to report a carrier phase (CP) at the nearest subcarrier with a subcarrier ID if a frequency center subcarrier or a direct current (DC) subcarrier is not present. When performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may assume that a reference point for the CP measurement is an antenna connector of the wireless communication device. When performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center. When performing the measuring step, in response to identifying that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the wireless communication device. When performing the measuring step, in response to identifying that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna connector of the wireless communication device, the wireless communication device may be configured to infer a CP value by assuming that the reference point for the CP measurement is the antenna phase center.

[0105] In some embodiments, a DC position index for CP measurements in a reference signal may be configured by the network. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with reference signal resources characterized by a comb size, a comb offset, and a number of repetitions within a slot. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of the reference signal resources and a starting symbol index of the first of the repetitions. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a number of repetitions of the slot of the reference signal resources having different comb offsets. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication device can be configured with a comb size of 1 (e.g., comb size is 1; combSize=1; all subcarriers in a symbol are allocated to the PRS) with a repetition within a slot.

[0106] In some embodiments, when performing the measuring step, the wireless communication device may be configured to measure one or more hops or a combination of one or more hops of the reference signal. The report may further include an indication of a combination of one or more hops associated with the measurement results. The report may further include an indication of frequency-related information associated with the measurement results. The report may further include an indication of resource-related information associated with the measurement results. The report may further include measurement results related to a combination of multiple segments of the reference signal resource. The report may further include measurement results related to a combination of multiple bandwidths of the reference signal resource. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to any combination of one or more hops. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to an indicated frequency. The wireless communication device may be requested to report measurement results related to an indicated bandwidth.

[0107] In some embodiments, in response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, a wireless communication device may be enabled to drop one or more hops of the SRS transmission. In response to identifying a collision between an SRS transmission and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or other downlink signal / channel, a wireless communication device may be enabled to continue the SRS transmission even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. If one hop receiving a reference signal is outside the PPW / MG, the wireless communication device may be enabled to continue receiving one or more other hops of the reference signal. One or more reserved bits in downlink control information (DCI) received by the wireless communication device may be configured to trigger simultaneous SRS transmission for multiple carriers. A combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device may indicate simultaneous SRS transmission on multiple carriers.

[0108] In some embodiments, one or more reserved bits in a DCI received by a wireless communication device may be configured to trigger simultaneous reception for reference signals on multiple positioning frequency layers.

[0109] In some embodiments, a combination of bits in one or more fields in the DCI received by the wireless communication device may indicate simultaneous reception of reference signals on multiple positioning frequency layers. As a RedCap UE, the wireless communication device may be enabled to request the number of hops for a PRS transmission. The on-demand PRS transmission procedure allows the LMF to control and determine whether a PRS is transmitted and to change the characteristics of an ongoing PRS transmission. The on-demand PRS transmission procedure may be initiated by the UE or the LMF. The actual PRS change may be requested by the LMF, regardless of whether the procedure is UE-initiated or LMF-initiated.

[0110] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may be enabled as a RedCap UE to request an intra-slot repetition factor for a reference signal. The wireless communication device may be enabled as a RedCap UE to request frequency information for a reference signal.

[0111] In some embodiments, the wireless communication node may receive configuration information regarding a reference signal for positioning from a wireless communication device. The wireless communication node may measure the reference signal for positioning. The wireless communication node may transmit a report to the network including measurement results of the reference signal for positioning. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a port ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a hopping ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with a PEG ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communication node can be configured to report a phase error of a MIMO SRS port with an SRS resource ID when the wireless communication node reports a CP measurement result. The configuration information may indicate that the wireless communications node can be configured to report SRS-related configuration information when reporting CP measurements. The SRS-related configuration information may include at least one of a band, a carrier index, an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), a carrier center frequency, a carrier center frequency of the hop, a start frequency of the hop, an end frequency of the hop, a bandwidth of this carrier, a bandwidth of the hop being measured, and a hopping ID.

[0112] In some embodiments, within an SRS measurement window, a wireless communication node may be configured to process only SRS reception while the wireless communication node drops all other signals or channels. Upon identifying that within an SRS processing window, the time gap between an SRS transmission and a PUSCH / PUCCH / PRACH transmission is less than the duration, the wireless communication node may be configured to continue processing the SRS transmission and drop the other signals or channels, even if the corresponding SRS has a lower priority. The wireless communication node may be requested by the network to measure CPs at the PEGs in the TEG when the wireless communication node performs timing-related measurements. The configuration information may indicate that symbols with index {{S, S+1,..., S+L-1}+i*L} may be assigned to the PRS, where i is an integer in {0, 1, 2,..., R-1}, R is the number of repetitions in the slot, L is the number of symbols for the PRS, and S is the starting symbol index. In some embodiments, the measurement may include that when the TRP measures the relative time of arrival (RTOA), the RTOA reference time may include a nominal start time of system frame number 0 provided by the system frame number initialization time of the first hop. The measurement may include being able to request the TRP with a PRS transmission over a positioning frequency layer (PFL) aggregation.

[0113] While various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various diagrams may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand example features and functionality of the present solution. However, such skilled artisans will understand that the present solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of other embodiments described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the example embodiments described above.

[0114] It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," etc., does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, reference to a first element and a second element does not imply that only two elements can be used or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0115] Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be referred to in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0116] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementations, analog implementations, or a combination of the two), firmware, various forms of programs or design code incorporating instructions (which may be conveniently referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0117] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various example logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which can include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules, and circuits can further include an antenna and / or transceiver for communicating with various components within a network or device. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein.

[0118] If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can enable a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. A storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0119] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of explanation, various modules are described as individual modules; however, as will be apparent to one skilled in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs associated functions according to embodiments of the present solution.

[0120] Additionally, memory or other storage devices, as well as communication components, may be used in embodiments of the solution. It will be appreciated that, for clarity, the above description describes embodiments of the solution with reference to various functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains may be used without detracting from the solution. For example, functionality illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Accordingly, references to specific functional units do not refer to a strict logical or physical structure or organization, but merely to suitable means for providing the described functionality.

[0121] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: a reduced capability (RedCap) device receiving, from a wireless communication node, information associated with sounding reference signal (SRS) hopping via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the RRC signaling including frequency resource-related information indicating a starting resource block (RB) number and a number of overlapping RBs, and the RRC signaling further including time resource-related information indicating at least one of a periodicity or a slot offset of each hop; The RedCap device transmits SRS outside of a configured bandwidth portion (BWP); A wireless communication method comprising:

2. The wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising the RedCap device transmitting the SRS within an SRS transmission window in which no other signals are transmitted.

3. The wireless communication method of claim 1, further comprising the RedCap device deciding to drop the SRS if the SRS collides with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

4. A reduced capacity (RedCap) device comprising: the RedCap device comprises at least one processor; The at least one processor receiving, via a transceiver, from a wireless communication node via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, information associated with Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) hopping, the RRC signaling including frequency resource-related information indicating a starting resource block (RB) number and a number of overlapping RBs, and the RRC signaling further including time resource-related information indicating at least one of a periodicity or a slot offset of each hop; transmitting an SRS outside a configured bandwidth portion (BWP) via the transceiver; A RedCap device configured to:

5. The RedCap device of claim 4 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to transmit the SRS via the transceiver within an SRS transmission window in which no other signals are transmitted.

6. 5. The RedCap device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine to drop the SRS if the SRS collides with a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) or a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

7. 1. A wireless communication method, the wireless communication method comprising: a wireless communications node transmitting information associated with sounding reference signal (SRS) hopping to a reduced capability (RedCap) device via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, the RRC signaling including frequency resource-related information indicating a starting resource block (RB) number and a number of overlapping RBs, and the RRC signaling further including time resource-related information indicating at least one of a periodicity or a slot offset of each hop; the wireless communication node receiving an SRS from the RedCap device outside a configured bandwidth portion (BWP); A wireless communication method comprising:

8. The wireless communication method described in claim 7, further comprising the wireless communication node receiving the SRS from the RedCap device within an SRS transmission window in which no other signals are transmitted.

9. A wireless communications node, said wireless communications node comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 7 to 8.

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