Signaling minimum and maximum positioning range indications and zone identifiers for sidelink positioning

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communications are disclosed. In one aspect, an assisting user equipment (UE) receives a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located, determines whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE, and sends the positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including intermediate 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless service, and fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications services (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the Cellular Analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0003]

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

[0004]

[0004] In particular, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of 5G, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies are being implemented to support autonomous driving applications, such as wireless communications between vehicles, between vehicles and roadside infrastructure, between vehicles and pedestrians, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. As such, the following summary is not intended to be an extensive overview related to all contemplated aspects, nor is it intended to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope related to particular aspects. As such, the following summary has the sole purpose of presenting some concepts related to one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the detailed description presented below.

[0006]

[0006] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a assisting user equipment (UE) includes receiving a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located; determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; and sending a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

[0007]

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication implemented by a target user equipment (UE) includes sending a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; receiving a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located.

[0008]

[0008] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a target user equipment (UE) includes receiving a set of zone identifiers (IDs), each zone ID in the set of zone IDs being associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID; and engaging in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs.

[0009]

[0009] In one aspect, a assisting user equipment (UE) includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a positioning request from a target UE via the at least one transceiver, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located; determine whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; and send the positioning response to the target UE via the at least one transceiver based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

[0010]

[0010] In one aspect, a target user equipment (UE) includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: send a positioning request to at least one assisting UE via the at least one transceiver, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; and receive a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE via the at least one transceiver, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located.

[0011]

[0011] In one aspect, a target user equipment (UE) includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a set of zone identifiers (IDs), each zone ID in the set of zone IDs associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID; and engage in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs.

[0012]

[0012] In one aspect, a supporting user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located; means for determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the supporting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; and means for sending a positioning response to the target UE based on the supporting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

[0013]

[0013] In one aspect, a target user equipment (UE) includes means for sending a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; and means for receiving a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located.

[0014]

[0014] In one aspect, a UE includes means for receiving a set of zone identifiers (IDs), each zone ID in the set of zone IDs being associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID; and means for engaging in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs.

[0015]

[0015] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a assisting user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located; determine whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; and send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

[0016]

[0016] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a target user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: send a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; and receive a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located.

[0017]

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: receive a set of zone identifiers (IDs), each zone ID in the set of zone IDs associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID; and engage in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs.

[0018] Other objects and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0019]

[0019] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the explanation of various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided merely to illustrate, not to limit, the aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1]

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0022] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a base station and configured to support communication as taught herein; [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support communications as taught herein; [Figure 4]

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system supporting unicast sidelink establishment, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in which a vehicular user equipment (V-UE) is exchanging ranging signals with a roadside unit (RSU) and another V-UE, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0025] 1 illustrates an exemplary frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0026] 10 is a diagram of an example slot structure without feedback resources, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0027] 10 is a diagram of an example slot structure with feedback resources according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates how a shared channel (SCH) is established on a sidelink between two or more UEs, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]

[0030] 1 is a diagram of two adjacent zone areas according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]

[0031] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a spherical zone, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 13]

[0032] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary zone ID map, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 14]

[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021]

[0034] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, directed to various examples provided for purposes of illustration. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0022]

[0035] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the described feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0023]

[0036] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0024]

[0037] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that various actions described herein may be performed by particular circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. Furthermore, a sequence of actions described herein may be considered to be embodied as a whole in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct associated processors of a device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, “logic configured to” perform the described actions.

[0025]

[0038] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE), “vehicle UE” (V-UE), “pedestrian UE” (P-UE), and “base station” are not intended to be specific to, or as the case may be, limited to, any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a vehicle on-board computer, a vehicle navigation device, a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an asset location device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., at some times) stationary and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” may be referred to interchangeably as a “mobile device,” “access terminal” or “AT,” “client device,” “wireless device,” “subscriber device,” “subscriber terminal,” “subscriber station,” “user terminal” or UT,” “mobile terminal,” “mobile station,” or variations thereof.

[0026]

[0039] A V-UE is a type of UE and may be any in-vehicle wireless communication device, such as a navigation system, a warning system, a head-up display (HUD), an on-board computer, an in-vehicle infotainment system, an automated driving system (ADS), an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), etc. Alternatively, a V-UE may be a portable wireless communication device (e.g., a cell phone, a tablet computer, etc.) carried by a vehicle driver or a passenger in the vehicle. The term “V-UE” may refer to an in-vehicle wireless communication device or the vehicle itself, depending on the context. A P-UE is a type of UE and may be a portable wireless communication device carried by a pedestrian (i.e., a user not driving or riding in a vehicle). In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0027]

[0040] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. Base stations may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station can send signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) can refer to either an UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0028]

[0041] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receiving point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be collocated. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the base station's cell (or several cell sectors). When the term "base station" refers to multiple collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-collocated physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. A TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and therefore, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood as referring to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0029]

[0042] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit reference RF signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting RF signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring RF signals from the UE).

[0030]

[0043] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver is sometimes referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply as a "signal" when it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0031]

[0044] 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled “BS”) and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations 102 may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0032]

[0045] The base stations 102 collectively form the RAN and may interface with a core network 174 (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 and to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., Location Management Function (LMF) or Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP)) through the core network 174. The location server(s) 172 may be part of the core network 174 or may be external to the core network 174. In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of the following: forwarding user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for Non-Access Stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0033]

[0046] The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), extended cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term “cell” may refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0034]

[0047] The geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover regions), but some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be significantly overlapped by larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that significantly overlaps with the geographic coverage area 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network including both small cell and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home eNBs (HeNBs) that may serve restricted groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0035]

[0048] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink transmissions (also called reverse link) from the UE 104 to the base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) transmissions (also called forward link) from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0036]

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0037]

[0050] The small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrums. When operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. A small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in the unlicensed frequency spectrum may boost coverage to and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MultiFire.

[0038]

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in millimeter-wave (mmW) and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The very high frequency (SHF) band, also referred to as centimeter wave, extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz. Communications using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above description is by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting various aspects disclosed herein.

[0039]

[0052] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a particular direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that particular direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (called a “phased array” or “antenna array”) that creates beams of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. In particular, RF current from the transmitter is supplied to individual antennas with the proper phase relationship so that the waves from the separate antennas add together to increase radiation in desired directions while canceling and suppressing radiation in undesired directions.

[0040]

[0053] A transmit beam may be quasi-colocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to a receiver (e.g., a UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's transmit antennas themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocation (QCL) relationships. In particular, a given type of QCL relationship means that some parameters related to a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and mean delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0041]

[0054] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) an RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to beamform in a direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher relative to the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0042]

[0055] The transmit beam and the receive beam may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal may be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0043]

[0056] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0044]

[0057] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW frequency band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Thus, the terms “mmW” and “FR2” or “FR3” or “FR4” may generally be used interchangeably.

[0045]

[0058] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell on which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in licensed frequencies (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, nothing UE-specific may be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network may change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0046]

[0059] For example, still referring to FIG. 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or “PCell”), and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers (“SCells”). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically lead to a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0047]

[0060] In the example of FIG. 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in FIG. 1 as a single UE 104 for simplicity) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that the UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system generally includes a system of transmitters positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., the UE 104) to determine the receiver's location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from a transmitter (e.g., the SVs 112). Such transmitters generally transmit signals marked with a repetitive pseudorandom noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. While typically located in the SVs 112, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signals 124 from the SVs 112 to derive geolocation information.

[0048]

[0061] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 may be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, the SBAS may include augmentation system(s) that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), etc. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0049]

[0062] In one aspect, the SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also called a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which is connected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5G network. This element will provide access to other elements in the 5G network and, ultimately, to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In this way, the UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from the SV 112 instead of, or in addition to, communication signals from the terrestrial base station 102.

[0050]

[0063] In particular, leveraging NR's increased data rates and reduced latency, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support intelligent transport systems (ITS) applications, such as wireless communications between vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)), between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)), and between vehicles and pedestrians (vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P)). The goal is for vehicles to sense their surrounding environment and communicate that information to other vehicles, infrastructure, and personal mobile devices. Such vehicular communications enable safety, mobility, and environmental improvements that current technology cannot provide. When fully implemented, the technology is expected to reduce unimpaired vehicle crashes by 80%.

[0051]

[0064] Still referring to FIG. 1 , the wireless communication system 100 may include multiple V-UEs 160, which may communicate with the base station 102 via communication link 120 (e.g., using the Uu interface). The V-UEs 160 may also communicate directly with each other via wireless sidelink 162, with a roadside access point 164 (also referred to as a “roadside unit”) via wireless sidelink 166, or with the UE 104 via wireless sidelink 168. Wireless sidelink (or simply “sidelink”) is an adaptation of the core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that enables direct communication between two or more UEs without the communication having to go through a base station. Sidelink communication may be unicast or multicast and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, V2V communication, V2X communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of a group of V-UEs 160 utilizing sidelink communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other V-UEs 160 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, a group of V-UEs 160 communicating via sidelink communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each V-UE 160 transmits to every other V-UE 160 in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications occur between V-UEs 160 without the involvement of the base station 102.

[0052]

[0065] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may operate over a wireless communication medium of interest that may be shared with other vehicular and / or infrastructure access points, as well as other wireless communications between other RATs. The “medium” may consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs.

[0053]

[0066] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may be cV2X links. The first generation of cV2X is standardized in LTE, and the next generation is expected to be defined in NR. cV2X is a cellular technology that also enables device-to-device communication. In the United States and Europe, cV2X is expected to operate in licensed ITS bands in the sub-6 GHz range. In other countries, other bands may be allocated. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the sub-6 GHz licensed ITS frequency band. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this frequency band or cellular technology.

[0054]

[0067] In one aspect, the sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may be dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) links. DSRC is a one-way or two-way short- to medium-range wireless communication protocol that uses the wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE) protocol, also known as IEEE 802.11p, for V2V, V2I, and V2P communications. IEEE 802.11p is an approved amendment to the IEEE 802.11 standard and operates in the licensed ITS band at 5.9 GHz (5.85-5.925 GHz) in the United States. In Europe, IEEE 802.11p operates in the ITS G5A band (5.875-5.905 MHz). Other bands may be allocated in other countries. The V2V communications briefly described above occur over a safety channel, which in the United States is typically a 10 MHz channel dedicated to safety purposes. The remainder of the DSRC band (total bandwidth of 75 MHz) is intended for other services of interest to drivers, such as road regulations, toll collection, and automated parking. Thus, as a specific example, the medium of interest utilized by sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the 5.9 GHz licensed ITS frequency band.

[0055]

[0068] Alternatively, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for some communication systems (e.g., by government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended operation to unlicensed frequency bands, such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) technologies, most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi." Exemplary systems of this type include different variants of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, etc.

[0056]

[0069] Communication between V-UEs 160 is referred to as V2V communication, communication between V-UEs 160 and one or more roadside access points 164 is referred to as V2I communication, and communication between V-UEs 160 and one or more UEs 104 (where UEs 104 are P-UEs) is referred to as V2P communication. V2V communication between V-UEs 160 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, orientation, and other vehicle data of V-UEs 160. V2I information received at V-UEs 160 from one or more roadside access points 164 may include, for example, road rules, parking automation information, etc. V2P communication between V-UEs 160 and UEs 104 may include, for example, information regarding the position, speed, acceleration, and orientation of V-UEs 160, as well as the position, speed (e.g., if UE 104 is carried by a user on a bicycle), and orientation of UEs 104.

[0057]

[0070] Note that while FIG. 1 illustrates only two of the UEs as V-UEs (V-UE 160), any of the illustrated UEs (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190) could be V-UEs. Furthermore, while only V-UE 160 and a single UE 104 are shown as connected via sidelink, any of the UEs illustrated in FIG. 1 could be capable of sidelink communication, whether a V-UE or a P-UE, etc. Furthermore, while only UE 182 is described as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs, including V-UE 160, could be capable of beamforming. If V-UE 160 were capable of beamforming, they could beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other V-UEs 160), toward roadside access point 164, toward other UEs (e.g., UEs 104, 152, 182, 190), etc. Thus, in some cases, V-UE 160 may utilize beamforming over sidelinks 162, 166, and 168.

[0058]

[0071] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as a UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In the example of FIG. 1, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which the UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct® (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc. As another example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be sidelinks, such as those described above with respect to the sidelinks 162, 166, and 168.

[0059]

[0072] 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be functionally considered to have control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) that operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect a gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, an ng-eNB 224 may also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both an ng-eNB 224 and a gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0060]

[0073] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE(s) 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, may each correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network or alternatively may be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0061]

[0074] 2B shows another example wireless network structure 250. A 5GC 260 (which may correspond to 5GC 210 in FIG. 2A ) may be considered functionally as control plane functions provided by an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by a User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a Session Management Function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and a Security Anchor Function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264's functions also include Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264's functions also include location service management for barred services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as the location server 230), transport for location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification.Additionally, AMF264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0062]

[0075] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "termination markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the SLP 272.

[0063]

[0076] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and parts of QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0064]

[0077] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, may each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, but the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 via a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2B) via a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0065]

[0078] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, particularly the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, and the interface between the gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNB(s) 222 and / or ng-eNB(s) 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223 referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0066]

[0079] The functions of the gNB 222 are divided between a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as forwarding user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, except for functions exclusively allocated to the gNB-DU(s). More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or multiple cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, and with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0067]

[0080] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated in a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or perform any of the network functions described herein, including a location server 230 and an LMF 270, or alternatively, may be unrelated to the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, such as a private network) to support file transmission operations taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated in other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include similar components to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0068]

[0081] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communications medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. In particular, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0069]

[0082] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also each, in at least some cases, include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., over the wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, PC5, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near field communications (NFC), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. In particular, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and include one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As particular examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth transceivers, Zigbee and / or Z-Wave transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0070]

[0083] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and action from other systems as appropriate and, in at least some cases, perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithms.

[0071]

[0084] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links or to communicate with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0072]

[0085] A transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. The transceiver (whether a wired or wireless transceiver) includes a transmitter circuit (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuit (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). The transmitter may be an integrated device in some implementations (e.g., implemented as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit in a single device), may comprise separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry in some implementations, or may be implemented in other manners in other implementations. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. The wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that enable the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, the wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antenna arrays), that enable the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), so that the respective device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit simultaneously. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0073]

[0086] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be generally characterized as a “transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being implemented. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers generally involves signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involves signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0074]

[0087] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, for example, to provide functionality related to wireless communications and to provide other processing functions. The processors 332, 384, and 394 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, the processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0075]

[0088] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). The memories 340, 386, and 396 may therefore provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A illustrates possible locations of the positioning component 342, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 3B shows possible locations of a positioning component 388, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.FIG. 3C shows possible locations of a positioning component 398, which may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0076]

[0089] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0077]

[0090] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing instructions (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0078]

[0091] Referring more particularly to the one or more processors 384, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions related to broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0079]

[0092] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), multi-level quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined with each other using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol streams are spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0080]

[0093] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto RF carriers and provides the information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency-domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0081]

[0094] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0082]

[0095] Similar to the functions described with respect to downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0083]

[0096] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 may be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to enable spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with each spatial stream for transmission.

[0084]

[0097] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0085]

[0098] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0086]

[0099] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein. However, it will be appreciated that the illustrated components may have different functions in different designs. In particular, various components in FIGS. 3A-3C are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, device use, or other considerations. For example, in FIG. 3A, a particular implementation of the UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite receiver 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, etc. 3B, a particular implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit satellite receiver 370, etc. For brevity, a description of various alternative configurations is not provided herein but would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0087]

[0100] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB functionality and location server functionality incorporated in the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0088]

[0101] The components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors), where each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide its functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it will be appreciated that such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by particular components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0089]

[0102] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be separate from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 through the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0090]

[0103] 4 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 400 supporting wireless unicast sidelink establishment according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 may implement aspects of the wireless communication systems 100, 200, and 250. The wireless communication system 400 may include a first UE 402 and a second UE 404, which may be examples of any of the UEs described herein. As specific examples, the UEs 402 and 404 may correspond to the V-UE 160 in FIG. 1, the UE 190 and UE 104 in FIG. 1 connected via the D2D P2P link 192, or the UE 204 in FIG. 2A and 2B.

[0091]

[0104] In the example of FIG. 4, the UE 402 may attempt to establish a unicast connection over a sidelink with the UE 404, which may be a V2X sidelink between the UE 402 and the UE 404. As a specific example, the established sidelink connection may correspond to sidelinks 162 and / or 168 in FIG. 1. The sidelink connection may be established in an omnidirectional frequency range (e.g., FR1) and / or an mmW frequency range (e.g., FR2). In some cases, the UE 402 may be referred to as an initiating UE that initiates the sidelink connection procedure, and the UE 404 may be referred to as a target UE that is the subject of the sidelink connection procedure by the initiating UE.

[0092]

[0105] To establish a unicast connection, access stratum (AS) (a functional layer in the UMTS and LTE protocol stack between the RAN and the UE, responsible for transporting data over the wireless link and managing radio resources and part of Layer 2) parameters may be configured and negotiated between the UE 402 and the UE 404. For example, transmit and receive capability matching may be negotiated between the UE 402 and the UE 404. Each UE may have different capabilities (e.g., transmit and receive, 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), transmit diversity, carrier aggregation (CA), supported communication frequency band(s), etc.). In some cases, different services may be supported at higher layers of the corresponding protocol stacks for the UE 402 and the UE 404. Furthermore, a security association may be established between the UE 402 and the UE 404 for the unicast connection. Unicast traffic may benefit from security protection (e.g., integrity protection) at the link level. Security requirements may differ for different wireless communication systems. For example, a V2X system and a Uu system may have different security requirements (e.g., Uu security does not include confidentiality protection). Additionally, IP configurations (e.g., IP version, addresses, etc.) may be negotiated for unicast connections between UE 402 and UE 404.

[0093]

[0106] In some cases, the UE 404 may create a service announcement (e.g., a service capability message) to transmit over a cellular network (e.g., cV2X) to assist in sidelink connection establishment. Traditionally, the UE 402 may identify and locate candidates for sidelink communication based on a broadcasted basic service message (BSM) decrypted by a nearby UE (e.g., the UE 404). The BSM may include location information, security and identification information, and vehicle information (e.g., speed, operation, size, etc.) for the corresponding UE. However, for different wireless communication systems (e.g., D2D or V2X communications), a discovery channel may not be configured to enable the UE 402 to detect the BSM(s). Therefore, the service announcement (e.g., a discovery signal) transmitted by the UE 404 and other nearby UEs is a higher layer signal and may be broadcast (e.g., in an NR sidelink broadcast). In some cases, the UE 404 may include one or more parameters about itself in the service announcement, including its connection parameters and / or capabilities. The UE 402 may then monitor and receive the broadcasted service announcements to identify potential UEs for a corresponding sidelink connection. In some cases, the UE 402 may identify potential UEs based on the capabilities each UE indicates in its respective service announcement.

[0094]

[0107] The service announcement may include information to assist the UE 402 (e.g., or any initiating UE) in identifying the UE (UE 404 in the example of FIG. 4) sending the service announcement. For example, the service announcement may include channel information if a direct communication request may be sent. In some cases, the channel information may be RAT-specific (e.g., specific to LTE or NR) and may include a resource pool within which the UE 402 sends the communication request. Furthermore, the service announcement may include a specific destination address (e.g., a Layer 2 destination address) for the UE if the destination address is different from the current address (e.g., the address of the streaming provider or the UE sending the service announcement). The service announcement may also include a network or transport layer for the UE 402 to send the communication request. For example, the network layer (also referred to as "Layer 3" or "L3") or the transport layer (also referred to as "Layer 4" or "L4") may indicate a port number of the application for the UE sending the service announcement. In some cases, IP addressing may not be required if the signaling (e.g., PC5 signaling) directly carries a protocol (e.g., Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)) or provides a locally generated random protocol. Additionally, the service announcement may include some type of protocol for credential establishment and QoS-related parameters.

[0095]

[0108] After identifying a potential sidelink connection target (UE 404 in the example of FIG. 4), the initiating UE (UE 402 in the example of FIG. 4) may send a connection request 415 to the identified target UE 404. In some cases, the connection request 415 may be the first RRC message (e.g., an "RRCDirectConnectionSetupRequest" message) sent by the UE 402 to request a unicast connection with the UE 404. For example, the unicast connection may utilize the PC5 interface for the sidelink, and the connection request 415 may be an RRC Connection Setup Request message. Furthermore, the UE 402 may use the sidelink signaling radio bearer 405 to transport the connection request 415.

[0096]

[0109] After receiving the connection request 415, the UE 404 may determine whether to accept or reject the connection request 415. The UE 404 may base this decision on transmit / receive capabilities, an ability to accommodate a unicast connection over the sidelink, a particular service indicated for the unicast connection, content to be transmitted over the unicast connection, or a combination thereof. For example, if the UE 402 desires to use a first RAT to transmit or receive data but the UE 404 does not support the first RAT, the UE 404 may reject the connection request 415. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 404 may reject the connection request 415 based on an inability to accommodate a unicast connection over the sidelink due to limited radio resources, scheduling issues, etc. Accordingly, the UE 404 may transmit an indication of whether the request is accepted or rejected in a connection response 420. Similar to the UE 402 and the connection request 415, the UE 404 may use the sidelink signaling radio bearer 410 to transport the connection response 420. Furthermore, the connection response 420 may be a second RRC message (e.g., an “RRCDirectConnectionResponse” message) sent by the UE 404 in response to the connection request 415.

[0097]

[0110] In some cases, the sidelink signaling radio bearer 405 and the sidelink signaling radio bearer 410 may be the same sidelink signaling radio bearer or may be separate sidelink signaling radio bearers. Therefore, the radio link control (RLC) layer acknowledged mode (AM) may be used for the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410. UEs that support unicast connections may listen on logical channels associated with the sidelink signaling radio bearers. In some cases, the AS layer (i.e., Layer 2) may pass information directly through RRC signaling (e.g., control plane) instead of the V2X layer (e.g., data plane).

[0098]

[0111] If the connection response 420 indicates that the UE 404 accepted the connection request 415, the UE 402 may send a connection establishment 425 message on the sidelink signaling radio bearer 405 to indicate that the unicast connection setup is complete. In some cases, the connection establishment 425 may be a third RRC message (e.g., an "RRCDirectConnectionSetupComplete" message). Each of the connection request 415, connection response 420, and connection establishment 425 may use basic capabilities to enable each UE to be able to receive and decode the corresponding transmission (e.g., RRC message) when transported from one UE to the other.

[0099]

[0112] Additionally, an identifier may be used for each of the connection request 415, connection response 420, and connection establishment 425. For example, the identifier may indicate which UE 402 / 404 is sending which message and / or which UE 402 / 404 the message is intended for. On a physical (PHY) layer channel, RRC signaling and subsequent data transmissions may use the same identifier (e.g., Layer 2 ID). However, on a logical channel, identifiers may be separate for RRC signaling and for data transmissions. For example, on a logical channel, RRC signaling and data transmissions may be treated differently and have different acknowledgement (ACK) feedback messaging. In some cases, for RRC messaging, a physical layer ACK may be used to ensure that corresponding messages are properly transmitted and received.

[0100]

[0113] For a unicast connection, one or more information elements may be included in the connection request 415 and / or connection response 420 for the UE 402 and / or UE 404, respectively, to enable negotiation of corresponding AS layer parameters. For example, the UE 402 and / or UE 404 may include Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) parameters in a corresponding unicast connection setup message to set up a PDCP context for the unicast connection. In some cases, the PDCP context may indicate whether PDCP replication is utilized for the unicast connection. Furthermore, the UE 402 and / or UE 404 may include RLC parameters when establishing the unicast connection to set up an RLC context for the unicast connection. For example, the RLC context may indicate whether AM is used (e.g., t-reordering is used) or unacknowledged mode (UM) is used for the RLC layer of the unicast communication.

[0101]

[0114] Additionally, the UE 402 and / or UE 404 may include MAC parameters to configure a medium access control (MAC) context for the unicast connection. In some cases, the MAC context may enable a resource selection algorithm, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback scheme (e.g., ACK or negative ACK (NACK) feedback), parameters for the HARQ feedback scheme, carrier aggregation, or a combination thereof for the unicast connection. Additionally, the UE 402 and / or UE 404 may include PHY layer parameters when establishing a unicast connection to configure a PHY layer context for the unicast connection. For example, the PHY layer context may indicate a transmission format and a radio resource configuration (e.g., bandwidth portion (BWP), numerology, etc.) for the unicast connection (unless a transmission profile is included for each UE 402 / 404). These information elements may be supported for different frequency range configurations (e.g., FR1 and FR2).

[0102]

[0115] In some cases, a security context may also be set for the unicast connection (e.g., after the connection establishment 425 message is sent). Before a security association (e.g., a security context) is established between the UE 402 and the UE 404, the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410 may not be protected. After the security association is established, the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410 may be protected. Thus, the security context may enable secure data transmission over the unicast connection as well as the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410. Furthermore, IP layer parameters (e.g., link-local IPv4 or IPv6 addresses) may also be negotiated. In some cases, the IP layer parameters may be negotiated by a higher layer control protocol operating after the RRC signaling is established (e.g., the unicast connection is established). As mentioned above, the UE 404 may base its decision on whether to accept or reject the connection request 415 on the particular service indicated for the unicast connection and / or content to be transmitted over the unicast connection (e.g., higher layer information). The particular service and / or content may also be indicated by a higher layer control protocol operating after RRC signaling is established.

[0103]

[0116] After the unicast connection is established, the UE 402 and the UE 404 may communicate using a unicast connection over a sidelink 430, where sidelink data 435 is transmitted between the two UEs 402 and 404. The sidelink 430 may correspond to the sidelinks 162 and / or 168 in FIG. 1. In some cases, the sidelink data 435 may include RRC messages transmitted between the two UEs 402 and 404. To maintain this unicast connection over the sidelink 430, the UE 402 and / or the UE 404 may transmit keep-alive messages (e.g., an "RRC Direct Link Alive" message, a fourth RRC message, etc.). In some cases, the keep-alive messages may be triggered periodically or on-demand (e.g., event-triggered). Thus, the triggering and transmission of keep-alive messages may be invoked by the UE 402 or by both the UE 402 and the UE 404. Additionally or alternatively, a MAC control element (MAC-CE) (e.g., defined over the sidelink 430) may be used to monitor the status of the unicast connection on the sidelink 430 and maintain that connection. When the unicast connection is no longer needed (e.g., the UE 402 travels far enough away from the UE 404), either the UE 402 and / or the UE 404 may initiate a release procedure to drop the unicast connection over the sidelink 430. Thus, subsequent RRC messages may not be transmitted between the UE 402 and the UE 404 over the unicast connection.

[0104]

[0117] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, a UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from a pair of base stations, called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives an identifier (ID) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location.

[0105]

[0118] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station(s). The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the transmitting base station(s).

[0106]

[0119] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle(s) of the receive beam(s) to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the base station(s). Based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the base station(s), the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0107]

[0120] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include extended cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also called "multi-cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, an initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a responder (UE or base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also called "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and responder may be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations to allow its location to be determined based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods may be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy.

[0108]

[0121] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identities, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighbor base stations. The location of the UE is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base station(s).

[0109]

[0122] To assist positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include identifiers of base stations (or base station cells / TRPs) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of the positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighbor network nodes on its own without using assistance data.

[0110]

[0123] For OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data may further include an expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for the positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for the positioning measurement(s) are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 8 μs.

[0111]

[0124] A location estimate may be called a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, or other names. A location estimate may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or may be civic and comprise a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. A location estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume that the location is expected to cover with some specified or default confidence level).

[0112]

[0125] In addition to downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods, NR supports various sidelink positioning techniques. For example, link-level ranging signals can be used to estimate the distance between a pair of V-UEs or between a V-UE and a roadside unit (RSU), similar to round-trip time (RTT) positioning procedures.

[0113]

[0126] 5 illustrates an example wireless communication system 500 in which a V-UE 504 is exchanging ranging signals with an RSU 510 and another V-UE 506 according to aspects of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 5, wideband (e.g., FR1) ranging signals (e.g., Zadoff-Chu sequences) are transmitted by both endpoints (e.g., the V-UE 504 and the RSU 510, and the V-UE 504 and the V-UE 506). In one aspect, the ranging signals may be sidelink positioning reference signals (SL-PRS) transmitted by the participating V-UEs 504 and 506 on uplink resources. Upon receiving the ranging signal from the transmitter (e.g., the V-UE 504), the receiver (e.g., the RSU 510 and / or the V-UE 506) responds by sending a ranging signal that includes a measurement of the difference between the reception time of the ranging signal and the transmission time of the response ranging signal, referred to as the receiver's receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference measurement.

[0114]

[0127] Upon receiving the reply ranging signal, the transmitter (or other positioning entity) can calculate the RTT between the transmitter and receiver based on the receiver's Rx-Tx time difference measurement and a measurement of the difference between the transmission time of the first ranging signal and the reception time of the reply ranging signal (referred to as the transmitter's transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference measurement). The transmitter (or other positioning entity) uses the RTT and the speed of light to estimate the distance between the transmitter and receiver. If one or both of the transmitter and receiver are capable of beamforming, the angle between V-UE 504 and V-UE 506 may also be able to be determined. Furthermore, if the receiver provides its Global Positioning System (GPS) location in the reply ranging signal, the transmitter (or other positioning entity) may be able to determine the transmitter's absolute location as opposed to its relative location with respect to the receiver.

[0115]

[0128] As can be seen, the ranging accuracy improves with the bandwidth of the ranging signal. In particular, a higher bandwidth can better separate different multipaths of the ranging signal.

[0116]

[0129] Note that this positioning procedure assumes that the V-UEs involved are time-synchronized (i.e., their system frame time is the same as or has a known offset relative to the other V-UE(s). Furthermore, while Figure 5 shows two V-UEs, it will be appreciated that they need not be V-UEs, but instead could be any other type of UE capable of sidelink communication.

[0117]

[0130] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink, uplink, and sidelink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating an example of a sidelink frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0118]

[0131] As shown in Figure 6, the system bandwidth is partitioned into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0119]

[0132] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (μ=0), 30 kHz (μ=1), 60 kHz (μ=2), 120 kHz (μ=3), and 240 kHz (μ=4), or greater, may be available. At each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, the slot duration is 1 millisecond (ms), the symbol duration is 66.7 microseconds (μs), and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 50. For a 30 kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, slot duration is 0.5 ms, symbol duration is 33.3 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 100. For a 60 kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, slot duration is 0.25 ms, symbol duration is 16.7 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For a 120 kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, slot duration is 0.125 ms, symbol duration is 8.33 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240 kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, slot duration is 0.0625 ms, symbol duration is 4.17 μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) is 800 with a 4K FFT size.

[0120]

[0133] In the example of Figure 6, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figure 6, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0121]

[0134] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, with each time slot including one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of FIG. 6, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0122]

[0135] Sidelink communication occurs in a transmit or receive resource pool. In the frequency domain, the smallest resource allocation unit is a subchannel (e.g., a set of consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain). In the time domain, resource allocation is in units of one slot interval. However, some slots are not available for the sidelink, and some slots contain feedback resources. Furthermore, the sidelink can be (pre)configured to occupy fewer than 14 symbols of a slot.

[0123]

[0136] Sidelink resources are configured at the RRC layer, which may be pre-configured (e.g., preloaded on the UE) or by configuration (e.g., from the serving base station).

[0124]

[0137] The NR sidelink supports HARQ retransmissions. Figure 7 is a diagram 700 of an example slot structure without feedback resources according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 7, time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. In the time domain, the length of each block is one OFDM symbol, and 14 symbols constitute a slot. In the frequency domain, the height of each block is one subchannel. Currently, the (pre)configured subchannel size can be selected from a set of {10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100} PRBs.

[0125]

[0138] For a sidelink slot, the first symbol is a repetition of the previous symbol and is used for automatic gain control (AGC) setting. This is illustrated in Figure 7 by vertical and horizontal hashing. As shown in Figure 7, for the sidelink, the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) and the Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) are transmitted in the same slot. Similar to the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), the PSCCH carries control information regarding sidelink resource allocation and a description of the sidelink data to be transmitted to the UE. Also similar to the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDCCH), the PSSCH carries the user date for the UE. In the example of Figure 7, the PSCCH occupies only half the bandwidth of the subchannel and three symbols. Finally, there is a gap symbol after the PSSCH.

[0126]

[0139] 8 is a diagram 800 of an example slot structure with feedback resources according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 8, time is represented horizontally and frequency is represented vertically. In the time domain, the length of each block is one OFDM symbol, and 14 symbols make up a slot. In the frequency domain, the height of each block is one subchannel.

[0127]

[0140] The slot structure shown in Figure 8 is similar to that shown in Figure 7, except that the slot structure shown in Figure 8 includes feedback resources. In particular, two symbols at the end of the slot are dedicated to the Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). The first PSFCH symbol is a repetition of the second PSFCH symbol for AGC configuration. In addition to the gap symbol after the PSSCH, there is a gap symbol after the two PSFCH symbols. Currently, resources for the PSFCH can be configured with a periodicity selected from the set of {0, 1, 2, 4} slots.

[0128]

[0141] The PSCCH carries sidelink control information (SCI). First-stage control (referred to as "SCI-1") is transmitted on the PSCCH and contains information for resource allocation and for decoding second-stage control (referred to as "SCI-2"). Second-stage control is transmitted on the PSCCH and contains information for decoding data to be transmitted on the sidelink shared channel (SCH). While first-stage control information is decodable by all UEs, second-stage control information may contain formats that are decodable only by some UEs. This ensures that new features can be introduced in second-stage control while maintaining backward compatibility of resource reservations in first-stage control.

[0129]

[0142] Both the first and second stage control use the PDCCH polar coding chain, as shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 illustrating how an SCH is established over a sidelink between two or more UEs according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In particular, the information in SCI-1 902 is used for resource allocation 904 (by the network or the involved UEs) for SCI-2 906 and SCH 908. Furthermore, the information in SCI-1 902 is used to determine / decode the content of SCI-2 906 transmitted on the allocated resources. Thus, the receiver UE needs both the resource allocation 904 and SCI-1 902 to decode SCI-2 906. The information in SCI-2 906 is then used to determine / decode SCH 908.

[0130]

[0143] The sidelink transmission information included in the SCI for sidelink SCH transmission includes a minimum communication range requirement and a zone identifier (ID). UEs within the minimum communication range are expected to participate in sidelink communication with the transmitter UE, while UEs outside the minimum communication range are expected not to participate in the sidelink communication. The minimum communication range may be selected from the set of values ​​{20, 50, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 200, 220, 250, 270, 300, 350, 370, 400, 420, 450, 480, 500, 550, 600, 700, 1000} meters. An application-dependent MCR may also be indicated in SCI-2, as may an index into a 16-value subset of the above set of values.

[0131]

[0144] The minimum communication range (MCR) is configured in the UE via RRC signaling. In particular, an "SL-ZoneConfigMCR" field is included in a resource pool configuration information element (IE) (e.g., "SL-ResourcePool" IE) from the serving base station. The "SL-ZoneConfigMCR" field includes an "sl-TransRange" field indicating the minimum communication range requirement for the corresponding "sl-ZoneConfigMCR-Index" in the SCI, an "sl-ZoneConfig" field indicating the zone configuration for the corresponding "sl-ZoneConfigMCR-Index", and an "sl-ZoneConfigMCR-Index" field indicating the codepoint of the communication range request field. The "sl-TransRange" field contains one of the values ​​in the set {20, 50, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, 200, 220, 250, 270, 300, 350, 370, 400, 420, 450, 480, 500, 550, 600, 700, 1000} meters.

[0132]

[0145] The UE (whether target or assisting) determines the identity of the zone in which it is located (ie, Zone ID) using the following formula:

[0133]

number

[0134] where L is the zone length value (e.g., given by the parameter “sl-ZoneLength”) contained in the zone configuration (e.g., the “sl-ZoneConfig” field), x is the geodesic distance in longitude between the UE’s current location and the geographic coordinate (0,0) expressed in meters, and y is the geodesic distance in latitude between the UE’s current location and the geographic coordinate (0,0) expressed in meters.

[0135]

[0146] A zone is a square with a (pre)configured length selected from the set {5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50} meters. The UE uses 12 bits to signal the zone ID. These 12 bits are the least significant bits (LSBs) of the geographic latitude and longitude (GLL) of the UE's location. Every UE is expected to calculate its zone ID and broadcast or unicast it to nearby UEs in SCI-2. The receiver UE calculates the distance between itself and the transmitter UE based on the transmitter UE's zone ID and the receiver UE's location (e.g., determined by GPS or its own zone ID).

[0136]

[0147] 5G positioning techniques are expected to provide centimeter-level positioning accuracy in the future. As can be appreciated, zone dimensions of 5 to 50 meters are not sufficient to achieve such a desired level of accuracy. This disclosure provides various techniques for improving positioning accuracy for sidelink positioning.

[0137]

[0148] Currently, only the minimum communication range (MCR) is defined, as described above. The expectation that a receiver UE outside the minimum communication range will not participate in sidelink communication with the transmitter UE is made under the assumption that the receiver UE's estimate of its latitude and longitude will have horizontal and / or vertical errors of several meters. That is, the value of the minimum communication range is configured to ensure, to the extent possible, that a receiver UE within the minimum communication range can reliably exchange communication signals with the transmitter UE.

[0138]

[0149] Unlike traditional communication signals, positioning signals have better interference characteristics due to code, time, and frequency orthogonality, which means that positioning signals can travel longer distances compared to regular communication signals. Therefore, for positioning purposes (i.e., sidelink positioning sessions), the present disclosure defines a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and a maximum positioning range (Max-PR). In one aspect, the Min-PR can be the same as the currently defined minimum communication range (MCR) for sidelink communication purposes, but the Min-PR need not be.

[0139]

[0150] FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 illustrating a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) 1010 and a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) 1020 in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 10, the minimum positioning range 1010 and the maximum positioning range 1020 are defined relative to the location of the transmitter UE 1004-1. That is, the transmitter UE 1004-1 is at the center of the minimum positioning range 1010 and the maximum positioning range 1020. A receiver UE within the minimum positioning range 1010 is expected to participate in a positioning session with the transmitter UE 1004-1 (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 5). In the example of FIG. 10, only the receiver UE 1004-2 is within the minimum positioning range 1010.

[0140]

[0151] A receiver UE outside the minimum positioning range 1010 but within the maximum positioning range 1020 has the option to participate in a positioning session with the transmitter UE 1004-1. That is, upon receiving a discovery signal, ranging signal, or other sidelink signal from the transmitter UE 1004-1 that includes the minimum positioning range 1010 value and the maximum positioning range 1020 value, if the receiver UE (here, receiver UE 1004-3) is within the maximum positioning range 1020 but outside the minimum positioning range 1010, the receiver UE can respond to the transmitter UE 1004-1 and decide whether to participate in a positioning session with the transmitter UE 1004-1. The receiver UE (e.g., receiver UE 1004-3) can make this decision based on various factors or parameters, such as the receiver UE's battery level (e.g., if the receiver UE's battery level is below a threshold, it decides not to respond), the receiver UE's speed (e.g., if the receiver UE is moving faster than a threshold, it decides not to respond), the receiver UE's distance to the maximum positioning range 1020 boundary (e.g., if the receiver UE is within a threshold distance to the maximum positioning range 1020 boundary, it decides not to respond), the direction relative to the maximum positioning range 1020 boundary (e.g., if the receiver UE is moving towards the maximum positioning range 1020 boundary, it decides not to respond), the receiver UE's processing capabilities (e.g., if the receiver UE does not have sufficient processing resources to perform the positioning procedure at the time of the request, it decides not to respond), and whether the receiver UE has a known location (e.g., via GPS).

[0141]

[0152] Receiver UEs outside the maximum positioning range 1020 are not expected to and should not participate in a positioning session with transmitter UE 1004-1 because outside the maximum positioning range 1020, even positioning signals exchanged between transmitter UE 1004-1 and receiver UEs (here, only receiver UE 1004-4) may not be reliably received / measured.

[0142]

[0153] The receiver UE may determine, based on the zone ID of the transmitter UE 1004-1 and its own zone ID or GPS location, whether the receiver UE is within the minimum positioning range 1010, outside the minimum positioning range 1010 but within the maximum positioning range 1020, or outside the maximum positioning range 1020. Alternatively, the receiver UE may perform a ranging positioning procedure (e.g., an RTT procedure) with the transmitter UE to determine the distance between itself and the transmitter UE.

[0143]

[0154] The minimum positioning range 1010 and the maximum positioning range 1020 may be determined based on a signal strength factor (e.g., above or below a threshold) specified in the applicable wireless communication standard, as set / configured by the network and / or the transmitter UE 1004-1, etc.

[0144]

[0155] A second technique described herein for improving sidelink positioning accuracy relates to zone IDs. As explained above, currently, only two-dimensional (2D) zone IDs are defined, which are not useful for high-precision positioning, such as for indoor activities (e.g., buildings with multiple floors, indoor factory scenarios, robotics implementations, etc.). Therefore, the present disclosure proposes specifying three-dimensional (3D) zone IDs (i.e., zone IDs for three-dimensional zones).

[0145]

[0156] The 3D zone ID may be expressed as "Zone_id" = h1*N*N+y1*N+x1, where:

[0146]

number

[0147] N is the cube dimension unit (for 2D zone IDs, the value is 64), L is the value of "sl-ZoneLength" included in "sl-ZoneConfig", x is the geodesic distance in longitude between the UE's current location and the geographic coordinate (0,0) in meters; y is the geodesic distance in latitude between the UE's current location and the geographic coordinate (0,0) expressed in meters; h is the height between the UE's current location and the geographic coordinate (0,0) in meters

[0157] A third technique described herein for improving sidelink positioning accuracy relates to zone shape. Currently, zones are defined as square rectangular grids, and zone IDs are reused in adjacent zone areas. For example, if a zone ID is represented by 10 bits, allowing for up to 1024 unique zone IDs, and adjacent zone areas contain 1024 zones, each zone area will necessarily have to reuse the same 1024 zone IDs. This wraparound problem is particularly problematic when a receiver UE needs to determine its distance to a transmitter UE based on a zone ID received from the transmitter UE, but the receiver UE does not know which zone area the indicated zone ID belongs to.

[0148]

[0158] FIG. 11 is a diagram 1100 of two adjacent zone areas 1110-1 and 1110-2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 11, zone areas 1110-1 and 1110-2 (collectively, zone area 1110) each have a zone of size 16×16. A receiver UE is located in the black zone of zone area 1110-1 and receives a zone ID from a transmitter UE indicating the location of the transmitter UE. The shown zone IDs correspond to each of the shaded zones in zone area 1110 due to the reuse of zone IDs across zone area 1110. However, the receiver UE may not know whether the transmitter UE is in a shaded zone in the same zone area (i.e., zone area 1110-1) as receiver UE 504, or whether, due to wraparound, it is in the same zone (i.e., has the same zone ID) in an adjacent zone area (e.g., zone area 1110-2). If the transmitter UE zone is used to determine the distance between the receiver UE and the transmitter UE, this uncertainty will make it difficult, if not impossible, for the receiver UE to calculate that distance. Furthermore, the rectangular grid area does not provide a good indication of the beam direction.

[0149]

[0159] To address these issues, the present disclosure proposes to specify spherical or conical zones for sidelink positioning. The zone ID for a spherical or conical zone may be expressed as "Zone_id" = function {r1, θ1, Φ1}, where:

[0150]

number

[0151] r1, θ1, ф1 are the spherical coordinates of the UE's location relative to the geographic coordinates (0,0,0) expressed in meters and degrees, respectively; L2, L2, N1, and N2 are parameters for defining the shape of the spherical and conic zones.

[0152]

[0160] FIG. 12 is a diagram 1200 illustrating an example of a spherical zone 1210 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12, the coordinates of the spherical zone 1210 are defined as (Δr, Δθ, ΔΦ) relative to a geographic origin (0,0,0). The size of the spherical zone 1210 may be specified in an applicable standard configured by the serving base station, based on minimum and maximum positioning ranges, etc. The zone ID of a UE within the spherical zone 1210 may be a function of the coordinates (Δr, Δθ, ΔΦ). For example, "Zone_id" = function (Δr, Δθ, ΔΦ). For example, the function may be a concatenation of the 'm' least significant bits of each coordinate Δr, Δθ, and ΔΦ.

[0153]

[0161] A fourth technique described herein for improving sidelink positioning accuracy concerns zone ID mapping for sidelink positioning. Consider a scenario in which a location server (e.g., the LMF 270) is aware of 5G positioning statistics (e.g., accuracy, signal strength, etc.) in an area. For example, the location server may be aware that in some locations, 5G positioning accuracy is good (e.g., above a certain threshold), in some locations, it is insufficient (e.g., accuracy is below a certain threshold), and in some locations, it is unavailable or too insufficient to be useful. As can be appreciated, there may be four or more grades or granularities of positioning accuracy. Even for UEs located in zones of insufficient accuracy, the LMF should have the capability to enable sidelink positioning.

[0154]

[0162] The location server can provide a set (e.g., a list) of zone IDs or a range of zone IDs to allow more UEs to improve their positioning accuracy. For example, a target UE (a UE to be positioned) may send a request to a network entity (e.g., a serving base station, a location server, an AMF, etc.) to provide a list of zone IDs that are expected to be good for positioning. The target UE may also include a rough estimate of its own zone ID so that the list of zone IDs is more relevant. The network entity may then reply with a zone ID map (see FIG. 13). The UE may send periodic or on-demand requests for such a zone ID map.

[0155]

[0163] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary zone ID map 1300 according to aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 13, a zone may be associated with one of three positioning accuracy levels: “poor,” “average,” and “good.” Each of the three accuracy levels may correspond to a respective quality index or may be associated with several thresholds. Upon request, the target UE may be provided with the entire zone ID map 1300 (i.e., the quality index associated with each zone ID) or only a list of zone IDs associated with “good” positioning accuracy. Whether a zone provides “poor,” “average,” or “good” positioning accuracy may depend on the number of positioning peer (Pos-Peer) UEs in the zone, the geography of the zone (e.g., inside a building, in an outdoor environment with many obstacles, etc.), etc.

[0156]

[0164] There may be two types of zone ID maps. One type of map may indicate where good Pos-Peer UEs are expected to be found, given the target UE's zone ID. This type of map is more dynamic and can change over time as the target UE's zone ID changes. The other type of map indicates whether performing sidelink positioning will result in good positioning results (e.g., above a certain accuracy threshold) given the target UE's zone ID. For example, there may not be enough Pos-Peer UEs nearby, or the zone may have poor geography (e.g., basement of a building, behind a building, etc.). This type of map will be more static.

[0157]

[0165] If the target UE is in an "insufficient" positioning accuracy zone, the location server may recommend that the target UE use a different positioning technology. As another example, if the target UE receives a response from a Pos-Peer UE located in an "insufficient" positioning accuracy zone, the target UE may decide to ignore that Pos-Peer UE for positioning purposes.

[0158]

[0166] A zone ID map, such as zone ID map 1300, may be generated based on crowdsourcing information from sidelink UEs. That is, the UEs may report results of sidelink positioning procedures performed over time to a location server (or other network entity). The location server may categorize the results based on a quality metric to determine whether the zone ID in which the reporting UE is located is associated with, for example, “poor,” “average,” or “good” positioning accuracy. In this way, the location server can build a zone ID map over time.

[0159]

[0167] A fifth technique described herein is that instead of only the transmitter (target) UE sending its zone IDs in the positioning request, receiver (assisting) UEs may also include their zone IDs in their positioning responses. This will assist the positioning engine (whether in the target UE or in the LMF) to know how many UEs are participating in the sidelink positioning session per zone ID. This information can be used to generate the zone ID map described above. That is, based on the zone positioning estimate, the location server or target UE can increase or decrease the number of assisting UEs reported for that zone ID. Furthermore, the zone ID of the assisting UE will provide a rough estimate for positioning the target UE, which will help throttle subsequent positioning estimates.

[0160]

[0168] 14 illustrates an example method 1400 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1400 may be performed by a supporting UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0161]

[0169] At 1410, the assisting UE receives a positioning request from a target UE (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein), the positioning request including a zone ID that identifies the zone in which the target UE is located. In one aspect, operation 1410 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0162]

[0170] At 1420, based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE, the assisting UE determines whether to transmit a positioning response to the target UE. In one aspect, operation 1420 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0163]

[0171] At 1430, based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE, the assisting UE transmits a positioning response to the target UE. In one aspect, operation 1430 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0164]

[0172] 15 illustrates an example method 1500 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1500 may be performed by a target UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0165]

[0173] At 1510, the target UE transmits a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone ID of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located. In one aspect, operation 1510 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0166]

[0174] At 1520, the target UE receives a positioning response from at least one assisting UE (e.g., any other of the UEs described herein), the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located. In one aspect, operation 1520 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0167]

[0175] 16 illustrates an example method 1600 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1600 may be performed by a supporting UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0168]

[0176] At 1610, the target UE receives a set of zone IDs, each zone ID in the set of zone IDs associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID. In one aspect, operation 1610 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0169]

[0177] At 1620, the target UE engages in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs. In one aspect, operation 1620 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0170]

[0178] As can be appreciated, a technical advantage of methods 1400-1600 is increased accuracy for sidelink positioning sessions.

[0171]

[0179] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in examples. This mode of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than are expressly set forth in each clause. Rather, various embodiments of the present disclosure may include fewer than all features of each disclosed exemplary clause. Accordingly, the following clauses should be considered incorporated herein, with each clause standing as a separate example by itself. While each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses in the clause, the aspect(s) of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be appreciated that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of the dependent clause(s) aspect(s) with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent and independent clauses. The various embodiments disclosed herein expressly include combinations of specific combinations (e.g., inconsistent aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor) unless these combinations are expressly expressed or can be readily inferred to be unintended. Furthermore, it is also contemplated that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause is not directly dependent on that independent clause.

[0172]

[0180] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0173]

[0181] Clause 1. A method of wireless communications performed by an assisting user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) that identifies a zone in which the target UE is located; determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; and sending the positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE.

[0174]

[0182] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, further comprising: sending a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a Min-PR and within a Max-PR of the target UE.

[0175]

[0183] Clause 3. The method of any of clauses 1 to 2, further comprising ignoring the positioning request based on the assisting UE being outside the Max-PR of the target UE.

[0176]

[0184] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein Min-PR is the same as the minimum communication range.

[0177]

[0185] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein Min-PR is different from the minimum communication range.

[0178]

[0186] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising receiving a Min-PR and max-PR configuration.

[0179]

[0187] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the configuration is received from a serving base station.

[0180]

[0188] Clause 8. The method of clause 6, wherein the configuration is received from the target UE.

[0181]

[0189] Clause 9. A method of wireless communications implemented by a target user equipment (UE), comprising: sending a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; and receiving a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one assisting UE is located.

[0182]

[0190] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the three-dimensional zone is a cube, and the size of the cube is based on the geographic latitude and longitude (GLL) coordinates of the target UE.

[0183]

[0191] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the size of the cube is expressed as (x1, y1, h1), where x1 = Floor(x / L) Modulo N, y1 = Floor(y / L) Modulo N, h1 = Floor(h / L) Modulo N, N is the cube dimension unit, L is a preconfigured zone length value, x is the geodesic distance in longitude between the current location of the target UE and the geographic coordinate (0,0), y is the geodesic distance in latitude between the current location of the target UE and the geographic coordinate (0,0), and h is the height between the current location of the target UE and the geographic coordinate (0,0).

[0184]

[0192] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein the first zone ID is expressed as h1*N*N+y1*N+x1.

[0185]

[0193] Clause 13. The method of clause 9, wherein the three-dimensional zone is a sphere, and the size of the sphere is based on the spherical coordinates of the target UE.

[0186]

[0194] Clause 14. The method of clause 13, wherein the size of the cube is expressed as (r1, θ1, ф1), where r1 = Floor(r / L1) Modulo N1, θ1 = Floor(θ / L2) Modulo N2, ф1 = Floor(ф / L2) Modulo N2, r1, θ1, ф1 are spherical coordinates of the current location of the target UE relative to the geographic coordinates (0,0,0), and L2, L2, N1, and N2 are parameters for defining the shape of the sphere.

[0187]

[0195] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the first zone ID is expressed as a function of r1, θ1, and ф1.

[0188]

[0196] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 9 to 15, wherein the second zone ID is a second three-dimensional zone ID.

[0189]

[0197] Clause 17. A method of wireless communication implemented by a target user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a set of zone identifiers (IDs), each zone ID in the set of zone IDs associated with one or more metrics indicative of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with that zone ID; and engaging in a sidelink positioning session based on the set of zone IDs.

[0190]

[0198] Clause 18. The method of clause 17, further comprising sending a request for a set of zone IDs to a location server.

[0191]

[0199] Clause 19. The method of clause 18, wherein the request is sent periodically.

[0192]

[0200] Clause 20. The method according to any of clauses 18 to 19, in which the request is sent on demand.

[0193]

[0201] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 18 to 20, wherein the request includes a location estimate of the target UE.

[0194]

[0202] Clause 22. The method of clause 21, wherein the location estimate comprises a zone ID of the target UE.

[0195]

[0203] Clause 23. The method of any of clauses 17 to 22, wherein the one or more metrics comprise a number of sidelink-capable UEs associated with a zone ID.

[0196]

[0204] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 17 to 23, wherein the one or more metrics comprise a rating of a level of sidelink positioning accuracy associated with the zone ID.

[0197]

[0205] Clause 25. The method of clause 24, wherein the rating is based on the number of sidelink-capable UEs associated with the zone ID.

[0198]

[0206] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 24 to 25, wherein the rating is based on geographical features associated with the zone ID.

[0199]

[0207] Clause 27. The method of any of clauses 17 to 26, wherein engaging in a sidelink positioning session comprises sending a positioning request to at least one assisting UE and receiving a positioning response from the at least one assisting UE, wherein the positioning response includes a zone ID of the at least one assisting UE.

[0200]

[0208] Clause 28. The method of clause 27, further comprising reporting a zone ID of the at least one assisting UE to a positioning entity.

[0201]

[0209] Clause 29. The method of clause 28, wherein the positioning entity is the target UE.

[0202]

[0210] Clause 30. The method of clause 28, wherein the positioning entity is a location server.

[0203]

[0211] Clause 31. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor are configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 30.

[0204]

[0212] Clause 32. An apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 30.

[0205]

[0213] Clause 33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method according to any of clauses 1 to 30.

[0206]

[0214] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0207]

[0215] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0208]

[0216] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0209]

[0217] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0210]

[0218] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy discs, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0211]

[0219] While the above disclosure sets forth exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. The inventions described in the claims of the present application as originally filed are set forth below. [C1] 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a supporting user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) identifying a zone in which the target UE is located; determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the supporting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; sending the positioning response to the target UE based on the supporting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE; A method comprising: [C2] sending the positioning response to the target UE based on the supporting UE being outside the Min-PR and within the Max-PR of the target UE; The method of C1, further comprising: [C3] Ignoring the positioning request based on the supporting UE being outside the Max-PR of the target UE; The method of C1, further comprising: [C4] The method of C1, wherein the Min-PR is the same as the minimum communication range. [C5] The method of C1, wherein the Min-PR is different from a minimum communication range. [C6] receiving a configuration of the Min-PR and the Max-PR from a serving base station; The method of C1, further comprising: [C7] receiving a configuration of the Min-PR and the Max-PR from the target UE; The method of C1, further comprising: [C8] determining whether to transmit a positioning response to the target UE based on one or more factors; The one or more factors are: the battery level of the supporting UE; the speed of the supporting UE; the distance between the supporting UE and the Max-PR; a direction from the supporting UE to the Max-PR; the processing capability of the supporting UE; whether the supporting UE has a known location; or any combination thereof, The method of C1, comprising: [C9] 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a target user equipment (UE), comprising: sending a positioning request to at least one assisting UE, the positioning request including a first zone identifier (ID) of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; receiving a positioning response from the at least one supporting UE, the positioning response including a second zone ID of a second zone in which the at least one supporting UE is located; A method comprising: [C10] the three-dimensional zone is a cube; the size of the cube is based on the geographic latitude and longitude (GLL) coordinates of the target UE; The method described in C9. [C11] The size of the cube is (x 1 ,y 1 ,h 1 ), where:

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Claims

1. 1. A method of wireless communication implemented by a supporting user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a positioning request from a target UE, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) identifying a zone in which the target UE is located; determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; transmitting the positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE; A method comprising:

2. transmitting the positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside the Min-PR and within the Max-PR of the target UE; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

3. Ignoring the positioning request based on the assisting UE being outside the Max-PR of the target UE; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Min-PR is the same as the minimum communication range.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Min-PR is different from a minimum communication range.

6. receiving a configuration of the Min-PR and the Max-PR from a serving base station; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

7. receiving a configuration of the Min-PR and the Max-PR from the target UE; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE, the battery level of the supporting UE; the speed of the supporting UE; the distance between the supporting UE and the Max-PR; a direction from the supporting UE to the Max-PR; the processing capability of the supporting UE; or whether the supporting UE has a known location; The method of claim 1 , based on one or more of:

9. The zone ID included in the positioning request includes a first zone ID of a three-dimensional zone in which the target UE is located; The method of claim 1 , wherein the positioning response includes a second zone ID of a second zone in which the assisting UE is located.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the second zone ID is a second three-dimensional zone ID.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: participating in a sidelink positioning session, wherein the participating in the sidelink positioning session comprises: receiving the positioning request; transmitting the positioning response; The method of claim 1 , comprising:

12. Memory and at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver; 1. An assisting user equipment (UE) comprising: receiving a positioning request from a target UE via the at least one transceiver, the positioning request including a zone identifier (ID) identifying a zone in which the target UE is located; determining whether to send a positioning response to the target UE based on the assisting UE being outside a minimum positioning range (Min-PR) and within a maximum positioning range (Max-PR) of the target UE; transmitting the positioning response to the target UE via the at least one transceiver based on the assisting UE being within the Min-PR of the target UE; a supporting user equipment (UE) configured to:

13. The assisting UE of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 2 to 11.

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