Low-tier user device positioning with premium user device support

Abstract

To provide a method for increasing the reliability of position determination for reduced capability user equipment (UE).SOLUTION: In a wireless communication method, reduced capability UE receives one or more parameters from each of one or more pieces of premium UE indicating a quality of a location estimate for the premium UE, selects at least one piece of premium UE on the basis of a quality of the location estimate for the at least one piece of premium UE, transmits a request to the at least one piece of premium UE to derive a location estimate for the reduced capability UE on the basis of the location estimate of the at least one piece of premium UE or perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals, receives a measurement report having one or more positioning measurements from the at least one piece of premium UE, and determines a location estimate for the reduced capability UE on the basis of the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 908,648, entitled "LOW-TIER USER EQUIPMENT POSITIONING WITH PREMIUM USER EQUIPMENT ASSISTANCE," filed October 1, 2019, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 038,294, entitled "LOW-TIER USER EQUIPMENT POSITIONING WITH PREMIUM USER EQUIPMENT ASSISTANCE," filed September 30, 2020, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. [Background technology]

[0003] 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.

[0004]

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, called New Radio (NR), requires, among other improvements, higher data rates, a greater number of connections, and better coverage. The 5G standard from the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users and 1 gigabit per second to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly enhanced compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be enhanced and latency should be significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention

[0005]

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

[0006]

[0006] In one aspect, a method of wireless positioning performed by reduced-capability user equipment (UE) includes receiving one or more parameters from each of one or more premium UEs indicating a quality of a location estimate of the premium UE, selecting at least one premium UE from the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE, and deriving a location estimate for the reduced-capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE.

[0007]

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless positioning performed by a reduced capability UE includes sending a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more transmission-reception points (TRPs), receiving a measurement report from the at least one premium UE comprising the one or more positioning measurements, and determining a location estimate of the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report.

[0008]

[0008] In one aspect, a method of wireless positioning performed by a premium UE includes receiving one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE, and performing one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0009]

[0009] In one aspect, a reduced capability 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 one or more parameters from each of one or more premium UEs indicating the quality of a location estimate of the premium UE, select at least one premium UE from the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE, and derive a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE.

[0010]

[0010] In one aspect, a reduced capability 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 cause the at least one transceiver to send a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more TRPs, receive a measurement report from the at least one premium UE comprising the one or more positioning measurements, and determine a location estimate of the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report.

[0011]

[0011] In one aspect, a premium UE comprises 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 one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE and perform one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0012]

[0012] In one aspect, the reduced capability UE includes means for receiving one or more parameters from each of one or more premium UEs indicating the quality of the premium UE's location estimate, means for selecting at least one premium UE from the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the at least one premium UE's location estimate, and means for deriving the reduced capability UE's location estimate based on the at least one premium UE's location estimate.

[0013]

[0013] In one aspect, the reduced capability UE includes means for sending a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more TRPs, means for receiving a measurement report from the at least one premium UE comprising one or more positioning measurements, and means for determining a location estimate of the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report.

[0014]

[0014] In one aspect, a premium UE includes means for receiving one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE, and means for performing one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0015]

[0015] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction to instruct a reduced capability UE to receive one or more parameters from each of one or more premium UEs indicating the quality of a location estimate of the premium UE, at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to select at least one premium UE from the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE, and at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to derive a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE.

[0016]

[0016] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction to instruct a reduced capability UE to send a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more TRPs, at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to receive a measurement report from the at least one premium UE comprising one or more positioning measurements, and at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to determine a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report.

[0017]

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction to instruct a premium UE to receive one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE, and at least one instruction to instruct the premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0018]

[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 the aspects, not to limit the aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1]

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0022] 1 is a simplified block diagram of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] 1 is a simplified block diagram of a base station in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3C] 1 is a simplified block diagram of a network entity in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A]

[0023] 1 illustrates an example frame structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] 1 illustrates an example frame structure in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0024] 1 is a diagram of an example base station, a premium UE, and a low-tier UE, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates an example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021]

[0026] 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]

[0027] 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]

[0028] 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]

[0029] 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]

[0030] The terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station,” as used herein, are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., an automobile, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or (e.g., at some times) stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). The term “UE” as used herein may be referred to interchangeably as an “access terminal” or “AT,” “client device,” “wireless device,” “subscriber device,” “subscriber terminal,” “subscriber station,” “user terminal” or UT, “mobile device,” “mobile terminal,” “mobile station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, through which the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are possible for the UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0026]

[0031] Depending on the network in which it is deployed, a base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNode B), etc. Base stations may be used primarily to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which a UE can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which a base station can send signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0027]

[0032] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission-reception 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 the base station's antenna 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 the base station's array of antennas (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, non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station that receives the measurement report from the UE and the neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal (or simply "reference signal") the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood to refer to the particular TRP of the base station.

[0028]

[0033] 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 signals to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0029]

[0034] 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.

[0030]

[0035] According to various aspects, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0031]

[0036] The base stations 102 collectively form the RAN and may interface with a core network 170 (e.g., Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 and through the core network 170 to one or more location servers 172 (which may be part of the core network 170 or external to the core network 170). In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of forwarding 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.

[0032]

[0037] 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., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI)) to distinguish between cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. Furthermore, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, so long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0033]

[0038] 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' 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 base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home eNBs (HeNBs) that may serve restricted groups known as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0034]

[0039] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 (also called a reverse link) and / or downlink transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104 (also called a forward link). The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0035]

[0040] 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.

[0036]

[0041] 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.

[0037]

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 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.

[0038]

[0043] 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.

[0039]

[0044] 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.

[0040]

[0045] 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.

[0041]

[0046] The receive beams may be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that parameters for the transmit beam for the second reference signal may be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam to send one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.) to its base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0042]

[0047] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0043]

[0048] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base station 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is called the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are called “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier in licensed frequencies (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, since both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, 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 can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers.Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0044]

[0049] 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.

[0045]

[0050] Wireless communications system 100 may further include a UE 164, which may communicate with macrocell base station 102 via communications link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 via mmW communications link 184. For example, macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0046]

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as a UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as a “sidelink”). 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.

[0047]

[0052] According to various aspects, FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) may be functionally considered to include a control plane function (C-plane) 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function (U-plane) 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, data network access, IP routing, etc.), which operate cooperatively to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect a gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the 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 new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with the UE 240 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein, such as premium UEs and low-tier UEs). Note that while FIG. 2A shows only two UEs 204, it should be appreciated that there may be more than two UEs 204, and two or more UEs 204 may form a sidelink communication group. In one aspect, two or more UEs 204 may communicate with each other over a wireless unicast sidelink 242, which may correspond to the D2D P2P link 192 or 194 in FIG. 1. Alternatively, each pair of UEs 204 may communicate over a different sidelink 242 than other pairs of UEs 204.

[0048]

[0053] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230, which may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via 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.

[0049]

[0054] According to various aspects, FIG. 2B illustrates another exemplary wireless network structure 250. For example, a 5GC 260 may be considered functionally as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form a core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). A user plane interface 263 and a control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the 5GC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Additionally, the ng-eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via an N3 interface. Either the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with the UE 240 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein, such as premium UEs and low-tier UEs). In one aspect, two or more UEs 204 may communicate with each other over a wireless unicast sidelink 242, which may correspond to the D2D P2P link 192 or 194 in FIG. 1.

[0050]

[0055] The AMF 264 functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264 functions also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264 functions also include location service management for barred services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270 acting as the location server 230, transport for location service messages between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Additionally, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3GPP access networks.

[0051]

[0056] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an outer protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "termination markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transfer of location service messages over the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server such as the Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 272.

[0052]

[0057] 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.

[0053]

[0058] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, may each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that may connect to the LMF 270 via a core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functions as the LMF 270, but the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and the UE 204 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).

[0054]

[0059] In one aspect, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be integrated into a base station, such as the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224. When integrated into the gNB 222 and / or the ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 and / or the SLP 272 may be referred to as a "location management component," or "LMC." However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 include both when the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a core network (e.g., the 5GC 260) and when the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a base station.

[0055]

[0060] 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated in a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or perform any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230, LMF 270, and SLP 272) to support file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different 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.

[0056]

[0061] The UE 302 and the base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) over one or more wireless communications networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., ng-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, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. In particular, the 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.

[0057]

[0062] The UE 302 and the base station 304 also, at least in some cases, include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 are connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 may be variously configured to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368, respectively (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), in accordance with the designated RAT. In particular, 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, respectively.

[0058]

[0063] A transceiver circuit including at least one transmitter and at least one receiver may, in some implementations, comprise an integrated device (e.g., implemented as transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single communications device), in some implementations, comprise separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations, may be implemented in other manners. In one aspect, a transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that enable each device to perform transmit “beamforming” as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, that enable each device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, a transmitter and a receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit simultaneously. The wireless communication device of the UE 302 and / or base station 304 (e.g., one or both of the transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0059]

[0064] The UE 302 and base station 304 also, in at least some cases, include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide a means for receiving and / or measuring SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing the SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. The SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and actions from other systems as appropriate and perform the calculations necessary to determine the positions of the UE 302 and base station 304 using the measurements obtained via any suitable SPS algorithms.

[0060]

[0065] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390, respectively, providing a means for communicating (e.g., a means for transmitting, a means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wire-based or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, and / or other types of information.

[0061]

[0066] The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332, e.g., for providing functionality related to positioning operations and other processing functions. The base station 304 includes a processing system 384, e.g., for providing functionality related to positioning operations and other processing functions as disclosed herein. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 394, e.g., for providing functionality related to positioning operations and other processing functions as disclosed herein. The processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for instructing, etc. In one aspect, the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuits.

[0062]

[0067] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). The memory components 340, 386, and 396 may therefore provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processing systems 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 memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (as shown in FIGS. 3A-3C ) that, when executed by the processing systems 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.

[0063]

[0068] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of movement data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the SPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0064]

[0069] 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 means for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0065]

[0070] Referring more particularly to the processing system 384, on the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions related to broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions related to transfer of upper layer packet data units (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.

[0066]

[0071] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 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.

[0067]

[0072] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions related to various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover the spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they may be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to a processing system 332 that implements Layer 3 and Layer 2 functions.

[0068]

[0073] In the uplink, processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header recovery, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. Processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0069]

[0074] Similar to the functionality described with respect to downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality related to header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality 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 functionality 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.

[0070]

[0075] 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.

[0071]

[0076] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 384.

[0072]

[0077] In the uplink, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0073]

[0078] For convenience, the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 are illustrated in Figures 3A-3C as including various components that may be configured in accordance with various examples described herein, although it will be appreciated that the illustrated blocks may have different functions in different designs.

[0074]

[0079] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 may communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. The components of FIGS. 3A-3C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of FIGS. 3A-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 the processor and memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by a processor and memory component(s) of network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a positioning entity," etc. However, it will be appreciated that such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by a particular component or combination of components, such as a UE, a base station, a positioning entity, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0075]

[0080] 3A may represent a "low-tier" UE or a "premium" UE. As described further below, low-tier and premium UEs may have the same types of components (e.g., both may have a WWAN transceiver 310, a processing system 332, memory components 340, etc.), but those components may have different degrees of functionality (e.g., increased or decreased performance, more or less capabilities, etc.) depending on whether the UE 302 corresponds to a low-tier UE or a premium UE.

[0076]

[0081] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, a UE measures the differences between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from pairs of base stations, called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE. For DL-AoD positioning, the base station measures the angle and other channel properties (e.g., signal strength) of the downlink transmit beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0077]

[0082] 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., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, the base station measures the angle and other channel properties (e.g., gain level) of the uplink receive beam used to communicate with the UE to estimate the UE's location.

[0078]

[0083] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include extended cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round-trip-time (RTT) positioning (also called "multi-cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, an initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a responder (UE or base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called a reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) measurement. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called a "Tx-Rx" measurement. The propagation time (also called "time of flight") between the initiator and responder may be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx measurements. 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 triangulated based on the known locations of the base stations. The RTT and multi-RTT methods may be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy.

[0079]

[0084] 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 UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0080]

[0085] 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 slots, periodicity of the positioning slots, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth, slot offset, 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.

[0081]

[0086] 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).

[0082]

[0087] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 4B is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of an uplink frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0083]

[0088] LTE, and sometimes NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR has the option to use OFDM on the uplink as well. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, the nominal FFT size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0084]

[0089] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz or greater may be available. Table 1, given below, lists some various parameters for different NR numerologies.

[0085] [Table 1]

[0086]

[0090] In the example of Figures 4A and 4B, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1 ms each, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figures 4A and 4B, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0087]

[0091] 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 FIGS. 4A and 4B, 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.

[0088]

[0092] Some of the REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS), which may include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4A shows example locations of REs carrying PRS (labeled "R").

[0089]

[0093] A set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting a PRS is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and can span "N" consecutive symbols (e.g., one or more) within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0090]

[0094] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N," a PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of the symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb 4, for each fourth symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the RE corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb 2, comb 4, comb 6, and comb 12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 4A shows an example PRS resource configuration for comb 6 (spanning six symbols). That is, the location of the shaded RE (labeled "R") indicates the comb 6 PRS resource configuration.

[0091]

[0095] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a particular TRP (identified by a TRP ID). Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor) across slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of a first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of a first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. μ The repetition factor may have a length selected from {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, with μ=0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0092]

[0096] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP may transmit one or multiple beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and thus a "PRS resource" or simply a "resource" may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not have any implications regarding whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0093]

[0097] A "PRS instance" or "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more contiguous slots) during which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning occasion," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning occasion," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply an "occasion," "instance," or "repetition."

[0094]

[0098] As shown in FIG. 4B , some of the REs (labeled “R”) carry a DMRS for channel estimation at a receiver (e.g., a base station, another UE, etc.). The UE may further transmit an SRS, for example, in the last symbol of a slot. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may transmit the SRS on one of the combs. The comb structure (also referred to as “comb size”) indicates the pattern of subcarriers in each symbol period that carry a reference signal (here, the SRS). For example, a comb size of comb 4 means that every fourth subcarrier of a given symbol carries a reference signal, and a comb size of comb 2 means that every second subcarrier of a given symbol carries a reference signal. In the example of FIG. 4B , the illustrated SRS is comb 2 across one symbol. The SRS may be used by the base station to obtain channel state information (CSI) for each UE. CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station, representing the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation over distance. Systems use SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.

[0095]

[0099] A set of resource elements used for transmitting an SRS is called an "SRS resource" and may be identified by a parameter SRS-ResourceId. The set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and may span N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, the SRS resources occupy consecutive PRBs. An "SRS resource set" is a set of SRS resources used for transmitting an SRS signal and is identified by an SRS resource set ID (SRS-ResourceSetId).

[0096]

[0100] Generally, a UE transmits an SRS to enable a receiving base station (either a serving base station or a neighboring base station) to measure the channel quality between the UE and the base station. However, the SRS can also be used as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink positioning procedures, such as uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), multiple round trip time (multiple RTT), and downlink angle of arrival (DL-AoA).

[0097]

[0101] Several extensions over the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for SRS-for-positioning (also called "UL-PRS"), including new staggered patterns within SRS resources (except for single symbol / comb 2), new comb types for SRS, new sequences for SRS, a higher number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a higher number of SRS resources per component carrier. Furthermore, the parameters SpatialRelationInfo and PathLossReference should be configured based on downlink reference signals or SSBs from neighboring TRPs. Furthermore, one SRS resource may be transmitted outside the active BWP, and one SRS resource may span multiple component carriers. Also, SRS may be configured in the RRC connected state and transmitted only within the active BWP. Furthermore, there may be frequency hopping, no repetition factor, a single antenna port, and new lengths for SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). Also, there may be open-loop power control and no closed-loop power control, and comb-8 (i.e., SRS transmitted on every eighth subcarrier in the same symbol) may be used. Finally, a UE may transmit from multiple SRS resources for UL-AoA through the same transmit beam. All of these are additional features to the current SRS framework, configured through RRC upper layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC Control Element (CE) or DCI).

[0098]

[0102] Note that the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE systems. However, unless otherwise specified, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” as used herein refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, and UL-PRS defined in LTE and 5G. Furthermore, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” refer to downlink or uplink positioning reference signals unless otherwise specified. A downlink positioning reference signal may be referred to as a “DL-PRS,” and an uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS, PTRS for positioning) may be referred to as a “UL-PRS.” Furthermore, for signals that can be transmitted in both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), the signals may be prefixed with “UL” or “DL” to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" can be distinguished from "DL-DMRS."

[0099]

[0103] UEs may be categorized as low-tier UEs (e.g., wearables such as smart watches, glasses, rings, etc.) and premium UEs (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, etc.). Low-tier UEs may alternatively be referred to as reduced-capability NR UEs, reduced-capability UEs, NR lite UEs, lite UEs, NR super lite UEs, or super lite UEs. Premium UEs may alternatively be referred to as full-capability UEs or simply UEs. Low-tier UEs generally have lower baseband processing capabilities, fewer antennas (e.g., one receiver antenna as a baseline in FR1 or FR2, optionally two receiver antennas), lower operational bandwidth capability (e.g., 20 MHz for FR1 without supplemental uplink or carrier aggregation, or 50 or 100 MHz for FR2), half-duplex frequency division duplex (HDFDD) capability only, smaller HARQ buffers, reduced physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, limited modulation (e.g., 64QAM for the downlink and 16QAM for the uplink), relaxed processing timeline requirements, and / or lower uplink transmit power compared to premium UEs. Different UE tiers may be differentiated by UE category and / or by UE capabilities. For example, some types of UEs may be assigned a “low-tier” classification (e.g., by original equipment manufacturer (OEM), applicable wireless communications standard, etc.), and other types of UEs may be assigned a “premium” classification. UEs of some tiers may also report their type (e.g., “low tier” or “premium”) to the network. Additionally, some resources and / or channels may be dedicated to some types of UEs.

[0100]

[0104] As can be appreciated, the accuracy of low-tier UE positioning may be limited. For example, low-tier UEs may operate on a reduced bandwidth, such as 5-20 MHz, for wearable devices and “relaxed” IoT devices (i.e., IoT devices with relaxed or lower capability parameters, such as lower throughput, relaxed latency requirements, and lower energy consumption), resulting in lower positioning accuracy. As another example, the receive processing capability of a low-tier UE may be limited by its lower-cost RF / baseband. Thus, the reliability of measurements and positioning calculations will be reduced. Furthermore, such low-tier UEs may not be able to receive multiple PRSs from multiple TRPs, further reducing positioning accuracy. As yet another example, the transmit power of a low-tier UE may be reduced, meaning there will be lower-quality uplink measurements for low-tier UE positioning.

[0101]

[0105] A premium UE generally has a larger form factor, costs more than a low-tier UE, and has more features and capabilities than a low-tier UE. For example, with respect to positioning, a premium UE may operate on the full PRS bandwidth, such as 100 MHz, and measure PRSs from more TRPs than a low-tier UE, both of which result in higher positioning accuracy. As another example, the receive processing capability of a premium UE may be higher (e.g., faster) due to its higher-capacity RF / baseband. Furthermore, the transmit power of a premium UE may be higher than that of a low-tier UE. Thus, the reliability of measurements and positioning calculations will be increased.

[0102]

[0106] Low-tier UEs, such as wearables, are often operated around premium UEs, such as smartphones and tablets. Accordingly, this disclosure provides techniques for a low-tier UE to leverage the presence of one or more premium UEs to improve its positioning accuracy.

[0103]

[0107] 5 is a diagram 500 of an example base station 502 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein), a premium UE 504, and a low-tier UE 506, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The base station 502 is shown as having multiple antennas 512, where a panel of such antennas 512 (e.g., all antennas 512 on a particular side of the base station 502) may correspond to cells and / or TRPs supported by the base station 502. In the example of FIG. 5, the premium UE 504 is shown as a smartphone and the low-tier UE 506 is shown as a smartwatch. However, it should be appreciated that these are merely examples and the disclosure is not so limited.

[0104]

[0108] As further shown in FIG. 5 , the premium UE 504 communicates with the base station 502 over a wireless communication link 520 (e.g., communication link 120), and the low tier UE 506 communicates with the premium UE 504 over a wireless sidelink 530 (e.g., D2D P2P links 192, 194). The wireless sidelink 530 may be an NR sidelink and may support a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and / or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) between the premium UE 504 and the low tier UE 506. Furthermore, like the premium UE 504, the low tier UE 506 may also be capable of communicating with the base station 502 over the wireless communication link 520 (e.g., communication link 120). Note that while FIG. 5 shows the low tier UE 506 connected to a single premium UE 504, the low tier UE 506 may be connected to multiple premium UEs 504.

[0105]

[0109] As a first solution for a low-tier UE 506 to leverage the presence of one or more premium UEs 504 to improve its positioning accuracy, the low-tier UE 506 may use the location of the premium UE(s) 504 to derive its own location. When attempting to perform a positioning procedure, the low-tier UE 506 may first search for premium UEs 504 around it (i.e., within wireless communication range). In some cases, the low-tier UE 506 may already be connected to the premium UE 504 through a sidelink (e.g., wireless sidelink 530). In other cases, the low-tier UE 506 may need to perform a scan to discover the premium UE(s) 504 around it. In still other cases, the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, base station 502) may inform the low-tier UE 506 whether there are premium UEs 504 around it, and if so, provide the low-tier UE 506 with a way to connect with them.

[0106]

[0110] When connected to one or more premium UEs 504, a low tier UE 506 can select which premium UE(s) location(s) to use to derive its own location. In one aspect, the quality of the location estimate(s) of the premium UE(s) 504 may be provided to the low tier UE 506 by the premium UE(s) 504 (e.g., over the wireless sidelink 530) and / or by the network (e.g., base station 502 and / or location server). The quality of the location estimate(s) can aid in the selection of the premium UE(s) 504 for association between the low tier UE 506 and the premium UE(s) 504.

[0107]

[0111] Once the premium UE(s) 504 are selected, the low tier UE 506 can use the location estimate(s) of the associated premium UE(s) 504 to derive its own location estimate. As a first option, the low tier UE 506 can simply adopt the location of the connected premium UE 504 as its own location. In that case, the selected premium UE 504 may transmit its location estimate (e.g., over the wireless sidelink 530) to the low tier UE 506, which may then transmit the location estimate to the network (e.g., to the base station 502 over the wireless communication link 520 or to a location server) or to another entity (e.g., an application running on the low tier UE 506) that requests the location of the low tier UE 506. Alternatively, the selected premium UE 504 may notify the network (e.g., over wireless communication link 520) that the location of the low tier UE 506 is the same as its own location (e.g., if the network requests the location of the low tier UE 506).

[0108]

[0112] As a second option, a low-tier UE 506 can use location estimates of multiple premium UEs 504 around it to derive its own location. In that case, the premium UEs 504 can send their locations to the low-tier UE 506 (e.g., over the wireless sidelink 530), and the low-tier UE 506 can report the average of the premium UEs' 504 locations as its location (e.g., over the wireless communication link 520 to the base station 502). Alternatively, the network can derive the location of the low-tier UE 506 based on the locations of associated premium UEs 504. In that case, selected premium UEs 504 can report their locations to the network, rather than the low-tier UEs 506 (although they can still report their locations to the network).

[0109]

[0113] As a second solution for a low-tier UE 506 to leverage the presence of one or more premium UEs 504 to improve its positioning accuracy, the low-tier UE 506 can estimate its location based on positioning measurements performed by the premium UE(s). At a high level, the low-tier UE 506 can leverage the premium UE(s) 504 to make wideband downlink measurements from one or more TRPs (e.g., one or more antenna panels of the base station 502 and / or other base stations). As mentioned above, the low-tier UE 506 generally operates in a narrower bandwidth than the premium UE 504 and therefore suffers from reduced positioning accuracy. In contrast, the premium UE 504 can operate in a wider bandwidth and therefore is capable of more accurate positioning measurements than the low-tier UE 506.

[0110]

[0114] Thus, the low-tier UE 504 may request that the premium UE(s) 504 perform RSTD measurements (for DL-TDOA or OTDOA positioning techniques), RSRP measurements (for DL-AoD positioning techniques), UE Rx-Tx measurements (for RTT positioning techniques), and / or any other positioning measurement(s) that the premium UE(s) 504 are capable of performing / acquiring. The premium UE(s) 504 may perform these measurements as described above and then transmit them to the low-tier UE 506 (e.g., over the wireless sidelink 530).

[0111]

[0115] In one aspect, the low tier UE 506 can inform the premium UE(s) 504 regarding how frequently requested positioning measurements are needed. For example, the low tier UE 506 may have one or more sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope) for detecting its mobility state and / or pattern, which may dictate how frequently positioning information needs to be updated. For example, if the low tier UE 506 is a smartwatch, it may detect that the user is running, in which case it will need more frequent positioning measurements.

[0112]

[0116] In one aspect, the low tier UE 506 may also signal the premium UE(s) 504 to stop reporting requested positioning measurements. For example, the low tier UE 506 may request a one-time measurement session (i.e., one set of measurements), or that the premium UE(s) 504 perform the requested positioning measurements for a period of time, or until the premium UE(s) 504 are asked to stop. For example, if the low tier UE 506 remains at the same location (as detected by its sensors or from a previous location estimate) for a long enough period of time, it can request the premium UE(s) 506 to stop sending measurement reports.

[0113]

[0117] In one aspect, a low-tier UE 506 may request measurements of a specific PRS (e.g., a specific PRS identifier (ID)) of a specific TRP. It may also request that the specific measurements be performed at a specific occasion in time. For example, the low-tier UE 506 may request that the premium UE 504 calculate an RSTD derived from PRSID "5" on frame "100."

[0114]

[0118] The premium UE(s) 504 may reply to the low tier UE 506 with the requested measurements and a timestamp indicating the timer period for which the measurements are valid. These measurement reports may also include information about the measured TRP(s) (e.g., location(s) of the TRP(s)). The premium UE(s) 504 may also send the quality of the measurements to the low tier UE 506 in the measurement report. The premium UE(s) 504 may also send information about the measured PRS used to derive the reported measurements (e.g., scrambling ID, bandwidth, number of ports, number of averaging over occasions). The location of the measured TRP(s) and the quality of the measurements allow the low tier UE 506 to fuse the measurements in a positioning component (e.g., positioning component 342) to compute a location estimate for itself (referred to as UE-based positioning).

[0115]

[0119] In one aspect, the reported measurements may be included in an upper layer signaling package, such as an LPP-type protocol message, transmitted between the low-tier UE 506 and the premium UE(s) 504 over the wireless sidelink(s) 530.

[0116]

[0120] In one aspect, rather than the low-tier UE 506 performing the location estimation, the low-tier UE 506 can request the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272, or other network positioning entity) to perform a location estimation based on measurements reported by associated premium UE(s) 504. The low-tier UE 506 can either send the associated measurements to the network itself (e.g., over wireless communication link 520) or, to save overhead, request that the premium UE(s) 504 send those measurements directly to the network (in which case the premium UE(s) 504 also need not, but may still, send those measurements to the low-tier UE 506).

[0117]

[0121] The network may then calculate an estimate of the location of the low-tier UE 506 based on measurements taken by the premium UE(s). The network may fuse positioning measurements reported by multiple premium UEs 506, which may increase the accuracy of the location estimate over using measurements from a single premium UE 504. For example, if one of two associated premium UEs 504 is blocked with no line-of-sight (LOS) path between the base station 502 and the premium UE 504, but the other premium UE 504 has an LOS path, estimating the location of the low-tier UE 506 based on measurement reports from both premium UEs 504 may provide a more accurate and robust location estimate. For example, the network may give more weight to measurements from the LOS premium UE 504.

[0118]

[0122] In one aspect, the low-tier UE 506 may also perform its own positioning measurements of downlink reference signals received from nearby TRPs (e.g., the same TRPs measured by the premium UE(s) 504). In that case, the positioning entity (the low-tier UE 506 or the network) may fuse the measurements from the low-tier UE 506 with measurements from the premium UE(s) 504 to more accurately estimate the location of the low-tier UE 506.

[0119]

[0123] As a third solution for a low-tier UE 506 to leverage the presence of one or more premium UEs 504 to improve its positioning accuracy, the premium UE(s) 504 can measure uplink signals transmitted by the low-tier UE 506. In one aspect, the low-tier UE 506 may treat the associated premium UE(s) 506 as “gNB(s)” for positioning purposes. The low-tier UE 506 can then save power by transmitting positioning reference signals (e.g., UL-PRS, SRS, etc.) to the base station(s) 502 over the wireless communication link 520 to the premium UE(s) 504 over the wireless sidelink 530. Due to the shorter range to the premium UE(s) 704 than to the base station(s) 502, such uplink transmissions will use lower transmit power at the side of the low-tier UE 506.

[0120]

[0124] The premium UE(s) 504 may then estimate the relative location of the low tier UE 506 based on measurements of the received uplink signal from the low tier UE 506. For example, the premium UE 504 may use the RTT between itself and the low tier UE 506 and the AoA of the uplink reference signal from the low tier UE 506 to estimate the location of the low tier UE 506. The premium UE 504 may then report the location estimate to the low tier UE 506 and / or the network. If there are multiple premium UEs 504, the positioning entity (i.e., the low tier UE 506 or the network) may fuse (e.g., average) the location estimates from different premium UEs 504 to determine a more accurate location estimate for the low tier UE 506.

[0121]

[0125] Alternatively, the premium UE(s) 504 may simply report measurements of uplink reference signals transmitted by the low tier UE 506 to the network (or may report to the low tier UE 506, which may then forward them to the network depending on which entity is performing the positioning). The network (or low tier UE 506) may then estimate the location of the low tier UE 506 based on the measurements from the premium UE(s) 504.

[0122]

[0126] If the network needs the location of the low tier UE 506 and is the entity that performs the location estimation, the network can further process the location estimate as needed. If the low tier UE 506 needs an estimate of its location and is not the entity that calculates the location estimate, the network can send the calculated location estimate to the low tier UE 506 either over the wireless communication link 520 or via one of the premium UEs 504.

[0123]

[0127] It should be noted that information received at the low tier UE 506 from the premium UE(s) 504 may be forwarded to the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272, base station 502, or other network-based positioning entity) over the wireless communication link 520. Similarly, information received at the low tier UE 506 from the network may be forwarded to the premium UE(s) 504 over the wireless sidelink 530. Additionally, information generated or received at the premium UE(s) 504 may be forwarded to the low tier UE 506 over the wireless sidelink 530 and / or forwarded to the network over the wireless communication link 520. The network can communicate with the low tier UE 506 either directly over the wireless communication link 520 or via the premium UE(s) 504.

[0124]

[0128] 6 illustrates an example method 600 of wireless positioning according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The method 600 may be performed by a low-tier UE (e.g., the low-tier UE 506).

[0125]

[0129] At 610, the low tier UE receives one or more parameters from each of one or more premium UEs (e.g., premium UE 504) indicating the quality of the premium UE's location estimate. In one aspect, operation 610 may be performed by WWAN transceiver 310, processing system 332, memory component 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0126]

[0130] At 620, the lo tier UE selects at least one premium UE of the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. In one aspect, operation 620 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0127]

[0131] At 630, the low tier derives a location estimate for the low tier UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. In one aspect, operation 630 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0128]

[0132] 7 illustrates an example method 700 of wireless positioning according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be performed by a low-tier UE (e.g., low-tier UE 506).

[0129]

[0133] At 710, the low-tier UE transmits a request to at least one premium UE (e.g., premium UE 504) to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more TRPs (one or more antenna panels of base station 502). In one aspect, operation 710 may be performed by WWAN transceiver 310, processing system 332, memory component 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0130]

[0134] At 720, the low tier UE receives a measurement report comprising one or more positioning measurements from at least one premium UE. In one aspect, operation 720 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0131]

[0135] At 730, the low tier UE determines a location estimate for the low tier UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report. In one aspect, operation 730 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0132]

[0136] 8 illustrates an example method 800 of wireless positioning according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be performed by a premium UE (e.g., premium UE 504).

[0133]

[0137] At 810, the premium UE receives one or more uplink reference signals from a low tier UE (e.g., low tier UE 506). In one aspect, operation 810 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory component 340, and / or the positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0134]

[0138] At 820, the premium UE performs one or more positioning measurements of one or more uplink reference signals. In an aspect, a location estimate for the low tier UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements. In an aspect, operation 820 may be performed by WWAN transceiver 310, processing system 332, memory component 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered a means for performing this operation.

[0135]

[0139] As will be appreciated, there are various technical advantages of the techniques described herein, particularly methods 600, 700, and 800. For example, the techniques disclosed herein enable greater positioning accuracy when determining the location of low-tier UEs, such as low-tier UE 506. Furthermore, the techniques disclosed herein may reduce power consumption for low-tier UEs, particularly when performing positioning operations.

[0136]

[0140] 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.

[0137]

[0141] 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.

[0138]

[0142] The various example logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0139]

[0143] 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.

[0140]

[0144] 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 in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy discs, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0141]

[0145] 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 positioning performed by a reduced capability user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from each of one or more premium UEs, one or more parameters indicative of a quality of a location estimate for the premium UE; selecting at least one premium UE of the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE; and deriving a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. [C2] scanning for premium UEs within a communication range of the reduced capability UE; Establishing a sidelink connection to each of the one or more premium UEs based on the one or more premium UEs being within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C3] The method of C2, wherein the reduced capability UE receives the one or more parameters from each of the one or more premium UEs over a respective sidelink connection. [C4] The method of C2, wherein the reduced capability UE scans for the premium UE in response to receiving a positioning request from a positioning entity. [C5] The method of C4, wherein the positioning entity comprises a location server or an application running on the reduced capability UE. [C6] The method of C2, wherein the reduced capability UE scans for the premium UE(s) in response to a notification from a network entity that the one or more premium UEs are within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C7] The deriving The method of C1, comprising: adopting the location estimate of the at least one premium UE as the location estimate of the reduced capability UE. [C8] The method of C7, further comprising: sending, to the at least one premium UE, a request for the at least one premium UE to send the location estimate of the at least one premium UE to a location server. [C9] receiving, from the at least one premium UE, the location estimate of the at least one premium UE; and transmitting the location estimate of the at least one premium UE to a location server. [C10] the at least one premium UE comprises a plurality of premium UEs; The deriving receiving a location estimate from each of the plurality of premium UEs; averaging the location estimates of the multiple premium UEs to generate the location estimate for the reduced capability UE. [C11] 1. A method of wireless positioning performed by a reduced capability user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting, to at least one premium UE, a request to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more transmit reception points (TRPs); receiving a measurement report from the at least one premium UE, the measurement report comprising the one or more positioning measurements; determining a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report. [C12] The method of C11, further comprising: sending, to the at least one premium UE, an indication of how frequently the one or more positioning measurements should be performed. [C13] The method of C12, wherein the indication of how frequently the one or more positioning measurements should be performed is based on a mobility state of the reduced capability UE. [C14] The method of C11, further comprising: sending an instruction to the at least one premium UE to stop performing the one or more positioning measurements. [C15] The method of claim 11, wherein the measurement report further comprises an identifier of the one or more TRPs, a timestamp during which the one or more positioning measurements are valid, one or more parameters indicating the quality of the one or more positioning measurements, information about the one or more downlink reference signals used to perform the one or more positioning measurements, or any combination thereof. [C16] The method of C11, wherein the one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements, one or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements, one or more UE receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) measurements, a downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD), or any combination thereof. [C17] The determining step comprises: The method of C11, comprising calculating, by a positioning component of the reduced capability UE, the location estimate for the reduced capability UE. [C18] The determining step comprises: The method of C11, comprising sending the measurement report to a location server to enable the location server to calculate the location estimate of the reduced capability UE. [C19] scanning for premium UEs within communication range of the reduced capability UE; Establishing a sidelink connection to the at least one premium UE based on the at least one premium UE being within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C20] The method of C19, wherein the reduced capability UE receives the measurement report from the at least one premium UE over the sidelink connection. [C21] 1. A method of wireless positioning performed by a premium user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE; performing one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate for the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements. [C22] receiving a request from the reduced capability UE to establish a sidelink connection between the premium UE and the reduced capability UE; establishing the sidelink connection with the reduced capability UE. [C23] The method of C22, wherein the premium UE receives the one or more uplink reference signals over the sidelink connection. [C24] The method of claim 23, wherein the one or more uplink reference signals transmitted on the sidelink connection for reception at the premium UE have a lower transmit power than an uplink reference signal transmitted on a communication link between the premium UE and a macrocell base station. [C25] The method of claim 22, wherein the sidelink connection supports a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and / or a physical sidelink control channel (PSSCH). [C26] calculating the location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements; and transmitting the location estimate to a location server. [C27] calculating the location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements; and transmitting the location estimate to the reduced capability UE. [C28] The method of C21, wherein the one or more uplink reference signals comprise one or more sounding reference signals (SRS), one or more uplink positioning reference signals (UL-PRS), or any combination thereof. [C29] The method of C21, wherein the one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements, one or more UE receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) measurements, one or more Angle of Arrival (AoA) measurements, one or more Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements between a pair of reduced capability UEs for an Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA) positioning procedure, or any combination thereof. [C30] The method of C21, wherein the reduced capability UE comprises a UE having fewer antennas, lower bandwidth capability, lower processing capability, and lower transmit power than the premium UE. [C31] The method of C21, further comprising: sending the one or more positioning measurements to a location server, wherein the location server calculates the location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements. [C32] Memory and at least one transceiver; a reduced capability user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor comprising: receiving, from each of one or more premium UEs, one or more parameters indicative of a quality of a location estimate for the premium UE; selecting at least one premium UE of the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE; and deriving a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. [C33] The at least one processor: causing the at least one transceiver to scan for premium UEs within communication range of the reduced capability UE; and causing the at least one transceiver to establish a sidelink connection to each of the one or more premium UEs based on the one or more premium UEs being within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C34] 34. The reduced capability UE of claim 33, wherein the at least one processor receives the one or more parameters from each of the one or more premium UEs over a respective sidelink connection. [C35] The reduced capability UE of C33, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to scan for the premium UE in response to receiving a positioning request from a positioning entity. [C36] The reduced capability UE of C35, wherein the positioning entity comprises a location server or an application running on the reduced capability UE. [C37] A reduced capability UE as described in C33, wherein the at least one processor causes the at least one transceiver to scan for the premium UE in response to a notification from a network entity that the one or more premium UEs are within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C38] The at least one processor being configured to derive means that the at least one processor: The reduced capability UE of C32, configured to adopt the location estimate of the at least one premium UE as the location estimate of the reduced capability UE. [C39] The at least one processor: The reduced capability UE of C38, further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit a request to the at least one premium UE to transmit the location estimate of the at least one premium UE to a location server. [C40] The at least one processor: receiving the location estimate of the at least one premium UE from the at least one premium UE; 30. The reduced capability UE of claim 38, further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the location estimate of the at least one premium UE to a location server. [C41] the at least one premium UE comprises a plurality of premium UEs; The at least one processor being configured to derive means that the at least one processor: receiving a location estimate from each of the plurality of premium UEs; and averaging the location estimates of the plurality of premium UEs to generate the location estimate for the reduced capability UE. [C42] Memory and at least one transceiver; a reduced capability user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor comprising: causing the at least one transceiver to transmit a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more transmit reception points (TRPs); receiving a measurement report from the at least one premium UE comprising the one or more positioning measurements; and determining a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report. [C43] the at least one processor: 43. The reduced capability UE of claim 42, further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit an indication to the at least one premium UE of how frequently the one or more positioning measurements should be performed. [C44] The reduced capability UE of C43, wherein the indication of how frequently the one or more positioning measurements should be performed is based on a mobility state of the reduced capability UE. [C45] the at least one processor: 42. The reduced capability UE of claim 32, further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to send an instruction to the at least one premium UE to stop performing the one or more positioning measurements. [C46] 42. The reduced capability UE of claim 42, wherein the measurement report further comprises an identifier of the one or more TRPs, a timestamp during which the one or more positioning measurements are valid, one or more parameters indicating quality of the one or more positioning measurements, information about the one or more downlink reference signals used to perform the one or more positioning measurements, or any combination thereof. [C47] 42. The reduced capability UE of claim 31, wherein the one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements, one or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements, one or more UE receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) measurements, a downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD), or any combination thereof. [C48] The at least one processor being configured to perform the determining step may include the at least one processor: The reduced capability UE of C42, comprising being configured, by a positioning component of the reduced capability UE, to calculate the location estimate for the reduced capability UE. [C49] The at least one processor being configured to perform the determining step may include the at least one processor: The reduced capability UE of C42, further comprising: being configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the measurement report to a location server to enable the location server to calculate the location estimate of the reduced capability UE. [C50] The at least one processor: causing the at least one transceiver to scan for premium UEs within communication range of the reduced capability UE; The reduced capability UE of C42, further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to establish a sidelink connection to the at least one premium UE based on the at least one premium UE being within communication range of the reduced capability UE. [C51] The reduced capability UE of C50, wherein the at least one processor receives the measurement report from the at least one premium UE over the sidelink connection. [C52] Memory and at least one transceiver; a premium user equipment (UE) comprising at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor comprising: receiving one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE; a premium user equipment (UE) configured to perform one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals, wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements. [C53] the at least one processor: receiving a request from the reduced capability UE to establish a sidelink connection between the premium UE and the reduced capability UE; The premium UE of C52, further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to establish the sidelink connection with the reduced capability UE. [C54] The premium UE of C53, wherein the at least one processor receives the one or more uplink reference signals over the sidelink connection. [C55] A premium UE as described in C54, wherein the one or more uplink reference signals transmitted on the sidelink connection for reception at the premium UE have a lower transmit power than an uplink reference signal transmitted on a communication link between the premium UE and a macrocell base station. [C56] The premium UE of C53, wherein the sidelink connection supports a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and / or a physical sidelink control channel (PSSCH). [C57] the at least one processor: calculating the location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements; The premium UE of C52, further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the location estimate to a location server. [C58] the at least one processor: calculating the location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements; The premium UE of C52, further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the location estimate to the reduced capability UE. [C59] The premium UE of C52, wherein the one or more uplink reference signals comprise one or more sounding reference signals (SRS), one or more uplink positioning reference signals (UL-PRS), or any combination thereof. [C60] The premium UE of C52, wherein the one or more positioning measurements comprise one or more Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurements, one or more UE receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) measurements, one or more Angle of Arrival (AoA) measurements, one or more Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements between a pair of reduced capability UEs for an Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA) positioning procedure, or any combination thereof. [C61] The premium UE of C52, wherein the reduced capability UE comprises a UE having fewer antennas, lower bandwidth capabilities, lower processing capabilities, and lower transmit power than the premium UE. [C62] The at least one processor: A premium UE as described in C52, further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the one or more positioning measurements to a location server, wherein the location server calculates the location estimate of the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements. [C63] A reduced capability user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving, from each of one or more premium UEs, one or more parameters indicative of a quality of the premium UE's location estimate; means for selecting at least one premium UE of the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE; and means for deriving a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. [C64] A reduced capability user equipment (UE), comprising: means for transmitting a request to at least one premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs); means for receiving a measurement report comprising the one or more positioning measurements from the at least one premium UE; and means for determining a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report. [C65] A premium user equipment (UE), means for receiving one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE; a premium user equipment (UE) comprising: means for performing one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals; and wherein a location estimate of the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements. [C66] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction instructing a reduced capability user equipment (UE) to receive, from each of one or more premium user equipments (UEs), one or more parameters indicative of a quality of a location estimate for the premium UE; at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to select at least one premium UE of the one or more premium UEs based on the quality of the location estimate of the at least one premium UE; and at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to derive a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the location estimate of the at least one premium UE. [C67] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction to instruct a reduced capability UE to transmit a request to at least one premium user equipment (UE) to perform one or more positioning measurements of one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more transmit reception points (TRPs); at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to receive a measurement report comprising the one or more positioning measurements from the at least one premium UE; and at least one instruction to instruct the reduced capability UE to determine a location estimate for the reduced capability UE based on the one or more positioning measurements in the measurement report. [C68] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction to instruct a premium user equipment (UE) to receive one or more uplink reference signals from a reduced capability UE; 10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: at least one instruction to instruct the premium UE to perform one or more positioning measurements of the one or more uplink reference signals; and wherein a location estimate for the reduced capability UE is calculated based on the one or more positioning measurements.

Claims

1. one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors singly or in combination: establishing a sidelink connection with the reduced capability UE based on the reduced capability UE being within communication range of the premium UE; and transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, to the reduced capability UE, one or more parameters indicating a quality of the premium UE's location estimate; A premium UE configured to:

2. The premium UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more parameters are transmitted over the sidelink connection.

3. The one or more processors, alone or in combination, The premium UE of claim 1 , further configured to receive, via the one or more transceivers, a request from the reduced capability UE to transmit the location estimate of the premium UE to a location server.

4. The one or more processors, alone or in combination, The premium UE of claim 1 , further configured to transmit the location estimate of the premium UE to the reduced capability UE via the one or more transceivers.

5. The one or more processors, alone or in combination, The premium UE of claim 1 , further configured to transmit the location estimate of the premium UE to a location server via the one or more transceivers.

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