Configuration framework, positioning reference signal (PRS) association mechanism, and triggering for reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-assisted positioning and object detection.

Abstract

Techniques for wireless positioning are disclosed. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) engages in a positioning or sensing session and receives, from a network entity, assistance data for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmission point, the assistance data including a PRS resource location field indicating a geographic location of the transmission point, the assistance data further including reflecting point object (RPO) information for at least one RPO capable of reflecting a waveform associated with the at least one PRS resource, the RPO information including at least location information for the at least one RPO.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - reference to Related Applications

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of Greek Application No. 20210100241, filed on April 8, 2021, titled "CONFIGURATION FRAMEWORK AND POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL (PRS) ASSOCIATION MECHANISMS AND TRIGGERING FOR RECONFIGURABLE INTELLIGENT SURFACE (RIS)-AIDED POSITIONING AND OBJECT SENSING", which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002]

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication.

Background Art

[0003]

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first - generation analog wireless telephone services (1G), second - generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including intermediate 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third - generation (3G) high - speed data, Internet - enabled wireless services, and fourth - generation (4G) services (such as Long - Term Evolution (LTE (registered trademark)) or WiMax (registered trademark)). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communication service (PCS) systems. Examples of well - 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), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM (registered trademark)).

[0004]

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, also known as New Radio (NR), requires improvements such as higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage. The 5G standard by the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance is designed to provide tens of megabits per second of data rates to each of tens of thousands of users and 1 gigabit per second of data rates to dozens of workers on an office floor. Hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported to support large sensor deployments. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly expanded compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be expanded and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard. [Overview of the project]

[0005]

[0005] The following provides a simplified overview relating to one or more embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the following overview should not be considered a broad overview relating to all intended embodiments, nor should it be considered to identify important or significant elements relating to all intended embodiments or to define the scope associated with a particular embodiment. Accordingly, the following overview has the sole purpose of presenting, in a simplified form, some concepts relating to one or more embodiments relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the embodiments for carrying out the invention presented below.

[0006]

[0006] In one embodiment, a wireless positioning method performed by a user device (UE) includes engaging in a positioning session or a detection session and receiving support data from a network entity for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information for at least one reflection point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0007]

[0007] In one embodiment, a wireless positioning method performed by a network entity includes engaging in a positioning session or detection session with a user device (UE), determining RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and transmitting the RPO information to the UE, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0008]

[0008] In one embodiment, a user device (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 engage in a positioning session or a sensing session, and to receive, via the at least one transceiver, support data from a network entity about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information about at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with the at least one PRS resource, and the RPO information includes at least location information about at least one RPO.

[0009]

[0009] In one embodiment, the network entity includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communically coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to engage in a positioning session or sensing session with a user device (UE), determine RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the RPO information to the UE, the RPO information including location information for at least one RPO.

[0010]

[0010] In one embodiment, a user device (UE) includes means for engaging in a positioning session or a detection session, and means for receiving support data from a network entity about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information about at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource, and the RPO information includes at least location information for at least one RPO.

[0011]

[0011] In one embodiment, the network entity includes means for engaging in a positioning session or detection session with a user device (UE), means for determining RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and means for transmitting the RPO information to the UE, wherein the RPO information includes at least location information for at least one RPO.

[0012]

[0012] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a user device (UE), causes the UE to engage in a positioning session or a sensing session; to receive support data from a network entity about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point; and the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and further includes RPO information about at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0013]

[0013] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to engage in a positioning session or detection session with a user device (UE), determine RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and transmit RPO information to the UE, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0014]

[0014] Other objectives and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and embodiments for carrying out the invention.

[0015]

[0015] The accompanying drawings are provided to aid in describing various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided merely as examples of aspects, not as an limitation of aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1]

[0016] A diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 2A]

[0017] A diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 2B] A diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 3A]

[0018] Simplified block diagrams of several exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3B] Simplified block diagrams of several exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a base station and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3C]Schematic block diagrams of some exemplary aspects of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 4A]

[0019] Diagram showing an exemplary frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] Diagram showing channels within an exemplary frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5]

[0020] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication using a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0021] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication using multiple RIS610 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]

[0022] Diagram showing an example of how an RIS can be controlled via wireless downlink signaling according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0023] Diagram showing two exemplary scenarios for wireless positioning using an RIS according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 9]

[0024] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication having multiple RISs according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10A]

[0025] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication using RIS1010 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10B] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication using RIS1010 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10C] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication using RIS1010 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11]

[0026] Diagram showing an exemplary system for wireless communication having multiple RIS1110 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12]

[0027] A diagram illustrating an exemplary method of wireless positioning according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 13] A diagram illustrating an exemplary method of wireless positioning according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017]

[0028] Aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which cover various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative embodiments may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known elements of this disclosure are not described in detail or are omitted so as not to obscure relevant details of this disclosure.

[0018]

[0029] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “to serve as an example, case, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” should not necessarily be construed as being preferable or advantageous to any other aspect. Similarly, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the described features, advantages, or modes of operation.

[0019]

[0030] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of the various different techniques and methods. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part with the specific application, in part with the desired design, in part with the corresponding technology.

[0020]

[0031] Furthermore, many embodiments are described, for example, with respect to a set of actions to be performed by elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that the various actions described herein may be performed by a particular circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the set of actions described herein may be considered to be performed as a whole within any form of non-temporary computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, at runtime, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the function described herein. Thus, the various embodiments of this disclosure may be performed in several different forms, all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each of the embodiments described herein, any corresponding form of such embodiment may be described herein, for example, as “logic configured to perform the described action.”

[0021]

[0032] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset location device, wearable (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or (e.g., at some time) stationary and may communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the terms “UE” may be interchangeably referred to as “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 the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as via wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (for example, based on the IEEE 802.11 specification, etc.).

[0022]

[0033] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be called an access point (AP), network node, node B, advanced node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), or new radio (NR) node B (also called gNB or g node B). 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 others it may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication link through which a UE can signal to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can signal to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0023]

[0034] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP), or to multiple physical TRPs, which may or may not be colocated. For example, when the term “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP could be the base station’s antennas corresponding to the base station’s cells (or several cell sectors). When the term “base station” refers to multiple colocated physical TRPs, the physical TRPs could be the base station’s antenna arrays (for example, in a multi-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or if the base station employs beamforming). When the term “base station” refers to multiple uncolocated physical TRPs, the physical TRPs could 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, uncolocated physical TRPs could be a serving base station receiving measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Since TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmission from a base station or reception at a base station used herein should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0024]

[0035] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (for example, it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE, and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be called a positioning beacon (for example, when transmitting a signal to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (for example, when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0025]

[0036] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. A transmitter used herein may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver is sometimes called a "multipath" RF signal.

[0026]

[0037] Figure 1 shows an exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (sometimes called a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (marked "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB that the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB that the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0027]

[0038] The base stations 102 collectively form a RAN and interface with the core network 170 (e.g., an Advanced Packet Core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) through a backhaul link 122, and may interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The (one or more) location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be outside the core network 170. In addition to other functions, base stations 102 may perform functions related to the transfer of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access layer (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. 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.

[0028]

[0039] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage to its respective geographical coverage area 110. In one embodiment, one or more cells may be supported by base stations 102 in each geographical coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (over some frequency resource, such as carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, or band), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), or a cell global identifier (CGI)) to distinguish cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communications (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a particular base station, the term “cell” may, depending on the context, refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, insofar as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within some portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0029]

[0040] The geographical coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (for example, in the handover area), but some of the geographical coverage areas 110 may be considerably overlapped by larger geographical coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell (SC) base station 102' may have a geographical coverage area 110' that considerably overlaps with the geographical coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB) that can serve a limited group known as a limited subscriber group (CSG).

[0030]

[0041] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink transmissions from UE 104 to base station 102 (also called a reverse link) and / or downlink transmissions from base station 102 to UE 104 (also called a forward link). The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be traversed by one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to downlinks and uplinks (for example, more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than to the uplink).

[0031]

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 communicating with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0032]

[0043] Small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency spectrums. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum used by WLAN AP150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum may boost coverage to the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in an unlicensed spectrum is sometimes referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed spectrum is sometimes referred to as LTE-U, License-Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0033]

[0044] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180 that communicates with UE 182 and may operate in millimeter-wave (mmW) and / or near-mmW frequencies. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are sometimes called millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. The very high frequency (SHF) band, also called centimeter waves, extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz. Communication using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) via the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, in alternative configurations, it will be understood that one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be understood that the above description is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0034]

[0045] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). In transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate) to one or more receiving devices. To change the directionality of an RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the 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 can create beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is supplied to individual antennas with the appropriate phase relationship so that the radio waves from separate antennas are added together to increase radiation in the desired direction, while canceling out and suppressing radiation in undesirable directions.

[0035]

[0046] Transmit beams can be pseudo-collocated, meaning that the transmit beam appears to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the network node's transmit antenna itself is physically collocated. In NR, there are four types of pseudo-collocation (QCL) relationships. In particular, a given type of QCL relationship means that several parameters of the target reference RF signal on the target beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of the target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and mean delay of the target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the target reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0036]

[0047] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a received beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting to amplify an RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is said to beamform in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal intensity (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.

[0037]

[0048] Received beams can be spatially related. Spatial relationships mean that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about the received beam for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive one or more reference downlink reference signals from a base station (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel status information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.). The UE can then, based on the parameters of the received beam, form a transmit beam to send one or more uplink reference signals to its base station (e.g., uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.).

[0038]

[0049] It should be noted 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, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE forms a downlink beam, then it is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an “uplink” beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0039]

[0050] In 5G, the frequency spectrum on which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE104 / 182) operate is divided into several frequency ranges: FR1 (450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," while the remaining carrier frequencies are called "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE104 / 182 and the cell from which UE104 / 182 either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier on licensed frequencies (though this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a secondary frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE104 and the anchor carrier and may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier on unlicensed frequencies. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals, and since both the primary uplink and primary downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, there may be no UE-specific information present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UE104 / 182s in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for uplink primary carriers. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to distribute the load across different carriers.Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which some base station communicates, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0040]

[0051] For example, still referring to Figure 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 could be the anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 could be the secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two 20MHz aggregated carriers in a multicarrier system would theoretically lead to a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to what would be achieved with a single 20MHz carrier.

[0041]

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that can communicate with a macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with an mmW base station 180 via an mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0042]

[0053] In the example in Figure 1, one or more Earth Orbiting Satellite Positioning System (SPS) space vehicles (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites) may be used as an independent source of location information for any of the illustrated UEs (shown in Figure 1 as a single UE 104 for simplicity). UE 104 may include one or more dedicated SPS receivers specifically designed to receive SPS signals 124 for deriving geolocation information from SV 112. SPS generally includes a system of transmitters arranged to enable a receiver (e.g., UE 104) to determine the receiver's location on or above the Earth based at least in part on signals (e.g., SPS signals 124) received from a transmitter (e.g., SV 112). Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While generally located within SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UE 104s.

[0043]

[0054] The use of SPS signal 124 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that are associated with or can be enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, an SBAS may include (one or more) augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), or GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, SPS may include one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems and / or any combination of augmentation systems, and SPS signal 124 may include SPS signals, SPS-like signals, and / or other signals associated with one or more such SPS systems.

[0044]

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (called “sidelinks”). In the example in Figure 1, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (for example, through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based internet connectivity). In one example, 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), or Bluetooth®.

[0045]

[0056] Figure 2A shows an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, 5GC210 (also called Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to consist of control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) that work collaboratively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB222 to 5GC210, in particular to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In an additional configuration, ng-eNB224 may also be connected to 5GC210 via NG-C215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, ng-eNB224 may communicate directly with gNB222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have only one or more gNB222s, while other configurations may include one or more of both ng-eNB224s and gNB222s. Either a gNB222 or an ng-eNB224 may communicate with a UE204 (for example, one of the UEs shown in Figure 1). Another optional embodiment may include a location server 230, which may communicate with a 5GC210 to provide location assistance to the UE204. The location server 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 corresponding to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for a UE204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC210, and / or the internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 can be integrated into the core network components, or alternatively, it can be located outside the core network.

[0046]

[0057] Figure 2B shows another exemplary wireless network structure 250. 5GC260 (which may correspond to 5GC210 in Figure 2A) can functionally be considered as control plane functions provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, working collaboratively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect ng-eNB224 to 5GC260, specifically to UPF262 and AMF264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB222 may also be connected to 5GC260 via the control plane interface 265 to AMF264 and the user plane interface 263 to UPF262. Furthermore, ng-eNB224 may communicate directly with gNB222 via the backhaul connection 223, with or without gNB direct connectivity to 5GC260. In some configurations, the NG-RAN220 may have only one or more gNB222s, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNB224s and gNB222s. Either a gNB222 or an ng-eNB224 may communicate with a UE204 (for example, one of the UEs shown in Figure 1). The NG-RAN220 base station communicates with the AMF264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF262 via the N3 interface.

[0047]

[0058] The functions of AMF264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between UE204 and Session Management Function (SMF)266, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access permission, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between UE204 and Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor function (SEAF). AMF264 also interacts with Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE204 and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identification Module (USIM), AMF264 retrieves security materials from AUSF. The functions of AMF264 also include security context management (SCM). SCM receives keys from SEAF that it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF264's functionality also includes location service management for regulatory services, transport for location service messages between UE204 and LMF270 (acting as location server 230), transport for location service messages between NG-RAN220 and LMF270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interaction with Advanced Packet Systems (EPS), and UE204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, the AMF264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP® (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0048]

[0059] The functions of UPF262 include (when applicable) acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT mobility, acting as an external 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 on the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) versus QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking on 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. UPF262 may also support the forwarding of location service messages over the user plane between UE204 and location servers such as SLP272.

[0049]

[0060] The functions of the SMF266 ​​include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF262 for routing traffic to appropriate destinations, policy enforcement and some QoS control, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF266 ​​communicates with the AMF264 is called the N11 interface.

[0050]

[0061] Another optional embodiment may include an LMF270 that may communicate with 5GC260 to provide location assistance to UE204. LMF270 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 corresponding to a single server. LMF270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE204 that can connect to LMF270 via the core network, 5GC260, and / or via the internet (not shown). The SLP272 may support similar functionality to the LMF270, but the LMF270 can communicate with the AMF264, NG-RAN220, and UE204 on the control plane (for example, using interfaces and protocols intended to transmit signaling messages rather than voice or data), while the SLP272 can communicate with the UE204 and external clients (not shown in Figure 2B) on the user plane (for example, using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0051]

[0062] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C show several exemplary components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or perform any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support the file transmission operations taught herein. It will be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementation forms (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-a-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in the 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 by different technologies.

[0052]

[0063] UE 302 and base station 304 each include wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, and provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) for communicating over one or more wireless communication networks (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) such as NR networks, LTE networks, and GSM networks. 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, and base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB) over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over the wireless communication medium (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in various ways, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.). In particular, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each 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.

[0053]

[0064] UE 302 and base station 304 also include, in at least some cases, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 are connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and may provide means for communicating with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, and base stations via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi®, LTE-D, Bluetooth, Zigbee®, Z-Wave®, PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicular Environments (WAVE), Near-Field Communication (NFC), etc.) on the wireless communication medium (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.). Short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.), respectively. In particular, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth transceivers, Zigbee and / or Z-Wave® transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-anything (V2X) transceivers.

[0054]

[0065] A transceiver circuit comprising at least one transmitter and at least one receiver may, in some implementations, comprise an integrated device (for example, implemented as transmitter and receiver circuits of a single communication device), in some implementations comprise a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device, or in other implementations it may be implemented in other ways. In one embodiment, the transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, enabling each device to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, enabling each device to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one embodiment, the transmitter and receiver may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), so that each device can perform either receive or transmit only, rather than both receiving and transmitting simultaneously, at a given time. The wireless communication devices of UE302 and / or base station 304 (e.g., transceivers 310 and 320 and / or one or both of 350 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) for performing various measurements.

[0055]

[0066] UE302 and base station 304 also include, in at least some cases, satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, India's Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), and Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). SPS receivers 330 and 370 may each have any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may, as appropriate, request information and operations from other systems and perform calculations necessary to determine the positions of UE302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0056]

[0067] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390, respectively, and provide means for communicating with other network entities (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.). 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 embodiments, the network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signaling communication. This communication may involve sending and receiving, for example, messages, parameters, and / or other types of information.

[0057]

[0068] The UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes, for example, a processor circuit implementing a processing system 332 for providing functions related to wireless positioning and other processing functions. The base station 304 includes, for example, a processing system 384 for providing functions related to wireless positioning as disclosed herein and other processing functions. The network entity 306 includes, for example, a processing system 394 for providing functions related to wireless positioning as disclosed herein and other processing functions. 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, and means for indicating. In one embodiment, the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include one or more processors, such as one or more general-purpose processors, multicore processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0058]

[0069] The UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuits that implement memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively (for example, each including a memory device), to maintain information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). The memory components 340, 386, and 396 can therefore provide means for storing, retrieving, maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that, when executed, cause the UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein, either as part of or coupled to processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively. In other embodiments, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., being part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A shows possible locations for positioning component 342, which may be part of the WWAN transceiver 310, memory component 340, processing system 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3B shows possible locations for the positioning component 388, which may be part of the WWAN transceiver 350, the memory component 386, the processing system 384, or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component.Figure 3C shows possible locations for the positioning component 398, which may be part of (one or more) network interfaces 390, memory components 396, processing systems 394, or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component.

[0059]

[0070] UE302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the short-range wireless transceiver 320, and / or the SPS receiver 330. For example, the (one or more) sensors 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 motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the (one or more) sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the (one or more) sensors 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.

[0060]

[0071] Furthermore, UE302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or means for receiving user input (e.g., when a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, or microphone is activated). Although not shown, base stations 304 and network entities 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0061]

[0072] Referring more closely to the processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functions for the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting 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 associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via automatic retransmission requests (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0062]

[0073] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to a signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., two-phase-shift keying (BPSK), four-phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), multi-level quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier to generate a physical channel that carries a time-domain OFDM symbol stream, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then synthesized with each other using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT). The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates can be derived from the reference signal and / or channel state feedback transmitted by UE302. Each spatial stream can then be supplied to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can modulate RF carriers on each spatial stream for transmission.

[0063]

[0074] In UE302, receiver 312 receives signals through its respective (one or more) antennas 316. Receiver 312 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to reconstruct the spatial streams destined for UE302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by receiver 312. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal has a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are reconstructed and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decision is then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals initially transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to processing system 332, which implements Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0064]

[0075] In the uplink, processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between the transport channel and logical channel, packet reassembly, decoding, header reconstruction, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from the core network. Processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0065]

[0076] Similar to the functions described for downlink transmission by base station 304, processing system 332 provides RRC layer functions associated with acquiring system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with forwarding upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via hybrid automatic retransmission requests (HARQs), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0066]

[0077] The channel estimate 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 stream generated by the transmitter 314 may be supplied to (one or more) different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate the RF carrier in each spatial stream for transmission.

[0067]

[0078] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver function in UE302. Receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective (one or more) antennas 356. Receiver 352 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 384.

[0068]

[0079] In the uplink, processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between the transport channel and logical channel, packet reassembly, decoding, header reconstruction, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from UE302. IP packets from processing system 384 can be provided to the core network. Processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0069]

[0080] For convenience, the UE302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are shown in Figures 3A–3C as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated blocks may have different functions in different designs.

[0070]

[0081] Various components of UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. The components in Figures 3A to 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components in Figures 3A to 3C can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and (one or more) memory components of UE302 (for example, by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and (one or more) memory components of base station 304 (for example, by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by the processor and (one or more) memory components of the network entity 306 (for example, by the execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed “by the UE,” “by the base station,” “by the network entity,” etc. However, as should be understood, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components such as the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, including processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398.

[0071]

[0082] 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 of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Departure Angle (DL-AoD) in NR. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, the UE measures the difference between the Time of Arrival (ToA) of a reference signal (e.g., PRS, TRS, CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from a pair of base stations, called Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time of Arrival Difference (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., serving base station) and several non-reference base stations in the supporting data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE.

[0072]

[0083] In DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE, which are received signal intensity measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams, to determine one or more angles between the UE and one or more transmitting base stations. The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on one or more determined angles and one or more known locations of the one or more transmitting base stations.

[0073]

[0084] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA) and uplink arrival angle (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA but is based on an uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) transmitted by the UE. In UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal intensity of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receiving beams. A positioning entity uses the signal intensity measurement and the angles of the received beams to determine one or more angles between the UE and one or more base stations. Based on the determined angles and the known locations of the base stations, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0074]

[0085] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Extended Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multi-Round Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, an initiator (base station or UE) sends an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a responder (UE or base station), and the responder sends an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also known as "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. Based on propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and responder can be determined. In the case of multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs an RTT procedure with multiple base stations to allow its location to be determined based on the known locations of the base stations (for example, using multilateration). RTT methods and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy.

[0075]

[0086] 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 identifier, estimated timing, and signal strength of the detected neighbor base station. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of (one or more) base stations.

[0076]

[0087] To assist positioning operations, location servers (e.g., location servers 230, LMF270, SLP272) may provide support data to the UE. For example, the support data may include identifiers of the base station (or base station cell / TRP) from which the reference signal should be measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning subframes, the periodicity of the positioning subframes, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the support data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages). In some cases, the UE may be able to discover neighbor network nodes on its own without using support data.

[0077]

[0088] For OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the supporting data may further include the expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all (one or more) of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 8 μs.

[0078]

[0089] Location estimates may also be called by other names such as location estimate, location, position, position fix, or fix. A location estimate may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or it may be urban and comprise a place address, mailing address, or any other wording of the location. A location estimate may further be defined for some other known location, or it may be defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate may include expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume that the location is expected to encompass at some specified or default confidence level).

[0079]

[0090] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4A is Figure 400, which shows an example of a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Figure 4B is Figure 430, which shows an example of channels within a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0080]

[0091] LTE, and sometimes NR, utilize 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 divide the system bandwidth into several (K) orthogonal subcarriers, commonly called tones or bins. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, the modulation symbol is transmitted in the frequency domain in OFDM and in the time domain in SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, the nominal FFT sizes can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there can be one, two, four, eight, or sixteen subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0081]

[0092] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier interval (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple numerologies (μ), for example, subcarrier intervals of 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4), or larger, may be available. Each subcarrier interval has 14 symbols per slot. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are 2 slots per subframe and 20 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are 4 slots per subframe and 40 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.25ms, a symbol duration of 16.7μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 200 with a 4K FFT size. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are 8 slots per subframe and 80 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.125ms, a symbol duration of 8.33μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 400 with a 4K FFT size. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe and 160 slots per frame, with a slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 800 with a 4K FFT size.

[0082]

[0093] In the examples in Figures 4A and 4B, a 15kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1ms long, 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, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0083]

[0094] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, and each time slot contains 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 Figures 4A and 4B, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 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 contain 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.

[0084]

[0095] Some of the REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4A shows an exemplary location of an RE carrying a PRS (marked "R").

[0085]

[0096] The set of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" consecutive symbols (such as one or more) within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0086]

[0097] The transmission of a PRS resource within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier interval (or frequency / tone interval) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for a comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of the PRB's symbols. For example, for comb 4, for each 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 2, 4, 6, and 12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 4A shows an exemplary PRS resource configuration for comb 6 (spanning six symbols). That is, the locations of the shaded REs (marked "R") indicate the comb 6 PRS resource configuration.

[0087]

[0098] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot having a fully frequency-domain staggered pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in any upper-layer configured downlink or flexible (FL) symbols within a slot. There can be a constant resource element unit energy (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the inter-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12 across 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. Comb 2 with 2 symbols: {0,1}, Comb 2 with 4 symbols: {0,1,0,1}, Comb 2 with 6 symbols: {0,1,0,1,0,1}, Comb 2 with 12 symbols: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}, Comb 4 with 4 symbols: {0,2,1,3}, Comb 4 with 12 symbols: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, Comb 6 with 6 symbols: {0,3,1,4,2,5}, Comb 6 with 12 symbols: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}, and Comb 12 with 12 symbols: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0088]

[0099] 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, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by its PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by its TRP ID). Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor") across slots. Periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource in the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource in the next PRS instance. The periodicity can have lengths selected from 2^μ*{4,5,8,10,16,20,32,40,64,80,160,320,640,1280,2560,5120,10240} slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The iteration coefficient can have lengths selected from {1,2,4,6,8,16,32} slots.

[0089]

[0100] 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 more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, "PRS resource" or simply "resource" may also be referred to as "beam." Note that this does not imply in any way whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0090]

[0101] A "PRS instance" or "PRS occasion" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive slots) in which PRS is expected to be sent. A PRS occasion may also be called a "PRS positioning occasion," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning occasion," "positioning instance," "positioning iteration," or simply "occasion," "instance," or "iteration."

[0091]

[0102] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply called a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs having the same values ​​for several parameters. In detail, a collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning all numerologies supported for physical downlink shared channels (PDSCHs) are also supported for PRS), the same point A, the same value for downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" ("ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers are defined, and up to two PRS resource sets may be configured per TRP per frequency layer.

[0092]

[0103] The concept of frequency layers is somewhat similar to the concepts of component carriers and bandwidth portions (BWPs), but differs in that component carriers and BWPs are used by a single base station (or macrocell and smallcell base stations) to transmit data channels, while frequency layers are used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. When a UE sends its positioning capability to the network, such as during an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) session, it may indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, a UE may indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0093]

[0104] Figure 4B shows an example of various channels within a downlink slot of a radio frame. In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a contiguous set of PRBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs for a given numerology on a given carrier. Generally, up to four BWPs can be specified on the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can consist of up to four BWPs on the downlink and up to four BWPs on the uplink. At a given time, only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active, meaning that the UE can receive or transmit on only one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of the SSB, but it may or may not include the SSB.

[0094]

[0105] Referring to Figure 4B, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine the subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification information. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identification information group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification information and physical layer cell identification information group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS mentioned above. Physical broadcast channels (PBCHs) carrying MIBs can be logically grouped using the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also called SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The PDSCH carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0095]

[0106] A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE containing one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which may span multiple symbols in the time domain), each REG bundle containing one or more REGs, each REG corresponding to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called the control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is limited to a single CORESET and transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0096]

[0107] In the example in Figure 4B, there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be only one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is localized into its own region in the frequency domain (i.e., the CORESET). Therefore, the frequency components of the PDCCH shown in Figure 4B are shown as smaller than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that the illustrated CORESET is contiguous in the frequency domain, but it does not need to be. Furthermore, the CORESET can span fewer than three symbols in the time domain.

[0097]

[0108] Within a PDCCH, DCIs carry information about uplink resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent), referred to as uplink authorization and downlink authorization, and a description of the downlink data to be sent to the UE. More specifically, DCIs indicate the resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured in a PDCCH, and these DCIs may have one of several formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc. A PDCCH may be transported by one, two, four, eight, or sixteen CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0098]

[0109] Figure 5 shows an exemplary system 500 for wireless communication using a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) 510, according to the embodiments of the disclosure. The RIS (e.g., RIS 510) is a two-dimensional surface comprising a number of low-cost, low-power, nearly passive reflective elements whose properties are not static but reconfigurable (by software). For example, the scattering, absorption, reflection, and diffraction properties of the RIS can be modified over time by carefully tuning the phase shifts of the reflective elements (using software). In this way, the electromagnetic (EM) properties of the RIS can be designed to collect a wireless signal from a transmitter (e.g., a base station, UE, etc.) and passively beamform the wireless signal toward a target receiver (e.g., another base station, another UE, etc.). In the example of Figure 5, a first base station 502-1 controls the reflective properties of the RIS 510 to communicate with a first UE 504-1.

[0099]

[0110] The goal of RIS technology is to create a smart wireless environment where wireless propagation conditions are co-designed with physical layer signaling. The extended capabilities of System 500 can provide technological benefits in several scenarios.

[0100]

[0111] As shown in Figure 5, in a first exemplary scenario, a first base station 502-1 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein) attempts to transmit downlink wireless signals to a first UE 504-1 and a second UE 504-2 (e.g., any two of the UEs described herein, collectively referred to as UE 504) on multiple downlink transmit beams labeled “0”, “1”, “2”, and “3”. However, unlike the second UE 504-2, the first UE 504-1 is behind an obstacle 520 (e.g., a building, a hill, or another type of obstacle) and therefore cannot receive the wireless signal on what would otherwise be the line-of-sight (LOS) beam from the first base station 502-1, i.e., the downlink transmit beam labeled “2”. In this scenario, the first base station 502-1 may instead transmit a wireless signal to the RIS 510 using the downlink transmit beam labeled "1", and configure the RIS 510 to reflect / beamform the incident wireless signal toward the first UE 504-1. This allows the first base station 502-1 to transmit a wireless signal around the obstacle 520.

[0101]

[0112] It should be noted that the first base station 502-1 may also constitute the RIS 510 for the use of the first UE 504-1 in the uplink. In that case, the first base station 502-1 may configure the RIS 510 to reflect the uplink signal from the first UE 504-1 back to the first base station 502-1, thereby enabling the first UE 504-1 to transmit the uplink signal around the obstacle 520.

[0102]

[0113] As another exemplary scenario in which system 500 may offer technical advantages, the first base station 502-1 may realize that obstacle 520 may create a “dead zone,” i.e., a geographical area in which the downlink wireless signal from the first base station 502-1 is attenuated too much to be reliably detected by UEs in that area (e.g., the first UE 504-1). In this scenario, the first base station 502-1 configures RIS 510 to reflect the downlink wireless signal through the dead zone in order to provide coverage to UEs that may be located in the dead zone, including UEs that the first base station 502-1 is unaware of.

[0103]

[0114] A RIS (for example, RIS510) may be designed to operate in either a first mode (referred to as "Mode 1") where the RIS acts as a reconfigurable mirror, or a second mode (referred to as "Mode 2") where the RIS acts as both a receiver and transmitter (similar to the amplifier and forward function of a relay node). Some RISs may be designed to operate in either Mode 1 or Mode 2, while others may be designed to operate in either Mode 1 or Mode 2 only. A Mode 1 RIS is assumed to have negligible hardware group delay, while a Mode 2 RIS, by being equipped with baseband processing capabilities, has non-negligible hardware group delay. Due to the greater processing capabilities of a Mode 2 RIS compared to a Mode 1 RIS, a Mode 2 RIS may, in some cases, be capable of calculating and reporting their receive-to-transmit (Tx-Rx) time difference measurements (i.e., the difference between the time the signal is forwarded to the UE and the time the signal is received back from the UE). In the example in Figure 5, the RIS510 may be either a Mode 1 RIS or a Mode 2 RIS.

[0104]

[0115] Figure 5 also shows a second base station 502-2 that can transmit downlink wireless signals to one or both of the UE504. For example, the first base station 502-1 may be a serving base station for the UE504, and the second base station 502-2 may be a neighboring base station. The second base station 502-2 may transmit downlink positioning reference signals to one or both of the UE504 as part of a positioning procedure involving one or more of the UE504. Alternatively or additionally, the second base station 502-2 may be a secondary cell for one or both of the UE504. In some cases, the second base station 502-2 may also be capable of reconfiguring the RIS510, provided that the RIS510 is not controlled by the first base station 502-1 at that time.

[0105]

[0116] Figure 5 shows one RIS510 and one base station controlling the RIS510 (i.e., the first base station 502-1), but note that the first base station 502-1 can control multiple RIS510s. Furthermore, the RIS510 can be controlled by multiple base stations 502 (for example, both the first base station 502-1 and the second base station 502-2, and possibly more).

[0106]

[0117] Figure 6 shows an exemplary system 600 for wireless communications using multiple RISs 610 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 6, instead of having one or several larger RISs (as in the exemplary system 500 of Figure 5 which has one RIS 510), there may be a greater number of distributed RISs, which may have smaller form factors. For example, a larger RIS may be 5 x 5 meters or be incorporated into the side of a building, while a smaller RIS may be 2 x 2 meters or 1 x 2 meters, as is the size of a MIMO antenna. Figure 6 shows four RISs 610 (in detail, RISs 610-1, RISs 610-2, RISs 610-3, and RISs 610-4) distributed around a single base station 602 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein). Base station 602 may be serving three UEs 604 (in detail, UEs 604-1, UEs 604-2, and UEs 604-3), which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein.

[0107]

[0118] Base station 602 can control the reflection characteristics of RIS610 to communicate with UE604. For example, base station 602 may communicate with UE604-3 solely by RIS610-3. Similarly, base station 602 may communicate with UE604-2 by either or both of RIS610-2 and RIS610-4. In contrast, base station 602 may communicate with UE604-1 directly and / or via RIS610-1. Also, as shown in Figure 6, UE604 may be associated with one or more RIS610s. For example, UE604-2 may communicate with base station 602 via either or both of RIS610-2 and RIS610-4.

[0108]

[0119] As can be understood, a system with more (smaller) distributed RISs (as in Figure 6) compared to having one or a few larger RISs (as in Figure 5) provides better spatial transmit / receive diversity from an UE perspective. However, such a system may also create a noisier environment.

[0109]

[0120] Figure 6 shows three UE604s and four RIS610s communicating with base station 602, but as can be understood, there may be more or fewer UE604s and RIS610s than the three and four shown, respectively.

[0110]

[0121] The RIS can be controlled via a wired or wireless interface. Figure 7 is an example of how the RIS can be controlled via wireless downlink signaling according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 7, time is represented horizontally, and each block represents a slot. In the example of Figure 7, the base station transmits a PDCCH in slot n to serve two purposes: (1) to configure the phase for each RIS element (i.e., each reflecting element) of the RIS, and (2) to schedule a downlink enable (PDSCH) for a particular UE for slot n+k. Between slot n and slot n+k, the RIS is configured to serve a particular UE; that is, the phase of its reflecting elements is configured to reflect downlink signals from the base station to the UE, and possibly uplink signals from the UE to the base station. If k is large, all of the time / frequency RIS resources between the PDCCH and PDSCH are wasted.

[0111]

[0122] It would be preferable that RIS-assisted positioning be supported in a UE-transparent manner. Figure 8 shows two exemplary scenarios for wireless positioning using RIS 810 according to aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 8, base station 802 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein) controls RIS 810 (e.g., any of the RISs described herein) and transmits PRS to UE 804 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0112]

[0123] Figure 8 shows two scenarios for transmitting PRS resources from base station 802 to UE 804. In scenario 800, RIS 810 is "on" (i.e., reflecting PRS resources toward UE 804), and UE 804 will receive two main paths for PRS transmission from base station 802. In detail, UE 804 will receive PRS resources directly from base station 802 on path 812 and reflected PRS resources from RIS 810 on path 814. In scenario 850, RIS 810 is "off" (i.e., not reflecting PRS resources toward UE 804), and the UE will therefore receive a single main path for PRS transmission from base station 802. As shown in Figure 8, the earliest ToA is the same in both scenarios. In detail, the earliest ToA in both scenario 800 and scenario 850 is the ToA of path 812 at peak 822.

[0113]

[0124] In the example in Figure 8, the peak 822 for route 812 (represented by the shorter vertical line) is weaker than the peak 824 for route 814 (represented by the longer vertical line). This could be due to some interference between UE804 and base station 802, or due to the greater distance between UE804 and base station 802.

[0114]

[0125] As a first method for supporting RIS-assisted positioning in UE transparent mode, a single PRS ID can be associated with a single PRS resource. Thus, in scenario 800, a PRS resource received directly from base station 802 on route 812 will have the same PRS ID as a PRS resource received on route 814 reflected from RIS 810. In this method, UE 804 will report information related to multipath and timestamps about the PRS resource without knowing whether one of the routes (route 814) is a reflection from RIS 810. However, the network will know when RIS 810 was "on" and therefore can correlate UE 804's multipath report with the on / off channel profile of RIS 810. In other words, the network (e.g., location server, serving base station) can determine whether RIS810 was "on" when UE804 was measuring PRS resources, and if RIS810 was "on", it can determine that one of the reported multipaths (path 814) originated from RIS810.

[0115]

[0126] This method has several drawbacks. For example, UE-based positioning (where the UE804 calculates its location using information from the network) is not inherently supported because each PRS resource is associated with a single geographical transmission point (there is no support for a single PRS resource to be associated with two transmitter locations). Furthermore, the UE804 cannot consistently leverage large statistics across measurements because it does not know the on / off status of the RIS810, resulting in suboptimal peak detection. In addition, the UE804 does not receive supporting data with multiple expected search windows to help the UE804 detect both peak 822 and peak 824.

[0116]

[0127] In a second method for supporting RIS-assisted positioning in UE transparent mode, a single PRS ID may be associated with two PRS resources. Base station 802 may transmit the first PRS resource when RIS 810 is "on" and the second PRS resource when RIS 810 is "off". As in the first method, UE 804 reports information related to multipath and timestamps for the received PRS resource (whether first or second). The network will know which PRS resource corresponds to which RIS state and can associate UE 804's multipath report with the on / off channel profile of RIS 810.

[0117]

[0128] This approach also has several drawbacks. For example, the received power delay profiles (PDPs) of two PRS resources will have a strong correlation (as long as their earliest ToA is the same), and currently there is no signaling to provide this association to the UE804. Furthermore, in the case of UE-based positioning, the currently supported support data already allows the network to configure separate locations for each PRS resource (for example, each PRS resource may be associated with a different TRP). However, this is not beneficial in this approach (compared to a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) scenario) because RIS "on" PRS resources still have the same earliest ToA and therefore the same transmit point as RIS "off" PRS resources.

[0118]

[0129] This disclosure provides techniques for improving positioning-aided data signaling to take into account the presence of RISs. As a first technique, a PRS resource may be associated with multiple antenna point locations (as described above, a PRS resource is currently associated with a single transmit point). That is, each PRS resource configuration in the support data for a positioning session (e.g., from a location server) may include an association between the PRS resource and multiple transmit point locations, including the location of the TRP that actually transmits the PRS resource. More specifically, in addition to the location of the TRP that transmits the PRS resource (as currently supported), the signaling framework may be versatile enough to allow the association of the PRS resource with controllable or uncontrollable reflect locations, and / or reflects with known or unknown locations.

[0119]

[0130] When referring to controllable or uncontrollable reflective locations, these may be known locations of RISs or other reflectors identified in the environment (e.g., mirrors, windows, steel walls, etc.). With respect to RISs, the network may or may not be able to control the reflective direction of the RIS, either because the RIS is static or because the network cannot control that particular RIS for some reason (e.g., because that particular RIS belongs to a different network). In either case, the location of the RIS is known to the network and may be included in the supporting data. With respect to other reflectors, these may not be controllable by the network and may be identified in the environment via crowdsourcing. When referring to reflectors with unknown locations, these may be RISs with unknown locations (e.g., associated with a different network) or other mappable reflectors whose location is unknown but which are identified in the environment (e.g., via crowdsourcing).

[0120]

[0131] Such a general-purpose signaling framework may be made possible by providing a list of reflecting point objects (RPOs) in the support data for each PRS resource. Each RPO may be associated with an RPO-ID and a point location (i.e., the geographical location of the reflecting point, if known). Thus, for a PRS resource location in the positioning support data, in addition to the antenna reference point (ARP) location field for the geographical location of the TRP transmitting the PRS resource, there would be one or more ARP reflecting location fields for the known geographical locations of (one or more) reflectors in the UE environment (e.g., RIS or other reflectors identified in the environment).

[0121]

[0132] Figure 9 shows an exemplary system 900 for wireless communications having a plurality of RIS910s according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In detail, Figure 9 shows two RIS910s, a first RIS910-1 (labeled "RIS1") and a second RIS910-2 (labeled "RIS2"). Figure 9 also shows a base station 902 (e.g., one of the base stations described herein) serving a UE904 (e.g., one of the UEs described herein). In the example of Figure 9, the base station 902 is capable of controlling the reflectivity of the RIS910s to communicate with the UE904. Furthermore, the locations of the RIS910s are known to the network.

[0122]

[0133] As shown in Figure 9, both RIS910s are "on". Therefore, the PRS transmitted by base station 902 is reflected by the RIS910s toward UE904. In this scenario, for the technique described above, the positioning assistance data (from, for example, the location server or base station 902) would include an ARP location field for the location of base station 902, a first ARP reflected location field for the location of RIS910-1, and a second ARP reflected location field for the location of RIS910-2. Note that even if the reflection direction of the RIS910s was not controllable by the network (e.g., base station 902), their locations are known, so the assistance data would still include those locations in the ARP reflected location fields.

[0123]

[0134] Please note that the terms "reflecting point object" and "RPO" may refer to a physical reflector or RPO information relating to a physical reflector.

[0124]

[0135] As a second technique to improve positioning aid data signaling to account for the presence of RIS (and other reflectors), positioning aid data may include a set of reflecting point objects (RPOs), where each RPO includes the following parameters: an RPO-ID (which may be an index value in this technique), a geographical location, and optionally, a specific frequency band and / or frequency range of applicability. In this scenario, the ARP field of a PRS resource may include (or be associated with) one or more RPO-IDs pointing to associated RPOs (and an RPO-ID may be associated with one or more PRS resources). RPO information (without association with PRS resources, PRS resource sets, positioning frequency layers, and / or TRPs) may be sent to the UE in separate signaling. For example, a base station may broadcast RPOs in one or more positioning SIBs (posSIBs). Alternatively, a base station may transmit RPO information to the UE in one or more RRC or MAC control element (MAC-CE) messages. Alternatively, the location server may send RPO information to the UE in one or more LPP messages.

[0125]

[0136] Referring again to Figure 9, in the technique described above, the UE904 will receive RPO information at some point before or during the positioning session. The RPO information will include a first RPO for RIS910-1 and a second RPO for RIS910-2. Each RPO will include the RPO-ID (e.g., index value), geographical location, and optionally, specific frequency bands and / or frequency ranges of applicability for each RIS910. For example, RIS910-1 may operate in FR1, and RIS910-2 may operate in FR2.

[0126]

[0137] Referring again to Figure 9, the positioning assistance data (for example, from the location server or base station 902) will include an ARP location field for the location of base station 902, a first ARP reflected location field for the RPO of RIS910-1, and a second ARP reflected location field for the RPO of RIS910-2. That is, instead of each ARP reflected location field containing the geographical location of each RIS910, as in the first technique, each ARP reflected location field will contain the RPO-ID of each RIS910. Note that even if the reflection direction of the RIS910s was not controllable by the network (for example, base station 902), their locations are known, so the RPO information will still contain those locations.

[0127]

[0138] As described above, the network may be able to configure / control the reflection direction of the RIS. This should be taken into consideration in positioning assistance data. As a first option, multiple RPOs can be defined, each having different RPO-IDs, but each having the same geographic location and operating bandwidth / frequency range. Each of the different RPO-IDs will be associated with a different reflection direction of the RIS.

[0128]

[0139] Figures 10A to 10C illustrate an exemplary system for wireless communication using RIS 1010 according to aspects of this disclosure. More specifically, Figures 10A to 10C show a base station 1002 (e.g., one of the base stations described herein) that services UE 1004 (e.g., one of the UEs described herein) and controls RIS 1010 (e.g., one of the RISs described herein). That is, base station 1002 is capable of controlling the reflectivity of RIS 1010 to communicate with UE 1004. Furthermore, the location of RIS 1010 is known to the network.

[0129]

[0140] In Figure 1000 of Figure 10A, base station 1002 transmits a PRS resource (labeled "PRS resource 1") to UE 1004 and RIS 1010, and further configures RIS 1010 to reflect the PRS resource in a first direction on a first beam 1020-1 (labeled "beam 1"). In Figure 1030 of Figure 10B, base station 1002 transmits a PRS resource to UE 1004 and RIS 1010, and further configures RIS 1010 to reflect the PRS resource in a second direction on a second beam 1020-2 (labeled "beam 2"). In Figure 10C, Figure 1050, base station 1002 transmits PRS resources to UE 1004 and RIS 1010, and further configures RIS 1010 to reflect PRS resources in a third direction on a third beam 1020-3 (labeled "beam 3").

[0130]

[0141] In the example in Figure 10A, for the first option described herein (labeled "Option 1"), the RPO-ID for RIS1010 when reflecting off beam 1020-1 is "0". In the example in Figure 10B, the RPO-ID for RIS1010 when reflecting off beam 1020-2 is "1". In the example in Figure 10C, the RPO-ID for RIS1010 when reflecting off beam 1020-3 is "2". The rest of the information associated with each RPO-ID will be the same; that is, the geographical location and operating frequency bandwidth / frequency range for RPO-IDs "0", "1", and "2" will be the same, since each RPO-ID refers to a different beam of the same RIS1010.

[0131]

[0142] It should be noted that while base station 1002 may be an entity that constitutes the reflection direction of RIS1010, base station 1002 does not necessarily have to be that entity. The network simply needs to know the different reflection directions of RIS1010, which may be configured to provide RPO information to UE1004.

[0132]

[0143] As a second option for considering the configurability of the RIS reflection direction, each RPO may be associated with an RPO-ID and an RPO-beam-set. Each RPO-beam-set may contain a list of RPO-beam-IDs (e.g., index values) corresponding to different transmit filters (or receive / transmit filters) of a controllable RIS, i.e., transmit beams. The combination of RPO-ID and RPO-beam-ID will therefore correspond to a unique controllable reflection direction with a unique transmit space filter (or transmit / receive space filter), i.e., a transmit beam. If the RPO is not controllable (i.e., the direction of RIS reflection cannot be controlled, or the RPO is not a RIS), then the RPO will not contain an RPO-beam-ID and will be characterized entirely by the RPO-ID and its associated location.

[0133]

[0144] Referring again to Figures 10A-10C, for the second option (labeled "Option 2"), the RPO-ID for RIS1010 is "0". In the example in Figure 10A, the RPO-beam-ID for beam 1020-1 is "0". In the example in Figure 10B, the RPO-beam-ID for beam 1020-2 is "1". In the example in Figure 10C, the RPO-beam-ID for beam 1020-3 is "2". Different RPO-beam-IDs will constitute an RPO-beam-set when RPO-ID=0. The RPO-ID will also include the geographical location and operating frequency bandwidth / frequency range for RIS1010.

[0134]

[0145] For RPOs with unknown locations, location estimation information may be included in the RPO configuration. This can be based on crowdsourced information from multiple UEs detecting reflections from the RPO.

[0135]

[0146] In one embodiment, there can be flexible and dynamic associations between PRS-IDs and RPO-IDs. More specifically, there can be static (re)associations (e.g., via an LPP Provide Assistance Data message at the start of a positioning session), semi-static (re)associations (e.g., via RRC and / or LPP signaling), or dynamic (re)associations (e.g., via MAC-CE and / or DCI) between a PRS-ID, PRS Resource ID, PRS Resource Set ID, TRP ID, and / or positioning frequency layer and one or more RPO-IDs or RPO-Beam-IDs. Thus, depending on whether the association is static, semi-static, or dynamic, the association can be changed / reconfigured before or during a positioning session. The UE can receive (re)association commands from a serving base station or location server (e.g., a location server associated with a RIS controller server).

[0136]

[0147] Figure 11 shows an exemplary system for wireless communications having multiple RIS1110s according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In detail, Figure 11 shows two RIS1110s, a first RIS1110-1 (labeled "RIS1") and a second RIS1110-2 (labeled "RIS2"). Figure 11 also shows a base station 1102 (e.g., one of the base stations described herein) serving a UE1104 (e.g., one of the UEs described herein). In the example of Figure 11, base station 1102 is capable of controlling the reflectivity of the RIS1110 to transmit a PRS resource (labeled "PRS resource 1") to the UE1104. Furthermore, the location of the RIS1110 is known to the network.

[0137]

[0148] As shown in Figure 1100, both RIS1110s are "on". Therefore, the location information for the PRS resource (labeled "PRS resource 1-location") includes the ARP location field for the PRS resource (labeled "TRP location", giving the location of base station 1102), the RPO-ID and RPO-beam-ID for the first RIS1110-1 (labeled "RPO1-ID" and "RPO-beam 1-ID", respectively), and the RPO-ID and RPO-beam-ID for the second RIS1110-2 (labeled "RPO2-ID" and "RPO-beam 2-ID", respectively).

[0138]

[0149] As shown in Figure 1130, RIS1110-1 is either “off,” not transmitting to UE1104, or not detectable by UE1104. Therefore, the PRS resource location field is updated to include the RPO-ID ("RPO2-ID") and RPO-beam-ID ("RPO-beam2-ID") for the second RIS1110-2 only. The PRS resource location field can be updated by sending the entire new PRS resource location field (e.g., "PRS resource1-location"), only the updated portion (e.g., "RPO2-ID" and "RPO-beam2-ID"), an instruction to ignore the RPO information for the first RIS1110-1, an instruction that only the RPO information for the second RIS1110-2 is valid, and so on.

[0139]

[0150] As shown in Figure 1150, RIS1110-1 is turned back "on," and RIS1110-2 is either turned "off," or not transmitting to UE1104, or not detectable by UE1104. Therefore, the PRS resource location field is updated to include the RPO-ID ("RPO1-ID") and RPO-beam-ID ("RPO-beam1-ID") for the first RIS1110-1 only. The PRS resource location field may be updated in the same way that it is updated for RIS1110-1 being turned "off" and RIS1110-2 being turned "on" (Figure 1130).

[0140]

[0151] Figure 12 shows an exemplary method 1200 of wireless positioning according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, method 1200 may be carried out by a UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0141]

[0152] In 1210, the UE engages in a positioning session or a detection session. The UE may request positioning assistance data to conduct a positioning session. In one embodiment, operation 1210 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.

[0142]

[0153] In 1220, the UE receives support data from a network entity (e.g., a location server, a serving base station) for at least one PRS resource transmitted by a transmission point (e.g., a TRP, a base station, a beacon transmitter, etc.), the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmission point, the support data further includes RPO information for at least one RPO capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource, the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO. In one embodiment, operation 1220 may be performed by a WWAN transceiver 310, a processing system 332, a memory component 340, and / or a positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0143]

[0154] Within a "detection" session, location information for at least one RPO may include an approximate location or target "search space" for the UE to initiate detection processing. This may be provided as uncertainty-region information. Within a positioning session, location information for at least one RPO may include the actual location of the RPO (and, if the RPO is not a "point reflector", possibly shape information). Thus, the location may be in the format of longitude and latitude, or, if applicable, in the format of (x,y,z) coordinates relative to a reference point. The reference point may be the location of the transmission point, or the reference point may be comprised of supporting data containing all RPOs. If the location information includes shape information, this may be, for example, the (x,y,z) coordinates of the corners of the shape and a shape identifier (e.g., a plane).

[0144]

[0155] Figure 13 shows an exemplary method 1300 of wireless positioning according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, method 1300 may be carried out by a network entity (for example, any of the base stations, location servers 230, LMF 270, or SLP 272 described herein).

[0145]

[0156] In 1310, the network entity engages in a positioning or sensing session with a UE (for example, any of the UEs described herein). In one embodiment, if the network entity is a base station, operation 1310 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 350, processing system 384, memory component 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation. If the network entity is a location server, operation 1310 may be performed by the network interface 390, processing system 394, memory component 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0146]

[0157] In 1320, the network entity determines RPO information for at least one RPO from which a waveform can be reflected, and the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO. In one embodiment, if the network entity is a base station, operation 1320 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 350, processing system 384, memory component 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation. If the network entity is a location server, operation 1320 may be performed by the network interface 390, processing system 394, memory component 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0147]

[0158] In operation 1330, the network entity transmits RPO information to the UE. In one embodiment, if the network entity is a base station, operation 1330 may be performed by the WWAN transceiver 350, processing system 384, memory component 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation. If the network entity is a location server, operation 1330 may be performed by the network interface 390, processing system 394, memory component 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0148]

[0159] As should be understood, the technical advantages of Method 1200 include enabling the use of RIS for UE-based positioning and more accurate and robust estimation of the earliest ToA and multipath components in the case of UE-assisted positioning.

[0149]

[0160] The detailed explanation above may show that different features are grouped together in the examples. This format of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than those explicitly stated in each clause. Rather, the various aspects of this disclosure may contain fewer features than all features of the individual exemplary clauses disclosed. Accordingly, the following clauses should be considered incorporated herein, and each clause may exist as a separate example by itself. Each dependent clause may, in the clause, refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, but the (one or more) aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to a specific combination. It will be understood that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of (one or more) dependent clause aspects with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include certain combinations (for example, contradictory aspects such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor) unless it is explicitly stated or easily inferred that such combinations are not intended. Furthermore, it is also intended that the form of the clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause is not directly subordinate to that independent clause.

[0150]

[0161] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered sections.

[0151]

[0162] Clause 1. A wireless positioning method performed by a user device (UE), comprising: engaging in a positioning session or a detection session; receiving support data from a network entity for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point; the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point; the support data further includes RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource; and the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0152]

[0163] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is controllable.

[0153]

[0164] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 2, wherein at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0154]

[0165] Clause 4. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is not controllable.

[0155]

[0166] Clause 5. The method according to Clause 4, wherein at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0156]

[0167] Clause 6. The method described in any of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the location information for at least one RPO is the geographical location of at least one RPO.

[0157]

[0168] Clause 7. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the geographical location of at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity, and the location information for at least one RPO is the estimated location of at least one RPO.

[0158]

[0169] Clause 8. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the PRS Resource Location field includes the geographical location of the transmission point and location information for at least one RPO.

[0159]

[0170] Clause 9. The method of any of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, and the PRS resource location field includes the geographical location of the transmission point and an RPO identifier.

[0160]

[0171] Clause 10. RPO information further includes the frequency band, frequency range, or both of which operate at least one RPO, as described in Clause 9.

[0161]

[0172] Clause 11. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 10, further comprising receiving RPO information in broadcast information from a base station.

[0162]

[0173] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 11, wherein the broadcast information comprises a positioning system information block (PosSIB).

[0163]

[0174] Clause 13. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 10, further comprising receiving RPO information in unicast information from a serving base station.

[0164]

[0175] Clause 14. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 13, further comprising sending a request for RPO information to a network entity.

[0165]

[0176] Clause 15. The method according to any of Clauses 1 to 14, wherein the RPO is a RIS, and the RIS is associated with multiple RPO identifiers, each of which is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS.

[0166]

[0177] Clause 16. The method according to any of Clauses 1 to 14, wherein the RPO is a RIS, and the RIS is associated with a single RPO identifier and a plurality of RPO beam identifiers, each of which is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS.

[0167]

[0178] Clause 17. The method described in any of Clauses 1 through 16, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is statically configured.

[0168]

[0179] Clause 18. The method of Clause 17, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is statically configured, wherein the support data is received via Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) support data provision messages.

[0169]

[0180] Clause 19. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 16, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically.

[0170]

[0181] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, the support data is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, LPP signaling, or both signaling.

[0171]

[0182] Clause 21. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 16, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured.

[0172]

[0183] Clause 22. The method according to Clause 21, wherein the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured, the supporting data is received via a media access control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), or both.

[0173]

[0184] Clause 23. A wireless positioning method performed by a network entity, comprising: engaging in a positioning session or detection session with a user device (UE); determining RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform; and transmitting RPO information to the UE, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0174]

[0185] Clause 24. The method according to Clause 23, wherein at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0175]

[0186] Clause 25. The method of Clause 23, wherein at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0176]

[0187] Clause 26. The method described in any of Clauses 23 to 25, wherein the location information for at least one RPO is the geographical location of at least one RPO.

[0177]

[0188] Clause 27. The method of any one of Clauses 23 to 25, wherein the geographical location of at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity, and the location information for at least one RPO is the estimated location of at least one RPO.

[0178]

[0189] Clause 28. The method of any of Clauses 23 to 27, wherein the RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, and the PRS resource location field includes the geographical location of the transmission point and an RPO identifier.

[0179]

[0190] Clause 29. User equipment (UE) comprising memory, a transceiver, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to engage in a positioning session or a sensing session, and to receive, via the transceiver, support data from a network entity about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information about at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with at least one PRS resource, and the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0180]

[0191] Clause 30. The UE described in Clause 29, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is controllable.

[0181]

[0192] Clause 31. At least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs, as described in Clause 30.

[0182]

[0193] Clause 32. The direction of reflection from at least one RPO is not controllable, as described in Clause 29.

[0183]

[0194] Clause 33. At least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs, as described in Clause 32.

[0184]

[0195] Clause 34. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 33, whose location information for at least one RPO is the geographical location of at least one RPO.

[0185]

[0196] Clause 35. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 33, wherein the geographical location of at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity, and the location information for at least one RPO is the estimated location of at least one RPO.

[0186]

[0197] Clause 36. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 35, whose PRS Resource Location field includes the geographical location of the transmission point and location information for at least one RPO.

[0187]

[0198] Clause 37. A UE as described in any of Clauses 29 to 36, wherein the RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, and the PRS resource location field includes the geographical location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier.

[0188]

[0199] Clause 38. RPO information further includes the frequency band, frequency range, or both of which the RPO operates in, as set forth in Clause 37 for the UE.

[0189]

[0200] Clause 39. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 38, further configured to receive RPO information in broadcast information from a base station via a transceiver.

[0190]

[0201] Clause 40. A UE as described in Clause 39, whose broadcast information includes a Positioning System Information Block (PosSIB).

[0191]

[0202] Clause 41. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 38, further configured to receive RPO information in unicast information from a serving base station via a transceiver.

[0192]

[0203] Clause 42. The processor is further configured to cause the transceiver to send a request for RPO information to a network entity, as described in any of Clauses 29 to 41.

[0193]

[0204] Clause 43. A UE as described in any of Clauses 29 to 42, wherein the RPO is a RIS, and the RIS is associated with multiple RPO identifiers, each of which is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS.

[0194]

[0205] Clause 44. A UE as described in any of Clauses 29 to 42, wherein the RPO is a RIS, and the RIS is associated with a single RPO identifier and multiple RPO beam identifiers, each of which is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS.

[0195]

[0206] Clause 45. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 through 44, in which the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is statically configured.

[0196]

[0207] Clause 46. The association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is statically configured, wherein the support data is received via Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) support data provision messages, as described in Clause 45.

[0197]

[0208] Clause 47. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 to 44, in which the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically.

[0198]

[0209] Clause 48. The association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, wherein the support data is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, LPP signaling, or both, as described in Clause 47.

[0199]

[0210] Clause 49. A UE described in any of Clauses 29 through 44, in which the association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured.

[0200]

[0211] Clause 50. The association of at least one RPO identifier with at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured, wherein the supporting data is received via a Media Access Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), or both, as described in Clause 49.

[0201]

[0212] Clause 51. A network entity comprising memory, a transceiver, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to engage in a positioning session or a sensing session with a user device (UE), determine RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and cause the transceiver to transmit the RPO information to the UE, wherein the RPO information includes location information for at least one RPO.

[0202]

[0213] Clause 52. A network entity as described in Clause 51, wherein at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0203]

[0214] Clause 53. At least one RPO is a network entity as described in Clause 51, which is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs.

[0204]

[0215] Clause 54. A network entity as described in any of Clauses 51 to 53, whose location information for at least one RPO is the geographical location of at least one RPO.

[0205]

[0216] Clause 55. A network entity as described in any of Clauses 51 to 53, whose geographical location of at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity, and whose location information for at least one RPO is the estimated location of at least one RPO.

[0206]

[0217] Clause 56. A network entity as described in any of Clauses 51 to 55, wherein the RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, and the PRS resource location field includes the geographical location and RPO identifier of at least one RPO.

[0207]

[0218] Clause 57. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method described in any of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0208]

[0219] Clause 58. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions include at least one instruction causing a computer or processor to perform the method described in any of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0209]

[0220] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of the various different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented by voltage, electric current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0210]

[0221] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly demonstrate this hardware- and software compatibility, various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above in general terms of their function. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in various ways for each specific application, but such decisions should not be construed as resulting in a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0211]

[0222] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or carried out using general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (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. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0212]

[0223] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented directly in hardware, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. 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 disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as separate components in a user terminal.

[0213]

[0224] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via computer-readable media as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and computer communication media, including any media that enables the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. Such computer-readable media may include, but not exclusively, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Any connection is also appropriately referred to as computer-readable media. 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, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of media. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laserdisc (disc), optical disc (disc), digital versatile disc (disc) (DVD), floppy disk (disk), and Blu-ray (disc), where disk typically reproduces data magnetically and disc optically reproduces data by laser. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0214]

[0225] While the above disclosures illustrate exemplary aspects of the Disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the Disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims in the aspects of the Disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in a specific order. Furthermore, while elements of the Disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is intended unless explicitly stated to limit them to the singular. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below. [C1] A wireless positioning method performed by a user device (UE), Participating in a positioning session or detection session, Receiving support data from a network entity for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmission point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmission point, and the support data further includes RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting the waveform associated with the at least one PRS resource, wherein the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C2] The method according to C1, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is controllable. [C3] The method according to C2, wherein the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C4] The method according to C1, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is not controllable. [C5] The method according to C4, wherein the at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C6] The method according to C1, wherein the location information for the at least one RPO is the geographical location of the at least one RPO. [C7] The geographical location of the at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity. The location information for the at least one RPO is the estimated location of the at least one RPO. The method described in C1. [C8] The method according to C1, wherein the PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the location information for at least one RPO. [C9] The RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, The method described in C1. [C10] The method according to C9, wherein the RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both, in which the at least one RPO operates. [C11] Receiving the RPO information in the broadcast information from the base station. A method of C1 that further includes the following: [C12] The method according to C11, wherein the broadcast information comprises a positioning system information block (PosSIB). [C13] Receiving the RPO information in unicast information from the serving base station. A method of C1 that further includes the following: [C14] Sending a request for the RPO information to the aforementioned network entity. A method of C1 that further includes the following: [C15] The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a plurality of RPO identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. The method described in C1. [C16] The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a single RPO identifier and a plurality of RPO beam identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO beam identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. The method described in C1. [C17] The method of C1, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is statically configured. [C18] The method according to C17, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is statically configured, the support data is received via a Long-Term Evolution (LTE®) Positioning Protocol (LPP) support data provision message. [C19] The method of C1, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically. [C20] The method according to C19, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, the support data is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, LPP signaling, or both signaling. [C21] The method of C1, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured. [C22] The method according to C21, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured, the support data is received via a media access control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), or both. [C23] A wireless positioning method performed by a network entity, This involves participating in positioning or detection sessions with user devices (UEs), Determining RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and that the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. To transmit the RPO information to the aforementioned UE A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C24] The method according to C23, wherein the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C25] The method according to C23, wherein the at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C26] The method according to C23, wherein the location information for the at least one RPO is the geographical location of the at least one RPO. [C27] The geographical location of the at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity. The location information for the at least one RPO is the estimated location of the at least one RPO. Methods used in C23. [C28] The RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographical location of the at least one RPO and the RPO identifier. Methods used in C23. [C29] Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver A user device (UE) comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Participating in a positioning session or detection session, The system receives, via the at least one transceiver, support data from a network entity for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with the at least one PRS resource, and the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. User equipment (UE) configured to perform the following actions. [C30] The UE according to C29, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is controllable. [C31] The UE according to C30, wherein the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C32] The UE described in C29, wherein the direction of reflection from at least one RPO is not controllable. [C33] The UE described in C32, wherein the at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C34] The UE described in C29, wherein the location information for the at least one RPO is the geographical location of the at least one RPO. [C35] The geographical location of the at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity. The location information for the at least one RPO is the estimated location of the at least one RPO. UE as described in C29. [C36] The UE according to C29, wherein the PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the location information for at least one RPO. [C37] The RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, UE as described in C29. [C38] The RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both of the above, in which the at least one RPO operates, as described in C37. [C39] The aforementioned at least one processor, The RPO information is received from the base station in broadcast information via at least one of the transceivers. The UE described in C29 is further configured to perform the following actions. [C40] The UE described in C39, wherein the broadcast information comprises a positioning system information block (PosSIB). [C41] The aforementioned at least one processor, The RPO information is received from the serving base station in unicast information via the at least one transceiver. The UE described in C29 is further configured to perform the following actions. [C42] The aforementioned at least one processor is The at least one transceiver causes the network entity to send a request for the RPO information. The UE described in C29 is further configured to perform the following actions. [C43] The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a plurality of RPO identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. UE as described in C29. [C44] The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a single RPO identifier and a plurality of RPO beam identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO beam identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. UE as described in C29. [C45] The UE described in C29, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is statically configured. [C46] The UE according to C45, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is statically configured, and the support data is received via a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) support data provision message. [C47] The UE described in C29, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically. [C48] The association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, wherein the support data is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, LPP signaling, or both, as described in C47. [C49] The UE described in C29, wherein the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured. [C50] The association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured, wherein the support data is received via a media access control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), or both, as described in C49. [C51] Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver A network entity comprising, wherein the at least one processor is This involves participating in positioning or detection sessions with user devices (UEs), Determining RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and that the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. The at least one transceiver causes the UE to transmit the RPO information. A network entity configured to perform the following actions. [C52] The network entity according to C51, wherein the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C53] The network entity according to C51, wherein the at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object that is not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs. [C54] The network entity according to C51, wherein the location information for the at least one RPO is the geographical location of the at least one RPO. [C55] The geographical location of the at least one RPO is unknown to the network entity. The location information for the at least one RPO is the estimated location of the at least one RPO. Network entities as described in C51. [C56] The RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographical location of the at least one RPO and the RPO identifier. Network entities as described in C51.

Claims

1. A wireless positioning method performed by a user device (UE), Participating in a positioning session or detection session, Receiving support data from a network entity for at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmission point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmission point, and the support data further includes RPO information for at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with the at least one PRS resource, wherein the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. Here, The aforementioned RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, The RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both, in which the at least one RPO operates. A method that includes [a certain feature].

2. The direction of reflection from at least one RPO is controllable, The method according to claim 1, optionally, the at least one RPO is a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) connected to a wireless access network to which the network entity belongs, wherein the RIS is a two-dimensional surface having reflective elements whose properties can be reconfigured by software.

3. The direction of reflection from at least one RPO is not controllable, The method according to claim 1, optionally, the at least one RPO is a RIS, mirror, glass, metal, or other reflective object not connected to the wireless access network to which the network entity belongs, wherein the RIS is a two-dimensional surface having reflective elements whose properties can be reconfigured by software.

4. Receiving the RPO information in the broadcast information from the base station. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, optionally, the broadcast information comprising a positioning system information block (PosSIB).

5. Receiving the RPO information in unicast information from the serving base station. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. Sending a request for the RPO information to the aforementioned network entity. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a plurality of RPO identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. The method according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned RPO is RIS, The RIS is associated with a single RPO identifier and a plurality of RPO beam identifiers, and each of the plurality of RPO beam identifiers is associated with a different direction of reflection from the RIS. The method according to claim 1.

9. The association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is statically configured, The method according to claim 1, wherein optionally, the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is statically configured, the support data is received via a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) support data provision message.

10. The association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, The method according to claim 1, wherein optionally, the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is configured semi-statically, the support data is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, LPP signaling, or both signaling.

11. The association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO with the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured. The method according to claim 1, wherein optionally, the association of the RPO identifier of the at least one RPO to the at least one PRS resource is dynamically configured, the support data is received via a media access control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), or both.

12. A wireless positioning method performed by a network entity, This involves participating in positioning or detection sessions with user devices (UEs), Determining RPO information for at least one reflective point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and that the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. Transmitting to the UE support data about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by the transmission point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmission point, and the support data further includes the RPO information. Here, The aforementioned RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, The RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both, in which the at least one RPO operates. A method that includes [a certain feature].

13. Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver A user device (UE) comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Participating in a positioning session or detection session, The system receives, via the at least one transceiver, support data from a network entity about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by a transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes RPO information about at least one reflecting point object (RPO) capable of reflecting waveforms associated with the at least one PRS resource, and the RPO information includes at least location information about the at least one RPO. Here, The aforementioned RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, The RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both, in which the at least one RPO operates. User equipment (UE) configured to perform the following actions.

14. Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver A network entity comprising, wherein the at least one processor is This involves participating in positioning or detection sessions with user devices (UEs), Determining RPO information for at least one reflective point object (RPO) capable of reflecting a waveform, and that the RPO information includes at least location information for the at least one RPO. The at least one transceiver causes the UE to transmit support data about at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmitted by the transmitting point, wherein the support data includes a PRS resource location field indicating the geographical location of the transmitting point, and the support data further includes the RPO information. Here, The aforementioned RPO information further includes an RPO identifier, The PRS resource location field includes the geographic location of the transmission point and the RPO identifier, The RPO information further includes a frequency band, frequency range, or both, in which the at least one RPO operates. A network entity configured to perform the following actions.

15. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the computer or processor of the UE, cause the computer or processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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