Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface-Aware Sidelink Positioning

Abstract

In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) may control one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the times when the one or more RISs are in an enabled state and the times when the one or more RISs are in a disabled state. The UE may request at least one participating UE of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) in a PRS resource. The UE may measure at least one PRS from the at least one participating UE according to the RIS schedule to make one or more measurements of the at least one PRS when the one or more RISs are in a disabled state and to make one or more measurements of the at least one PRS when the one or more RISs are in an enabled state.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] 1. Areas of public disclosure The aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications.

[0002] 2. Description of related technologies Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation (1G) analog wireless telephone services, second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including provisional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data and internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMAX). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog advanced mobile phone systems (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM).

[0003] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, called New Radio (NR), enables, among other improvements, higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P) such as downlink, uplink or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards.

[0004] Specifically, the vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support autonomous driving use cases such as wireless communication between vehicles, between vehicles and roadside infrastructure, and between vehicles and pedestrians, by leveraging 5G's increased data rate and reduced latency. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed in this specification. Accordingly, the following summary should not be regarded as an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be regarded as identifying key or critical elements of all contemplated aspects or as defining the scope of any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0006] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes controlling one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating a time when the one or more RISs are in an active state and a time when the one or more RISs are in an inactive state; requesting at least one participating UE among the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS); performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, the first set of one or more measurements being performed such that at least one PRS is measured simultaneously with the first set of one or more measurements to obtain one or more measurement values of the at least one PRS when the one or more RISs are in an inactive state, according to the RIS schedule; and performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, the second set of one or more measurements being performed such that at least one PRS is measured simultaneously with the second set of one or more measurements to obtain one or more measurement values of the at least one PRS when the one or more RISs are in an active state, according to the RIS schedule.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE) includes receiving a reporting request from a second UE to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE during a first time interval and a second time interval; and sending a report to the second UE in response to the reporting request, the report including a time of arrival related to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS obtained during the first time interval, and further including both a time of arrival related to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS obtained during the second time interval and a time of arrival related to a reflected path measurement.

[0008] In one embodiment, a wireless communication method performed by a first user device (UE) includes: receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time at which at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time at least one of one or more RISs is inactive; receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement schedule from the second UE indicating the time at which at least one PRS from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0009] In one embodiment, a wireless communication method performed by a first user device (UE) includes: receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive; sending a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by a third UE; performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0010] In one embodiment, a user device (UE) comprises memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor controls one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time when one or more RISs are active and the time when one or more RISs are inactive, requests at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), and a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, When one or more RISs are in a disabled state, the system is configured to perform one or more first sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously by at least one PRS performing one or more first sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, and to perform one or more second sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously by at least one PRS performing one or more second sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) comprises memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a report request from the second UE via the at least one transceiver and send a report to the second UE in response to the report request, in order to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between first and second time intervals, the report including the arrival time related to direct path measurement of the at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to direct path measurement and the arrival time related to reflected path measurement of the at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) comprises 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 receives an RIS schedule from the second UE via the at least one transceiver indicating the time when at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time when at least one of one or more RIS resources is inactive, and a PR from the second UE indicating the time when at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) can be measured by the first UE. The system is configured to receive an S measurement schedule from a second UE via at least one transceiver, and when at least one RIS is in an inactive state, to perform a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, and when at least one RIS is in an enabled state, to perform a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) comprises memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RIS schedule from the second UE via the at least one transceiver indicating the time for which at least one RIS is enabled and the time for which at least one RIS is disabled, to send a request to the third UE via the at least one transceiver for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE, to perform a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule when at least one RIS is disabled, to perform a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule when at least one RIS is enabled.

[0014] In one embodiment, a user device (UE) includes means for controlling one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time periods in which one or more RISs are active and the time periods in which one or more RISs are inactive; means for requesting at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS); means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein, when one or more RISs are inactive, the at least one PRS is measured concurrently with the performance of the first set of measurements according to the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein, when one or more RISs are active, the at least one PRS is measured concurrently with the performance of the second set of measurements according to the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS.

[0015] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving a report request from the second UE and means for sending a report to the second UE in response to the report request, in order to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between first and second time intervals, the report including the arrival time related to the direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to the direct path measurement and the arrival time related to the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0016] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time for which at least one of one or more RIS resources is inactive; means for receiving a PRS measurement schedule from the second UE indicating the time for which at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0017] In one embodiment, the first user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive; means for sending a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE; means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0018] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a user device (UE), cause the UE to control one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time during which one or more RISs are active and the time during which one or more RISs are inactive, to cause at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), and a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein one or more RISs When the RIS is disabled, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, according to the RIS schedule, at least one PRS is made to perform one or more first sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously with the first set of measurements, and a second set of measurements of at least one PRS sent from at least one participating UE, and when one or more RISs are enabled, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, according to the RIS schedule, at least one PRS is made to perform one or more second sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously with the first set of measurements, which are measured simultaneously with the first set of measurements.

[0019] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores a computer-executable instruction, which, when executed by a first user device (UE), causes the first UE to receive a report request from the second UE to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between a first time interval and a second time interval, and causes the second UE to send a report in response to the report request, the report including the arrival time related to the direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to the direct path measurement and the arrival time related to the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0020] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores a computer-executable instruction, which, when executed by a first user device (UE), causes the first UE to receive from a second UE an RIS schedule indicating the time for which at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time for which at least one of one or more RISs is inactive; causes the first UE to receive from the second UE a PRS measurement schedule indicating the time for which at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; when at least one RIS is inactive, causes the first UE to execute a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS; and when at least one RIS is active, causes the first UE to execute a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0021] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium stores a computer-executable instruction, which, when executed by a first user device (UE), causes the first UE to receive an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive; causes the first UE to send a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by a third UE; when at least one RIS is inactive, causes the first UE to execute a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS; and when at least one RIS is active, causes the first UE to execute a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0022] Other purposes and advantages associated with the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description.

[0023] The accompanying drawings are provided to aid in describing various aspects of this disclosure and are provided solely for illustrative purposes of aspects, not as an limitation of those aspects. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0024] [Figure 1] An exemplary wireless communication system according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 2A] An exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 2B] An exemplary wireless network structure according to an aspect of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 3A] These are simplified block diagrams of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities, respectively, and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3B] These are simplified block diagrams of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities, respectively, and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3C] These are simplified block diagrams of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities, respectively, and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 4] An example of a wireless communication system that supports unicast sidelink establishment according to the aspects of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 5] This figure shows an exemplary frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] This disclosure illustrates an exemplary system for wireless communications using a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS). [Figure 7] This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of a RIS according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 8] This figure shows an exemplary sidelink ranging and positioning procedure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] This demonstrates exemplary operation of round-trip time (RTT) sidelink positioning between two UEs. [Figure 10] Figure 9 shows an example of how the operation can be extended to include additional UEs. [Figure 11A] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 11B] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 11C] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 12A] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 12B] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 12C]This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 13] This disclosure illustrates an example of positioning in which an initiator UE sends a RIS and positioning reference signal (PRS) resource transmission schedule to participating UEs, according to several aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 14A] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 14B] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 14C] This disclosure illustrates some exemplary positioning operations in several aspects. [Figure 15] The following are exemplary flow calls that may be used in positioning operations in which the initiator UE does not control the RIS in a positioning environment, according to some aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 16] This disclosure illustrates exemplary methods of wireless communication performed by a UE, according to several aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 17] This disclosure illustrates exemplary methods of wireless communication performed by a first UE, according to several aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 18] This disclosure illustrates exemplary methods of wireless communication performed by a first UE, according to several aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 19] This disclosure illustrates exemplary methods of wireless communication performed by a first UE, according to several aspects of this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] The 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. In addition, well-known elements of this disclosure are not described in detail or are omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0026] The terms “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 be construed as necessarily 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 features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of 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, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, part on the desired design, part on the corresponding technique.

[0028] Furthermore, many embodiments will be 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 specific circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. In addition, the set of actions described herein, when performed, may be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-temporary computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that cause or instruct the relevant processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, the various embodiments of this disclosure may be embodied in several different forms, all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, 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 actions.

[0029] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE), “vehicle UE” (V-UE), “pedestrian UE” (P-UE), and “base station” are not intended to be specific to, or 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 computer mounted in a vehicle, a vehicle navigation device, a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an asset positioning device, a wearable (e.g., a smartwatch, smart glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or stationary (e.g., at a particular time) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be interchangeably referred to as "mobile device," "access terminal," or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal," or "UT," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof.

[0030] A V-UE is a type of UE and can be any in-vehicle wireless communication device, such as a navigation system, warning system, heads-up display (HUD), onboard computer, in-vehicle infotainment system, automated driving system (ADS), or advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Alternatively, a V-UE can be a portable wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet computer) carried by the driver or passengers in the vehicle. The term "V-UE" may refer to an in-vehicle wireless communication device or the vehicle itself, depending on the context. A P-UE is a type of UE and may be a portable wireless communication device carried by a pedestrian (i.e., a user who is not driving or riding in a vehicle). Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and via the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the internet and to other UEs. Naturally, 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 networks (WLANs) (for example, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc.).

[0031] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be called an access point (AP), network node, node B, evolved node B (eNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) node B (also called gNB or g-node B), etc. Base stations may be primarily used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connectivity for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may only provide edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication link through which a UE can send signals 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 send signals 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 a UL / reverse traffic channel or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0032] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission-reception 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, that physical TRP may 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 may be an array of antennas of the base station (for example, in the case of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or when the base station employs beamforming). When the term “base station” refers to multiple uncolocated physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, an uncollocated physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE, and an adjacent base station from which the UE measures its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0033] In some implementations supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but instead may transmit a reference RF 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 (e.g., when transmitting an RF signal to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring an RF signal from the UE).

[0034] An "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transport information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, 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 may be called a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be called a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal" where it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0035] 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 (indicated as "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 102 may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB on which the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with an LTE network, or a gNB on which the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0036] Base station 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 122, and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be outside of the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be integrated with base station 102. UE 104 may communicate with location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, UE 104 may communicate with location servers 172 via the base station 102 currently servicing UE 104. UE104 may also communicate with location server 172 via other routes, such as via an application server (not shown), via a WLAN access point (AP) (e.g., AP150 described below), or via another network. For signaling purposes, communication between UE104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., via core network 170) or a direct connection (e.g., as illustrated via direct connection 128), and intervening nodes (if any) are omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0037] In addition to other functions, base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of the following: transferring user data, wireless 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, non-access stratum (NAS) message delivery, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and warning message delivery. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0038] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 may 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 several frequency resources, e.g., called carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), enhanced cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others). Since cells are supported by specific base stations, the term "cell" may, depending on the context, refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports the cell. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, insofar as it is possible for carrier frequencies to be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0039] The geographical coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (for example, in handover areas), and some of the geographical coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by larger geographical coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (indicated as "SC" instead of "small cell") may have a geographical coverage area 110' that substantially 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 closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0040] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also called reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102, and / or downlink (DL) (also called forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. 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 downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to downlink than to uplink).

[0041] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 communicating with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0042] Small cell base station 102' may operate in the licensed frequency spectrum and / or the unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed frequency spectrum, small cell base station 102' may utilize 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 the unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be called NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be called LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0043] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate at millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies and / or quasi-mmW frequencies while communicating with the UE 182. 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 of 1 mm to 10 mm. Radio waves in this band are sometimes called millimeter waves. Quasi-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also called centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / quasi-mmW radio frequency bands has high path loss and relatively short distances. 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 distances. Furthermore, in alternative configurations, it will be understood that one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or quasi-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be understood that the above examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0044] Transmit beamforming is a technique for concentrating RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts that signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, a network node can determine where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and project a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster and more powerful RF signal (in terms of data rate) to the receiving device. To change the directivity of an RF signal when transmitting, a 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, a network node may use an array of antennas (also called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from transmitters are supplied to individual antennas with appropriate phase relationships so that radio waves from separate antennas combine to increase radiation in the desired direction, while radiation in undesirable directions is suppressed and removed.

[0045] The transmit beam may be quasi-co-located, meaning that to the receiver (e.g., UE), the transmit beam appears to have the same parameters regardless of whether the transmit antenna of the network node itself is physically co-located or not. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that several parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, mean delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and mean delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0046] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a received beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver can amplify an RF signal received from a particular direction (e.g., increase its gain level) by increasing the gain setting of an antenna array in that direction and / or adjusting the phase setting. 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 of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. 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)) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0047] The transmit beam and receive beam can be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block, SSB) from a base station. The UE can then, based on the parameters of the receive beam, form a transmit beam to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal, SRS) to its base station.

[0048] 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.

[0049] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided into various classes, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands are identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is above 6 GHz, it should be understood that FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and papers. A similar nomenclature issue can arise with respect to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and papers, even though it is different from the EHF band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) which is identified as the "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0050] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as intermediate band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating band for these intermediate band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz). The frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit the FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus, in effect, the features of FR1 and / or FR2 may be extended to the intermediate band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0051] With the above aspects in mind, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "sub-6GHz" may broadly refer to frequencies that are below 6GHz, within FR1, or that may include intermediate band frequencies, as used herein. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, terms such as "millimeter wave" may broadly refer to frequencies that are within intermediate band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or that may be within the EHF band, as used herein.

[0052] 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 the UE104 / 182, and on the cell where the UE104 / 182 is either performing the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiating the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels and may (but not always) be a carrier on licensed frequencies. The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once an RRC connection is established between the 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. Since both the primary uplink carrier and primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, the secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals do not need to be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UE104 / 182 within a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to distribute the load over different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which several base stations communicate, terms such as "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0053] For example, referring further to Figure 1, one of the frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 may be the anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers allows UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate and / or data reception rate. For example, two bundled 20MHz carriers in a multicarrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20MHz carrier.

[0054] In the example in Figure 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in Figure 1 as a single UE 104 for simplicity) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one embodiment, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that the UEs 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) arranged to enable receivers (e.g., UEs 104) to determine their locations on or above the Earth, at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a set number of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes. While usually located within the SVs 112, the transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signals 124 for deriving geolocation information from SV112.

[0055] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 may be associated with use in conjunction with one or more global navigation satellite systems and / or regional navigation satellite systems, or may be otherwise enabled for such use, and may be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS). For example, an SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, error correction, etc., such as a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), Global Positioning System (GPS)-assisted geo-augmented navigation, or GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN). Accordingly, a satellite positioning system used herein may include any combination of one or more global navigation satellites and / or regional navigation satellites associated with one or more such satellite positioning systems.

[0056] In one embodiment, SV112 may, as an addition or alternative, be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTN). In an NTN, SV112 is connected to an earth station (also called a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which is then connected to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in 5GC. This element then provides access to other elements in the 5G network, and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user devices. In this way, UE104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV112 in place of, or in addition to, communication signals from the terrestrial base station 102.

[0057] In particular, leveraging the increased data rates and reduced latency of NR, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication technology is being implemented to support intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications such as wireless communication between vehicles (vehicle-to-vehicle, V2V), between vehicles and roadside infrastructure (vehicle-to-infrastructure, V2I), and between vehicles and pedestrians (vehicle-to-pedestrian, V2P). The goal is for vehicles to be able to sense their surroundings and communicate that information to other vehicles, infrastructure, and personal mobile devices. Such vehicle communication will enable improvements in safety, mobility, and the environment that current technologies cannot provide. When fully implemented, this technology is expected to reduce collisions between unimpeded vehicles by 80%.

[0058] Referring again to Figure 1, the wireless communication system 100 may include a number of V-UEs 160 that can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., an air interface between UEs and base stations). The V-UEs 160 may also communicate directly with each other via wireless sidelink 162, or with roadside units (RSUs) 164 (roadside access points) via wireless sidelink 166, or with sidelink-enabled UE 104 via wireless sidelink 168, using a PC5 interface (i.e., an air interface between sidelink-enabled UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is a conformance of a core-cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that enables direct communication between two or more UEs without the need for communication to go through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) medium sharing, V2V communication, V2X communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more of the groups of V-UE160s utilizing sidelink communication may be within the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102. Other V-UE160s in such a group may be outside the geographical coverage area 110 of base station 102, or otherwise may not be able to receive transmissions from base station 102. In some cases, a group of V-UE160s communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system where each V-UE160 transmits to all other V-UE160s in the group. In some cases, base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between V-UE160s without the involvement of base station 102.

[0059] In one embodiment, sidelinks 162, 166, 168 may operate on a wireless communication medium, such wireless communication medium may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as with other wireless communications between other RATs. The “medium” may consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs.

[0060] In one embodiment, side links 162, 166, and 168 may be cV2X links. The first generation of cV2X is standardized in LTE, and the next generation is expected to be defined in NR. cV2X is a cellular technology that also enables device-to-device communication. In the United States and Europe, cV2X is expected to operate in licensed ITS bands in the sub-6 GHz range. Other countries may be allocated different bands. Therefore, as a specific example, the target medium utilized by side links 162, 166, and 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the licensed ITS frequency band in the sub-6 GHz range. However, this disclosure is not limited to this frequency band or cellular technology.

[0061] In one embodiment, sidelinks 162, 166, and 168 may be dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) links. DSRC is a one-way or two-way, short-to-medium-range wireless communication protocol that uses the Wireless Access for Vehicular Environments (WAVE) protocol, also known as IEEE 802.11p, for V2V, V2I, and V2P communications. IEEE 802.11p is an approved modification of the IEEE 802.11 standard and operates in the United States on the licensed ITS band of 5.9 GHz (5.85–5.925 GHz). In Europe, IEEE 802.11p operates on the ITS G5A band (5.875–5.905 MHz). Other countries may allocate different bands. The V2V communications briefly described above are generally conducted in the United States on the Safety Channel, a 10 MHz channel dedicated for safety purposes. The remainder of the DSRC band (total bandwidth of 75 MHz) is used for other services targeting drivers, such as road regulations, toll collection, and automated parking. Therefore, as a specific example, the media used by side links 162, 166, and 168 may correspond to at least a portion of the 5.9 GHz licensed ITS frequency band.

[0062] Alternatively, the medium in question could correspond to at least a portion of the unlicensed frequency band shared among various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands are reserved for some communication systems (for example, by government agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently extended their operation to unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band, used by WLAN technology, most notably IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly known as "Wi-Fi." Exemplary systems of this type include various variants such as CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, and single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems.

[0063] Communication between two V-UE160s is called V2V communication, communication between a V-UE160 and one or more RSU164s is called V2I communication, and communication between a V-UE160 and one or more UE104s (where UE104 is a P-UE) is called V2P communication. V2V communication between two V-UE160s may include information about the V-UE160's position, speed, acceleration, direction of travel, and other vehicle data. V2I information received by a V-UE160 from one or more RSU164s may include information about road regulations and automated parking information. V2P communication between a V-UE160 and a UE104 may include information about the V-UE160's position, speed, acceleration, and direction of travel, as well as the UE104's position, speed (for example, if the UE104 is carried by a user on a bicycle), and direction of travel.

[0064] Although Figure 1 only shows two UEs as V-UEs (V-UE160), please note that any of the illustrated UEs (e.g., UE104, 152, 182, 190) could be V-UEs. In addition, although only V-UE160 and a single UE104 are shown as being connected via sidelinks, any of the UEs shown in Figure 1, regardless of whether they are V-UEs, P-UEs, etc., may be capable of sidelink communication. Furthermore, although only UE182 was described as being capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs, including V-UE160, may be capable of beamforming. If V-UE160 is beamforming, it can beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other V-UE160s), toward RSU164, toward other UEs (e.g., UE104, 152, 182, 190), etc. Therefore, in some cases, the V-UE160 may utilize beamforming on side links 162, 166, and 168.

[0065] 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 D2D peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In the example in Figure 1, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (for example, UE 190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity via link 192), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (for UE 190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based internet connectivity via link 194). 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®. As another example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be side links as described above with respect to side links 162, 166, and 168.

[0066] Figure 2A shows an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, 5GC210 (also called Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to be control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, Internet Protocol (IP) routing, etc.), working collaboratively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB222 to 5GC210, and more specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. 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, the ng-eNB224 may communicate directly with the gNB222 via the backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNB222s, while other configurations include one or more of both the ng-eNB224 and the gNB222. Either (or both) of the gNB222 or the ng-eNB224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0067] Another optional configuration may include a location server 230 that may communicate with 5GC210 to provide location assistance to UE204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spanning multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC210 and / or via the internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into the core network components, or alternatively, located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or service server).

[0068] Figure 2B shows another exemplary wireless network structure 250. 5GC260 (which may correspond to 5GC210 in Figure 2A) can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, working collaboratively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC260). The functions of AMF264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between one or more UE204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access permission, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between a UE204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF264 also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE204, and receives the intermediate key established as a result of the UE204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF264 retrieves security material from the ASF. The AMF264's functions also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive the access network-specific key.The functionality of the AMF264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, transport for location service messages between the UE204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as a location server 230), transport for location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF270, EPS bearer identifier assignment for interacting with the Advanced Packet System (EPS), and UE204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP® (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0069] The functions of UPF262 include (when applicable) acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility, acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to data networks (not shown), routing and forwarding packets, 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) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking on the downlink), uplink traffic verification (mapping service data flows (SDFs) to QoS flows), transport-level packet marking on the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more “end markers” to the source RAN node. UPF262 may also support the forwarding of location service messages on the user plane between UE204 and location servers such as SLP272.

[0070] The functions of the SMF266 ​​include session management, UE IP address assignment 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.

[0071] Another optional embodiment may include an LMF270 that may communicate with 5GC260 to provide location assistance to UE204. The LMF270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spanning multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE204 that can connect to the LMF270 via the core network, 5GC260, and / or via the internet (not shown). The SLP272 may support similar functionality to the LMF270, whereas the LMF270 may communicate with the AMF264, NG-RAN220, and UE204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to transmit signaling messages rather than voice or data), while the SLP272 may communicate with the UE204 and external clients (e.g., a third-party server 274) via the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0072] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that may communicate with the LMF270, SLP272, 5GC260 (e.g., via AMF264 and / or UPF262), NG-RAN220, and / or UE204 to obtain location information (e.g., location estimates) about the UE204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a Location Services (LCS) client or external client. The third-party server 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0073] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC260, specifically the UPF262 and AMF264, to one or more gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 in the NG-RAN220, respectively. The interface between the gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 and the AMF264 is called the "N2" interface, and the interface between the gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 and the UPF262 is called the "N3" interface. The gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 in the NG-RAN220 can communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223 called the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of the gNB222 and / or ng-eNB224 can communicate with one or more UE204 via a wireless interface called the "Uu" interface.

[0074] The functionality of gNB222 can be divided among a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DU) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RU) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as user data transfer, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, with the exception of those functions that are exclusively allocated to the gNB-DU 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 generally hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data conformance protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB222. The gNB-DU 228 is generally a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC) and media access control (MAC) layers of the gNB222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. A single gNB-DU228 can support one or more cells, and a single cell can be supported by only one gNB-DU228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU226 and one or more gNB-DU228s is called the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB222 is generally hosted by one or more standalone gNB-RU229s that perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU228 and the gNB-RU229 is called the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE204 communicates with the gNB-CU226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU229 via the PHY layer.

[0075] Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C show several exemplary components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location servers 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively, may be independent of the NG-RAN220 and / or 5GC210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in Figures 2A and 2B, such as a private network) 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, 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 components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, the device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0076] Each UE 302 and base station 304 includes one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, providing 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. Each WWAN transceiver 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 a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may 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 each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358.

[0077] UE 302 and base station 304 also each 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 may be 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, DSRC, wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), etc.) on the wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may 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.). In particular, the 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 each includes one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. For example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth® transceivers, Zigbee® and / or Z-Wave® transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0078] UE302 and base station 304 also include, in at least some cases, satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may each be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, and may each provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be GPS signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith satellite system (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are NTN receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be equipped with any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may, as appropriate, request information and operations from other systems and, at least in some cases, perform calculations using the acquired measurements to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0079] Each base station 304 and network entity 306 includes one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 for communicating with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 for communicating with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0080] The transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. Whether wired or wireless, the transceiver includes a transmitter circuit configuration (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuit configuration (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., embodying the transmitter and receiver circuit configurations in a single device), in some implementations it may comprise separate transmitter and receiver circuit configurations, or in other implementations it may be embodied in other ways. The transmitter and receiver circuit configurations of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. A wireless transmitter circuit configuration (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include, or be coupled with, multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, enabling each device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming. Similarly, a wireless receiver circuit configuration (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include, or be coupled with, multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, enabling each device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming. In one embodiment, the transmitter and receiver circuit configurations may share multiple identical antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that each device can either receive or transmit only at a given time, but not both at the same time. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0081] The various wireless transceivers used herein (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some implementations, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may generally be characterized as “transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers generally involves signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involves signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0082] UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, for example, to provide functions related to wireless communication and to provide other processing functions. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include processing means such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, and means for directing. In one embodiment, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0083] The UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuits that implement memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (each including a memory device), for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 may include storage means, retrieval means, maintenance means, etc. In some cases, the UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398. 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 processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively. In other embodiments, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., as part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memory 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A shows possible locations for the positioning component 342, which may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 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, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 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, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component.

[0084] UE302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receivers 330. Examples of sensors 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion-sensing sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and their outputs may be combined to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0085] In addition, UE302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing a display to the user (e.g., an audible display and / or a visual display) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when a user activates a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, or microphone). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0086] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 may be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 may implement functions for the RRC layer, the PDCP layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 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 forwarding upper layer PDUs, error correction by 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 processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0087] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functions related to various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on 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 modulation (BPSK), four-phase shift modulation (QPSK), M-phase shift modulation (M-PSK), M-phase quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The symbols to be coded and modulated can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then synthesized together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel that carries the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. 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 a 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 may modulate the RF carrier using the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0088] In UE302, the receiver 312 receives signals via its respective antenna 316. The receiver 312 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to reconstruct any spatial stream directed to UE302. If multiple spatial streams are directed to UE302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The 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 contains 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 the base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. Next, the soft determination decodes and deinterleaves the data and control signals that were initially transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement Layer 3 (L3) and Layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0089] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0090] Similar to the functions described in relation to downlink transmission by base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions related to system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions related to header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions related to the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction by ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions related to mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction by hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0091] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the 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 facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be supplied to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate the RF carrier using separate spatial streams for transmission.

[0092] Uplink transmission is 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 via its individual antenna 356. Receiver 352 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 384.

[0093] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between the transport channel and logical channel, packet reassembly, decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from the UE302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0094] For convenience, the UE302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 are shown in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated components may have different functions in different designs. In detail, the various components in Figures 3A–3C are optional in alternative configurations, and the various embodiments include configurations that may change due to design choices, cost, device usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A, a particular implementation of the UE302 may omit the WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have WiFi and / or Bluetooth capabilities without cellular capabilities), or the short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite signal receiver 330, or the sensor 344, and so on. In another example, in the case shown in Figure 3B, a particular implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a WiFi "hotspot" access point without cellular functionality), or the short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite receiver 370, and so on. For the sake of brevity, examples of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but should be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0095] Various components of UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be coupled to each other in a communicative manner via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one embodiment, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of the communication interfaces of UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, if various logical entities are embodied within the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality integrated within the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication between them.

[0096] The components in Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components in Figures 3A, 3B, and 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 this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310-346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE302 (e.g., 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 350-388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., 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 memory components of the network entity 306 (for example, by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of 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 can 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 processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memories 340, 386, and 396, positioning components 342, 388, and 398.

[0097] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may be separate from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG-RAN220 and / or 5GC210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that communicates with UE302 via base station 304, or can be configured independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0098] Figure 4 shows an example of a wireless communication system 400 that supports wireless unicast sidelink establishment according to an aspect of this disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 400 may implement aspects of wireless communication systems 100, 200, and 250. The wireless communication system 400 may include a first UE 402 and a second UE 404, which may be any example of the UEs described herein. In a specific example, UEs 402 and 404 may correspond to V-UE160 in Figure 1.

[0099] In the example in Figure 4, UE402 may attempt to establish a unicast connection with UE404 via a sidelink, which may be a V2X sidelink between UE402 and UE404. Specifically, the established sidelink connection may correspond to sidelinks 162 and / or 168 in Figure 1. The sidelink connection may be established within an omnidirectional frequency range (e.g., FR1) and / or a mmW frequency range (e.g., FR2). In some cases, UE402 may be called the initiator UE that initiates the sidelink connection procedure, and UE404 may be called the target UE that is targeted for the sidelink connection procedure by the initiator UE.

[0100] To establish a unicast connection, access layer (AS) parameters (a functional layer within the UMTS and LTE protocol stacks, and part of Layer 2, between the RAN and the UE responsible for transporting data over the wireless link and managing radio resources) may be configured and negotiated between UE402 and UE404. For example, transmit and receive capability matching may be negotiated between UE402 and UE404. Each UE may have different capabilities (e.g., transmit and receive, 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), transmit diversity, carrier aggregation (CA), supported communication frequency bands, etc.). In some cases, different services may be supported in the upper layers of the corresponding protocol stacks for UE402 and UE404. Additionally, a security association may be established between UE402 and UE404 for the unicast connection. Unicast traffic may benefit from link-level security protections (e.g., integrity protection). Security requirements may differ for different wireless communication systems. For example, V2X and Uu systems may have different security requirements (e.g., Uu security does not include confidentiality protection). Additionally, an IP configuration (e.g., IP version, address, etc.) may be negotiated for the unicast connection between UE402 and UE404.

[0101] In some cases, UE404 may create a service announcement (e.g., a service capability message) for transmission over a cellular network (e.g., cV2X) to assist in establishing a sidelink connection. Traditionally, UE402 may identify and locate candidates for sidelink communication based on a broadcasted basic service message (BSM) that is decrypted by a nearby UE (e.g., UE404). The BSM may include location, security, and identification information for the corresponding UE, as well as vehicle information (e.g., speed, operation, size, etc.). However, in the case of different wireless communication systems (e.g., D2D or V2X communication), the discovery channel may not be configured to allow UE402 to discover the BSM. Therefore, service announcements (e.g., discovery signals) transmitted by UE404 and other nearby UEs may be higher-layer signals and may be broadcast (e.g., within an NR sidelink broadcast). In some cases, UE404 may include one or more parameters for itself in the service announcement, including connection parameters and / or capabilities it possesses. UE402 may then monitor for and receive broadcasted service announcements to identify possible UEs for the corresponding sidelink connection. In some cases, UE402 may identify possible UEs based on the capabilities each UE demonstrates in their respective service announcements.

[0102] A service announcement may include information to help UE402 (or any initiator UE) identify the UE sending the service announcement (UE404 in the example in Figure 4). For example, a service announcement may include channel information to which direct communication requests may be sent. In some cases, the channel information may be RAT-specific (e.g., specific to LTE or NR) and may include resource pools in which UE402 sends communication requests. Additionally, a service announcement may include a specific destination address for the UE (e.g., a Layer 2 destination address) if the destination address is different from the current address (e.g., the address of the streaming provider or the UE sending the service announcement). A service announcement may also include a network layer or transport layer for UE402 to send communication requests. For example, the network layer (also called "Layer 3" or "L3") or transport layer (also called "Layer 4" or "L4") may indicate the application's port number to the UE sending the service announcement. In some cases, IP addressing may not be required if the signaling (e.g., PC5 signaling) directly carries the protocol (e.g., Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP)) or provides a locally generated random protocol. Additionally, the service announcement may include the type of protocol for proof establishment and QoS-related parameters.

[0103] After identifying a possible sidelink connection target (UE404 in the example in Figure 4), the initiator UE (UE402 in the example in Figure 4) may send a connection request 415 to the identified target UE404. In some cases, the connection request 415 may be a first RRC message (e.g., an "RRCSetupRequest" message) sent by UE402 to request a unicast connection with UE404. For example, the unicast connection may utilize the PC5 interface for sidelink, and the connection request 415 may be an RRC connection setup request message. Additionally, UE402 may use a sidelink signaling radio bearer 405 to transport the connection request 415.

[0104] After receiving connection request 415, UE404 may decide whether to accept or reject the connection request 415. UE404 may base this decision on transmit / receive capabilities, the ability to accommodate unicast connections over the sidelink, specific services indicated for the unicast connection, content to be transmitted over the unicast connection, or a combination thereof. For example, if UE402 wishes to use a first RAT to transmit or receive data, but UE404 does not support the first RAT, UE404 may reject connection request 415. Additionally or alternatively, UE404 may reject connection request 415 on the grounds that it cannot accommodate a unicast connection over the sidelink due to limited radio resources, scheduling issues, etc. Therefore, UE404 may send an indication in connection response 420 whether the request is accepted or rejected. Similar to UE402 and connection request 415, UE404 may use a sidelink signaling radio bearer 410 to transport connection response 420. Additionally, connection response 420 may be a second RRC message sent by UE404 in response to connection request 415 (e.g., the "RRCResponse" message).

[0105] In some cases, sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410 may be the same sidelink signaling radio bearer or may be separate sidelink signaling radio bearers. Therefore, the radio link control (RLC) layer acknowledged mode (AM) may be used for sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410. UEs supporting unicast connections may listen on the logical channels associated with the sidelink signaling radio bearers. In some cases, the AS layer (i.e., Layer 2) may pass information directly via RRC signaling (e.g., the control plane) rather than the V2X layer (e.g., the data plane).

[0106] If the connection response 420 indicates that UE404 has accepted the connection request 415, UE402 may then send a connection establishment 425 message on the sidelink signaling radio bearer 405 to indicate that the unicast connection setup is complete. In some cases, the connection establishment 425 may be a third RRC message (e.g., an "RRCSetupComplete" message). Each of the connection request 415, connection response 420, and connection establishment 425 may use basic capability when they are being transported from one UE to the other, enabling each UE to receive and decode the corresponding transmission (e.g., an RRC message).

[0107] Additionally, identifiers may be used for connection request 415, connection response 420, and connection establishment 425, respectively. For example, the identifier may indicate which UE402 / 404 is sending which message and / or which UE402 / 404 the message is intended for. For physical (PHY) layer channels, the same identifier (e.g., Layer 2 ID) may be used for RRC signaling and any subsequent data transmissions. However, for logical channels, the identifiers may be different for RRC signaling and for data transmissions. For example, on a logical channel, RRC signaling and data transmissions may be treated differently and may have different acknowledgment (ACK) feedback messaging. In some cases, physical layer ACKs may be used for RRC messaging to ensure that the corresponding messages are correctly sent and received.

[0108] To enable the negotiation of corresponding AS layer parameters for a unicast connection, one or more informational elements may be included in the connection request 415 and / or connection response 420 to UE402 and / or UE404, respectively. For example, UE402 and / or UE404 may include PDCP parameters in the corresponding unicast connection setup message to set the PDCP context for the unicast connection. In some cases, the PDCP context may indicate whether PDCP replication is used for the unicast connection. Additionally, UE402 and / or UE404 may include RLC parameters when establishing a unicast connection to set the RLC context for the unicast connection. For example, the RLC context may indicate whether AM (e.g., a sort timer (t-sort) is used) or unacknowledged mode (UM) is used for the RLC layer of the unicast communication.

[0109] Additionally, UE402 and / or UE404 may include media access control (MAC) parameters to set up a MAC context for a unicast connection. In some cases, the MAC context may enable resource selection algorithms, hybrid automatic retransmission request (HARQ) feedback schemes (e.g., ACK or negative ACK (NACK) feedback), parameters for HARQ feedback schemes, carrier aggregation, or combinations thereof for a unicast connection. Additionally, UE402 and / or UE404 may include PHY layer parameters when establishing a unicast connection to set up a PHY layer context for the unicast connection. For example, the PHY layer context may indicate the transmit format (unless a transmit profile is included for each UE402 / 404) and radio resource configuration (e.g., bandwidth portion (BWP), numerology, etc.) for a unicast connection. These information elements may be supported for different frequency range configurations (e.g., FR1 and FR2).

[0110] In some cases, a security context may also be established for the unicast connection (e.g., after the connection establishment 425 message is sent). Before a security association (e.g., security context) is established between UE402 and UE404, the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410 may not be protected. After the security association is established, the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410 may be protected. Thus, the security context can enable secure data transmission over the unicast connection and the sidelink signaling radio bearers 405 and 410. Furthermore, IP layer parameters (e.g., link-local IPv4 or IPv6 addresses) may also be negotiated. In some cases, IP layer parameters may be negotiated by a higher-layer control protocol that operates after RRC signaling is established (e.g., the unicast connection is established). As described above, UE404 may base its decision on whether to accept or reject connection request 415 for a specific service indicated for a unicast connection, and / or on the content to be transmitted over the unicast connection (e.g., higher-layer information). The specific service and / or content may also be indicated by a higher-layer control protocol that operates after the RRC signaling is established.

[0111] After the unicast connection is established, UE402 and UE404 may communicate using the unicast connection via sidelink 430, where sidelink data 435 is transmitted between the two UE402 and UE404. Sidelink 430 may correspond to sidelinks 162 and / or 168 in Figure 1. In some cases, the sidelink data 435 may include RRC messages transmitted between the two UE402 and UE404. To maintain this unicast connection over sidelink 430, UE402 and / or UE404 may send keep-alive messages (e.g., "RRCLinkAlive" messages, fourth RRC messages, etc.). In some cases, keep-alive messages may be triggered periodically or on demand (e.g., event-triggered). Thus, triggering and sending keep-alive messages may be invoked by UE402 or by both UE402 and UE404. As an addition or alternative, MAC control elements (CEs) (e.g., defined via sidelink 430) may be used to monitor the status of the unicast connection on sidelink 430 and maintain the connection. When the unicast connection is no longer needed (e.g., when UE402 moves far enough away from UE404), either UE402 and / or UE404 may initiate a release procedure to remove the unicast connection via sidelink 430. Thus, no subsequent RRC messages are required to be sent between UE402 and UE404 over the unicast connection.

[0112] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 5 is a 500-figure diagram illustrating an exemplary frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0113] LTE and, in some cases, NR utilize OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, commonly called tones or bins. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, the modulation symbol is transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing may be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) may be 12 subcarriers (i.e., 180 kHz). Therefore, the nominal FFT sizes may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, the subbands may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0114] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple numerologies (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4), or greater, may be available. Within each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, i.e., 10 slots per frame, with 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 an FFT size of 4K. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are 2 slots per subframe, i.e., 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 for an FFT size of 4K. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are 4 slots per subframe, i.e., 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 for an FFT size of 4K. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are 8 slots per subframe, i.e., 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 for an FFT size of 4K. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, i.e., 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 for an FFT size of 4K.

[0115] In the example in Figure 5, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 subframes, each equally sized to 1 ms, with each subframe containing one time slot. In Figure 5, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0116] A resource grid may be used to represent time slots, each time slot containing 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 Figure 5, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain to obtain 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 to obtain a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0117] Some of the REs may carry a pilot signal (RS). Depending on whether the shown frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communication, the pilot signal may include a 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), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signal block (SSB), sounding reference signal (SRS), etc. Figure 5 shows an exemplary location of an RE carrying a pilot signal (labeled "R").

[0118] A collection of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource." A collection 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. For a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0119] 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 on every N subcarriers of the symbols in the PRB. For example, for comb 4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, REs corresponding to every four subcarriers (such as subcarriers 0, 4, and 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes comb 2, comb 4, comb 6, and comb 12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 5 shows an exemplary PRS resource configuration for comb 4 (spanning four symbols). That is, the location of the shaded RE (marked "R") indicates the comb 4 PRS resource configuration.

[0120] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot, with a staggered pattern across the entire frequency domain. DL-PRS resources can be configured within any downlink or flexible (FL) symbols configured by the upper layer of the slot. For all REs of a given DL-PRS resource, there can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE). The following are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12 spanning 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2 symbolcom2:{0,1}, 4 symbolcom2:{0,1,0,1}, 6 symbolcom2:{0,1,0,1,0,1}, 12 symbolcom2:{0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}, 4 symbolcom4:{0,2,1,3} (as in the example in Figure 5), 12 symbolcom4:{0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, 6 symbolcom6:{0,3,1,4,2,5}, 12 symbolcom6:{0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}, and 12 symbolcom12:{0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0121] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmitting PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, PRS resources within 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 within a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, 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 is μ = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 2^μ *The length may be selected from {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots. The repeating coefficient may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0122] A PRS resource ID within 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 is therefore sometimes referred to as a "PRS resource," simply a "resource," or even just a "beam." It should be noted that this does not imply whether the TRP and beam transmitted on the PRS are known to the UE.

[0123] 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 transmitted. A PRS occasion may also be called a “PRS positioning occasion,” “PRS positioning instance,” “positioning occasion,” “positioning instance,” “positioning repeat,” or simply “occasion,” “instance,” or “repeat.”

[0124] 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 that have the same values ​​for several parameters. In detail, the 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 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" (where "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 may have a granularity of 4PRB, with a minimum of 24PRB and a maximum of 272PRB. Currently, up to four frequency layers are defined, and each frequency layer can have up to two PRS resource sets per TRP.

[0125] 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 one base station (or a macrocell base station and a smallcell base station) to transmit a data channel, while frequency layers are used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit a PRS. When a UE transmits its positioning capabilities 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 positioning frequency layer or four positioning frequency layers.

[0126] It should be noted that the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, including but not limited to PRS as defined in LTE and NR, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. Furthermore, unless otherwise suggested by the context, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” may refer to downlink or uplink positioning reference signals. Where necessary to further distinguish between types of PRS, downlink positioning reference signals may be called “DL-PRS,” and uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., positioning SRS, PTRS) may be called “UL-PRS.” In addition, for signals that can be transmitted both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), “UL” or “DL” may be prepended to the signal to distinguish direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" can be distinguished from "DL-DMRS".

[0127] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of a reference signal (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS)) received from a pair of base stations, called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of the 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 each of the reference base station and the non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity (e.g., the UE in the case of UE-based positioning, or the location server in the case of UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the location of the UE.

[0128] In DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE, consisting of received signal intensity measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams, to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0129] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA but is based on an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. 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. The positioning entity uses the signal intensity measurement and the angle of the receiving beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0130] 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" and "Multi-RTT"). In the RTT procedure, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), and the second entity transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time to arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the reception-to-transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement may be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest subframe boundaries for the received and transmitted signals. Next, both entities may send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined from the RTT and the known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). In the case of multi-RTT positioning, the first entity (e.g., UE or base station) performs RTT positioning procedures with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined (e.g., using multilateration) based on the distance to the second entity and the known location of the second entity. RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve positional accuracy.

[0131] 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 any detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0132] To support 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 the identifier of the base station (or base station cell / TRP) from which the reference signal is 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 be obtained directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages). In some cases, the UE may be able to discover the neighboring network node itself without using support data.

[0133] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the supporting data may further include the expected RSTD value and the associated uncertainty around the expected RSTD, i.e., the search window. 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 value range for the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -32 μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the value range for the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -8 μs.

[0134] Location estimates may also be referred to by other names such as position estimate, location, position, position fix, or fix. Location estimates may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or urban and comprise a street address, postal address, or some other linguistic description of the location. Location estimates may further be defined for some other known locations, or they may be defined absolutely (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). Location estimates may include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume in which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default level of confidence).

[0135] Figure 6 shows an exemplary system 600 for wireless communication using a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) 610 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The RIS (e.g., RIS 610) is a two-dimensional surface comprising a number of low-cost, low-power, quasi-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 changed over time by carefully adjusting the phase shift of the reflective elements (using software). In this way, the electromagnetic (EM) properties of the RIS can be designed to collect wireless signals from a transmitter (e.g., a base station, UE, etc.) and passively beamform them toward a target receiver (e.g., another base station, another UE, etc.). In the example of Figure 6, a first base station 602-1 controls the reflective properties of the RIS 610 to communicate with a first UE 604-1.

[0136] The goal of RIS technology is to create a smart wireless environment where wireless propagation conditions are designed in coordination with physical layer signaling. In some scenarios, this extended functionality of System 600 can provide technological advantages.

[0137] As a first exemplary scenario, as shown in Figure 6, a first base station 602-1 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein) attempts to transmit downlink radio signals to a first UE 604-1 and a second UE 604-2 (e.g., any two of the UEs described herein, collectively referred to as UE 604) on multiple downlink transmit beams labeled “0”, “1”, “2”, and “3”. However, unlike the second UE 604-2, the first UE 604-1 is behind an obstacle 620 (e.g., a building, a hill, or another type of obstacle) and therefore, in some cases, cannot receive the radio signal on the line-of-sight (LOS) beam from the first base station 602-1, i.e., the downlink transmit beam labeled “2”. In this scenario, the first base station 602-1 may instead use the downlink transmit beam labeled "1" to transmit the wireless signal to the RIS 610 and configure the RIS 610 to reflect / beamform the incoming wireless signal toward the first UE 604-1. This allows the first base station 602-1 to transmit the wireless signal around the obstacle 620.

[0138] It should be noted that the first base station 602-1 may also configure RIS610 for the use of the first UE604-1 in the uplink. In that case, the first base station 602-1 may configure RIS610 to reflect the uplink signal from the first UE604-1 back to the first base station 602-1, thereby enabling the first UE604-1 to transmit the uplink signal around the obstacle 620.

[0139] In another exemplary scenario where system 600 may offer a technical advantage, the first base station 602-1 may be aware that obstacle 620 could create a “dead zone,” i.e., a geographical area where the downlink wireless signal from the first base station 602-1 is attenuated too much to be reliably detected by UEs in that area (e.g., the first UE 604-1). In this scenario, the first base station 602-1 may configure RIS 610 to reflect the downlink wireless signal into 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 602-1 is not aware of.

[0140] A RIS (e.g., RIS610) 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 a transmitter (similar to the amplification and forwarding functions 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 has a non-negligible hardware group delay due to its limited baseband processing power. Due to their greater processing power compared to a Mode 1 RIS, a Mode 2 RIS may, in some cases, be able to calculate and report their transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference measurements (i.e., the difference between the time it takes for the signal to be reflected towards the UE and the time it takes for the signal to be received back from the UE). In the example in Figure 6, the RIS610 may be a Mode 1 or Mode 2 RIS.

[0141] Figure 6 also shows a second base station 602-2 that can transmit downlink wireless signals to one or both of the UE604. For example, the first base station 602-1 may be a serving base station for the UE604, and the second base station 602-2 may be a neighbor base station. The second base station 602-2 may transmit downlink positioning reference signals to one or both of the UE604 as part of a positioning procedure involving the UE604. Alternatively or additionally, the second base station 602-2 may be a secondary cell for one or both of the UE604. In some cases, the second base station 602-2 may reconfigure the RIS610, provided that it is not controlled by the first base station 602-1 at that time.

[0142] Figure 6 shows one RIS610 and one base station controlling the RIS610 (i.e., a first base station 602-1), but note that the first base station 602-1 may control multiple RIS610s. In addition, the RIS610 may be controlled by multiple base stations 602 (for example, both the first and second base stations 602-1 and 602-2, and possibly more).

[0143] Figure 7 is a diagram of an exemplary architecture of RIS700 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. RIS700, which may correspond to RIS610 in Figure 6, may be a Mode 1 RIS. As shown in Figure 7, RIS700 mainly consists of a plane 710 and a controller 720. The plane 710 may consist of one or more material layers. In the example of Figure 7, the plane 710 may consist of three layers. In this case, the outer layer has a number of reflective elements 712 printed on a dielectric substrate to act directly on the incident signal. The intermediate layer is a copper panel to avoid signal / energy leakage. The last layer is a circuit board used to adjust the reflection coefficient of the reflective elements 712 and is operated by the controller 720. The controller 720 may be a low-power processor such as an FPGA.

[0144] In a typical operating scenario, the optimal reflection coefficient for the RIS700 is calculated at the base station (e.g., the first base station 602-1 in Figure 6) and then sent to the controller 720 via a dedicated feedback link. The reflection coefficient design depends on channel state information (CSI), which is updated only when the CSI changes, and the CSI is on a much longer time scale than the data symbol duration. Therefore, low-rate information exchange is sufficient for the dedicated control link, which can be implemented using low-cost copper wire or a simple, cost-effective wireless transceiver.

[0145] Each reflector element 712 is coupled to a positive-intrinsic negative (PIN) diode 714. Furthermore, a bias line 716 connects each reflector element 712 in the column to a controller 720. By controlling the voltage via the bias line 716, the PIN diode 714 can be switched between "on" and "off" modes. This can achieve a phase shift difference of π (pi) in radians. To increase the number of phase shift levels, more PIN diodes 714 can be coupled to each reflector element 712.

[0146] RIS700 and other RISs offer significant advantages for practical implementation. For example, the reflective element 712 passively reflects incoming signals without the need for advanced signal processing operations required by RF transceiver hardware. Therefore, compared to conventional active transmitters, the RIS700 can operate at a cost several orders of magnitude lower in terms of hardware and power consumption. Furthermore, due to the passive nature of the reflective element 712, the RIS700 can be manufactured with a lightweight and limited layer thickness, and thus can be easily installed on walls, ceilings, signs, streetlights, etc. Moreover, the RIS700 operates naturally in full-duplex (FD) mode without the introduction of self-interference or thermal noise. Therefore, it can achieve higher spectral efficiency than active FD relays despite having lower signal processing complexity than active half-duplex (HD) relays, which require advanced self-interference cancellation.

[0147] NR can support various sidelink ranging and positioning techniques. Sidelink-based ranging allows for the determination of the relative distance between UEs and, optionally, their absolute positions, provided that the absolute position of at least one of the participating UEs is known. This technique is beneficial in situations where global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning is degraded or unavailable (e.g., tunnels, urban valleys), and can also improve the accuracy of distance and positioning when GNSS is available. Sidelink-based ranging is achieved using a three-way handshake to establish a session, followed by the exchange of positioning reference signals (PRS), and can be terminated by messaging to exchange measurements based on PRS transmissions and receptions from peer UEs.

[0148] Sidelink ranging is based on calculating inter-UE round-trip time (RTT) measurements determined from the transmission and reception times of PRS (broadband positioning signals as defined in LTE and NR). Each UE reports its RTT measurements to all other participating UEs, along with its location (if known). For UEs with zero or inaccurate knowledge of the locations of other UEs, the RTT procedure yields the inter-UE distance between the participating UEs. For UEs with accurate knowledge of those locations, the distance yields the absolute location. UE participation, PRS transmission, and subsequent RTT calculations are coordinated by an initial three-way messaging handshake (PRS request, PRS response, and PRS acknowledgment) and a post-PRS message exchange (post-PRS message) to share measurements after receiving the peer UE's PRS.

[0149] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary sidelink ranging and positioning procedure according to an aspect of this disclosure. The procedure (or session) begins with an initial three-way messaging handshake following a broadcast of capability information by the participating peer UEs. In step 805, Initiator UE 804-1 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) sends a PRS request ("PRSrequest") to Target UE 804-2 (e.g., any other UE among the UEs described herein). In step 810, Target UE 804-2 sends a PRS response ("PRSresponse") to Initiator UE 804-1. In step 815, Initiator UE 804-1 sends a PRS acknowledgment to Target UE 804-2. At this point, the initial three-way messaging handshake is complete.

[0150] In stages 820 and 825, the participating peer UE804s transmit PRSs to each other. The resources on which the PRSs are transmitted are configured / allocated by the network (e.g., one of the UE804's serving base stations) or can be negotiated by the UE804s during the initial three-way messaging handshake. Initiator UE804-1 measures the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference between the PRS transmission time in stage 820 and the PRS reception time in stage 825. Target UE804-2 measures the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference between the PRS reception time in stage 820 and the PRS transmission time in stage 825.

[0151] In steps 830 and 835, the UE804s exchange their respective time-difference measurements. Each UE804 can then determine the Round-Trip Time (RTT) between them based on the Tx-Rx time-difference measurement and the Rx-Tx time-difference measurement (specifically, the difference between the Tx-Rx time-difference measurement and the Rx-Tx time-difference measurement). Based on the RTT measurement and the speed of light, each UE804 can then estimate the distance between the two UE804s (specifically, half of the RTT measurement multiplied by the speed of light). Although Figure 8 shows two UE804s, it should be noted that a UE can perform or attempt to perform the side-link ranging and positioning procedure shown in Figure 8 using multiple UEs.

[0152] Figure 9 shows an exemplary operation of RTT sidelink positioning between two UEs, extending Figure 8 to show more detailed operations and measurements performed during RTT sidelink positioning. In Figure 9 and all subsequent figures, subscripts related to various parameters in strings are indicated after the underline ("_") in the figure. For example, "PRSrequest1" is shown as "PRSrequest_1" in Figure 8. Similarly, "T PRS1,TX " is shown as "T_PRS1,TX". This rule applies throughout the figure, and any string following "_" in the figure should be interpreted as equivalent to applying a subscript to the string.

[0153] In the example shown in Figure 9, the two UEs labeled "UE1" and "UE2" have asynchronous clocks, indicated as clock=T for UE1 and clock=T' for UE2. Positioning is initiated when UE1 and UE2 exchange requests for the transmission of PRS resources. In response to a request from UE2, UE1 uses its own clock T as the time axis to determine the time T TPRS1,TX Send PRS resource PRS1 to UE2. UE2 uses its clock T' as the time axis, and sets the time T' TPRS1,RX PRS1 is received. Similarly, UE2, in response to a request from UE1, uses UE2's clock T' as the time axis to set time T' TPRS2,TXSend PRS resource PRS2 to it. UE1 uses the clock T of UE1 as the time axis and at time T TPRS2,RX Receive PRS2. UE2 can determine the one-way flight time of PRS1 as follows.

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[0155] Similarly, UE1 can determine the one-way flight time of PRS2 as follows.

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[0157] After transmitting their respective PRS resources, UE1 and UE2 report the time related to the transmission and reception of PRS in the postPRS report. In this example, UE1 reports in postPRS1 the time T when it received PRS2 from UE2 TPRS2,RX and the time T when it transmitted PRS1 to UE2 TPRS1,TX Similarly, UE2 reports in postPRS2 the time T' when it received PRS2 from UE2 TPRS2,RX and the time T' when it transmitted PRS2 to UE1 TPRS2,TX Using the information in the report, the RTT can be determined as follows.

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[0159] Figure 10 is an example of how the operation shown in Figure 9 can be extended to include additional UEs. In this example, each target UE (labeled "UE2", "UE3" through "UEN") transmits at least one PRS resource measured by UE1. Similarly, each target UE measures at least one PRS resource transmitted by UE1. The PRS measurement of each PRS resource performed by UE1, along with the transmission time of the PRS resource transmitted by UE1, is sent to the target UE that transmitted the PRS resource. Each target UE also sends to UE1 the PRS measurement performed by the target UE transmitted by UE1, along with the transmission time of the PRS resource transmitted by the target UE. This is the exchange of transmission time data and arrival time data used to determine the RTT between UE1 and each target UE (e.g., (T' PRS2,TX ,T' PRS1,RX ),(T PRS1,TX ,T PRS2,RX )~(T' PRSN,TX ,T' PRS1,RX ),(T PRS1,TX ,T PRSN,RX )) brings about.

[0160] As described above, a positioning environment may include one or more RISs with known locations. According to some aspects of this disclosure, such RISs may be used by a UE in a side-link positioning operation to improve the accuracy of UE positioning. For this purpose, some aspects of this disclosure determine an RIS schedule that indicates instances in which one or more RISs in the positioning environment are enabled / disabled. Such an RIS schedule should be known to the UE when calculating parameters such as time of arrival / distance / location for other UEs. If the UE does not know whether an RIS is enabled or disabled, it cannot determine whether the measurements they take correspond to measurements of a direct path from another UE or measurements of a reflected path from an RIS. Using knowledge of the RIS schedule, the UE may determine which measurements correspond to a direct path, but may also obtain additional measurements corresponding to a reflected path, thereby providing the UE with more information when making its positioning determination. For example, with this additional information, the UE may use the known locations of the RISs to more accurately determine its own position.

[0161] Figures 11A, 11B, and 11C (collectively, Figure 11) illustrate exemplary positioning operations according to several aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, the initiator UE determines the RIS schedule for enabling and disabling the RIS and controls the RIS according to the schedule. The initiator UE also indicates a time instance to each participating UE for the transmission of its PRS.

[0162] In Figure 11, the positioning environment includes multiple UEs (labeled "UE1", "UE2", and "UE3") and multiple RISs (labeled "RIS1" and "RIS2"). In one embodiment, UE1 may be an RSU. UE1 controls the activation and deactivation of RISs at each measurement interval according to the RIS schedule. UE1 also indicates a PRS transmission schedule for participating UEs (UE2, UE3), and the PRS transmission schedule may be coordinated with the RIS schedule so that each PRS can be measured in instances where one or more RISs are activated and instances where one or more RISs are deactivated. For example, based on the activate / deactivate times indicated in the RIS schedule, UE1 may set time instances for transmitting PRSs to UE2.

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[0166] In addition to indicating the PRS transmission schedule for participating UEs (UE2, UE3, ..., UEN), UE1 may also indicate whether channel coherence should be assumed between different instances in the PRS transmission schedule. When the RIS is disabled, repeated PRS transmissions over time can be averaged and used to estimate or mitigate the effects of clock drift. Channel coherence is required to use repeated PRS transmissions in this way. Therefore, in addition to indicating the time allocated to responder UE2, ..., UEN for PRS transmission, UE1 may also provide channel coherence windows [h1, h2], [h2+1, h3], etc., indicating the time for which the PRS is coherent (i.e., the channel is a coherent channel). Such channel coherence windows are signaled by UE1 and indicate when the RIS is disabled. During the channel coherence window, participating UEs may perform multiple PRS measurements across the channel coherence window and average them. When the RIS is active in a positioning environment, channel coherence is not assumed.

[0167] In the example shown in Figure 11, UE1 is the initiator UE in that it starts the positioning session. In this example, UE1 also controls (i.e., enables and disables) RIS1 and RIS2 to calculate positioning and coordinates the PRS transmission schedules of the participating UEs, UE2 and UE3. Note that there may be other examples in which the initiator UE does not control the RISs. Such examples are described herein in relation to Figure 15.

[0168] In one embodiment, UE1 is the RIS1, and the scheduled time

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[0175] In Figure 11A, when UE1 requests UE2 to transmit a PRS, both RIS1 and RIS2 are disabled. During the time when RIS1 and RIS2 are disabled, UE1 performs a distance measurement of the PRS received from UE2 using LOS ToA directly. As shown in Figure 11A, UE1 uses TOA d1 In this configuration, PRS transmissions are received directly from UE2 along the path.

[0176] In Figure 11B, UE1 has RIS1 enabled, but RIS2 remains disabled. Therefore, UE1 is at time ToA d2 Receive PRS directly along the route, time ToA ris1(1)PRS is received along the reflection path from RIS1. While RIS1 is enabled in the instance, UE1 receives LOS ToA(ToA). d2 ) and reflection path ToA from RIS1 (ToA ris1(1) ) is used to perform distance measurement on UE2. In one embodiment, UE1 is ToA d1 and ToA d2 Using the measurement from, the distance to UE2 (R UE1,UE2 Furthermore, since the positions of UE1 and RIS1 are known, the distance from UE2 to RIS1 (R) is calculated by considering the distance between UE1 and RIS1. UE2,RIS1 ) calculate t tx If we consider this to be the PRS transmission time by UE2,

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[0178] As an addition or alternative, UE1 may disable RIS1 and enable RIS2, as shown in Figure 11C. As shown in the figure, UE1 controls time ToA d3 Receive PRS directly along the route, time ToA ris2(1) PRS is received along the reflection path from RIS2. While RIS2 is enabled, UE1 receives LOS ToA(ToA d3 ) and reflection path from RIS2 ToA(ToA ris2(1) Use ) to perform distance measurement on UE2.

[0179] When RIS2 is enabled / disabled, the distance parameter (R) related to RIS2 is... UE2,UE1 ,R UE2,RIS2 A similar method may be used to calculate the absolute positions of UE1, RIS1, and RIS2, and the distance parameter (R) to be calculated. UE1,UE2 ,R UE2,RIS1 ,R UE2,RIS2 Given the values, the position of UE2 can be solved.

[0180] According to several aspects of this disclosure, PRS transmissions from an initiator UE are measured by a participating UE, and the participating UE reports the measurement to the initiator UE. PRS transmissions and measurements are coordinated with the activation and deactivation of RISs in the positioning environment. Figures 12A, 12B, and 12C (collectively, Figure 12) illustrate exemplary positioning operations according to such aspects of this disclosure. In Figure 12, the positioning environment includes a plurality of UEs (labeled “UE1”, “UE2”, and “UE3”) and a plurality of RISs (labeled “RIS1”, and “RIS2”). In one aspect, UE1 may be an RSU.

[0181] According to some aspects of this disclosure, UE1 performs a scheduled PRS transmission and indicates to the participating UEs (e.g., UE2 and UE3) that it will report the parameters to be provided by the participating UEs. Based on the reported parameters provided to UE1 by the participating UEs, UE1 calculates the location of the participating UEs.

[0182] According to some embodiments, when RIS in the positioning environment is disabled during time instances {t1, t3, t4, t6...}, UE1 requests UE2 to transmit its PRS and report the ToA (e.g., the earliest received PRS measurement) of the PRS received on the earliest arriving path. UE2 also requests the transmission time t of the PRS transmitted by UE2. tx The parameters are sent to UE1. The parameters reported by UE2 are used by UE1 to calculate the distance / location of UE2 based on the direct path ToA. In one embodiment, the direct path ToA corresponds to the path that arrives earliest and can be determined from the earliest PRS signal received by UE2 during such a time instance. Figure 12A shows the transmission of PRS during one of the time instances {t1, t3, t4, t6...}. The PRS received by UE2 on the earliest path is ToA d4 This occurs in UE2 when calculating distance / position. tx This can also be reported to UE1.

[0183] According to some embodiments, when at least one RIS is enabled during time instances {t2, t5...}, UE1 requests UE2 to transmit its PRS and report the ToA of the first best PRS measurement and the second best PRS measurement detected by UE2. UE2 also requests the corresponding PRS to tx The parameters reported by UE2 are used by UE1 to calculate the distance / position of UE2 in both the direct path from UE1 and the reflected path from RIS.

[0184] Figure 12B shows the transmission of PRS during one of the time instances {t2, t5...} in which RIS1 is enabled. The PRS measurement received by UE2 on the earliest path is ToA d5 This occurs in and corresponds to the direct path measurement of the PRS. The second best PRS measurement received by UE2 is ToA ris1(2) This occurs in and corresponds to the measured path including the reflection path from RIS1. UE2 is ToA d5 ToA ris1(2) , and the corresponding PRS t tx The parameters reported by UE2 are used by UE1 to calculate the distance / position of UE2 in both the direct path from UE1 and the reflected path from RIS1.

[0185] Figure 12C shows the transmission of PRS during one of the time instances {t2, t5...} in which RIS2 is enabled. The PRS measurement received by UE2 on the earliest path is ToA d6 This occurs in and corresponds to direct path measurement. The second best PRS measurement received by UE2 is ToA ris2(2) This occurs in and corresponds to the measured path including the reflection path from RIS2. UE2 is ToA d6 And, ToA ris2(2) And the corresponding PRS t txThe parameters reported by UE2 are used by UE1 to calculate the distance / position of UE2 in both the direct path from UE1 and the reflected path from RIS2.

[0186] According to some aspects of this disclosure, UE1 measures the difference timing of PRS measurements for the first best path (i.e., direct path) and the second best path (i.e., reflected path) (the corresponding PRS transmission time t tx Request UE2 to report the ToA for . As applied to the examples shown in Figures 12A and 12B, UE2 determines (t) during the instances {t1, t3, t4, t6...} in which RIS1 is disabled. tx -ToA d4 ) and the time instance {t2, t5...} in which RIS1 is enabled was determined (t tx -ToA d5 ) and (t tx -ToA ris1(2) ) and report. According to some aspects of this disclosure, reports from participating UEs may be per channel coherence interval [h1,h2], [h2+1,h3] (i.e., when it is possible to average the measurements to mitigate drift when RIS is disabled).

[0187] According to several embodiments of this disclosure, an initiator UE may send an RIS schedule to participating UEs for use by the participating UEs in determining their own positions. Figure 13 shows an example of positioning in which an initiator UE sends an RIS schedule to participating UEs according to several embodiments of this disclosure. In addition, the initiator UE may send a PRS transmission schedule to one or more of the participating UEs indicating when a selected PRS is turned on for measurement. In Figure 13, the positioning environment includes several UEs (labeled "UE1", "UE2", and "UE3") and several RISs (labeled "RIS1" and "RIS2"). In one embodiment, UE1 may be an RSU. Participating UEs may use the RIS schedule when calculating their positions.

[0188] In one embodiment, UE1 is the RIS1, and the scheduled time

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[0194] Figures 14A, 14B, and 14C (collectively, Figure 14) illustrate exemplary positioning operations in which the RIS schedule and location sent by the initiator UE in Figure 13 are used by participating UEs to determine their own positions. In the example shown in Figure 14, the initiator UE (labeled "UE1") controls the activation and deactivation of the RISs labeled "RIS1" and "RIS2". The participating UEs (labeled "UE2" and "UE3") receive scheduling information from the initiator UE, UE1, as shown in Figure 13. The participating UEs perform positioning measurements based on the scheduling information to measure at least one PRS of UE1 when the RISs in the positioning environment are deactivated, and to measure at least one PRS of UE1 when at least one RIS in the positioning environment is activated. Each participating UE may calculate its position using the PRS measurements performed according to the RIS and PRS transmission schedules.

[0195] Participating UEs may perform PRS measurements when RIS is enabled and when RIS is disabled. During the time when RIS is disabled, participating UEs calculate ToA based on the best / first received path. As shown in Figure 14A, the PRS measurement for the first best received path is calculated at time ToA. d7 This is performed at time ToA. During the time when at least one RIS is enabled, participating UEs calculate ToA based on a first best receive path and a second best receive path, corresponding to the direct path from the initiator UE and the reflected path from the enabled RIS, respectively. As shown in Figure 14B, the PRS measurement of the first best receive path (i.e., the direct path) is performed at time ToA d8 The PRS measurement was performed at time ToA, and the second best receiving path (i.e., the path including the reflected path from RIS1) was performed at time ToA. ris1(3) This is performed in Figure 14C. In Figure 14C, UE1 disables RIS1 and enables RIS2 while transmitting its PRS. The PRS measurement for the first best receiving path (i.e., direct path) is performed in ToA d9The PRS measurement of the second best receiving path (e.g., a path including the reflected path from RIS2) is performed in ToA ris2(3) This takes place in [location]. Each participating UE may determine its position based on the distance calculated from the initiator UE (e.g., the distance from UE2 to UE1), the distance calculated from one or more RISs (e.g., the distance from the participating UE to RIS1 and / or RIS2), the known position of the initiator UE (e.g., the known position of UE1), and the known positions of one or more RISs (e.g., the known positions of RIS1 and / or RIS2). The known positions may be absolute positions on Earth and may be expressed as latitude and longitude values.

[0196] Figure 14 shows an example of a one-way time-of-flight positioning procedure. However, the example in Figure 14 can be extended when the RTT method is used for positioning the participating UE. When RTT is used, PRS measurements are also performed on PRS transmitted from the participating UE (e.g., UE2) based on the RIS schedule. In one example, UE2 transmits its PRS when RIS1 and RIS2 are disabled. Then UE1 transmits its PRS at the time t of the PRS transmission by UE2. tx Along with this, it reports the ToA of PRS received directly from U2 on the path. UE1 also transmits its PRS when at least one of the RISs (e.g., RIS1) is enabled. UE2 then reports the transmission time t of the PRS. tx Along with this, the ToA of the PRS received in both the direct and reflected paths is reported to UE1. Alternatively, UE1 reports the t of the corresponding PRS. tx Regarding this, the ToA can be reported to UE2 in a differential manner.

[0197] According to some aspects of this disclosure, an initiator UE calculates its position without control of the RIS. In such cases, a UE other than the initiator UE, a base station, or an RSU may be responsible for controlling the RIS while the initiator UE performs its positioning measurement.

[0198] Figure 15 shows an exemplary flow call 1500 that may be used in a positioning operation in which the initiator UE does not control the RIS in the positioning environment. In Figure 15, the initiator UE (e.g., labeled "UE2") is unable to control the RIS schedule and therefore requests another UE (e.g., UE3 or another participating UE) to do so. For this purpose, the initiator UE2, seeking to determine its own position, discovers the presence of one or more RISs (e.g., RIS1) in its vicinity in 1502. In some embodiments, the RIS may transmit a discovery signal that includes an indication of its availability for positioning services, along with its absolute position and RIS ID. In operation 1504, UE2 selects a preferred set of RISs, including the RIS best suited for its own positioning. According to some embodiments, the preferred set of RISs (e.g., labeled {RIS1, RIS2, ... RISN}) is selected based on the approximate distance between the initiator UE2 and the discovered RISs. In some embodiments, the preferred set of RISs may be selected based on the geographical zone in which the RISs are located. For example, UE2 may prefer to select a RIS located in approximately the same zone as UE2. In one embodiment, the preferred set of RISs may be selected based on the RSRP of the discovery signal received by UE2.

[0199] Once UE2 selects the set of RISs to be used in its positioning operation, UE2 requests control of the RISs by another UE with RIS control capability in 1506. As part of the request, UE2 provides the other UE with the RIS IDs of the RISs in the set. In the example shown in Figure 15, UE2 provides the control request to UE3 along with the RIS IDs for control if UE3 has the capability to control the RIS associated with the RIS IDs in the control request.

[0200] In response to a control request from UE2, UE3 provides UE2 with a RIS schedule at 1508. The RIS schedule indicates the time when the RIS for the preferred set of RISs is enabled and the time when the RIS is disabled, and sends the schedule to UE2. At 1510, UE2 submits a PRS transmission request to UE1 to initiate a positioning session. At 1512, UE2 calculates the ToA of a first best path, or a first and second best path, depending on whether the RIS is disabled / enabled in that instance of the RIS schedule, as controlled by UE3. At 1514, UE2 calculates its position based on the distance estimates between the direct path to UE1, the path including the reflected path from the RIS, and the known positions of the RIS and UE1.

[0201] Figure 16 shows an exemplary method 1600 of wireless communication performed by a user device (UE). In operation 1602, the UE controls one or more RISs according to one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) schedules, which indicate the time when one or more RISs are active and the time when one or more RISs are inactive. In one embodiment, operation 1602 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0202] In operation 1604, the UE requests at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS). In one embodiment, operation 1604 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0203] In operation 1606, the UE performs a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, and when one or more RISs are in an inactive state, at least one PRS is measured simultaneously with the first set of one or more measurements in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, according to the RIS schedule. In one embodiment, operation 1606 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0204] In operation 1608, the UE performs a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, and when one or more RISs are enabled, at least one PRS is measured simultaneously with the execution of the second set of one or more measurements in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS according to the RIS schedule. In one embodiment, operation 1608 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0205] Figure 17 shows an exemplary method 1700 of wireless communication performed by a first user device (UE). In operation 1702, the first UE receives a report request from the second UE to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between a first time interval and a second time interval. In one embodiment, operation 1702 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0206] In operation 1704, the first UE sends a report to the second UE in response to a report request, the report including the arrival time related to direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to direct path measurement and the arrival time related to reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval. In one embodiment, operation 1704 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0207] Figure 18 shows an exemplary method 1800 of wireless communication performed by a first user device (UE). In operation 1802, the first UE receives a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) schedule from a second UE, the RIS schedule indicating the time during which at least one of one or more RIS resources is active and the time during which at least one of one or more RIS resources is inactive. In one embodiment, operation 1802 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0208] In operation 1804, the first UE receives a positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement schedule from the second UE, the PRS measurement schedule indicating the time at which at least one PRS from the second UE can be measured by the first UE. In one embodiment, operation 1804 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0209] In operation 1806, the first UE performs a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to a PRS measurement schedule and an RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is in an inactive state. In one embodiment, operation 1806 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0210] In operation 1808, the first UE, when at least one RIS is enabled, performs a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE in accordance with a PRS measurement schedule and a RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS. In one embodiment, operation 1808 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0211] Figure 19 shows an exemplary method 1900 of wireless communication performed by a first user device (UE). In operation 1902, the first UE receives an RIS schedule from a second UE, which indicates the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive. In one embodiment, operation 1902 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0212] In operation 1904, the first UE sends a request to the third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), the request indicating the time at which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE. In one embodiment, operation 1904 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0213] In operation 1906, the first UE performs a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE in accordance with the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is in an inactive state. In one embodiment, operation 1906 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0214] In operation 1908, the first UE performs a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE in accordance with the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is enabled. In one embodiment, operation 1906 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing this operation.

[0215] As understood, the technical advantages of methods 1600–1900 include the benefit of leveraging the availability of RIS in the positioning environment to extend sidelink positioning of UEs in the positioning environment. According to some embodiments, UE positioning measurements are extended using PRS and RIS at known locations. The ability to effectively use RIS in positioning is based on setting an RIS schedule in which the RIS is enabled in some time instances and disabled in other time instances during PRS transmissions.

[0216] In the embodiments for carrying out the above invention, it will be seen that various features are grouped together in each example. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the exemplary clauses have more features than are explicitly stated within each clause. Rather, the various embodiments of this disclosure may contain fewer features than all the features of the individual exemplary clauses disclosed. Accordingly, the following clauses should be considered as incorporated into the description, and each clause may be valid on its own as a separate example. Each dependent clause may refer within itself to a particular combination with one of the other clauses, but the embodiments of that dependent clause are not limited to that particular combination. It will be understood that other exemplary clauses may also contain combinations of embodiments of dependent clauses with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. Unless it is not explicitly stated or easily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (for example, a contradictory embodiment such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor), the various embodiments disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations. Furthermore, even if a clause is not directly subordinate to an independent clause, it is intended that the form of the clause may be included in any other independent clause.

[0217] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses. Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user device (UE), comprising: controlling one or more RISs according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time when one or more RISs are active and the time when one or more RISs are inactive; requesting at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS); performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein when one or more RISs are inactive, at least one PRS performs a first set of one or more measurements, which is measured concurrently with the first set of one or more measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS; and performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein when one or more RISs are active, at least one PRS performs a second set of one or more measurements, which is measured concurrently with the second set of one or more measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0218] Clause 2.UE is a roadside unit (RSU) as described in Clause 1.

[0219] The method according to Clause 3, where, based on the RIS schedule, at least one measurement is obtained from performing a second set of one or more measurements when at least one PRS is received from at least one participating UE via a coherent channel.

[0220] 4. Performing one or more sets of measurements, including measuring the time to arrival (ToA) of at least one PRS of at least one participating UE, as described in any of the methods in Clauses 1 to 3.

[0221] Clause 5. A method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, which further comprises sending a PRS transmission schedule to at least one participating UE to transmit at least one PRS at the scheduled time indicated by the PRS transmission schedule, and determining based on the RIS schedule.

[0222] The method according to any one of the provisions 1 to 5, further comprising determining the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0223] The method according to Clause 6, wherein determining the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE involves using an averaging technique for multiple measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0224] The method according to Clause 6 or 7, further comprising determining the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements of at least one PRS obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0225] The method according to any one of the clauses 1 to 8, further comprising: determining the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements; determining the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing a second set of one or more measurements; and determining the location of at least one participating UE using the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE, the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS, the known location of the UE, and the known location of at least one RIS.

[0226] Clause 10. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user device (UE), comprising: receiving a report request from a second UE and sending a report to the second UE in response to the report request, for measuring at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between a first time interval and a second time interval, wherein the report includes the arrival time related to direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to direct path measurement and the arrival time related to reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0227] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the arrival time associated with the direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a first time interval.

[0228] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 10 or 11, wherein the arrival time associated with the direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, and the arrival time associated with the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the second earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during the second time interval.

[0229] Clause 13. Each arrival time is reported as a time difference to the transmission time of at least one PRS, as described in any of Clauses 10-12.

[0230] Clause 14. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a RIS schedule from a second UE, indicating a time when at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is in an active state and a time when at least one of the one or more RISs is in an inactive state; receiving a PRS measurement schedule from the second UE, indicating a time when at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; when at least one RIS is in an inactive state, performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurement values of the at least one PRS; and when at least one RIS is in an active state, performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurement values of the at least one PRS.

[0231] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 14, wherein the second UE is a roadside unit (RSU).

[0232] Clause 16. The method according to Clause 14 or 15, further comprising adjusting the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule such that one or more measurement values obtained when performing the first set of one or more measurements are obtained when at least one PRS is received from the second UE via a coherent channel.

[0233] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 16, wherein performing the first set of one or more measurements includes determining the time of arrival of at least one PRS corresponding to the direct path measurement of the at least one PRS.

[0234] The method according to Clause 17, wherein performing a second set of one or more measurements includes determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS and determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS reflected by at least one RIS.

[0235] Clause 19. When at least one RIS is enabled, the first UE transmits at least one PRS; when at least one RIS is disabled, the first UE transmits at least one PRS; a report, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is disabled, a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, which corresponds to a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS; and when at least one RIS is enabled, the second U The method of Clause 18, further comprising receiving a report from the second UE indicating a second arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by E, the second arrival time measurement corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and a third arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is in an active state, the third arrival time measurement corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS of the first UE from at least one RIS.

[0236] The method according to Clause 20, further comprising sending a first transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is in an enabled state to the second UE, and sending a second transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is in an disabled state to the second UE.

[0237] Clause 21. The method according to Clause 20, wherein the report shows the first arrival time as a differential measurement to the first transmission time, the report shows the second arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, and the report shows the third arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time.

[0238] The method according to any of the provisions of 14 to 21, further comprising determining the distance between a first UE and a second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0239] Clause 23. The method according to Clause 22, wherein determining the distance between a first UE and a second UE involves using an averaging technique for multiple measurements taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0240] The method according to any one of the clauses 14 to 23, further comprising determining the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0241] Clause 25. The method of any one of Clauses 14 to 24, further comprising receiving a known location of the second UE from the second UE and receiving the location of at least one RIS out of one or more RISs from the second UE.

[0242] The method according to Clause 25, further comprising: determining the distance between a first UE and a second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements; determining the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements; and determining the location of a first UE using the distance between a first UE and a second UE, the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS, a known location of a second UE, and a known location of at least one RIS.

[0243] Clause 27. A method of wireless communication performed by a first user device (UE), comprising: receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive; sending a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by a third UE; performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from a third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from a third UE according to the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0244] The method of Clause 27, further comprising sending a request to a second UE to control at least one of the one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs).

[0245] The method according to Clause 27 or 28, further comprising coordinating the indicated time that at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE and the RIS schedule so that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the third UE via a coherent channel.

[0246] Clause 30. Performing a first set of measurements, including measuring the time to arrival (ToA) of at least one PRS from a third UE, as described in any of Clauses 27-29.

[0247] Clause 31. User equipment (UE) comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor controls one or more RISs according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time when one or more RISs are active and the time when one or more RISs are inactive, requests at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), and a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE. User Equipment (UE) configured such that, when one or more RISs are disabled, at least one PRS performs one or more first sets of measurements, which are measured concurrently with one or more first sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, and when one or more RISs are enabled, at least one PRS performs one or more second sets of measurements, which are measured concurrently with one or more second sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0248] Clause 32.UE is a roadside unit (RSU), as defined in Clause 31.

[0249] A UE as described in Clause 31 or 32, which, when at least one PRS is received from at least one participating UE via a coherent channel based on Clause 33, RIS schedule, obtains at least one measurement from performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0250] UEs as described in any of Clauses 31-33, wherein at least one processor is configured to measure the time to arrival (ToA) of at least one PRS of at least one participating UE, in order to perform a first set of one or more measurements.

[0251] Clause 35. The at least one processor is further configured to request at least one participating UE to transmit at least one PRS at a scheduled time indicated by a PRS transmission schedule, and to transmit the PRS transmission schedule, which is determined based on a RIS schedule, to the at least one participating UE via at least one transceiver, the UE according to any one of Clauses 31 to 34.

[0252] Clause 36. The at least one processor is further configured to determine the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurement values obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements, the UE according to any one of Clauses 31 to 35.

[0253] Clause 37. Determining the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE includes using an averaging technique of a plurality of measurement values of at least one PRS obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements, the UE according to Clause 36.

[0254] Clause 38. The at least one processor is further configured to determine the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one of the one or more RISs using one or more measurement values of at least one PRS obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements, the UE according to Clause 36 or 37.

[0255] Clause 39. A UE as described in any of Clauses 31 to 38, further configured to determine the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more sets of measurements; determine the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more sets of measurements; and determine the location of at least one participating UE using the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE, the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS, the known location of the UE, and the known location of at least one RIS.

[0256] Clause 40. A first user device (UE) comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a report request from the second UE via the at least one transceiver and send a report to the second UE in response to the report request, for measuring at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from the second UE between first and second time intervals, the report comprising arrival time related to direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further comprising both arrival time related to direct path measurement and arrival time related to reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0257] Clause 41. The arrival time associated with a direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a first time interval, as described in Clause 40.

[0258] Clause 42. The arrival time associated with the direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, and the arrival time associated with the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the second earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, as described in Clause 40 or 41.

[0259] Clause 43. Each arrival time shall be reported as a time difference to the transmission time of at least one PRS, for the first UE as set out in any of Clauses 40-42.

[0260] Clause 44. A first user device (UE) comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor receives a Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) schedule from a second UE via at least one transceiver, which indicates the time during which at least one of one or more RIS resources is active and the time during which at least one of one or more RIS resources is inactive, and at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE indicating the time during which the first UE can measure A first user equipment (UE) is further configured to receive a measurement schedule from a second UE via at least one transceiver, and when at least one RIS is in a disabled state, to perform a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, and when at least one RIS is in a enabled state, to perform a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0261] Clause 45. The second UE is the roadside unit (RSU) of the first UE as described in Clause 44.

[0262] Clause 46. The first UE as described in Clause 44 or 45, wherein at least one processor is further configured to coordinate the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule such that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the second UE via a coherent channel.

[0263] A first UE as described in any of Clauses 44 to 46, wherein at least one processor is configured to determine the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, in order to perform a first set of one or more measurements.

[0264] The first UE as described in Clause 47, is configured to perform a second set of one or more measurements, by determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS and by determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS reflected by at least one RIS.

[0265] Clause 49. At least one processor transmits at least one PRS via at least one transceiver when at least one RIS is enabled, and transmits at least one PRS via at least one transceiver when at least one RIS is disabled, and reports a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, which is performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is disabled, and corresponds to a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS, and when at least one RIS is enabled, the second U The first UE as described in Clause 48, further configured to receive a report from the second UE via at least one transceiver indicating a second arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by E, the second arrival time measurement corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and a third arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is enabled, the third arrival time measurement corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS of the first UE from at least one RIS.

[0266] Clause 50. The first UE as described in Clause 49, further configured to send a first transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is enabled to the second UE via at least one transceiver, and a second transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is disabled to the second UE via at least one transceiver.

[0267] Clause 51. The report shall show the first arrival time as a differential measurement to the first transmission time, the report shall show the second arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, and the report shall show the third arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, as set out in Clause 50.

[0268] Clause 52. The first UE as described in any of Clauses 44 to 51, further configured to determine the distance between the first UE and the second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0269] Clause 53. Determining the distance between the first UE and the second UE includes using an averaging technique for multiple measurements taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements of the first UE as described in Clause 52.

[0270] Clause 54. A UE as described in any of Clauses 44 to 53, further configured to determine the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements taken when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0271] Clause 55. The first UE as described in any of Clauses 44 to 54, wherein at least one processor is further configured to receive a known location of the second UE from the second UE via at least one transceiver, and to receive a location of at least one RIS among one or more RISs from the second UE via at least one transceiver.

[0272] Clause 56. The first UE as described in Clause 55, further configured to determine the distance between a first UE and a second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements, determine the distance between the first UE and at least one RIS using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements, and determine the location of the first UE using the distance between the first UE and the second UE, the distance between the first UE and at least one RIS, a known location of the second UE, and a known location of the at least one RIS.

[0273] Clause 57. A first user device (UE) comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive an RIS schedule from a second UE via the at least one transceiver indicating the time for which at least one RIS is enabled and the time for which at least one RIS is disabled, send a request to a third UE via the at least one transceiver for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by a third UE, perform a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is disabled, and perform a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is enabled.

[0274] Clause 58. The first UE as described in Clause 57, further configured to send requests to a second UE via at least one transceiver to control at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) of the RIS.

[0275] Clause 59. The first UE as described in any of Clauses 57-58, further configured to coordinate the indicated time and RIS schedule of the at least one PRS expected to be transmitted by the third UE, such that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the third UE via a coherent channel.

[0276] To perform a first set of measurements, at least one processor is configured to measure the time to arrival (ToA) of at least one PRS from a third UE, as described in any of Clauses 57 to 59.

[0277] User equipment (UE) comprising: means for controlling one or more RISs according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time for which one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) are active and the time for which one or more RISs are inactive; means for requesting at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS); means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein, when one or more RISs are inactive, the at least one PRS is measured concurrently with the performance of the first set of measurements according to the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, wherein, when one or more RISs are active, the at least one PRS is measured concurrently with the performance of the second set of measurements according to the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0278] Clause 62.UE is a roadside unit (RSU), as defined in Clause 61.

[0279] A UE as described in Clause 61 or 62, which, when at least one PRS is received from at least one participating UE via a coherent channel based on Clause 63.RIS schedule, obtains at least one measurement from performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0280] 64. Means for performing a first set of one or more measurements, including means for measuring the time to arrive (ToA) of at least one PRS of at least one participating UE, as described in any of the UEs

[0281] A UE as described in any of Clauses 61 to 64, further comprising a PRS transmission schedule which requires at least one participating UE to transmit at least one PRS at the scheduled times indicated by the PRS transmission schedule, and means for transmitting the PRS transmission schedule to at least one participating UE, which is determined based on the RIS schedule.

[0282] A UE as described in any of Clauses 61 to 65, further comprising means for determining the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0283] The means for determining the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE, as described in Clause 67, includes using an averaging technique for multiple measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more measurements of the UE as described in Clause 66.

[0284] The UE described in Clause 66 or 67 further includes means for determining the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs, using one or more measurements of at least one PRS obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0285] A UE as described in any of Clauses 61 to 68, further comprising: means for determining the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements; means for determining the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS among one or more RISs using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing a second set of one or more measurements; and means for determining the location of at least one participating UE using the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE, the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS, a known location of the UE, and a known location of at least one RIS.

[0286] Clause 70. A first user equipment (UE) comprising means for receiving a report request from a second UE and means for sending a report to the second UE in response to a report request, the report comprising the arrival time related to the direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further comprising both the arrival time related to the direct path measurement and the arrival time related to the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0287] Clause 71. The arrival time associated with a direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a first time interval, as described in Clause 70.

[0288] Clause 72. The arrival time associated with a direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, and the arrival time associated with a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from a second earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, as described in Clause 70 or 71.

[0289] Clause 73. Each arrival time shall be reported as a time difference to the transmission time of at least one PRS, for the first UE as set out in any of Clauses 70-72.

[0290] Clause 74. A first user device (UE) comprising: means for receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time for which at least one of one or more RISs is inactive; means for receiving a PRS measurement schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0291] Clause 75. The second UE is the roadside unit (RSU), which is the first UE as described in Clause 74.

[0292] The first UE as described in Clause 74 or 75, further comprising means for coordinating the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule such that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the second UE via a coherent channel.

[0293] The first UE described in any of the clauses 74 to 76, includes means for performing a first set of one or more measurements, which include means for determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS.

[0294] The first UE as described in Clause 77, means for performing a second set of one or more measurements, including means for determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and means for determining the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS reflected by at least one RIS.

[0295] Clause 79. The first UE as described in Clause 78, further comprising means for transmitting at least one PRS when at least one RIS is enabled, means for transmitting at least one PRS when at least one RIS is disabled, and means for receiving a report from the second UE indicating a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is disabled, the first arrival time measurement corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is enabled, the second arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, the second arrival time measurement corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and a third arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is enabled, the third arrival time measurement corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS of the first UE from at least one RIS.

[0296] Clause 80. The first UE as described in Clause 79, further comprising means for sending to the second UE a first transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is in an enabled state, and means for sending to the second UE a second transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is in an disabled state.

[0297] Clause 81. The report shall show the first arrival time as a differential measurement to the first transmission time, the report shall show the second arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, and the report shall show the third arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, as set out in Clause 80.

[0298] The first UE described in any of the clauses 74 to 81 further includes means for determining the distance between the first UE and the second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0299] Clause 83. The means for determining the distance between the first UE and the second UE is the first UE as described in Clause 82, which includes using an averaging technique for multiple measurements taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0300] The first UE as described in any of the clauses 74 to 83, further comprising means for determining the distance between the first UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs, using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0301] Clause 85. The first UE as described in any of Clauses 74 to 84, further comprising means for receiving a known location of the second UE from the second UE, and means for receiving the location of at least one RIS from one or more RISs from the second UE.

[0302] The first UE as described in Clause 85, further comprising: means for determining the distance between a first UE and a second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements; means for determining the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements; and means for determining the location of a first UE using the distance between a first UE and a second UE, the distance between a first UE and at least one RIS, a known location of a second UE, and a known location of at least one RIS.

[0303] Clause 87. A first user device (UE) comprising: means for receiving an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is deactivated; means for sending a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE; means for performing a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE in accordance with the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is deactivated; and means for performing a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE in accordance with the RIS schedule, in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0304] The first UE as described in Clause 87, further comprising means for sending a request to the second UE for control of at least one of the one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs).

[0305] The first UE as described in Clause 87 or 88, further comprising means for coordinating the indicated time and RIS schedule at which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE, such that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the third UE via a coherent channel.

[0306] Clause 90. Means for performing a first set of measurements, including means for measuring the time to arrive (ToA) of at least one PRS from a third UE, as described in any of Clauses 87 to 89.

[0307] Clause 91. A non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a user device (UE), cause the UE to control one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules indicating the time for which one or more RISs are active and the time for which one or more RISs are inactive; cause at least one of the one or more participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS); and a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from at least one participating UE, comprising one or more RI Non-temporary computer-readable media, which, when S is in a disabled state, causes at least one PRS to perform one or more first sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously with one or more first sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS, and which is transmitted from at least one participating UE, and which, when one or more RISs are in a enabled state, causes at least one PRS to perform one or more second sets of measurements, which are measured simultaneously with one or more second sets of measurements, according to the RIS schedule, in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0308] Clause 92.UE is a roadside unit (RSU), which is a non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 91.

[0309] A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 91 or 92, in which at least one measurement is obtained from performing a second set of one or more measurements when at least one PRS is received from at least one participating UE via a coherent channel, based on Clause 93.RIS schedule.

[0310] A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 91 to 93, which includes a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a UE, causes the UE to perform a first set of one or more measurements, and which, when executed by the UE, causes the UE to measure the time to arrival (ToA) of at least one PRS of at least one participating UE.

[0311] Clause 95. A non-temporary computer-readable medium, as described in any of Clauses 91 to 94, further comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the UE, the UE requests at least one participating UE to send a PRS transmission schedule, which is determined based on the RIS schedule, to send a PRS transmission schedule, which is determined based on the RIS schedule, to at least one participating UE.

[0312] Non-temporary computer-readable media as described in any of Clauses 91 to 95, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a UE, causes a UE to determine the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0313] Clause 97. Determining the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE involves using an averaging technique for multiple measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more measurements in a non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 96.

[0314] A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 96-97, further comprising a computer-executable instruction causing a UE to determine the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of at least one RIS, using one or more measurements of at least one PRS obtained when a second set of one or more measurements is performed by a UE.

[0315] A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 91 to 98, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause to determine the distance between a UE and at least one participating UE using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more sets of measurements; cause to determine the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS of one or more RISs using one or more measurements of at least one PRS taken when performing one or more sets of measurements; and cause to determine the location of at least one participating UE using the distance between the UE and at least one participating UE, the distance between at least one participating UE and at least one RIS, the known location of the UE, and the known location of at least one RIS.

[0316] Clause 100. A non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein, when executed by a first user device (UE), the computer-executable instructions cause the first UE to receive a report request from a second UE to measure at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) transmitted from a second UE between a first time interval and a second time interval, and cause the second UE to send a report in response to the report request, the report including the arrival time related to the direct path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the first time interval, and further including both the arrival time related to the direct path measurement and the arrival time related to the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS acquired during the second time interval.

[0317] Clause 101. The arrival time associated with a direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by a first UE during a first time interval, as described in Clause 100, for a non-transient computer-readable medium.

[0318] Clause 102. The arrival time associated with the direct path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, and the arrival time associated with the reflected path measurement of at least one PRS is determined from the second earliest received PRS measurement taken by the first UE during a second time interval, as described in Clause 100 or 101 of the non-temporary computer-readable media.

[0319] Clause 103. Each arrival time is reported as a time difference to the transmission time of at least one PRS in a non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 100 to 102.

[0320] Clause 104. Non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a first user device (UE), cause the first UE to receive from a second UE an RIS schedule indicating the time for which at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) resources is active and the time for which at least one of one or more RISs is inactive; cause the first UE to receive from a second UE a PRS measurement schedule indicating the time for which at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) from the second UE can be measured by the first UE; cause the first UE to execute a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is inactive; and cause the first UE to execute a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the second UE according to the PRS measurement schedule and the RIS schedule in order to obtain one or more measurements of at least one PRS when at least one RIS is active.

[0321] Clause 105. The second UE is a roadside unit (RSU), a non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 104.

[0322] Clause 106. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 104 or 105, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to coordinate a PRS measurement schedule and an RIS schedule such that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the second UE via a coherent channel.

[0323] Clause 107. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 104 to 106, which, when executed by a first UE, causes a first UE to perform a first set of one or more measurements, includes a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a UE, causes the UE to determine the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS.

[0324] Clause 108. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 107, which, when executed by a first UE, causes a first UE to perform a second set of one or more measurements, includes a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a UE, causes the UE to determine the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and the arrival time of at least one PRS corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS reflected by at least one RIS.

[0325] Clause 109. A non-temporary computer-readable medium further comprising a computer-executable instruction, wherein, when executed by a first UE, the computer-executable instruction causes the first UE to transmit at least one PRS when at least one RIS is enabled, and at least one PRS when at least one RIS is disabled, and reports a first arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, which is performed by a second UE when at least one RIS is disabled, and the first arrival time measurement corresponds to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and at least A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 108, which causes the second UE to receive a report indicating a second arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is active, the second arrival time measurement corresponding to a direct path measurement of at least one PRS, and a third arrival time measurement of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE, performed by the second UE when at least one RIS is active, the third arrival time measurement corresponding to a reflected path measurement of at least one PRS of the first UE from at least one RIS.

[0326] Clause 110. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 109, further comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein when executed by a first UE, the computer-executable instructions cause the first UE to send to the second UE a first transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is enabled, and to send to the second UE a second transmission time of at least one PRS transmitted by the first UE when at least one RIS is disabled.

[0327] Clause 111. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 110, in which the report shows the first arrival time as a differential measurement to the first transmission time, the report shows the second arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time, and the report shows the third arrival time as a differential measurement to the second transmission time.

[0328] Clause 112. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 104 to 111, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to determine the distance between the first UE and the second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements.

[0329] Clause 113. Determining the distance between a first UE and a second UE involves using an averaging technique for multiple measurements taken when performing one or more measurements in a non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 112.

[0330] Clause 114. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 104 to 113, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to determine the distance between the first UE and at least one of the RISs of one or more RISs, using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements.

[0331] Clause 115. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 104 to 114, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to receive a known location of the second UE from the second UE and the location of at least one of one or more RISs from the second UE.

[0332] The non-temporary computer-readable medium described in Clause 115 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to determine the distance between a first UE and a second UE using one or more measurements obtained when performing a first set of one or more measurements; determine the distance between the first UE and at least one RIS using one or more measurements obtained when performing a second set of one or more measurements; and determine the location of the first UE using the distance between the first UE and the second UE, the distance between the first UE and at least one RIS, a known location of the second UE, and a known location of at least one RIS.

[0333] Clause 117. A non-temporary computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a first user device (UE), cause the first UE to receive an RIS schedule from a second UE indicating the time for which at least one RIS is active and the time for which at least one RIS is inactive; cause the first UE to send a request to a third UE for the transmission of at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) indicating the time for which at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by a third UE; when at least one RIS is inactive, cause the first UE to execute a first set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS transmitted from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS; and when at least one RIS is active, cause the first UE to execute a second set of one or more measurements of at least one PRS from the third UE according to the RIS schedule in order to perform one or more measurements of at least one PRS.

[0334] Clause 118. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 117, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to send a request to the second UE to control at least one of one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs).

[0335] Clause 119. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 117 or 118, further comprising a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by the first UE, causes the first UE to coordinate an indicated time and RIS schedule such that at least one PRS is expected to be transmitted by the third UE, so that at least one measurement taken when performing a first set of one or more measurements is taken when at least one PRS is received from the third UE via a coherent channel.

[0336] Clause 120. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any of Clauses 117 to 119, which includes a computer-executable instruction that, when executed by a first UE, causes the first UE to perform a first set of one or more measurements, and which, when executed by a UE, causes the UE to measure the time to arrive (ToA) of at least one PRS from a third UE.

[0337] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, electric current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0338] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that 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 schematically described above in relation to their functions. 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 specific applications, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0339] Various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or run using general-purpose processors, DSPs, ASICs, FPGAs or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The 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, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0340] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in hardware directly, in software modules executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard 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 with 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 in the user terminal as separate components.

[0341] 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 communication media, including any media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. Storage media may be any available media accessible by a computer. Such computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media accessible by a computer that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures. 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 a medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray® disc, where a disk typically reproduces data magnetically and a disc optically reproduces data using a laser. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0342] 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 any particular order. Furthermore, elements of the Disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, but the plural is intended unless a limitation to the singular is expressly stated.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by user equipment (UE), Controlling one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) according to one or more RIS schedules that indicate the time during which one or more RISs are active and the time during which one or more RISs are inactive, To require at least one of the participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), Performing a first set of one or more measurements of the at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, wherein when the one or more RISs are in the disabled state, the at least one PRS is measured while performing the first set of one or more measurements according to the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS, and performing the first set of one or more measurements includes determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to the direct path measurement of the at least one PRS, Performing a second set of one or more measurements of the at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, wherein, when the one or more RISs are in the enabled state, the at least one PRS is measured while the second set of one or more measurements is performed according to the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS, and the performance of the second set of one or more measurements includes determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to a direct path measurement of the at least one PRS, and determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to a reflected path measurement of the at least one PRS reflected by the one or more RISs, Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the UE is a roadside unit (RSU).

3. Based on the RIS schedule, when the at least one PRS is received from the at least one participating UE via a coherent channel, at least one measurement is obtained by performing a second set of one or more measurements. The method according to claim 1.

4. Performing the first set of one or more measurements is: The method according to claim 1, comprising measuring the time to arrival (ToA) of the at least one PRS of the at least one participating UE.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a PRS transmission schedule, which requests the at least one participating UE to transmit the at least one PRS at the scheduled times indicated by the PRS transmission schedule, and transmitting a PRS transmission schedule determined based on the RIS schedule to the at least one participating UE.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE using the one or more measurements obtained when performing the first set of the one or more measurements.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein determining the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE involves using an averaging technique for multiple measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the first set of one or more measurements.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining the distance between the at least one participating UE and at least one RIS among the one or more RISs using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the one or more measurements.

9. Using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the first set of the one or more measurements, the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE is determined. Using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the second set of the one or more measurements, the distance between the at least one participating UE and at least one RIS among the one or more RISs is determined. The position of the at least one participating UE is determined using the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE, the distance between the at least one participating UE and the at least one RIS, the known position of the UE, and the known position of the at least one RIS. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

10. Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, The at least one processor is equipped with Control one or more Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RISs) according to one or more RIS schedules that indicate the time during which one or more RISs are active and the time during which one or more RISs are inactive. Request at least one of the participating UEs to transmit at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), A first set of one or more measurements of the at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, wherein when the one or more RISs are in the disabled state, the at least one PRS is measured while the first set of one or more measurements is performed according to the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS, and performing the first set of one or more measurements includes determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to the direct path measurement of the at least one PRS, A second set of one or more measurements of the at least one PRS transmitted from the at least one participating UE, wherein when the one or more RISs are in the enabled state, the at least one PRS is measured while the second set of one or more measurements is performed according to the RIS schedule to obtain one or more measurements of the at least one PRS, and the performance of the second set of one or more measurements includes determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to the direct path measurement of the at least one PRS, and determining the arrival time of the at least one PRS corresponding to the reflected path measurement of the at least one PRS reflected by the one or more RISs, User equipment (UE) is configured in such a way.

11. The UE is a roadside unit (RSU) according to claim 10.

12. Based on the RIS schedule, when the at least one PRS is received from the at least one participating UE via the coherent channel, at least one measurement is obtained by performing a second set of one or more measurements, or To perform the first set of the one or more measurements, the at least one processor is configured to measure the time to arrival (ToA) of the at least one PRS of the at least one participating UE, or The aforementioned at least one processor is A UE according to claim 10, comprising a PRS transmission schedule, which further comprises requesting the at least one participating UE to transmit the at least one PRS at the scheduled times indicated by the PRS transmission schedule, and transmitting the PRS transmission schedule, determined based on the RIS schedule, to the at least one participating UE via the at least one transceiver.

13. The aforementioned at least one processor is The system is further configured to determine the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE using the one or more measurements obtained when performing the first set of the one or more measurements, Determining the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE is done by using an averaging technique for multiple measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the first set of one or more measurements, The aforementioned at least one processor is The UE according to claim 10, further configured to determine the distance between the at least one participating UE and at least one RIS among the one or more RISs, using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing a second set of the one or more measurements.

14. The aforementioned at least one processor is Using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the first set of the one or more measurements, the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE is determined. Using the one or more measurements of the at least one PRS obtained when performing the second set of the one or more measurements, the distance between the at least one participating UE and at least one RIS among the one or more RISs is determined. The position of the at least one participating UE is determined using the distance between the UE and the at least one participating UE, the distance between the at least one participating UE and the at least one RIS, the known position of the UE, and the known position of the at least one RIS. The UE according to claim 10, further configured as follows.

15. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a user device (UE), cause the UE to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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