Location estimation based on time bias between base station and reference user equipment

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communications are disclosed. In one aspect, a location estimation entity obtains first timing information associated with a first Time of Arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user equipment (UE) and a base station at a first time reference, obtains second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, determines a bias between the first and second time references, and determines a location estimate of the target UE via a Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) positioning technique based at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] 1. Areas of Disclosure

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

[0002] 2. Explanation of related technologies

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone services (1G), second-generation digital wireless telephone services (including provisional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation high-speed data and internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation services (4G) (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]

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

[0004]

[0004] The following provides a simplified overview relating to one or more embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the following overview should not be considered a broad overview relating to all intended embodiments, nor should it be considered to identify the main or important elements relating to all intended embodiments, or to define the scope relating to any particular embodiment. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following overview is to provide, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more embodiments relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed descriptions presented below.

[0005]

[0005] In one embodiment, a method for operating a position estimation entity includes: obtaining first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first reference signal for positioning (RS-P) communicated between a target user equipment (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; obtaining second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and determining a position estimate of the target UE via a time differential of arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0006]

[0006] In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining a third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and obtaining a fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, wherein the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information.

[0007]

[0007] In some embodiments, the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0008]

[0008] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, the first RS-P corresponds to a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), and the second RS-P corresponds to a sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0009]

[0009] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, the first RS-P corresponds to an uplink sounding reference for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or a sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0010]

[0010] In some embodiments, the position estimation entity corresponds to a base station, a reference UE, a location management function (LMF), a location server, a target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0011]

[0011] In some embodiments, the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

[0012]

[0012] In some embodiments, the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the determination of the position estimation and within a threshold period from the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

[0013]

[0013] In some embodiments, the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0014]

[0014] In some embodiments, the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between a reference UE and another base station based on each known location, and a measured propagation time between the another base station and the reference UE.

[0015]

[0015] In one embodiment, a location estimation entity includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor obtaining first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user equipment (UE) and a base station at a first time reference, obtaining second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, and determining an estimated location of the target UE via a time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning technique based at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0016]

[0016] In some embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to obtain third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and obtain fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, and the determination of the estimated location is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information.

[0017]

[0017] In some embodiments, the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0018]

[0018] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0019]

[0019] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0020]

[0020] In some embodiments, the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, a reference UE, a location management function (LMF), a location server, a target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0021]

[0021] In some embodiments, the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

[0022]

[0022] In some embodiments, the bias determination is triggered independently of the trigger for the position estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the position estimation determination.

[0023]

[0023] In some embodiments, the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0024]

[0024] In some embodiments, the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0025]

[0025] In one embodiment, the location estimation entity includes means for acquiring first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; means for acquiring second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between a target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; means for determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and means for determining a location estimate of the target UE via a time-of-arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0026]

[0026] In some embodiments, the method includes means for obtaining a third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and means for obtaining a fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, wherein the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information.

[0027]

[0027] In some embodiments, the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0028]

[0028] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0029]

[0029] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0030]

[0030] In some embodiments, the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, a reference UE, a location management function (LMF), a location server, a target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0031]

[0031] In some embodiments, the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

[0032]

[0032] In some embodiments, the bias determination is triggered independently of the trigger for the position estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the position estimation determination.

[0033]

[0033] In some embodiments, the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0034]

[0034] In some embodiments, the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0035]

[0035] In one embodiment, a non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when a computer-executable instruction is executed by a location-estimating entity, the location-estimating entity causes the location-estimating entity to acquire first timing information associated with a first time-to-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; to acquire second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between a target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; to determine a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and to determine a location estimate of the target UE via a time-to-arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0036]

[0036] In some embodiments, one or more commands cause the position estimation entity to acquire third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, and fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, and the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third and fourth timing information.

[0037]

[0037] In some embodiments, the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0038]

[0038] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0039]

[0039] In some embodiments, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0040]

[0040] In some embodiments, the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, a reference UE, a location management function (LMF), a location server, a target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0041]

[0041] In some embodiments, the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

[0042]

[0042] In some embodiments, the bias determination is triggered independently of the trigger for the position estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the position estimation determination.

[0043]

[0043] In some embodiments, the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0044]

[0044] In some embodiments, the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0045]

[0045] Other purposes and advantages relating to the embodiments disclosed herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0046]

[0046] The accompanying drawings are provided to aid in describing various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided only for illustrative purposes of aspects, not to limit them. [Figure 1]

[0047] An exemplary wireless communication system according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 2A]

[0048] 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]

[0049] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE) and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3B] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a base station and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 3C] This is a simplified block diagram of some exemplary embodiments of components that may be employed in a network entity and configured to support the communications taught herein. [Figure 4]

[0050] This is a block diagram showing various components of an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to the aspects of this disclosure. [Figure 5A]

[0051] This figure shows an exemplary frame structure and channels within the frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] This figure shows an exemplary frame structure and channels within the frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5C]This figure shows an exemplary frame structure and channels within the frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 5D] This figure shows an exemplary frame structure and channels within the frame structure according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 6]

[0052] This disclosure illustrates an exemplary time-to-arrival-of-a-day (TDOA) based positioning procedure in a wireless communication system. [Figure 7]

[0053] An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in which vehicle user equipment (V-UE) exchanges ranging signals with a roadside unit (RSU) and another V-UE, according to an aspect of this disclosure. [Figure 8]

[0054] An exemplary process 800 for wireless communication according to the embodiments of this disclosure is shown. [Figure 9]

[0055] A communication system 900 is described in the manner of this disclosure. [Figure 10]

[0056] A timeline 1000 based on an exemplary implementation of the process in Figure 8, according to one aspect of this disclosure, is shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0047]

[0057] 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.

[0048]

[0058] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “acting as an example, case, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” should not necessarily be construed as being preferable or advantageous to any other aspect. Similarly, the term “aspects of the disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0049]

[0059] 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, desired design, corresponding technique, etc.

[0050]

[0060] Furthermore, many embodiments will be described, for example, with respect to sequences 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 sequence(s) of actions described herein, when executed, 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 function 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 action.

[0051]

[0061] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to, or otherwise limited to, any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer location device, wearable (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or 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 "Access Terminal" or "AT," "Client Device," "Wireless Device," "Subscriber Device," "Subscriber Terminal," "Subscriber Station," "User Terminal" or "UT," "Mobile Device," "Mobile Terminal," "Mobile Station," or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for a UE, such as via a wired access network or a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 specification).

[0052]

[0062] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs that communicate with the UE, depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, and may also be called an access point (AP), network node, node B, advanced node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), or New Radio (NR) node B (also known as gNB or gNodeB). 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 an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0053]

[0063] 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.

[0054]

[0064] 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 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 a signal to the UE) and / or a positioning unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0055]

[0065] 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.

[0056]

[0066] 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 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB corresponding to an LTE network, or a gNB corresponding to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include a femtocell, picocell, microcell, etc.

[0057]

[0067] The base station 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with the 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 server(s) 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be outside the core network 170. In addition to other functions, base stations 102 may perform functions related to 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.

[0058]

[0068] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage to a separate 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 a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may, depending on the context, refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it. In addition, since the TRP is usually the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, insofar as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0059]

[0069] The geographical coverage areas 110 of neighboring 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' (labeled "SC" instead of "small cell") may have a geographical coverage area 110' that significantly 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 may serve a limited group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0060]

[0070] 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).

[0061]

[0071] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 communicating with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0062]

[0072] Small cell base station 102' may operate in licensed frequency spectrum and / or unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in 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 unlicensed frequency spectrum may extend coverage to the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum is sometimes referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum is sometimes referred to as LTE-U, licensed assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0063]

[0073] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a mmW base station 180 that can operate in millimeter-wave (mmW) and / or quasi-mmW frequencies communicating with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF is in the range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band are sometimes called millimeter waves. Quasi-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. 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 band has high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distances. Furthermore, it will be understood that in alternative configurations, 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.

[0064]

[0074] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts 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 one or more receiving devices. 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 a beam of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. In detail, RF current from the transmitter is supplied to individual antennas with the appropriate phase relationship, resulting in the radio waves from the separate antennas combining to cancel out radiation in undesirable directions while increasing radiation in the desired direction.

[0065]

[0075] A transmit beam can be quasi-co-located, meaning that to a receiver (e.g., a 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. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a 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.

[0066]

[0076] 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 a particular direction and / or adjusting the phase setting. Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a particular 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.

[0067]

[0077] Transmit and receive beams may be spatially related. Spatial relationship means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive or transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE might 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 that base station.

[0068]

[0078] 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.

[0069]

[0079] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450–6000 MHz), FR2 (24250–52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW frequency band generally includes the frequency ranges of FR2, FR3, and FR4. Therefore, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" may generally be used interchangeably.

[0070]

[0080] 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 the carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) which 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 and primary downlink carriers 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 balance the load on 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.

[0071]

[0081] For example, still referring 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, aggregated two 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.

[0072]

[0082] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that communicates with a macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with an mmW base station 180 via an mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0073]

[0083] 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.

[0074]

[0084] In satellite positioning systems, the use of signal 124 may be associated with use involving one or more global 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, differential corrections, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation Systems (WAAS) (one or more), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation Systems (MSAS), Global Positioning System (GPS)-assisted geo-augmented navigation, or GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation systems (GAGAN). Therefore, the satellite positioning systems used herein may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with one or more such satellite positioning systems.

[0075]

[0085] 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 an element 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.

[0076]

[0086] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs, such as UE190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "sidelinks"). In the example in Figure 1, UE190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (through which UE190 may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE190 may indirectly obtain WLAN-based internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 may be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), or Bluetooth (Bluetooth).

[0077]

[0087] Figure 2A shows an exemplary wireless network structure 200. For example, 5GC210 (also called Next Generation Core (NGC)) may 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, 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).

[0078]

[0088] Another optional embodiment may include a location server 230 that may communicate with 5GC210 to provide location assistance to one or more UEs 204. 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 spread across 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 UEs 204 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, outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or service server).

[0079]

[0089] 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 session management function (SMF)266, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access permission, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between UE204 and short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). AMF264 also interacts with authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE204 and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM), AMF264 retrieves security material from AUSF. The AMF264's functionality also includes security context management (SCM).The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that the SCM uses to derive access network-specific keys. 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 evolved packet system (EPS), and UE204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP® (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0080]

[0090] 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 flow (SDF) to QoS flow), 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.

[0081]

[0091] The functions of the SMF266 ​​include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering in the UPF262 for routing traffic to appropriate destinations, control of policy enforcement and some QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF266 ​​communicates with the AMF264 is called the N11 interface.

[0082]

[0092] Another optional embodiment may include an LMF270 that may communicate with the 5GC260 to provide location assistance to the UE204. The LMF270 may 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 corresponding to a single server. The LMF270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE204, which can connect to the LMF270 via the core network, the 5GC260, and / or via the internet (not shown). The SLP272 may support similar functionality to the LMF270, but the LMF270 can communicate with the AMF264, NG-RAN220, and UE204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to transmit signaling messages rather than voice or data), while the SLP272 can communicate with the UE204 and external clients (not shown in Figure 2B) on the user plane (e.g., using the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as IP).

[0083]

[0093] 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 gNB(single or multiple)222 and / or ng-eNB(single or multiple)224 and the AMF264 is called the "N2" interface, and the interface between the gNB(single or multiple)222 and / or ng-eNB(single or multiple)224 and the UPF262 is called the "N3" interface. The gNB(single or multiple)222 and / or ng-eNB(single or multiple)224 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 may communicate with one or more UE204s via a wireless interface called the "Uu" interface.

[0084]

[0094] The functionality of gNB222 is divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is called the "F1" interface. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as transferring user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, except for those functions which are exclusively allocated to the gNB-DU(s) 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data conformance protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the gNB222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layer of the gNB222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. A single gNB-DU228 can support one or more cells, while a single cell is supported by only one gNB-DU228. Therefore, the UE204 communicates with the gNB-CU226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, as well as with the gNB-DU228 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0085]

[0095] 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, a private network, which may be independent of the NG-RAN220 and / or 5GC210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in Figures 2A and 2B) 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.

[0086]

[0096] UE302 and base station304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, and provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for adjusting, means for centering transmission, etc.) for communicating over one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, and GSM networks. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, and base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs) over at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a target wireless communication medium (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 detail, 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.

[0087]

[0097] 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 each be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366 and may provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for ceasing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, and base stations via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, Z-Wave®, PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicular Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) on the wireless communication medium of interest. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.). 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 one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific 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.

[0088]

[0098] 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 Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith satellite system (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (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 actions 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.

[0089]

[0099] 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.

[0090]

[0100] The transceiver may be configured to communicate via 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 to, multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array that enables individual devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming, as can be described herein. Similarly, a wireless receiver circuit configuration (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include, or be coupled to, multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array that enables individual devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as can be described herein. In one embodiment, the transmitter and receiver circuit configurations may share multiple identical antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that individual devices 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.

[0091]

[0101] 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.

[0092]

[0102] 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. Processors 332, 384, and 394 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, and means for indicating. 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 circuit configurations, or various combinations thereof.

[0093]

[0103] The UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include a memory circuit configuration that implements memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (each including a memory device, for example), to maintain information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, the memories 340, 386, and 396 may provide means for storing, retrieving, maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include location estimation modules 342, 388, and 398. The location estimation modules 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, cause the UE302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other embodiments, the location estimation modules 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 location estimation modules 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 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 location estimation module 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 position estimation module 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 position estimation module 398, which may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, a memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component.

[0094]

[0104] 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 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 receivers 330. For example, one or more sensors 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion-sensing sensor. Furthermore, one or more sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and their outputs may be combined to provide motion information. For example, one or more sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0095]

[0105] In addition, UE302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for displaying information to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) 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.

[0096]

[0106] 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 Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with 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 correction, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and broadcasting of measurement configurations for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction by automatic repeat request (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.

[0097]

[0107] 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 coded and modulated symbols 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 the 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. The transmitter 354 may modulate the RF carrier using the individual spatial streams for transmission.

[0098]

[0108] In UE302, receiver 312 receives signals through its individual antenna(s) 316. Receiver 312 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to reconstruct 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 receiver 312. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal 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 base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. Next, the soft decision 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.

[0099]

[0109] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between the transport channel and logical channel, packet reassembly, decoding, header reconstruction, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0100]

[0110] Similar to the functions described in relation to downlink transmission by base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions associated with acquiring system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with forwarding upper layer PDUs, error correction by ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction by hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0101]

[0111] 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 stream 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.

[0102]

[0112] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in relation to the receiver function in UE302. Receiver 352 receives the signal through its individual antenna(s) 356. Receiver 352 reconstructs the information modulated on the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 384.

[0103]

[0113] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between the transport channel and logical channel, packet reassembly, decoding, header reconstruction, and control signal processing to reconstruct IP packets from the UE302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be delivered to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0104]

[0114] 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 to 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 the example of Figure 3A, a particular implementation of the UE302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth functionality without cellular functionality), or the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular only), or the satellite 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(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular functionality), or the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 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.

[0105]

[0115] 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.

[0106]

[0116] 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 components(s) and memory components(s) of UE302 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350-388 may be implemented by the processor components(s) and memory components(s) of base station 304 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by the appropriate configuration of processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390-398 may be implemented by the processor components(s) and memory components(s) 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 will 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, e.g., processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory 340, 386, and 396, position estimation modules 342, 388, and 398, etc.

[0107]

[0117] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be separate from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN220 and / or 5GC210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that communicates with the UE 302 via the base station 304, or it may be configured independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as Wi-Fi).

[0108]

[0118] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing various components of an exemplary UE400 according to an aspect of this disclosure. In one aspect, UE400 may correspond to any of the UEs described herein. As a particular example, UE400 may be a V-UE, such as V-UE160 in Figure 1. For simplicity, the various features and functions shown in the block diagram of Figure 4 are connected together using a common data bus, which is intended to represent that these various features and functions are operably coupled together. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other connections, mechanisms, features, functions, etc., may be provided and adapted as needed to operably couple and configure an actual UE. Furthermore, it will be recognized that one or more of the features or functions shown in the example of Figure 4 may be further subdivided, or two or more of the features or functions shown in Figure 4 may be combined.

[0109]

[0119] The UE400 may include at least one transceiver 404 connected to one or more antennas 402, the at least one transceiver 404 providing means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for ceasing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes such as V-UEs (e.g., V-UE160), infrastructure access points (e.g., roadside access point 164), P-UEs (e.g., UE104), base stations (e.g., base station 102) via one or more communication links (e.g., communication link 120, side links 162, 166, 168, mmW communication link 184) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., cV2X or IEEE802.11p). The at least one transceiver 404 may be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals (e.g., messages, instructions, information, etc.) and, conversely, to receive and decode signals (e.g., messages, instructions, information, pilots, etc.) according to the designated RAT. In one embodiment, at least one transceiver 404 and one or more antennas 402 may form a (wireless) communication interface for the UE400.

[0110]

[0120] As used herein, “transceiver” may, in some implementations, include at least one transmitter and at least one receiver in an integrated device (for example, implemented as transmitter and receiver circuits of a single communication device), in some implementations it may comprise a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device, or in other implementations it may be implemented in other ways. In one embodiment, the transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antenna(s) 402), such as an antenna array, enabling the UE400 to perform transmit “beamforming.” Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antenna(s) 402), such as an antenna array, enabling the UE400 to perform receive beamforming. In one embodiment, the transmitter(s) and receiver(s) may share the same set of antennas (e.g., antenna(s) 402) so that the UE400 can receive or transmit only at a given time, rather than receiving and transmitting simultaneously. In some cases, the transceiver may not provide both transmitting and receiving capabilities. For example, in some designs, when it is not necessary to provide complete communication, a low-performance receiver circuit (e.g., a receiver chip or similar circuit configuration that simply provides low-level sniffing) may be employed to reduce costs.

[0111]

[0121] The UE400 may also include a satellite positioning service (SPS) receiver 406. The SPS receiver 406 may be connected to one or more antennas 402 and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite signals. The SPS receiver 406 may have any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals, such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. The SPS receiver 406 may, as appropriate, request information and operations from other systems and perform calculations necessary to determine the position of the UE400 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0112]

[0122] One or more sensors 408 may be coupled to at least one processor 410 and may provide means for sensing or detecting information about the state and / or environment of the UE400, such as speed, direction of travel (e.g., compass direction), headlight status, and gas mileage. For example, one or more sensors 408 may include a speedometer, tachometer, accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), gyroscope, geomagnetic sensor (e.g., compass), altimeter (e.g., barometric altimeter), and the like.

[0113]

[0123] At least one processor 410 may include one or more central processing units (CPUs), microprocessors, microcontrollers, ASICs, processing cores, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc., which provide processing functions and other computing and control functions. Thus, at least one processor 410 may provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for computing, means for receiving, means for transmitting, and means for indicating. At least one processor 410 may include any form of logic suitable for carrying out at least the techniques described herein or for having the components of the UE400 carry them out.

[0114]

[0124] At least one processor 410 may also be coupled to a memory 414 that provides means for storing data and software instructions (including means for retrieving, maintaining, etc.) for performing functions programmed within the UE400. The memory 414 may be mounted on at least one processor 410 (for example, within the same integrated circuit, IC) package, and / or the memory 414 may be outside of at least one processor 410 and functionally coupled via a data bus.

[0115]

[0125] The UE400 may include a user interface 450 that provides any preferred interface system, such as a microphone / speaker 452, a keypad 454, and a display 456, enabling user interaction with the UE400. The microphone / speaker 452 may provide voice communication services with the UE400. The keypad 454 may have any preferred buttons for user input to the UE400. The display 456 may have any preferred display, such as a backlit liquid crystal display (LCD), and may further include a touchscreen display for additional user input modes. The user interface 450 may therefore be means for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible instructions and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., via user activation of sensing devices such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone).

[0116]

[0126] In one embodiment, the UE400 may include a sidelink manager 470 coupled to at least one processor 410. The sidelink manager 470 may be a hardware, software, or firmware component that, when executed, causes the UE400 to perform the operations described herein. For example, the sidelink manager 470 may be a software module stored in memory 414 and executable by at least one processor 410. As another example, the sidelink manager 470 may be a hardware circuit within the UE400 (e.g., an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.).

[0127]

[0117]

[0128] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 5A is Figure 500, showing an example of a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Figure 5B is Figure 530, showing an example of channels within a downlink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Figure 5C is Figure 550, showing an example of an uplink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Figure 5D is Figure 580, showing an example of channels within an uplink frame structure according to an aspect of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0118]

[0129] 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.

[0119]

[0130] 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.

[0120]

[0131] In the examples in Figures 5A to 5D, a 15kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each containing one time slot. In Figures 5A to 5D, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis) as it increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis) as it increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0121]

[0132] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, each time slot containing one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain (also called physical RBs or PRBs). The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the numerology of Figures 5A to 5D, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain to obtain a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0122]

[0133] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), and synchronization signal blocks (SSB). Figure 5A shows an example of the location of an RE carrying a PRS (labeled "R").

[0123]

[0134] The set of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource." This set of resource elements can extend across multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and across "N" consecutive symbols (one or more) within a slot in the time domain. Within a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0124]

[0135] 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 spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted on every N subcarriers of the PRB's symbols. 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 5A shows an exemplary PRS resource configuration for comb 6 (spread across 6 symbols). That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate the comb-6 PRS resource configuration.

[0125]

[0136] Currently, DL-PRS resources can spread across 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols in 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 in 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 across 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2 Symbol Com 2: {0,1}, 4 Symbol Com 2: {0,1,0,1}, 6 Symbol Com 2: {0,1,0,1,0,1}, 12 Symbol Com 2: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}, 4 Symbol Com 4: {0,2,1,3}, 12 Symbol Com 4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, 6 Symbol Com 6: {0,3,1,4,2,5}, 12 Symbol Com 6: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}, and 12 Symbol Com 12: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0126]

[0137] A "PRS resource set" is a collection 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 the {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots. The iteration coefficient may have a length selected from the {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0127]

[0138] 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 transmit on a different beam, and therefore, "PRS resource" or simply "resource" may also be referred to as "beam." It should be noted that this does not imply whether the PRS is aware of the TRP and beam transmitted on it to the UE.

[0128]

[0139] 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 iteration,” or simply “occasion,” “instance,” or “iteration.”

[0129]

[0140] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply called a "frequency layer") is a set of one or more PRS resources across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for a particular parameter. More specifically, a set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning all numerologies supported for PDSCH 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 may consist of up to two PRS resource sets per TRP.

[0130]

[0141] 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. A UE may indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when it transmits its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) session. For example, a UE might indicate whether it can support one positioning frequency layer or four positioning frequency layers.

[0131]

[0142] Figure 5B shows examples of various channels within a downlink slot of a wireless frame. In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a contiguous set of PRBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs for a given numerology on a given carrier. Generally, up to four BWPs can be specified on the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured with up to four BWPs on the downlink and up to four BWPs on the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) may be active at a given time, meaning that the UE can receive or transmit through only one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be greater than or equal to the bandwidth of the SSB, but each BWP may or may not include the SSB.

[0132]

[0143] Referring to Figure 5B, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine the subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification information. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identification information group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification information and physical layer cell identification information group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the DL-RS described above. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also called SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIB), and paging messages.

[0133]

[0144] A physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE containing one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which may span multiple symbols in the time domain), each REG bundle containing one or more REGs, each REG corresponding to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted with its own DMRS. This allows for UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0134]

[0145] In the example in Figure 5B, there is one CORESET for each BWP, and the CORESET extends to three symbols in the time domain (although it could be only one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is confined to a specific region in the frequency domain (i.e., a CORESET). Therefore, the frequency components of the PDCCH shown in Figure 5B are shown as smaller than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that the illustrated CORESET is contiguous in the frequency domain, but does not have to be. In addition, a CORESET can extend to fewer than three symbols in the time domain.

[0135]

[0146] The DCIs within a PDCCH carry information about (persistent and non-persistent) uplink resource allocations, called uplink grants and downlink grants, and descriptions of downlink data to be sent to the UE, respectively. More specifically, the DCIs indicate resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs may be configured within a PDCCH, and these DCIs may have one of several formats. For example, different DCI formats exist for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc. The PDCCH may be transported by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0136]

[0147] As shown in Figure 5C, some of the REs (labeled "R") carry DMRS for channel estimation at receivers (e.g., base stations, other UEs). The UE may additionally transmit SRS, for example, in the last symbol of a slot. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may transmit the SRS over one of the combs. In the example in Figure 5C, the illustrated SRS is comb 2 across one symbol. The SRS may be used by base stations to obtain channel status information (CSI) per UE. The CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station, representing the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation with distance. Systems use the SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.

[0137]

[0148] Currently, SRS resources can span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 consecutive symbols within a comb size of comb 2, comb 4, or comb 8 slots. The following are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets for currently supported SRS comb patterns: 1 symbol comb 2: {0}, 2 symbol comb 2: {0,1}, 4 symbol comb 2: {0,1,0,1}, 4 symbol comb 4: {0,2,1,3}, 8 symbol comb 4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, 12 symbol comb 4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}, 4 symbol comb 8: {0,4,2,6}, 8 symbol comb 8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7}, and 12 symbol comb 8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7,0,4,2,6}.

[0138]

[0149] A set of resource elements used for SRS transmission is called an "SRS resource" and can be identified by the parameter "SRS-ResourceId". The set of resource elements can extend to multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols in a slot in the time domain. Within a given OFDM symbol, the SRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. An "SRS resource set" is a set of SRS resources used for transmitting an SRS signal and is identified by the SRS resource set ID ("SRS-ResourceSetId").

[0139]

[0150] Generally, a UE transmits an SRS to enable a receiving base station (either a serving base station or an adjacent base station) to measure channel quality between the UE and the base station. However, an SRS may also be specifically configured as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink-based positioning procedures such as uplink time difference (UL-TDOA), round-trip time (RTT), and uplink angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA). As used herein, the term “SRS” may refer to an SRS configured for channel quality measurement or an SRS configured for positioning purposes. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two types of SRS, the former may be referred to herein as “SRS for communications” and / or the latter as “SRS for positioning.”

[0140]

[0151] Several extensions beyond the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for positioning SRS (also known as "UL-PRS"), including new staggered patterns within SRS resources (except for single symbol / comb 2), new comb types for SRS, new sequences for SRS, more SRS resource sets per component carrier, and more SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" will be configured based on a downlink reference signal or SSB from an adjacent TRP. Still, one SRS resource may be transmitted outside of an active BWP, and one SRS resource may spread across multiple component carriers. Also, SRS may be configured in an RRC-connected state and may only be transmitted within an active BWP. Furthermore, frequency hopping may be absent, repetition coefficients may be absent, there may be a single antenna port, and there may be new lengths for SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). Furthermore, open-loop power control may be used instead of closed-loop power control, and Com 8 (i.e., SRS is transmitted for every 8 subcarriers within the same symbol) may be used. Finally, the UE may transmit from multiple SRS resources through the same transmit beam for UL-AoA. All of these are features added to the current SRS framework, which are configured (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC control elements (CE) or DCI) via RRC upper-layer signaling.

[0141]

[0152] Figure 5D shows an example of various channels within an uplink slot of a frame according to an aspect of this disclosure. A random access channel (RACH), also called a physical random access channel (PRACH), may be present in one or more slots within the frame based on a PRACH configuration. A PRACH may contain six consecutive RB pairs within the slot. The PRACH enables the UE to perform initial system access and achieve uplink synchronization. A physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) may be located on the edge of the uplink system bandwidth. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, CSI reports, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. A physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carries data and may additionally carry buffer status reports (BSR), power headroom reports (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0142]

[0153] 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, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, and UL-PRS as defined in LTE and NR. In addition, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” may refer to either a downlink positioning reference signal or an uplink positioning reference signal unless otherwise indicated by the context. Where necessary to further distinguish between types of PRS, a downlink positioning reference signal may be called “DL-PRS,” and an uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., positioning SRS, PTRS) may be called “UL-PRS.” In addition, for signals that can be transmitted on both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), "UL" or "DL" may be prepended to the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" may be distinguished from "DL-DMRS".

[0143]

[0154] 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 multiple 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 can estimate the location of the UE.

[0144]

[0155] 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(s) between the UE and the transmitting base station(s). The positioning entity can then estimate the location(s) of the UE(s) based on the determined angle(s) and the known location(s) of the transmitting base station(s).

[0145]

[0156] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA) and uplink arrival angle (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA but is based on an uplink reference signal (e.g., 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 measurements and the angle(s) of the receiving beam(s) to determine the angle(s) between the UE and the base stations. Based on the determined angle(s) and the known locations(s) of the base stations(s), the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0146]

[0157] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round-trip-time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, the initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to the responder (UE or base station), and the responder replies with an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, called the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, called the transmission-to-reception (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also known as "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. Based on propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and responder can be determined. In the case of multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs an RTT procedure with multiple base stations to allow its location to be determined based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve the accuracy of positioning.

[0147]

[0158] 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 station(s).

[0148]

[0159] To assist positioning operations, location servers (e.g., location servers 230, LMF270, SLP272) may provide support data to the UE. For example, the support data may include identifiers of the base station (or base station cell / TRP) from which the reference signal should be measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning subframes, the periodicity of the positioning subframes, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the support data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages), and in some cases, the UE may be able to detect the neighboring network node itself without using the support data.

[0149]

[0160] 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 uncertainty range for the expected RSTD may be + / -32 μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for positioning measurements (one or more) are in FR2, the uncertainty range for the expected RSTD may be + / -8 μs.

[0150]

[0161] 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 location, 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).

[0151]

[0162] Figure 6 shows a time difference to arrive (TDOA) based positioning procedure in an exemplary wireless communication system 600 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The TDOA-based positioning procedure may be an observed time difference to arrive (OTDOA) positioning procedure, as in LTE, or a downlink time difference to arrive (DL-TDOA) positioning procedure, as in 6G NR. In the example of Figure 6, UE 604 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location (referred to as “UE-based” positioning) or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location (referred to as “UE-assisted” positioning). UE 604 can communicate with one or more base stations 602 (e.g., any combination of the base stations described herein) labeled “BS1” 602-1, “BS2” 602-2, and “BS3” 602-3 (e.g., sending and receiving information from them).

[0152]

[0163] To support location estimation, base station 602 may be configured to broadcast positioning reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) to UE604 within its coverage area, enabling UE604 to measure the characteristics of such reference signals. In a TDOA-based positioning procedure, UE604 measures the reference signal time difference (RSTD), also known as TDOA, between specific downlink reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of base station 602, and either reports these RSTD measurements to a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF270, SLP272) or calculates a location estimate itself from the RSTD measurements.

[0153]

[0164] Generally, the RSTD is measured between a reference cell (e.g., the cell supported by base station 602-1 in the example of Figure 6) and one or more adjacent cells (e.g., the cells supported by base stations 602-2 and 602-3 in the example of Figure 6). The reference cell remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE604 for any single positioning use of TDOA and will typically correspond to the serving cell for UE604 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE604. In one embodiment, the adjacent cell will typically be a cell supported by a different base station than the base station for the reference cell and may have good or poor signal strength at UE604. Location calculation can be based on the measured RSTD and knowledge of the locations and relative transmission timings of the involved base stations 602 (e.g., whether the base stations 602 are precisely synchronized or whether each base station 602 transmits with some known time offset relative to other base stations 602).

[0154]

[0165] To support TDOA-based positioning operations, location servers (e.g., location server 230, LMF270, SLP272) may provide UE604 with support data for the reference cell and adjacent cells to the reference cell. For example, the support data may include identifiers (e.g., PCI, VCI, CGI, etc.) for each cell in the set of cells that UE604 is expected to measure (here, cells supported by base station 602). The support data may also provide the center channel frequency of each cell, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning slots, periodicity of positioning slots, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth), and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to the TDOA-based positioning procedure. The support data may also indicate the serving cell for UE604 as the reference cell.

[0155]

[0166] In some cases, the supporting data may also include an "Expected RSTD" parameter, along with uncertainty in the Expected RSTD parameter, which provides the UE604 with information about the RSTD value that it is expected to measure at its current location between the reference cell and each adjacent cell. The Expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window in which the UE604 is expected to measure the RSTD value. In some cases, the range of the Expected RSTD value may be + / -600 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the range of uncertainty in the Expected RSTD value may be + / -32 μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for positioning measurements (one or more) are in FR2, the range of uncertainty in the Expected RSTD value may be + / -8 μs.

[0156]

[0167] The TDOA support information may also include positioning reference signal configuration information parameters that enable the UE604 to determine when a positioning reference signal occasion occurs for signals received from various neighboring cells, in comparison to a positioning reference signal occasion for a reference cell, and to determine a reference signal sequence transmitted from various cells to measure the reference signal arrival time (ToA) or RSTD.

[0157]

[0168] In one embodiment, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF270, SLP272) may send support data to UE604, but alternatively, the support data can be transmitted directly from base station 602 itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages). Alternatively, UE604 can detect neighboring base stations on its own without using support data.

[0158]

[0169] UE604 can measure and (optionally) report the RSTD between reference signals received from a pair of base stations 602 (e.g., partially based on supporting data, if provided). Using the RSTD measurement, the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each base station 602, and the known locations (one or more) of the reference and adjacent base stations 602, the network (e.g., location servers 230 / LMF270 / SLP272, base stations 602) or UE604 can estimate the location of UE604. More specifically, the RSTD for adjacent cell "k" relative to reference cell "Ref" may be given as (ToA_k - ToA_Ref). In the example in Figure 6, the measured RSTD between the reference cell of base station 602-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 602-2 and 602-3 may be represented as T2-T1 and T3-T1, where T1, T2, and T3 represent the ToA of the reference signals from base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, respectively. The UE 604 may then send the RSTD measurements to a location server or other positioning entity (if it is not a positioning entity). The location of the UE 604 may be determined (by either the UE 604 or the location server) using directional reference signal characteristics such as (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) known absolute or relative transmission timings of each base station 602, (iii) known locations of base station 602, and / or (iv) the direction of transmission.

[0159]

[0170] In one embodiment, the location estimate may specify the location of UE604 in a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system. However, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited thereto, and may also be applicable to determining the location estimate using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system if additional dimensions are desired. Furthermore, although Figure 6 shows one UE604 and three base stations 602, as can be understood, there may be more UE604s and more base stations 602.

[0160]

[0171] Referring further to Figure 6, when UE604 obtains a location estimate using RSTD, any additional data required (e.g., the location and relative transmission timing of base station 602) may be provided to UE604 by the location server. In some implementations, the location estimate for UE604 may be obtained from RSTD and other measurements made by UE604 (e.g., measurements of signal timing from satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) (e.g., by UE604 itself or by the location server). In these implementations, called hybrid positioning, RSTD measurements may contribute to obtaining a location estimate for UE604, but may not fully determine the location estimate.

[0161]

[0172] In addition to downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods, NR supports a variety of sidelink positioning techniques. For example, link-level ranging signals can be used to estimate the distance between pairs of V-UEs or between V-UEs and roadside units (RSUs), similar to round-trip time (RTT) positioning procedures.

[0162]

[0173] Figure 7 shows an exemplary wireless communication system 700 according to an aspect of the present disclosure, in which V-UE704 exchanges ranging signals with RSU710 and another V-UE706. As shown in Figure 7, broadband (e.g., FR1) ranging signals (e.g., Zadoff Chu sequence) are transmitted by both endpoints (e.g., V-UE704 and RSU710, and V-UE704 and V-UE706). In one aspect, the ranging signal may be a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) transmitted by V-UE704 and V-UE706 involved on an uplink resource. Upon receiving a ranging signal from a transmitter (e.g., V-UE704), the receivers (e.g., RSU710 and / or V-UE706) respond by sending a ranging signal that includes a measurement of the difference between the time the ranging signal is received and the time the response ranging signal is transmitted, called the receiver's receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference measurement.

[0163]

[0174] Upon receiving a response ranging signal, the transmitter (or other positioning entity) can calculate the Round-Trip Time (RTT) between the transmitter and receiver based on the receiver's Rx-Tx time difference measurement and the measurement of the difference between the transmission time of the first ranging signal and the reception time of the response ranging signal (referred to as the transmitter's transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference measurement). The transmitter (or other positioning entity) uses the RTT and the speed of light to estimate the distance between the transmitter and receiver. If one or both of the transmitter and / or receiver are beamforming capable, it may also be possible to determine the angle between V-UE704 and V-UE706. In addition, if the receiver provides its Global Positioning System (GPS) location in the response ranging signal, the transmitter (or other positioning entity) may be able to determine the transmitter's absolute location, as opposed to the transmitter's relative location to the receiver.

[0164]

[0175] As is understood, distance measurement accuracy is improved by the bandwidth of the distance measurement signal. More specifically, a higher bandwidth allows for better separation of different multipaths in the distance measurement signal.

[0165]

[0176] It should be noted that this positioning procedure assumes that the V-UEs involved are time-synchronized (i.e., their system frame times are the same as other V-UEs, or have a known offset relative to other V-UEs). Furthermore, although Figure 7 shows two V-UEs, as can be understood, they do not necessarily have to be V-UEs, but could instead be any other type of UE capable of sidelink communication.

[0166]

[0177] Traditionally, Sidelink Distancing (RTT) between UEs has been used to provide additional constraints for positioning. As mentioned above, this requires the UE to accurately estimate the Rx-Tx turnaround time. If the UE cannot be calibrated to determine Sidelink Distancing (RTT), the RTT measurement will be inaccurate. Many SL UEs do not support Rx-Tx time measurement capabilities.

[0167]

[0178] In some designs, a reference UE associated with a known location (e.g., from a recent positioning fix with threshold-level accuracy) can be used instead of a fixed device (e.g., a gNB) to assist various positioning procedures. However, while gNBs are typically highly synchronized, timing drift between the gNB time reference and the reference UE time reference can be unknown. This unknown timing drift can make it difficult to use a reference UE in TDOA-based positioning schemes.

[0168]

[0179] Aspects of this disclosure therefore apply to hybrid SL-based TDOA techniques (e.g., a combination of SL and DL TDOA, or a combination of SL and UL TDOA), where the position estimation is based on a time bias between the base station and the reference UE. In some designs, incorporating the time bias into the position estimation may facilitate the inclusion of the reference UE in the TDOA positioning procedure, which may improve the positioning accuracy of the target UE and / or facilitate the positioning of a target UE for which other positioning methods (e.g., RTT-based positioning methods) are unavailable (e.g., due to a lack of support from one or more of the UEs involved in the TDOA positioning procedure, or a shortage of gNBs).

[0169]

[0180] Figure 8 shows an exemplary process 800 of wireless communication according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In one aspect, process 800 may be carried out by a LMF integrated with a location estimation entity such as a UE302 (for example, for UE-based positioning) or a BS304 or network entity 306 (e.g., a location server, a core network component, etc.).

[0170]

[0181] Referring to Figure 8, in 810, a position estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, network interface(s) 380 or 390, data bus 382, ​​etc.) acquires first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between the target user equipment (UE) and the base station on a first time reference.

[0171]

[0182] Referring to Figure 8, in 820, a location estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, network interface(s) 380 or 390, data bus 382, ​​etc.) obtains second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P, which is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference.

[0172]

[0183] Referring to Figure 8, at 830, the position estimation entity (e.g., one or more processors 332, 384, or 394, position estimation module 342, 388, or 398, etc.) determines the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference.

[0173]

[0184] Referring to Figure 8, in 840, the position estimation entity (e.g., one or more processors 332, 384, or 394, position estimation module 342, 388, or 398, etc.) determines the position estimate of the target UE via the TDOA positioning technique, at least partially based on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0174]

[0185] Referring to Figure 8, in some designs, the position estimation entity may further acquire third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, and fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node. In this case, the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third and fourth timing information. In some designs, the first and second wireless nodes include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof. In other words, the TDOA positioning procedure in Figure 8 may involve one gNB and multiple reference UEs (1:N), or multiple gNBs and one reference UE (N:1), or multiple gNBs and multiple reference UEs (N:N).

[0175]

[0186] Referring to Figure 8, in some designs, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to DL-PRS and the second RS-P corresponds to sidelink PRS (SL-PRS). In other designs, the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P) and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0176]

[0187] Referring to Figure 8, in some designs, the bias determination at 830 is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimate at 840. In other words, when the position estimation procedure involving the reference UE(s) is triggered, the time bias calibration procedure is also triggered. In other designs, the bias determination at 830 is triggered independently of the trigger for the determination of the position estimate at 840, and within its threshold period. In other words, as long as a fairly recent bias calibration has been performed, the bias calibration procedure does not need to be triggered along with the trigger for the position estimation procedure involving the reference UE(s).

[0177]

[0188] Referring to Figure 8, in some designs, the bias is determined based on a first difference between the estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE. In some designs, the bias is further determined based on a second difference between the estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between yet another base station and a reference UE.

[0178]

[0189] A detailed example implementation of process 800 in Figure 8 will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 9 to 10.

[0179]

[0190] Figure 9 illustrates a communication system 900 according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 9, the communication system 900 includes gNB1, gNB2, a reference UEa associated with a first known location, a reference UEb associated with a second known location, and target UE0 and target UE1 whose locations are unknown. In Figure 9, it is assumed that the gNB timing between gNB1 and gNB2 is highly calibrated (e.g., the timing basis difference is below a threshold), and the distance from each gNB to each reference UE is known.

[0180]

[0191] Regarding FIG. 9, the ranging measurement value (r) based on RS-P from the source device to the target device can be expressed as (r, source device ID, target device ID). Therefore, the ranging measurement value based on DL-PRS from gNB1 to UEa is, for example, expressed as "r1a". These ranging measurement values are based on the actual propagation delay between the source device and the target device, as well as individual biases. The individual bias is represented as b, for example, ·r1a = T gNB1-UEa + b gNB-UEa ·r2a = T gNB2-UEa + b gNB-UEa ·r1b = T gNB1-UEb + b gNB-UEb ·r2b = T gNB2-UEb + b gNB-UEb ·r10 = T gNB1-UE0 + b gNB-UE0 ·r20 = T gNB2-UE0 + b gNB-UE0 ·r11 = T gNB1-UE1 + b gNB-UE1 ·r21 = T gNB2-UE1 + b gNB-UE1 and can be expressed as such. r1a is based on adding the bias (b gNB1-UEa ) to the propagation delay (T gNB-UEa ) from gNB1 to UEa, and the same applies hereinafter.

[0181]

[0192] Each bias can be calculated as follows.

[0182]

Equation

[0183]

[0193] Figure 10 shows a timeline 1000 based on an exemplary implementation of the process of Figure 8 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. In Figure 10, a gNB (which may correspond to, for example, gNB1 or gNB2 from Figure 9) transmits a DL-PRS 1010 measured by UE0. The propagation time from gNB to UE0 is denoted as T_(gNB-UE0). A reference UEa transmits a UL-SRS-P or SL-PRS in 1020, which is also measured by UE0. The propagation time from reference UEa to UE0 is denoted as T_(UEa-UE0). The bias between gNB and reference UEa is denoted as b_(gNB-UEa), and the TDOA between the TOA of the DL-PRS 1010 and the TOA of the UL-SRS or SL-PRS 1020, measured at UE0, is denoted as Δ_(gNB-UEa-UE0). Although not explicitly shown in Figure 10, the TOA of DL-PRS1010 and the TOA of UL-SRS or SL-PRS1020 can also be measured in UE1, and the TOA from UEb or UL-SRS or SL-PRS (not explicitly shown in Figure 10) can be measured in both UE0 and UE1. In this case, ·T gNB1-UE0 +Δ gNB1-UEa-UE0 =b gNB1-UEa +T UEa-UE0 ·T gNB1-UE1 +Δ gNB1-UEa-UE1 =b gNB1-UEa +T UEa-UE1 ·T gNB1-UE0 +Δ gNB1-UEb-UE0 =b gNB1-UEb +T UEb-UE0 ·T gNB1-UE1 +Δ gNB1-UEb-UE1 =b gNB1-UEb +T UEb-UE1 In the equation, each delta (Δ) relates to the observed values ​​in UE0 and UE1 from gNB1, and each (b) variable represents the estimated bias between UEa or UEb and gNB1. A similar process can be carried out for gNB2.

[0184]

[0194] This allows us to derive, for example, the following set of observations from nodes with known positions (gNB1, gNB2, UEa, and UEb) for each UE with an unknown location (either UE0 or UE1). ·T gNB1-UE0 -T gNB2-UE0 ·T gNB1-UE0 -T UEa-UE0 ·T gNB2-UE0 -T UEa-UE0 ·T gNB1-UE0 -T UEb-UE0 ·T gNB2-UE0 -T UEb-UE0

[0185]

[0195] In some designs, if only one criterion UE (e.g., UEa) is available, we have only the first three equations involving only UEa. Since the equations are not linearly independent, this may result in two usable equations. Adding a second criterion UE (UEb) may provide additional equations (three usable equations out of the five equations described above). In some TDOA techniques, three equations are required to solve for the location of UE0. Thus, using four criterion nodes, we can obtain three equations to solve for the location of UE0. As mentioned above, these four criterion nodes can be used in any combination, as long as at least one of the four criterion nodes is a gNB associated with a known timing.

[0186]

[0196] Figures 9 and 10 depict the hybrid SL+DL-TDOA technique in detail, but other embodiments may be applicable to the SL+UL-TDOA technique. In this case, UE0 may transmit UL-SRS-P instead of DL-PRS1010 as depicted in Figure 10, and T_(gNB-UE0) instead of T_(UE0-gNB), and so on.

[0187]

[0197] 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 (singular or plural) 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 (singular or plural) of dependent clauses with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent and independent clauses. Unless it is not explicitly stated or easily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory embodiments 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.

[0188]

[0198] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0189]

[0199] Clause 1. A method for operating a location estimation entity, comprising: obtaining first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; obtaining second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and determining a location estimate of the target UE via a time-of-arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0190]

[0200] The method according to Clause 1, further comprising obtaining third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and obtaining fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, wherein the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information.

[0191]

[0201] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 2, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0192]

[0202] Clause 4. The method described in any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0193]

[0203] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0194]

[0204] Clause 6. The method described in any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, reference UE, location management function (LMF), location server, target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0195]

[0205] Clause 7. The method described in any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the determination of bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of position estimation.

[0196]

[0206] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the bias determination is independent of the trigger for the location estimation determination and is triggered within a threshold period from the trigger for the location estimation determination.

[0197]

[0207] Clause 9. The method described in any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between the estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0198]

[0208] Clause 10. The method described in any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between the estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0199]

[0209] Clause 11. A location estimation entity 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 acquire first timing information associated with a first time-to-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference, acquire second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, determine a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, and determine a location estimate of the target UE via a time-to-arrival difference (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0200]

[0210] Clause 12. The position estimation entity as described in Clause 11, wherein at least one processor is configured to further acquire third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, and the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third and fourth timing information.

[0201]

[0211] Clause 13. A location estimation entity as described in Clause 12, wherein the first wireless and second wireless nodes include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0202]

[0212] Clause 14. A position estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11 to 13, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0203]

[0213] Clause 15. A position estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11 to 14, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, and the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0204]

[0214] Clause 16. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11-15, where the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, reference UE, location management function (LMF), location server, target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0205]

[0215] Clause 17. A location estimation entity described in any one of Clauses 11-16, whose bias determination is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for location estimation determination.

[0206]

[0216] Clause 18. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11 to 17, in which the bias determination is independent of the trigger for the location estimation determination and is triggered within a threshold period from the trigger for the location estimation determination.

[0207]

[0217] Clause 19. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11 to 18, whose bias is determined based on a first difference between the estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0208]

[0218] Clause 20. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 11-19, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between the estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0209]

[0219] Clause 21. A location estimation entity comprising: means for acquiring first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; means for acquiring second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between a target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; means for determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and means for determining a location estimate of the target UE via a time-of-arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0210]

[0220] Clause 22. A position estimation entity as described in Clause 21, further comprising means for obtaining third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between a target UE and a first wireless node, and means for obtaining fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between a target UE and a second wireless node, wherein the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information.

[0211]

[0221] Clause 23. The location estimation entities described in Clause 22, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node include at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0212]

[0222] Clause 24. A position estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21 to 23, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0213]

[0223] Clause 25. A position estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21 to 24, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P) and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0214]

[0224] Clause 26. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21-25, where the location estimation entity corresponds to a base station, reference UE, location management function (LMF), location server, target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0215]

[0225] Clause 27. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21-26, whose bias determination is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the location estimation determination.

[0216]

[0226] Clause 28. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21 to 27, in which the bias determination is independent of the trigger for the location estimation determination and is triggered within a threshold period from the trigger for the location estimation determination.

[0217]

[0227] Clause 29. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21-28, whose bias is determined based on a first difference between the estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0218]

[0228] Clause 30. A location estimation entity as described in any one of Clauses 21-29, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between the estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0219]

[0229] Clause 31. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by the location-estimating entity, the location-estimating entity causes the location-estimating entity to acquire first timing information associated with a first time-to-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference; to acquire second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference; to determine a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference; and to determine a location estimate of the target UE via a time-to-arrival difference (TDOA) positioning technique, at least on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias.

[0220]

[0230] Clause 32. One or more instructions cause a position estimation entity to acquire third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node, and fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node, and the determination of the position estimate is further based on the third and fourth timing information, in a non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in Clause 31.

[0221]

[0231] Clause 33. The first wireless node and the second wireless node include a non-transient computer-readable medium as described in Clause 32, which includes at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

[0222]

[0232] Clause 34. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31 to 33, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid side-link and down-link TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, where the first RS-P corresponds to the down-link positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) and the second RS-P corresponds to the side-link PRS (SL-PRS).

[0223]

[0233] Clause 35. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31 to 34, wherein the TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, and the first RS-P corresponds to the uplink sounding standard for positioning (UL-SRS-P), and the second RS-P corresponds to UL-SRS-P or sidelink PRS (SL-PRS).

[0224]

[0234] Clause 36. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31-35, corresponding to a base station, reference UE, location management function (LMF), location server, target UE, or a combination thereof.

[0225]

[0235] Clause 37. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31-36, in which the determination of bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger of the determination of position estimation.

[0226]

[0236] Clause 38. A non-temporary computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31 to 37, in which the bias determination is triggered independently of the trigger for the location estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the location estimation determination.

[0227]

[0237] Clause 39. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31 to 38, in which the bias is determined based on a first difference between the estimated propagation time between a base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

[0228]

[0238] Clause 40. A non-transient computer-readable medium as described in any one of Clauses 31 to 39, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between the estimated propagation time between another base station and a reference UE based on their respective known locations and the measured propagation time between another base station and a reference UE.

[0229]

[0239] 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 referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0230]

[0240] 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-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 as software depends on the design constraints imposed on the particular application and the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0231]

[0241] Various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in relation to the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or carried out using general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors working in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0232]

[0242] 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 both. The software modules may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM®), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated 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.

[0233]

[0243] 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 as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted through a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. The storage media may be any available medium 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 medium 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 medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, 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), laserdisc (registered trademark) (disc), optical disc (disc), digital versatile disc (disc) (disc), floppy disk (registered trademark) (disk), and Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (disc), where a disk typically reproduces data magnetically and a disc (disc) reproduces data optically using a laser. Combinations of the above should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media.

[0234]

[0244] While the above disclosures represent 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 unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular, the plural is intended. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below. [C1] A method for operating a location estimation entity, To obtain first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between the target user equipment (UE) and the base station on a first time reference, To obtain second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P that is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Determining the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, The estimated position of the target UE is determined via a time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, based at least partially on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias. A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C2] To obtain third timing information associated with the third TOA measurement of the third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, To obtain fourth timing information associated with the fourth TOA measurement of the fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, Furthermore, The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. The method described in C1. [C3] The method according to C2, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node each comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof. [C4] The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid side-link and down-link TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The aforementioned second RS-P corresponds to the side-link PRS (SL-PRS). The method described in C1. [C5] The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P mentioned above corresponds to the positioning uplink sounding standard (UL-SRS-P), The second RS-P corresponds to the UL-SRS-P or side-link PRS (SL-PRS), The method described in C1. [C6] The method according to C1, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to the base station, the reference UE, the location management function (LMF), the location server, the target UE, or a combination thereof. [C7] The method according to C1, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C8] The method according to C1, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the determination of the position estimation and within a threshold period from the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C9] The method of C1, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE. [C10] The method of C1, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the other base station and the reference UE. [C11] A location estimation entity, Memory and At least one transceiver, The system comprises the memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor Obtain first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between the target user equipment (UE) and the base station on a first time reference, Acquire second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P that is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Determine the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, and The system is configured to determine the estimated position of the target UE via a time difference in arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, based at least partially on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias. Location-estimated entity. [C12] The at least one processor further, The system acquires third timing information associated with the third TOA measurement value of the third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, and It is configured to acquire fourth timing information associated with the fourth TOA measurement of the fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. The location estimation entity described in C11. [C13] The location estimation entity according to C12, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof. [C14] The TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The aforementioned second RS-P corresponds to the side-link PRS (SL-PRS). The location estimation entity described in C11. [C15] The TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P mentioned above corresponds to the positioning uplink sounding standard (UL-SRS-P), The second RS-P corresponds to the UL-SRS-P or side-link PRS (SL-PRS), The location estimation entity described in C11. [C16] The location estimation entity according to C11, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to the base station, the reference UE, the location management function (LMF), the location server, the target UE, or a combination thereof. [C17] The position estimation entity according to C11, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C18] The position estimation entity according to C11, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the position estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the position estimation determination. [C19] The location estimation entity according to C11, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE. [C20] The location estimation entity according to C11, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the other base station and the reference UE. [C21] A location estimation entity, Means for acquiring first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference, Means for acquiring second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P, which is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Means for determining a bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, and means for determining an estimated position of the target UE via a time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, at least partially based on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias. A location-estimating entity that includes the following features. [C22] The system further comprises: means for acquiring a third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement value of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and a first wireless node; and means for acquiring a fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement value of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and a second wireless node. The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. Location estimation entity as described in C21. [C23] The location estimation entity according to C22, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof. [C24] The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid side-link and down-link TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The aforementioned second RS-P corresponds to the side-link PRS (SL-PRS). Location estimation entity as described in C21. [C25] The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P mentioned above corresponds to the positioning uplink sounding standard (UL-SRS-P), The second RS-P corresponds to the UL-SRS-P or side-link PRS (SL-PRS), Location estimation entity as described in C21. [C26] The location estimation entity according to C21, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to the base station, the reference UE, the location management function (LMF), the location server, the target UE, or a combination thereof. [C27] The position estimation entity according to C21, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C28] The position estimation entity according to C21, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the position estimation determination and within a threshold period from the trigger for the position estimation determination. [C29] The location estimation entity according to C21, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE. [C30] The location estimation entity according to C21, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the other base station and the reference UE. [C31] A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a location-estimating entity, the location-estimating entity has access to: To obtain first timing information associated with a first time-of-arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between the target user equipment (UE) and the base station on a first time reference, To obtain second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P, which is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Determine the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, and Based at least partially on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias, the estimated position of the target UE is determined via a time difference in arrival (TDOA) positioning technique. Non-temporary computer-readable media. [C32] The one or more instructions further to the position estimation entity, To obtain third timing information associated with the third TOA measurement value of the third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, and The fourth timing information associated with the fourth TOA measurement of the fourth RS-P, which is communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, is obtained. The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. Non-temporary computer-readable media as described in C31. [C33] The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to C32, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof. [C34] The TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid side-link and down-link TDOA (SL+DL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The aforementioned second RS-P corresponds to the side-link PRS (SL-PRS). Non-temporary computer-readable media as described in C31. [C35] The TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL+UL-TDOA) positioning technique, The first RS-P mentioned above corresponds to the positioning uplink sounding standard (UL-SRS-P), The second RS-P corresponds to the UL-SRS-P or side-link PRS (SL-PRS), Non-temporary computer-readable media as described in C31. [C36] A non-temporary computer-readable medium according to C31, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to the base station, the reference UE, the location management function (LMF), the location server, the target UE, or a combination thereof. [C37] The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to C31, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C38] The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to C31, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the determination of the position estimation and within a threshold period from the trigger for the determination of the position estimation. [C39] The non-transient computer-readable medium according to C31, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE. [C40] The non-transient computer-readable medium according to C31, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the other base station and the reference UE.

Claims

1. A method for operating a location-estimating entity, To obtain first timing information associated with a first time of arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference, To obtain second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P that is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Determining the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, The estimated position of the target UE is determined via a time difference in arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, based at least partially on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias. A method that includes [a certain feature].

2. To acquire third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement value of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, To acquire fourth timing information associated with the fourth TOA measurement value of the fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, Furthermore, The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. The method according to claim 1.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node each comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

4. The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL + DL - TDOA) positioning technique. The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The second RS-P corresponds to the side link PRS (SL-PRS), The method according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and uplink TDOA (SL + UL - TDOA) positioning technique. The first RS-P corresponds to the positioning uplink sounding standard (UL-SRS-P), The second RS-P corresponds to the UL-SRS-P or side-link PRS (SL-PRS), The method according to claim 1.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the location estimation entity corresponds to the base station, the reference UE, the location management function (LMF), the location server, the target UE, or a combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered in conjunction with the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the bias is triggered independently of the trigger for the determination of the position estimation and within a threshold period from the trigger for the determination of the position estimation.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bias is determined based on a first difference between an estimated propagation time between the base station and the reference UE based on each known location and a measured propagation time between the base station and the reference UE.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the bias is further determined based on a second difference between an estimated propagation time between another base station and the reference UE based on their respective known locations and a measured propagation time between the other base station and the reference UE.

11. A location-estimating entity, Means for acquiring first timing information associated with a first time of arrival (TOA) measurement of a first positioning reference signal (RS-P) communicated between a target user device (UE) and a base station on a first time reference, Means for acquiring second timing information associated with a second TOA measurement of a second RS-P, which is communicated between the target UE and a reference UE associated with a known location and having a second time reference different from the first time reference, Means for determining the bias between the first time reference and the second time reference, A means for determining the estimated position of the target UE via a time difference in arrival (TDOA) positioning technique, based at least in part on the first timing information, the second timing information, and the bias, A location-estimating entity that includes the following features.

12. Means for acquiring third timing information associated with a third TOA measurement of a third RS-P communicated between the target UE and the first wireless node, Means for acquiring fourth timing information associated with a fourth TOA measurement of a fourth RS-P communicated between the target UE and the second wireless node, Furthermore, The determination of the position estimate is further based on the third timing information and the fourth timing information. The location estimation entity according to claim 11.

13. The location estimation entity according to claim 12, wherein the first wireless node and the second wireless node comprise at least one other base station, at least one other reference UE associated with at least one other known location, or a combination thereof.

14. The aforementioned TDOA positioning technique is a hybrid sidelink and downlink TDOA (SL + DL - TDOA) positioning technique. The first RS-P corresponds to the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), The second RS-P corresponds to the side link PRS (SL-PRS), The location estimation entity according to claim 11.

15. A non-temporary computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a location-estimating entity, the location-estimating entity causes the location-estimating entity to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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