Sidelink-assisted arrival time difference-based positioning

Abstract

Techniques are provided for a sidelink-assisted time difference of arrival (TDOA) based positioning method. An example method of determining a time difference of arrival value includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, where the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, receiving a second reference signal at a second time, where the second reference signal is transmitted from the second wireless node using the second radio access link, receiving assistance data including a transmission delay value based at least on a time at which the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and a time at which the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node, and determining a time difference of arrival value based at least in part on the first time and the second time and the transmission delay value.

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Greek Patent Application No. 20210100547, filed August 10, 2022, entitled "SIDELINK AIDED TIME DIFFERENCE OF ARRIVAL BASED POSITIONING", which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. [[Background Art]]

[0002]

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved through various generations, including first generation (1G) analog wireless telephone services, second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including intermediate 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data, Internet-enabled wireless services, fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE®) or WiMax®), and fifth generation (5G) services (e.g., 5G New Radio (NR)). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), variations such as Global System for Mobile communications (GSM®) for TDMA mobile access, and the like.

[0003]

[0003] Often it is desirable to know the location of user equipment (UE), such as a cellular phone, and the terms "location" and "position" are synonymous and are used interchangeably herein. A Location Services (LCS) client may want to know the location of the UE and may communicate with a Location Center to request the location of the UE. The Location Center and the UE may exchange messages as appropriate to obtain a location estimate for the UE. The Location Center may return a location estimate to the LCS client for use in one or more applications, for example.

[0004]

[0004] Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be useful for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, and locating friends or family. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices, including satellite vehicles, as well as from terrestrial radio sources in a wireless network, such as base stations and access points. Furthermore, the capabilities of the UE may vary, and the positioning method may be based on the capabilities of the device. [Overview of the project]

[0005]

[0005] An exemplary method for determining a time difference of arrival value according to the present disclosure includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; receiving assistance data, which includes at least a transmit delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; and determining a time difference of arrival value based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmit delay time value.

[0006]

[0006] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: The first wireless node may be a base station, and the first reference signal may be a downlink positioning reference signal. The second wireless node may be user equipment, and the second reference signal may be a sidelink reference signal. The first radio access link may utilize cellular wide area network technology, and the second radio access link may be based on a sidelink protocol. The cellular wide area network technology may include fifth-generation new radio. Receiving support data may include receiving one or more sidelink messages containing support data from the second wireless node. Receiving support data may include receiving one or more messages containing support data from the first wireless node. Supporting data may include estimated propagation time based on the distance between the first and second wireless nodes, and determining the arrival time difference is at least partially based on the estimated propagation time. Location can be determined at least partially based on the arrival time difference.

[0007]

[0007] An exemplary method of providing sidelink assistance data according to the present disclosure includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link, determining a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time, and transmitting an indication of the transmission delay time value.

[0008]

[0008] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: The first wireless node may be a base station and the first reference signal may be a downlink positioning reference signal. The second reference signal may be a sidelink reference signal. The first wireless node may be user equipment and the first reference signal may be a sidelink reference signal. The second reference signal may be an uplink sounding reference signal. The first radio access link may utilize cellular wide area network technology and the second radio access link may be based on a sidelink protocol. Cellular wide area network technology may include fifth-generation new radio. Transmitting a transmission delay time value instruction may include transmitting one or more sidelink messages containing the transmission delay time value to the proximity user equipment. Transmitting a transmission delay time value instruction may include transmitting one or more uplink messages containing the transmission delay time value to the base station.

[0009]

[0009] An exemplary method for determining the arrival time difference according to the present disclosure includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node, including a transmission delay time value based on the time at which the second wireless node receives a third reference signal and the time at which the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal; determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time at which the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time at which the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal; and determining the arrival time difference at least in part on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value and the sidelink delay time value.

[0010]

[0010] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: The first wireless node may be user equipment, and the first reference signal may be an uplink positioning reference signal. The second wireless node may be user equipment, and the second reference signal may be an uplink positioning reference signal. The third reference signal may be a sidelink reference signal. The first wireless access link may utilize cellular wide area network technology, and the second wireless access link may be based on a sidelink protocol. The cellular wide area network technology may include fifth-generation new wireless. Receiving support data may include receiving one or more sidelink messages containing support data from the second wireless node. Receiving support data may include receiving one or more messages containing support data from a network server. Determining a sidelink delay time value may include receiving one or more messages from the first wireless node. Determining a sidelink delay time value may include receiving one or more messages from a network server. The range to the second wireless node may be determined. The location of the first wireless node can be determined based at least partially on the difference in arrival times.

[0011]

[0011] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned: Wireless nodes, such as user equipment (UEs) and base stations, may utilize sidelink signals to and from neighboring wireless nodes to assist in obtaining arrival time difference measurements. In one example, a target UE and a neighboring UE may receive a downlink reference signal from a base station. The neighboring UE may be configured to transmit a sidelink signal in response to receiving the downlink reference signal. The target UE may be configured to determine a reference signal time difference based on having received the downlink reference signal and the sidelink signal. In one example, the target UE may transmit an uplink reference signal to a base station and a sidelink signal to a neighboring UE. The neighboring UE may be configured to transmit an uplink reference signal in response to having received the sidelink signal from the target UE. The base station may determine a reference signal time difference based on having received the uplink reference signal from the target UE and the neighboring UE. Arrival time difference measurements are independent of synchronization time across wireless nodes. The accuracy of position estimates may be improved. Messaging overhead for uplink and downlink reference signal positioning can be reduced. Other capabilities may be provided, and not all implementations of this disclosure are required to provide any, much less, of the capabilities described. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1]

[0012] A simplified diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system. [Figure 2]

[0013] A block diagram of the components of an exemplary user device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3]

[0014] A block diagram of the components of an exemplary transmit / receive point shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4]

[0015] A block diagram of the components of an exemplary server shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5]

[0016] A diagram illustrating an example technique for determining the position of a mobile device using information obtained from a plurality of base stations. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating an example technique for determining the position of a mobile device using information obtained from a plurality of base stations. [Figure 7]

[0017] A diagram illustrating an example round-trip message flow between user equipment and a base station. [Figure 8]

[0018] A block diagram of an example sidelink-assisted downlink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 9]

[0019] A message timing diagram of an example sidelink-assisted downlink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 10]

[0020] A block diagram of an example sidelink-assisted uplink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 11]

[0021] A message timing diagram of an example sidelink-assisted uplink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 12]

[0022] An example message flow diagram of a sidelink-assisted downlink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 13]

[0023] An example message flow diagram of a sidelink-assisted uplink time difference of arrival-based positioning method. [Figure 14]

[0024] A block flow diagram of a method for determining a time difference of arrival in sidelink-assisted positioning. [Figure 15]

[0025] A block flow diagram of a method for providing sidelink assistance data. [Figure 16]

[0026] A block flow diagram of a method for determining a time difference of arrival in sidelink-assisted uplink positioning. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0013]

[0027] Techniques for sidelink-assisted time difference of arrival (TDOA)-based positioning methods are described herein. The ability of certain UEs may be limited, such as a reduced capability user equipment (UE) (RedCap UE), a limited bandwidth UE, or other low-tier UEs such as an NR Light UE, to detect or provide reference signals transmitted from or to a non-serving base station. The distance between the UE and the base station may further reduce the UE's ability to communicate with distant stations. Generally, limitations of a RedCap UE may be based on limited bandwidth capability, a reduced number of receiving (Rx) antennas, and / or limited baseband processing capability. These limitations may reduce the RedCap UE's ability to detect positioning reference signals (PRS) or other reference signals transmitted by non-serving stations. The transmit power of a RedCap UE may also be limited, and therefore, sounding reference signals (SRS) for positioning may not be detected by non-serving stations. The sidelink-assisted positioning methods provided herein can reduce the impact of low-quality PRS and / or SRS measurements from non-serving stations and improve the reliability of RSTD-based positioning.

[0014]

[0028] In one embodiment, a sidelink-assisted positioning method may be used to mitigate the effects of synchronization errors across different wireless nodes in a communication network. For example, a first wireless node, such as a serving base station (gNB), may transmit a PRS to other wireless nodes, such as a RedCap UE and other UEs. The other UEs may have increased capabilities compared to the RedCap UE, and the range between the transmitting wireless node and the other UEs is known. In response to receiving the PRS, the other UEs may be configured to transmit a sidelink signal to the RedCap UE and signal a time delay based on the time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the sidelink signal. The RedCap UE may be configured to determine and report an RSTD based on the received PRS and the sidelink signal received from the other UEs. In one example, the RedCap UE may transmit an SRS that can be received by a serving wireless node (e.g., a gNB). The RedCap UE may also transmit a sidelink signal to other UEs. The other UEs may have increased capabilities compared to the RedCap UE, and the range between each of the other UEs and the serving wireless node is known. Other UEs may transmit SRS and signal a time difference based on the time when the sidelink signal is received from the RedCap UE and the time when the SRS is transmitted. A serving wireless node, or other network server, may be configured to determine the RSTD for the RedCap UE based on the SRS received from the RedCap UE and the SRS received from other UEs. These techniques and configurations are examples, and other techniques and configurations may be used.

[0015]

[0029] Referring to Figure 1, an example of a communication system 100 includes a UE 105, a Radio Access Network (RAN) 135, here a fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN), and a 5G core network (5GC) 140. The UE 105 could be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, or other device. The 5G network is sometimes called a New Radio (NR) network, the NG-RAN 135 may be called a 5G RAN or NR RAN, and the 5GC 140 may be called an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of the NG-RAN and 5GC is underway in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Therefore, the NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may comply with current or future standards for 5G support from 3GPP. The NG-RAN 135 could be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The communication system 100 may utilize information from the constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SV) 190, 191, 192, 193 for any other local or regional SPS such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)), or the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0016]

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, NG-RAN135 includes NR nodes B (gNB) 110a, 110b and next-generation e-node B (ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC140 includes access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, session management function (SMF) 117, location management function (LMF) 120 and gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125. gNB110a, 110b and ng-eNB114 are communicatively coupled to each other and configured to communicate wirelessly bidirectionally with UE105, and each is communicatively coupled to AMF115 and configured to communicate bidirectionally with it. AMF115, SMF117, LMF120 and GMLC125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and GMLC is communicatively coupled to external client 130. SMF117 can act as the first point of contact for a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions.

[0017]

[0031] Figure 1 provides a generalized diagram of various components, any or all of which may be used as appropriate, and each of them may be duplicated or omitted as needed. In detail, one UE 105 is shown, but many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be used in communication system 100. Similarly, communication system 100 may include more (or fewer) SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in communication system 100 may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks, data and signaling connections. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired function.

[0018]

[0032] Figure 1 shows a 5G-based network, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies such as 3G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). The implementations described herein (whether they are for 5G technology, and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE105), and / or provide location assistance to UE105 (via GMLC125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location for UE105 in a location-enabled device such as UE105, gNB110a, 110b, or LMF120 based on measurements received at UE105 for such directionally transmitted signals. The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (e-node B) 114, and gNB (g-node B) 110a, 110b are examples and, in various embodiments, may be replaced by or include various other location server functions and / or base station functions, respectively.

[0019]

[0033] The UE105 may be and / or referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or any other name. In addition, the UE105 may be compatible with cell phones, smartphones, laptops, tablets, PDAs, tracking devices, navigation devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, asset trackers, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors, smart meters, wearable trackers, or any other portable or mobile device. Generally, though not always, the UE105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA®), LTE, High-Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi® (also known as Wi-Fi®), Bluetooth® (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX®), and 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN135 and 5GC140). The UE105 may also support wireless communications using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), which can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or a packet cable. The use of one or more of these RATs may enable UE105 to communicate with an external client 130 (for example, via an element of 5GC140 not shown in Figure 1, or possibly via GMLC125), and / or enable the external client 130 to receive location information about UE105 (for example, via GMLC125).

[0020]

[0034] UE105 may include a single entity or multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices and / or body sensors and separate wireline or wireless modems. The location estimate of UE105 may be called location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, location estimate, or location fix, and may provide location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE105 that are geographical and therefore may or may not include altitude components (e.g., elevation above sea level, ground elevation or ground depth, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE105 may be represented as a city location (e.g., as a postal address, or as the designation of some point or small area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE105 can be represented as an area or volume (defined either geographically or in urban form) in which UE105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or level of confidence (e.g., 67%, 95%). The location of UE105 can also be represented as a relative location, for example, with distance and direction from a known location. The relative location can be represented as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined with respect to some origin in a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, with respect to a city, or by referring to a point, area, or volume shown on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the descriptions contained herein, the use of the term location may have any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of a UE, it is common to obtain local x, y, and possibly z coordinate values ​​and then, if desired, convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0021]

[0035] UE105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of various technologies. UE105 may be configured to connect indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct® (WiFi-D), or Bluetooth. One or more of the groups of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographical coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP), such as one or more of gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographical coverage area or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication can occur between UEs without the involvement of TRP.

[0022]

[0036] The base station (BS) in NG-RAN135 shown in Figure 1 includes NR node B, referred to as gNB110a and 110b. The pair of gNB110a, 110b in NG-RAN135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE105 via wireless communication between UE105 and one or more of gNB110a, 110b, and gNB110a, 110b may provide wireless communication access to 5GC140 for UE105 using 5G. In Figure 1, it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE105 is gNB110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB110b) may act as the serving gNB when UE105 moves to a different location, or as a secondary gNB to provide UE105 with additional throughput and bandwidth.

[0023]

[0037] The base station (BS) in NG-RAN135 shown in Figure 1 may include an ng-eNB114, also called a next-generation advanced node B. The ng-eNB114 may, in some cases, be connected to one or more of the gNB110a, 110b in NG-RAN135 via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or advanced LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE105. One or more of the gNB110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB114 may transmit signals to help determine the location of the UE105, but may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon that may not receive signals from the UE105 or other UEs.

[0024]

[0038] BSs such as gNB110a, gNB110b, and ng-eNB114 may each have one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a BS cell may have a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., they may share a processor but have separate antennas). The communication system 100 may include macro-TRPs, or the communication system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro-TRPs, pico-TRPs, and / or femto-TRPs. Macro-TRPs may cover relatively large geographical areas (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may enable unrestricted access by terminals subscribing to the service. Pico-TRPs may cover relatively small geographical areas (e.g., picocells) and may enable unrestricted access by terminals subscribing to the service. Femto-TRPs or home-TRPs may cover relatively small geographical areas (e.g., femtocells) and may enable limited access by terminals associated with femtocells (e.g., terminals for home users).

[0025]

[0039] As stated, Figure 1 shows a node configured to communicate according to the 5G communication protocol, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as the LTE protocol or the IEEE 802.11x protocol, may be used. For example, in an Advanced Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to UE105, the RAN may comprise an Advanced Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) which may comprise base stations with Advanced Node B (eNB). The core network for the EPS may comprise an Advanced Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may comprise E-UTRAN+EPC, where E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN135 in Figure 1 and EPC corresponds to 5GC140.

[0026]

[0040] gNB110a, 110b, and ng-eNB114 can communicate with AMF115, which communicates with LMF120, for positioning functions. AMF115 can support the mobility of UE105, including cell changes and handovers, and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE105 and, in some cases, to data and voice bearers for UE105. LMF120 can communicate directly with UE105, for example, through wireless communication. LMF120 can support the positioning of UE105 when UE105 accesses NG-RAN135, and can support positioning procedures / methods such as A-GNSS, Observed Time of Arrival (OTDOA), Real-time Kinematics (RTK), Precision Single Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Extended Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF120 can process location service requests for UE105 received, for example, from the AMF115 or the GMLC125. The LMF120 can be connected to the AMF115 and / or the GMLC125. The LMF120 may be referred to by other names such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). Nodes / systems implementing the LMF120 may, as an addition or alternative, implement other types of location support modules, such as an Extended Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning function (including the derivation of the location of UE105) may be performed in UE105 (using, for example, signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as gNB110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB114, and / or signal measurements acquired by UE105 for supporting data provided to UE105 by LMF120, for example).

[0027]

[0041] GMLC125 can support location requests for UE105 received from external client 130 and can forward such location requests to AMF115 for forwarding to LMF120 by AMF115, or it can forward location requests directly to LMF120. The location response from LMF120 (including, for example, a location estimate for UE105) can be returned to GMLC125 either directly or via AMF115, and GMLC125 can then return the location response (including, for example, a location estimate) to external client 130. Although GMLC125 connected to both AMF115 and LMF120 is shown, in some implementation forms one of these connections may be supported by 5GC140.

[0028]

[0042] As further shown in Figure 1, the LMF120 may communicate with gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 using New Radio Positioning Protocol A (sometimes called NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa), as defined in 3GPP TS36.455, and NRPPa messages are transmitted between gNB110a (or gNB110b) and LMF120 and / or between ng-eNB114 and LMF120 via the AMF115. As further shown in Figure 1, the LMF120 and UE105 may communicate using LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS37.355. The LMF120 and UE105 may communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (sometimes called NPP or NRPP) which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be transferred between the UE105 and the LMF120 via the AMF115 and serving gNB110a, 110b, or serving ng-eNB114 for the UE105. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages may be transferred between the LMF120 and AMF115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and between the AMF115 and UE105 using the 5G Non-Access Layer (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID.The NRPPa protocol may be used to support the positioning of the UE105 using network-based positioning methods such as E-CID (for example, when used with measurements obtained by gNB110a, 110b, or ng-eNB114), and / or may be used by the LMF120 to obtain location relation information from gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114, such as parameters defining directional SS transmissions from gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114.

[0029]

[0043] In the UE-assisted location method, UE105 may acquire location measurements and send them to a location server (e.g., LMF120) for the calculation of location estimates for UE105. For example, location measurements may include one or more of the following for gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, and / or WLAN APs: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round-Trip Signal Propagation Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and / or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ). Location measurements may also include, or alternatively, GNSS pseudodistance, code phase, and / or carrier phase measurements for SV190-193.

[0030]

[0044] In the UE-based positioning method, UE105 may acquire location measurements (which may be the same as or similar to the location measurements for the UE-assisted positioning method, for example), and may calculate the location of UE105 (with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as LMF120, or broadcast by gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, or other base stations or APs).

[0031]

[0045] In the network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114) or APs may acquire and / or receive location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or Time of Arrival (TOA) measurements for signals transmitted by UE105). One or more base stations or APs may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF120) for the calculation of a location estimate for UE105.

[0032]

[0046] Information provided to the LMF120 by gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmission and location coordinates. The LMF120 may provide some or all of this information to the UE105 as supporting data in LPP messages and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN135 and 5GC140.

[0033]

[0047] An LPP or NPP message sent from the LMF120 to the UE105 may instruct the UE105 to do one of a variety of things depending on the desired function. For example, an LPP or NPP message may include an instruction to the UE105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, an LPP or NPP message may instruct the UE105 to obtain one or more measurements of a directional signal transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114 (or supported by some other type of base station such as an eNB or WiFi AP) (e.g., beam ID, beam width, mean angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements). UE105 can send the measured quantity back to LMF120 in an LPP message or NPP message (for example, in a 5G NAS message) via serving gNB110a (or serving ng-eNB114) and AMF115.

[0034]

[0048] As stated, the communication system 100 is described in relation to 5G technology, but the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies such as GSM, WCDMA, and LTE, which are used to support and interact with mobile devices such as UE105 (for example, to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functions). In some such embodiments, 5GC140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC140 may be connected to a WLAN using a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, not shown in Figure 1) in 5GC150. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE802.11 WiFi access for UE105 and may comprise one or more WiFi APs. Here, N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and other elements in 5GC140 such as AMF115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN135 and 5GC140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in an EPS, NG-RAN135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN containing an eNB, and 5GC140 may be replaced by an EPC containing a Mobility Management Entity (MME) instead of AMF115, an E-SMLC instead of LMF120, and a GMLC which may be similar to GMLC125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send location information to eNBs in the E-UTRAN and receive location information from those eNBs, and may use LPP to support the positioning of UE105. In these other embodiments, the positioning of UE105 using a directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, except that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB114, AMF115, and LMF120 may, in some cases, be applied instead to other network elements such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0035]

[0049] As described, in some embodiments, the positioning function may be implemented using, at least partially, directional SS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB114) within range of the UE (e.g., UE105 in Figure 1) whose position will be determined. In some cases, the UE may use directional SS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB110a, 110b, and ng-eNB114) to calculate the UE's position.

[0036]

[0050] Referring also to Figure 2, the UE200 is an example of the UE105 and comprises a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 containing software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for transceivers 215 (including one or more wireless transceivers 240 and wired transceivers 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a position (motion) device 219. The processor 210, memory 211, (one or more) sensors 213, transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and position (motion) device 219 may be coupled to communicate with each other by a bus 220 (which may be configured for optical and / or telecommunications, for example). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., camera 218, position (motion) device 219, and / or one or more of (one or more) sensors 213) may be omitted from the UE200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 210 may comprise multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230-234 may comprise multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may comprise a processor for radar, ultrasound, and / or lidar, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (and even more SIMs). For example, one SIM (Subscriber Identification Module or Subscriber Identification Module) may be used by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE200 for connectivity.Memory 211 is a non-temporary storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code, containing instructions configured to cause the processor 210 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by the processor 210, but may be configured to cause the processor 210 to perform functions when compiled and executed, for example. This description may refer to the processor 210 that performs the functions, including other implementations such as when the processor 210 runs software and / or firmware. This description may refer to the processor 210 that performs the functions as an abbreviation for one or more of the processors 230-234 that perform the functions. This description may refer to the UE200 that performs the functions as an abbreviation for one or more suitable components of the UE200 that perform the functions. The processor 210 may include, in addition to and / or instead of, memory 211, memory containing stored instructions. The functions of the processor 210 will be described in more detail below.

[0037]

[0051] The configuration of the UE200 shown in Figure 2 is an example of the present disclosure, including the claims, and is not limiting to the present disclosure, and other configurations may be used. For example, an exemplary configuration of the UE includes one or more processors 230-234 of the processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other exemplary configurations include one or more processors 230-234 of the processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver 240, and one or more sensors 213 (one or more), user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PMD 219, and / or wired transceiver 250.

[0038]

[0052] The UE200 may include a modem processor 232 capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Similarly or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by a general-purpose processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0039]

[0053] The UE200 may include, for example, one or more sensors 213, which may include an inertial measuring unit (IMU) 270, one or more magnetometers 271, and / or one or more environmental sensors 272. The IMU 270 may comprise one or more inertial sensors, for example, one or more accelerometers 273 and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 (which collectively respond to the acceleration of the UE200 in three dimensions). The magnetometers may provide measurements for determining orientation (for example, relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which can be used for any of a variety of purposes, for example, to support one or more compass applications. The environmental sensors 272 may comprise, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. One or more sensors 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals whose instructions are stored in memory 211 and can be processed by a DSP 231 and / or general-purpose processor 230 that support one or more applications, such as applications targeting positioning and / or navigation operations.

[0040]

[0054] One or more sensors 213 may be used in relative location measurement, relative location determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by one or more sensors 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based location determination, and / or sensor-assisted location determination. One or more sensors 213 may be useful in determining whether the UE200 is stationary or mobile, and / or whether any useful information regarding the mobility of the UE200 should be reported to the LMF120. For example, based on information acquired / measured by one or more sensors 213, the UE200 may notify / report to the LMF120 that the UE200 has detected movement or that the UE200 has moved, and may report relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning, or sensor-based location determination, or sensor-assisted location determination enabled by one or more sensors 213). In another example, a sensor / IMU could be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of other devices relative to the UE200 for relative positioning information.

[0041]

[0055] The IMU270 may be configured to provide measurements of the direction and / or speed of motion of the UE200, which can be used in relative location determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 273 and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 of the IMU270 may each detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE200. The measurements of the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction and displacement of the UE200's motion. The instantaneous direction and displacement of motion may be integrated to track the location of the UE200. For example, the reference location of the UE200 may be determined, for example, for a given moment using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and the measurements from (one or more) accelerometers 273 and (one or more) gyroscopes 274 obtained after this moment may be used in dead reckoning to determine the current location of the UE200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE200 relative to the reference location.

[0042]

[0056] One or more magnetometers 271 may determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE200. One or more magnetometers 271 may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Similarly or alternatively, one or more magnetometers 271 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. One or more magnetometers 271 may provide means for detecting a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field to, for example, a processor 210.

[0043]

[0057] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250, configured to communicate with other devices through wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a transmitter 242 and a receiver 244 coupled to one or more antennas 246 for transmitting (e.g., over one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., over one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) a wireless signal 248, and converting the wireless signal 248 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal, and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 248. Thus, the transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 244 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The Wireless Transceiver 240 can be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with TRP and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), PC5, IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, and Zigbee®. The New Radio may use mm wave frequencies and / or sub-6GHz frequencies. The wired transceiver 250 may include a transmitter 252 and a receiver 254 configured for wired communication with, for example, NG-RAN135, to send communications to and receive communications from gNB110a.The transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical and / or telecommunications. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, for example, by optical and / or electrical connections. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215.

[0044]

[0058] The user interface 216 may comprise one or more of several devices, such as a speaker, microphone, display device, vibration device, keyboard, and touchscreen. The user interface 216 may include two or more of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to allow the user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE200. For example, the user interface 216 may store instructions for analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 so that they are processed by the DSP 231 and / or general-purpose processor 230 in response to user actions. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE200 may store instructions for analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device comprising, for example, a speaker, microphone, digital-analog circuitry, analog-digital circuitry, amplifier, and / or gain control circuits (including two or more of these devices). Other configurations of the audio I / O device may be used. Alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure, for example, on the keyboard and / or touchscreen of the user interface 216.

[0045]

[0059] An SPS receiver 217 (for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and capturing an SPS signal 260 via an SPS antenna 262. Antenna 262 may be configured to convert the wireless SPS signal 260 to a wired signal, such as an electrical or optical signal, and may be integrated with antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the captured SPS signal 260 whole or partially for estimating the location of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 by trilateration using the SPS signal 260. A general-purpose processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be used with the SPS receiver 217 to process the captured SPS signal whole or partially and / or to calculate the estimated location of the UE 200. Memory 211 may store instructions (e.g., measured values) of the SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals captured from the wireless transceiver 240) for use when performing positioning operations. The general-purpose processor 230, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for use when processing measured values ​​to estimate the location of the UE200.

[0046]

[0060] The UE200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still images or video. The camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or CMOS imager), a lens, analog-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, and the like. Additional processing, adjustment, encoding, and / or compression of the signal representing the captured image may be performed by a general-purpose processor 230 and / or DSP 231. Similarly or alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform adjustment, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signal representing the captured image. The video processor 233 may decode / decode stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) of the user interface 216.

[0047]

[0061] The position (motion) device (PMD) 219 may be configured to determine the position and, optionally, the motion of the UE 200. For example, the PMD 219 may communicate with and / or include part or all of the SPS receiver 217. Similarly or alternatively, the PMD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using ground base signals for trilateration (e.g., at least some of the wireless signals 248), to assist in the acquisition and use of SPS signals 260, or both. The PMD 219 may be configured to use one or more other techniques to determine the location of the UE 200 (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's position beacon)), or to use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PMD219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., one or more gyroscopes, one or more accelerometers, one or more magnetometers, etc.) that can detect and provide indications of the orientation and / or motion of the UE200, and the processor 210 (e.g., a general-purpose processor 230 and / or DSP231) may be configured to use these indications to determine the motion of the UE200 (e.g., velocity vectors and / or acceleration vectors). The PMD219 may be configured to provide indications of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion.

[0048]

[0062] Referring also to Figure 3, an example of a TRP300 for a BS (e.g., gNB110a, gNB110b, ng-eNB114) comprises a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 containing software (SW) 312, a transceiver 315, and (optionally) an SPS receiver 317. The processor 310, memory 311, transceiver 315, and SPS receiver 317 may be coupled to communicate with each other by a bus 320 (which may be configured for optical and / or telecommunications, for example). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., wireless interface and / or SPS receiver 317) may be omitted from the TRP300. The SPS receiver 317 may be configured similarly to the SPS receiver 217 so as to be capable of receiving and capturing SPS signals 360 via an SPS antenna 362. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 310 may comprise multiple processors, such as a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as shown in Figure 2. Memory 311 is a non-temporary storage medium, such as random-access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code, containing instructions configured, when executed, to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured, for example, to cause the processor 310 to perform functions when compiled and executed. This description may refer to the processor 310 performing the functions, including other implementations such as when the processor 310 runs software and / or firmware.This description may refer to the function-performing processor 310 as an abbreviation for one or more processors included in the function-performing processor 310. This description may refer to the function-performing TRP 300 as an abbreviation for one or more suitable components of the function-performing TRP 300 (and therefore one of gNB110a, gNB110b, ng-eNB114). The processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or instead of memory 311. The functions of the processor 310 will be described more thoroughly below.

[0049]

[0063] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350, configured to communicate with other devices through wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a transmitter 342 and a receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting a wireless signal 348 (for example, over one or more uplink or downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving it (for example, over one or more downlink or uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels), and converting the wireless signal 348 to a wired (for example, electrical and / or optical) signal, and from the wired (for example, electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 348. Thus, the transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate signals (for example, with UE200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, and Zigbee. The wired transceiver 350 may include a transmitter 352 and a receiver 354 configured for wired communication with network 140, for example, to send communications to LMF120 and receive communications from LMF120.The transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 354 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communications and / or telecommunications.

[0050]

[0064] The configuration of the TRP300 shown in Figure 3 is an example of the present disclosure, including the claims, and is not limiting to the present disclosure, and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein describes how the TRP300 is configured to perform, or will perform, several functions, one or more of which may be performed by the LMF120 and / or UE200 (i.e., the LMF120 and / or UE200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0051]

[0065] Referring also to Figure 4, an example of the LMF120 includes a computing platform comprising a processor 410, memory 411 containing software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, memory 411, and transceiver 415 may be coupled to each other communicatively by a bus 420 (which may be configured for, for example, optical and / or telecommunications). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., wireless interfaces) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may comprise multiple processors (including, for example, a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as shown in Figure 2). The memory 411 is a non-temporary storage medium which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code, containing instructions configured to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured to cause the processor 410 to perform functions when compiled and executed, for example. This description may refer to the processor 410 that performs the functions, including other implementations such as when the processor 410 runs software and / or firmware. This description may refer to the processor 410 that performs the functions as an abbreviation for one or more processors included in the processor 410 that performs the functions. This description may refer to the server 400 (or LMF120) that performs the functions as an abbreviation for one or more suitable components of the server 400 (e.g., LMF120). The processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or instead of memory 411.The functions of processor 410 are explained in more detail below.

[0052]

[0066] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450, configured to communicate with other devices through wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a transmitter 442 and a receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., over one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., over one or more downlink channels) a wireless signal 448, and converting the signal from the wireless signal 448 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal, and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 448. Thus, the transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate signals (for example, with UE200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, and Zigbee. The wired transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication with NG-RAN135, for example, to send communications to TRP300 and receive communications from TRP300.The transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be individual components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communications and / or telecommunications.

[0053]

[0067] The configuration of the server 400 shown in Figure 4 is an example of the present disclosure, including the claims, and is not limiting to the present disclosure, and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Similarly or alternatively, the description herein describes how the server 400 is configured to perform, or will perform, several functions, one or more of which may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0054]

[0068] One or more of many different techniques may be used to determine the location of entities such as UE105. For example, known location techniques include RTT, multi-RTT, RSTD (e.g., also known as TDOA, including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA, OTDOA), Extended Cell Identification Information (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the range between two entities. That range, along with the known location of the first entity and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities, may be used to determine the location of the second entity. In multi-RTT (also known as multi-cell RTT), multiple ranges from one entity (e.g., UE) to another entity (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of the other entities may be used to determine the location of that entity. In RSTD techniques, the difference in travel time between one entity and another can be used to determine the relative range from the other entity, and these can be combined with the known location of the other entity to determine the location of that entity. Arrival and / or departure angles can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the arrival or departure angle of a signal, combined with the range between devices (determined using signals, e.g., the signal's travel time, the signal's received power, etc.) and the known location of one of the devices, can be used to determine the location of another device. The arrival or departure angle can be an azimuth angle relative to a reference direction, such as true north. The arrival or departure angle can be a zenith angle relative to directly above the entity (i.e., radially outward from the center of the Earth).E-CID uses serving cell identification information, timing advance (i.e., the difference between the receive time and transmit time at the UE), estimated timing and power of detected neighbor cell signals, and, if applicable, arrival angle (e.g., for signals from a base station to the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. RSTD uses the difference in arrival times at the receiving device of signals from different sources, along with the known location of the source and the known offset of the transmit time from the source, to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0055]

[0069] Referring to Figure 5, exemplary wireless communication systems 500 in various aspects of the present disclosure are shown. In the example of Figure 5, a UE 504, which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein, attempts to calculate an estimate of its location or 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. The UE 504 can wirelessly communicate with a plurality of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, which may correspond to any combination of the base stations described herein, using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 500 (e.g., base station locations, geometry, etc.), the UE 504 may determine its location or assist in determining its location in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one embodiment, the UE504 may specify its position using a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system, but the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining the position using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system if further dimensions are desired. Furthermore, although Figure 5 shows one UE504 and three base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, it is understood that there may be more UE504s and more or fewer base stations.

[0056]

[0070] To support location estimation, base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 may be configured to broadcast positioning reference signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) to UEs within their coverage area, enabling UE 504 to measure the characteristics of such reference signals. For example, the Observed Time of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning method is a multilateration method in which UE 504 measures the time difference known as the reference signal time difference (RSTD) between specific reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of network nodes (e.g., base stations, base station antennas, etc.), and either reports these time differences to a location server, such as server 400 (e.g., LMF120), or calculates a location estimate from these time differences itself.

[0057]

[0071] Generally, the RSTD is measured between a reference network node (e.g., base station 502-1 in the example in Figure 5) and one or more neighbor network nodes (e.g., base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example in Figure 5). The reference network node remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE504 for any single positioning use of OTDOA, and will generally correspond to the serving cell for UE504 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE504. In one embodiment, if the measured network node is a cell supported by a base station, the neighbor network nodes will typically be cells supported by a different base station than the base station for the reference cell, and may have good or poor signal strength at UE504. Location calculations can be based on the measured time difference (e.g., RSTD) and knowledge of the network node's location and relative transmission timing (e.g., whether the network nodes are precisely synchronized or whether each network node transmits to other network nodes with some known time difference).

[0058]

[0072] To support positioning operations, a location server (e.g., Server 400, LMF120) may provide UE504 with OTDOA support data for a reference network node (e.g., base station 502-1 in the example in Figure 5) and neighbor network nodes relative to the reference network node (e.g., base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example in Figure 5). For example, the support data may provide the center channel frequency for each network node, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth), network node global ID, and / or other cell relation parameters applicable to OTDOA. The OTDOA support data may indicate the serving cell for UE504 as the reference network node.

[0059]

[0073] In some cases, OTDOA-assisted data may also include an “Expected RSTD” parameter, along with uncertainty in the Expected RSTD parameter, which provides the UE504 with information about the RSTD value that the UE504 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference network node and each neighbor network node. The Expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window for the UE504 in which the UE504 is expected to measure the RSTD value. OTDOA-assisted information may also include a reference signal configuration information parameter, which enables the UE504 to determine when reference signal positioning occasions occur for signals received from various neighbor network nodes for reference signal positioning occasions for the reference network node, and to determine the reference signal sequence transmitted from various network nodes to measure the signal arrival time (ToA) or RSTD.

[0060]

[0074] In one embodiment, a location server (e.g., Server 400, LMF120) may send support data to UE504, but alternatively, the support data can originate directly from the network node (e.g., Base Station 502) itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages). Alternatively, UE504 can discover neighbor network nodes on its own without using support data.

[0061]

[0075] UE504 may measure and (optionally) report the RSTD between reference signals received from a pair of network nodes (for example, partially based on supporting data, if provided). Using the RSTD measurement, the known absolute or relative transmit timing of each network node, and the known locations of the transmit antennas for the reference and neighboring network nodes, the network (e.g., server 400, LMF120, base station 502) or UE504 may estimate the location of UE504. More specifically, the RSTD for neighbor network node "k" relative to reference network node "Ref" may be given as (ToAk - ToARef), where the ToA value may be measured modulo the duration of one subframe (1 ms) to eliminate the effect of measuring different subframes at different times. In the example in Figure 5, the measured time differences between the reference cell of base station 502-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 502-2 and 502-3 are expressed as τ2-τ1 and τ3-τ1, where τ1, τ2, and τ3 represent the ToA of the reference signal from one or more transmitting antennas of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. The UE 504 can then convert the ToA measurements for the different network nodes into RSTD measurements and (optionally) send them to the server 400 / LMF120. Using (i) RSTD measurements, (ii) known absolute or relative transmit timings for each network node, (iii) known locations of one or more physical transmitting antennas for the reference network node and neighboring network nodes, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics such as the direction of transmission, the location of the UE 504 can be determined (by either the UE 504 or the server 400 / LMF120).

[0062]

[0076] Referring again to Figure 5, when UE504 obtains a location estimate using the time difference measured by OTDOA, any additional data required (e.g., the location of network nodes and their relative transmission timings) may be provided to UE504 by a location server (e.g., Server 400, LMF120). In some implementations, the location estimate for UE504 may be obtained (e.g., by UE504 itself or by Server 400 / LMF120) from the time difference measured by OTDOA and from other measurements made by UE504 (e.g., measurements of signal timings from Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites). In these implementations, known as hybrid positioning, the OTDOA measurements may contribute to obtaining a location estimate for UE504, but may not fully determine the location estimate.

[0063]

[0077] Uplink Time of Arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method similar to OTDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals transmitted by the UE (e.g., Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Uplink Positioning Reference Signal (UL PRS), SRS signal for positioning). Furthermore, transmit beamforming and / or receive beamforming at base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 and / or UE504 can enable broadband bandwidth at the cell edge for increased accuracy. Beamformation can also leverage channel reciprocity procedures in 5G NR.

[0064]

[0078] NR does not have a requirement for precise timing synchronization across the network. Instead, it is sufficient to have coarse timing synchronization across gNBs (e.g., within the cyclic prefix (CP) duration of OFDM symbols). Coarse timing synchronization is generally sufficient for round-trip time (RTT) based methods, and the sidelink-assisted methods described herein are therefore practical positioning methods in NR.

[0065]

[0079] Referring to Figure 6, an exemplary wireless communication system 600 according to an aspect of the present disclosure is shown. In the example of Figure 6, UE 604 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein) attempts to calculate an estimate of its location 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. UE 604 can wirelessly communicate with multiple base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., the location, geometry, etc. of the base stations), UE 604 can determine or assist in determining its location in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one embodiment, the UE604 may specify its position using a two-dimensional coordinate system, but the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining the position using a three-dimensional coordinate system if further dimensions are desired. Furthermore, although Figure 6 shows one UE604 and three base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, it is understood that there may be more UE604s and more base stations.

[0066]

[0080] To support position estimation, base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3 may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, etc.) to UE604 within their coverage area, enabling UE604 to measure the characteristics of such reference RF signals. For example, UE604 may measure the ToA of specific reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by at least three different base stations and use an RTT positioning method to report these ToA (and additional information) back to a serving base station (e.g., base station 602-2) or another positioning entity (e.g., server 400, LMF120).

[0067]

[0081] In one embodiment, UE604 is described as measuring reference RF signals from base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, but UE604 may measure reference RF signals from one of several cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3. If UE604 measures a reference RF signal transmitted by a cell supported by base station 602-2, then at least two other reference RF signals measured by UE604 to perform the RTT procedure may be from cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-3, which are different from the first base station 602-2, and may have good or bad signal strength at UE604.

[0068]

[0082] To determine the position (x,y) of UE604, the entity that determines the position of UE604 is (x k ,y kIt is necessary to know the locations of base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, which can be represented in the reference coordinate system as k=1, 2, and 3 in the example in Figure 6. If one of the base stations, 602-2 (e.g., the serving base station) or UE604, determines the location of UE604, the locations of the involved base stations 602-1 and 602-3 may be provided to the serving base station 602-2 or UE604 by a location server (e.g., server 400, LMF120) that has knowledge of the network geometry. Alternatively, the location server may determine the location of UE604 using the known network geometry.

[0069]

[0083] UE604 or any of the respective base stations 602-1, 602-2, or 602-3, the distance between UE604 and the respective base stations 602-1, 602-2, or 602-3 (d k Here, k=1, 2, 3) can be determined. In one embodiment, the RTT 610-1, 610-2, 610-3 of the signals exchanged between UE604 and arbitrary base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 is determined, and the distance (d k ) can be converted to ). RTT techniques can measure the time between sending a signaling message (e.g., a reference RF signal) and receiving a response. These methods can utilize calibration to eliminate processing and hardware delays. In some environments, it can be assumed that the processing delay for UE604 is the same as the processing delay for base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3. However, such assumptions may not be true in practice.

[0070]

[0084] each distance d k Once determined, UE604, base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, or location servers (e.g., server 400, LMF120) can determine the position (x,y) of UE604 by using various known geometric techniques, such as trilateration. From Figure 6, the position of UE604 is ideally at the common intersection of three semicircles, each semicircle having radius dk and center (x k ,y k ) is defined by and where it can be seen that k = 1, 2, 3.

[0071]

[0085] In some cases, additional information may be obtained in the form of arrival angles (AoA) or departure angles (AoD) that define a range of directions, either linearly (for example, in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or, in some cases, directionally (for example, for UE604 from the locations of base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3). The intersection of two directions at or near a point (x,y) can provide another estimate of the location for UE604.

[0072]

[0086] Location estimates (for example, for UE604) may be referred to by other names such as location estimate, location, position, position fix, or fix. Location estimates may be geodesic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or they may be urban and comprise a place address, mailing address, or any other descriptive term for the location. Location estimates may further be defined for any other known location, or they may be defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). Location estimates may include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume that the location is expected to contain at some specified or default confidence level).

[0073]

[0087] UEs can be classified as reduced-capacity UEs (RedCap UEs), such as bandwidth-limited UEs (e.g., smartwatches, glasses, rings, and other wearables). Other UEs may have more capabilities compared to RedCap UEs and are sometimes called premium UEs (e.g., smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, etc.). RedCap UEs generally have lower baseband processing power, fewer antennas, lower operating bandwidth capabilities, and lower uplink transmit power compared to premium UEs. Different UE tiers can typically be distinguished by UE category or UE capability. UEs in some tiers may also report their type (reduced-capacity or premium) to the network. Alternatively, some resources / channels may be dedicated to certain types of UEs.

[0074]

[0088] As can be understood, the accuracy of positioning a RedCap UE (e.g., an NR-light UE) can be limited. For example, a RedCap UE may operate on a reduced bandwidth, such as 5-20 MHz, in the case of wearable and relaxed IoT devices (i.e., IoT devices with relaxed parameters such as lower throughput, relaxed latency requirements, and lower energy consumption), which results in lower positioning accuracy. As another example, the receiver processing capability of a RedCap UE may be limited by its lower-cost RF / baseband, thus reducing the reliability of measurement and positioning calculations. Furthermore, such a RedCap UE may not be capable of receiving multiple PRSs from multiple TRPs, further reducing positioning accuracy. As yet another example, the transmit power of a RedCap UE may be reduced, which means there will be lower quality uplink measurements for RedCap UE positioning.

[0075]

[0089] However, RedCap UEs, such as wearables, often operate in the vicinity of premium UEs. Therefore, this disclosure provides a technique for a RedCap UE to leverage sidelink communication with one or more premium UEs to improve RSTD and other positioning measurements.

[0076]

[0090] Referring to Figure 7, an exemplary round-trip message flow 700 between two wireless nodes, such as user equipment 705 and base station 710, is shown. UE705 is an example of UE105, 200, and base station 710 could be gNB110a~b or ng-eNB114. Generally, RTT positioning methods utilize the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the range between two entities. That range, along with the known location of the first entity and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities, may be used to determine the location of the second entity. In multi-RTT (also called multi-cell RTT), multiple ranges from one entity (e.g., UE) to another entity (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of the other entities may be used to determine the location of that entity. The exemplary message flow 700 may be initiated by base station 710 with an RTT session configuration message 702. The base station may utilize LPP / NRPPa messaging to configure the RTT session. At time T1, base station 710 may transmit DL PRS 704, which is received by UE 705 at time T2. In response, UE 705 may transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) message (e.g., UL-SRS) 706 for positioning at time T3, which is received by base station 710 at time T4. The distance between UE 705 and base station 710 can be calculated as follows:

[0077]

number

[0078] Here, c = the speed of light.

[0079]

[0091] During operation, a RedCap UE 705 may be capable of receiving DL PRS704 but lack sufficient transmit power to enable a serving base station (e.g., base station 710) to receive UL SRS706. The sidelink-assisted downlink positioning method described herein may be used to overcome this limitation. In another example, a RedCap UE may have sufficient uplink power to provide UL SRS706 to its serving station but insufficient power for more distant stations to receive the SRS. The sidelink-assisted uplink positioning method described herein may be used to overcome this limitation.

[0080]

[0092] Referring to Figure 8, a block diagram 800 of an exemplary sidelink-assisted downlink arrival time difference-based positioning method is shown. Figure 800 shows several wireless nodes in a communications system 100, including a base station 802 (e.g., a TRP 300 such as a gNB or any of the base stations described herein), a first UE 804, a second UE 806, and a RedCap UE 808 (also called an NR-light UE). The base station 802 has multiple antennas, such as a panel of antennas 812 (e.g., an antenna array on a particular side of the base station 802), and may correspond to cells and / or TRPs supported by the base station 802. In the example in Figure 8, the first UE 804 and the second UE 806 are shown as smartphones (e.g., premium UEs), and the RedCap UE 808 is shown as a smartwatch. However, these are examples and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0081]

[0093] As further shown in Figure 8, the first UE804, the second UE806, and the RedCap UE808 receive DL PRS820 transmitted from base station 802. The RedCap UE808 is configured to receive sidelink communications from UE804, 806 on their respective sidelinks, such as the first sidelink signal 804a and the second sidelink signal 806a. The wireless sidelink signals 804a, 806a may be NR sidelinks and may support a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), or other Sidelink Shared Channel (SL-SCH) between UE804, 806 and the RedCap UE808. A Sidelink Channel Status Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) may be configured within the PSSCH transmission. In one example, the RedCap UE808 may be configured to provide the UL signal 822 to base station 802.

[0082]

[0094] During operation, the RedCap UE808 may utilize sidelink signals transmitted by one or more of the UE804, 806 to obtain sidelink-assisted downlink (DL)RSTD measurements. For example, referring to Figure 9, a message timing diagram 900 for an exemplary sidelink-assisted DL-TDOA positioning method is shown. In one example, base station 802, which is a serving cell for the RedCap UE808, may be configured to transmit DL PRS820 or other reference signals at time T1. The first UE804 and the second UE806 may receive DL PRS820 at times T2 and T3, as shown in Figure 900. Since the sidelink-assisted positioning method described herein does not depend on inter-station time synchronization, the first UE804 and the second UE806 may camp on base station 802 or other cells. The RedCap UE808 also receives the DL PRS820 at time T6 (the timing labels T1-T8 in Figure 900 do not necessarily indicate the order of occurrence). The first UE804 is configured to send a first sidelink signal 804a to the RedCap UE808 at time T4, which can be based on a defined first Rx-Tx delay value 902 (i.e., T4-T2). The second UE806 is configured to send a second sidelink signal 806a to the RedCap UE808 at time T5, which can be based on a defined second Rx-Tx delay value 904 (i.e., T5-T3). The RedCap UE808 receives the first and second sidelink signals at times T7 and T8, respectively, and is configured to determine the arrival times of the DL PRS820 and the first and second sidelink signals 804a and 806a. The first UE804 and the second UE806 may report their respective Rx-Tx delay values ​​902 and 904 to the RedCap UE808, base station 802, or other network entities (e.g., LMF120 or other network servers).

[0083]

[0095] In one embodiment, the range between base station 802 and the first UE804 and second UE806 may be known, for example, via OTDOA, RSTD, RTT, or other NR-based or RAT-independent positioning methods (e.g., high-precision PRS or other hybrid positioning methods). In one example, the first UE804 and second UE806 may acquire location based on a satellite navigation system such as an SPS receiver 217. Thus, their respective propagation times T2-T1 and T3-T1 are known. The RedCap UE808, or other network entity, may be configured to determine the RSTD between the signal transmitted by base station 802 (e.g., DL PRS820) and the signal transmitted by the first UE804 (e.g., first sidelink signal 804a) as follows:

[0084]

[0096]

[0085]

number

[0086]

[0097]

[0087]

number

[0088] Here, T6 is the Rx time of the DL PRS transmitted by the base station. T7 is the Rx time of the sidelink signal transmitted by UE1. T2-T1 is the estimated propagation time between the base station and UE1. T4-T2 is the reported Rx-Tx delay time for UE1.

[0089]

[0098] The RSTD between the signal transmitted by base station 802 and the signal transmitted by second UE 806 can follow the same method based on the second sidelink signal, and therefore,

[0099]

[0090]

number

[0091]

[0100]

[0092]

number

[0093] Here, T6 is the Rx time of the DL PRS transmitted by the base station. T8 is the Rx time of the sidelink signal transmitted by UE2. T3-T1 is the estimated propagation time between the base station and UE2. T5-T3 are the reported Rx-Tx delay times for UE2.

[0094]

[0101] In UE-based positioning use cases, the first UE804 and the second UE806 may report their respective propagation times (e.g., T2-T1, T3-T1) and Rx-Tx delay times (e.g., T4-T2, T5-T3) to the RedCap UE808 via a sidelink channel such as PSSCH, PSCCH, or other sidelink channels. In UE-assisted positioning use cases, the first UE804 and the second UE806 may report their respective propagation times (e.g., T2-T1, T3-T1) to a network entity (e.g., LMF120) via LPP, RRC, or other messaging formats, and their Rx-Tx delay times (e.g., T4-T2, T5-T3) to the RedCap UE808 via a sidelink channel such as PSSCH, PSCCH, or other sidelink channels. In another example, the first UE804 and the second UE806 may report Rx-Tx delay times (e.g., T4-T2, T5-T3) to a network server (e.g., LMF120), which may then provide propagation times (e.g., T2-T1, T3-T1) and Rx-Tx delay times (e.g., T4-T2, T5-T3) to the RedCap UE808 via network signaling such as LPP, RRC, SIB, or DCI.

[0095]

[0102] Figure 900 includes one base station and three UEs, but the presented RSTD method and corresponding formulas can be used with combinations of multiple base stations and multiple UEs. The sidelink-assisted DL positioning method in Figure 900 does not depend on timing synchronization between wireless nodes, and the first UE804 and the second UE806, as well as the RedCap UE808, can be associated with different serving cells. Furthermore, independence from synchronization time can increase the accuracy of DL-RSTD positioning.

[0096]

[0103] Referring to Figure 10, a block diagram 1000 of an exemplary sidelink-assisted uplink arrival time difference-based positioning method is shown. Figure 1000 shows several wireless nodes in a communication system 100, including a base station 1002 (e.g., a TRP 300 such as a gNB or any of the base stations described herein), a first UE 1004, a second UE 1006, and a RedCap UE 1008. The base station 1002 has multiple antennas, such as a panel of antennas 1003 (e.g., an antenna array on a particular side of the base station 1002), and may correspond to cells and / or TRPs supported by the base station 1002. In the example in Figure 10, the first UE 1004 and the second UE 1006 are shown as smartphones (e.g., premium UEs), and the RedCap UE 1008 is shown as a smartwatch. However, these are examples and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0097]

[0104] As further shown in Figure 10, the first UE 1004, the second UE 1006, and the RedCap UE 1008 are configured to transmit uplink signals, such as UL-SRS signals, which can be received by one or more base stations. For example, the RedCap UE 1008 may be configured to transmit UL SRS 1010, the first UE 1004 may be configured to transmit UL-SRS, and the second UE 1006 may be configured to transmit UL SRS 1006a, which can be received by base station 1002. The RedCap UE 1008 is configured to transmit sidelink communications to the first UE 1004 and the second UE 1006 via one or more sidelink signals, such as the first sidelink signal 1012 and the second sidelink signal 1014. Sidelink signals 1012 and 1014 may utilize the NR sidelink protocol and channels such as PSCCH, PSSCH, PSBCH, or other sidelink shared channels (SL-SCH) between UE1004, 1006 and RedCap UE1008. Sidelink CSI-RS may be configured within a PSSCH transmission.

[0098]

[0105] During operation, the RedCap UE1008 may transmit sidelink signals to one or more of the UE1004, 1006 in order to provide sidelink-assisted uplink (UL)RSTD measurements. For example, referring to Figure 11, a message timing diagram 1100 for an exemplary sidelink-assisted UL-TDOA positioning method is shown. In one example, the RedCap UE1008 is configured to transmit UL SRS and sidelink signals. For example, the RedCap UE1008 may transmit a first sidelink signal 1012 to the first UE1004 at time T1 and a second sidelink signal 1014 to the second UE1006 at time T2. The RedCap UE1008 may also transmit UL SRS 1010 at time T4 (the timing labels T1-T10 in Figure 1100 do not necessarily indicate the order of occurrence). The RedCap UE1008 may be configured to determine and report to a base station 1002 or other network entity such as an LMF120 the time difference between the sidelink transmit time and the UL SRS transmit time, such as a first delta SRS-sidelink delay 1106a (e.g., T4-T1) and a second SRS-sidelink delay 1106b (e.g., T4-T2). The first UE1004 may receive a first sidelink signal 1012 at time T3 and transmit UL SRS1004a at time T6, which may be based on a defined first Rx-Tx delay value 1102. The second UE1006 may receive a second sidelink signal 1014 at time T5 and transmit UL SRS1006a at time T7, which may be based on a defined second Rx-Tx delay value 1104. The first UE 1004 and the second UE 1006 may report their respective Rx-Tx delay time values ​​1102 and 1104 to base station 1002 or other network entities (e.g., LMF 120). Base station 1002 may be configured to receive UL SRS 1010, 1004a, and 1006a at times T8, T9, and T10, determine the RSTD values, and report them to network entities such as LMF 120.

[0099]

[0106] In one embodiment, the range between base station 1002 and the first UE 1004 and second UE 1006 may be known, for example, via OTDOA, RSTD, RTT, or other NR-based or RAT-independent positioning methods (e.g., high-precision PRS or other hybrid positioning methods). In one example, the first UE 1004 and second UE 1006 may acquire location based on a satellite navigation system such as an SPS receiver 217. Thus, their respective UL SRS propagation times T10-T7 and T9-T6 are known. Base station 1002, or other network entity, may be configured to determine the RSTD between a signal transmitted by RedCap UE 1008 (e.g., UL SRS 1010) and UL SRS 1004a received from the first UE 1004, which is at least partially based on the first sidelink signal 1012. In one example, the RSTD associated with the first UE 1004 is calculated as follows:

[0100]

[0107]

[0101]

number

[0102]

[0108]

[0103]

number

[0104] Here, T8 is the Rx time of the UL PRS transmitted by RedCap UE. T9 is the Rx time of the UL PRS transmitted by UE1. [Delta SRS-Sidelink] is the first Delta SRS-Sidelink delay 1106a (i.e., T4-T1) which indicates the time delay between transmitting the first sidelink and transmitting the UL PRS. T9-T6 are the estimated propagation times between the base station and UE1. T6-T3 is the reported Rx-Tx delay value of 1102 hours for UE1.

[0105]

[0109] The RSTD between the signal transmitted from RedCap UE1008 and the signal transmitted from the second UE1006 to base station 1002 may follow the same method based on the second sidelink signal 1014, and therefore,

[0110]

[0106]

number

[0107]

[0111]

[0108]

number

[0109] Here, T8 is the Rx time of the UL PRS transmitted by RedCap UE. T10 is the Rx time of the UL PRS transmitted by UE2. [Delta SRS-Sidelink] is the second SRS-sidelink delay 1106b (i.e., T4-T2), which indicates the time delay between transmitting the second sidelink and transmitting the UL PRS. T10-T7 are the estimated propagation times between the base station and UE2. T7-T5 is the reported Rx-Tx delay time value of 1104 for UE2.

[0110]

[0112] Base station 1002 needs to measure the reception time for UL SRS 1010, 1004a, and 1006a, which can be achieved without tight synchronization requirements across UEs. The first UE 1004 and the second UE 1006, as well as / or base station 1002, may be configured to report their respective signal propagation times and Rx-Tx delay time values ​​1102, 1104 to a positioning entity such as an LMF 120. Signal propagation times (e.g., T9-T6, T10-T7) can be estimated via NR positioning methods and / or other RAT-independent methods. In one example, RedCap UE 1008 may report delta SRS-sidelink values ​​1106a-b to a positioning server via base station 1002. For example, the delta SRS-sidelink values ​​1106a~b are obtained based on authorization from the serving gNB (e.g., base station 1002), which may report the delta SRS-sidelink values ​​1106a~b to the positioning entity and / or to the first UE1004 and second UE1006, thus eliminating the requirement for RedCap UE1008 to report those values.

[0111]

[0113] Figure 1100 includes one base station and three UEs, but the shown TDOA method and corresponding formulas can be used with combinations of multiple base stations and multiple UEs. The sidelink-assisted UL positioning method in Figure 1100 does not depend on timing synchronization between wireless nodes, and the first UE 1004 and the second UE 1006, as well as the RedCap UE 1008, can be associated with different serving cells. Furthermore, independence from synchronization time can increase the accuracy of UL-TDOA positioning.

[0112]

[0114] Referring to Figure 12, an exemplary message flow diagram 1200 of a sidelink-assisted DL TDOA-based positioning method is shown. The message flow may be used in a communication system 100 including a target UE 1202, a first cooperating UE 1204, a second cooperating UE 1206, a gNB 1208, and an LMF 1210. The target UE 1202 and cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 may include some or all of the features of UE 200, UE 200 being an example of target UE 1202 and cooperating UEs 1204, 1206. In one example, target UE 1202 may be a reduction capability UE. gNB 1208 may include some or all of the features of TRP 300, TRP 300 being an example of gNB 1208. LMF 1210 may include some or all of the features of server 400, server 400 being an example of LMF 1210. Message flow 1200 may utilize one or more network protocols, such as LPP / NRPP, RRC, DCI, and MAC-CE messaging, to transmit positioning information, including ToA value, estimated propagation time, Rx-Tx delay value, delta SRS-sidelink value, and other channel and station relationship support data.

[0113]

[0115] In one embodiment, the LMF1210 may be configured to acquire location information for one or more stations in the network, such as target UE1202. The LMF1210 may send a location request message 1212 to a serving station, such as gNB1208, to initiate a positioning procedure for target UE1202. The location request message 1212 or other messages from the LMF1210 may include OTDOA support data to enable gNB1208 or target UE1202 to calculate the location. In one embodiment, target UE1202 may initiate a positioning procedure. gNB1208 may send one or more support data messages 1214 containing positioning information to assist target UE1202 and other stations in acquiring reference signal measurements and determining their locations. For example, a support data message may include PRS and SRS resource information, a neighbor list indicating nearby wireless nodes including other base stations and cooperating UEs, sidelink configuration information, Rx-Tx delay information, station location, muting pattern information, and other data related to OTDOA or other ground positioning methods known in the art. gNB1208, and other stations in the network may be configured to transmit one or more reference signals for positioning, such as DL PRS1216, which may be received by the target UE1202 and one or more neighboring stations, such as cooperating UEs1204,1206. In one example, upon receiving DL PRS1216, cooperating UEs1204,1206 may transmit one or more sidelink signals 1218a~b to the target UE1202 via one or more sidelink channels (e.g., PSSCH, PSCCH, etc.). The timing of the transmission of sidelink signals 1218a-b may be based on their respective Rx-Tx delay values ​​902, 904, as illustrated in Figure 9. In one embodiment, cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 may be configured to report their respective Rx-Tx delay values ​​and (for example, based on a range up to gNB 1208) to target UE 1202 via sidelink signals 1218a-b.In step 1220, the target UE 1202 may determine the RSTD value based on the received support data and the ToA of the DL PRS 1216 and sidelink signals 1218a-b. In one embodiment, the target UE 1202 may be configured to utilize the RSTD value and support data received from gNB 1208 and / or cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 to determine the RSTD value (e.g., equations (2) and (3)) and calculate the location. In one example, the location may be based on a multilateration technique described in Figure 5.

[0114]

[0116] The target UE 1202 may be configured to report ToA, RSTD, and other measurements to a network entity such as the LMF 1210 via one or more LPP measurement reporting messages 1222. For example, the reporting message 1222 may include ToA, RSTD, and / or other measurements based on the DL PRS 1216 and sidelink signals 1218a~b received by the target UE 1202. In one embodiment, the cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 may be configured to send Rx-Tx delay reporting messages 1224a~b to report the respective Rx-Tx delay values ​​associated with receiving the DL PRS 1216 and transmitting the sidelink signals 1218a~b. The Rx-Tx delay reporting messages 1224a~b may also include estimated propagation delay values ​​(e.g., T2-T1, T3-T1) based on the range between the gNB 1208 and the cooperating UEs 1204, 1206. In one embodiment, the LMF1210, or other network resources, may determine an estimated propagation delay value to reduce the reporting requirements of the collaborating UEs 1204, 1206. In step 1226, the LMF1210 may be configured to calculate the RSTD value (e.g., equations (2) and (3)) and determine the location of the target UE 1202 using a multilateration technique as described in Figure 5, based on the RSTD measurement and Rx-Tx delay reporting messages 1224a~b reported by the target UE 1202. The message flow 1200 is an example and not limiting, as other messages and messaging techniques may be used to implement the sidelink-assisted DL PRS positioning method.

[0115]

[0117] Referring to Figure 13, an exemplary message flow 1300 of a sidelink-assisted UL TDOA-based positioning method is shown. The message flow may be used in a communication system 100 including a target UE 1202, a first cooperating UE 1204, a second cooperating UE 1206, a gNB 1208, and an LMF 1210, as described in Figure 12. The message flow 1300 may utilize one or more network protocols, such as LPP / NRPP, RRC, DCI, and MAC-CE messaging, to activate the UL SRS process and to transfer positioning information, including the ToA value, estimated propagation time, Rx-Tx delay value, delta SRS-sidelink value, and other channel and station relationship support data.

[0116]

[0118] In one embodiment, the LMF1210 may be configured to acquire location information for one or more stations in the network, such as the target UE1202. The LMF1210 may send a location request message 1312 to one or more base stations, such as the gNB1208, which is configured to acquire the location of the target UE1202. The location request message 1312 may also include support data, such as the identification information of the neighboring UE (e.g., a cooperating UE), OTDOA support data, and estimated propagation values ​​(e.g., based on the range between the gNB and the UE). The gNB1208 may configure an SRS resource for the target UE1202 and provide SRS resource information and other support data via one or more SRS configuration messages 1314. In one embodiment, the SRS configuration information may include sidelink permission information indicating a delta SRS-sidelink value for the target UE1202 for use with the neighboring UE. Target UE 1202 may be configured to transmit one or more sidelink signals 1316a~b to cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 via one or more sidelink channels. Target UE 1202 may transmit one or more UL SRS 1318s, which may be received by gNB 1208 or other stations. Target UE 1202 may also send one or more delta SRS-sidelink report messages 1320 to gNB 1208 and / or LMF 1210 to provide delta SRS-sidelink values ​​1106a~b related to the sidelink signals 1316a~b and UL SRS 1318s.

[0117]

[0119] The collaborative UEs 1204 and 1206 are configured to transmit one or more UL SRS 1322a-b, which are received by the gNB 1208. The collaborative UEs 1204 and 1206 may also report their respective Rx-Tx delay values ​​1102 and 1104 to the gNB 1208 or LMF 1210 in one or more Rx-Tx delay messages 1322c-d. The gNB 1208 is configured to determine ToA, RSTD, and other measurements based on the received UL SRS 1318 and 1322a-b, as described in equations (6) and (7). The gNB 1208 may provide the LMF 1210 with one or more measurement reports 1324, including the RSTD value, and in step 1326, the LMF 1210 may utilize a multilateration method to determine the location of the target UE 1202. In one embodiment, gNB1208 may be configured to determine the location of target UE1202. Message flow 1300 is an example and not limiting, as other messages and messaging techniques may be used to implement the sidelink-assisted UL PRS positioning method.

[0118]

[0120] Referring to Figure 14, and further to Figures 1-13, Method 1400 for determining the arrival time difference in sidelink-assisted downlink positioning includes the illustrated steps. However, Method 1400 is an example and not limiting. Method 1400 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing simultaneously, and / or splitting a single step into multiple steps.

[0119]

[0121] In step 1402, the method includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. The UE200, including a transceiver 215 and a general-purpose processor 230, is the means for receiving the first reference signal. In one embodiment, the first reference signal may be DL PRS1216, transmitted by gNB1208 and received by target UE1202. The first radio access link may utilize cellular wide area network (WAN) technology such as LTE, 5G NR or other RAT, as described in Figure 1. Other reference signals (e.g., NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) may be transmitted from other wireless nodes and received by the UE. The first time may be the arrival time of the first reference signal at the target UE.

[0120]

[0122] In step 1404, the method includes receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link. The UE200, including a transceiver 215 and a general-purpose processor 230, is a means for receiving the second reference signal. In one embodiment, the second reference signal may be a sidelink signal 1218a transmitted from a neighboring wireless node such as a cooperating UE 1204. The second radio access link may utilize a sidelink channel (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, or other sidelink channel) based on a sidelink protocol. In one example, the second reference signal may be a CSI-RS configured within a PSSCH transmission.

[0121]

[0123] In step 1406, the method includes receiving support data, which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node. The UE 200, which includes a transceiver 215 and a general-purpose processor 230, is a means for receiving the support data. In one embodiment, a wireless node on the network may be configured to provide support data to a target UE. For example, gNB 1208 may be configured to provide one or more support data messages 1214 related to a collaborating UE, which include an Rx-Tx delay time and an estimated propagation delay. The support data messages 1214 may be based on LPP signaling from LMF 1210 or RRC signaling which includes one or more system information blocks (SIBs) containing support data. In one example, the collaborating UE may include support data (e.g., Rx-Tx delay time) in one or more sidelink signals 1218a-b. For example, referring to Figure 9, RedCap UE808 may be the first wireless node, and the first UE804 may be the second wireless node. The transmit delay time value may be an Rx-Tx delay value 902 based on the time delay between the time T2 when the first UE804 receives DL PRS820 and the time T4 when the first UE804 transmits the first sidelink signal 804a. Rx-Tx delay values ​​for other neighboring stations may also be included in the supporting data.

[0122]

[0124] In step 1408, the method includes determining an arrival time difference value based at least in part on a first time, a second time, and a transmission delay time value. The UE200, including a general-purpose processor 230, is a means for determining the arrival time difference. In one embodiment, the RSTD may be calculated based on equations (2) and (3). For example, in step 1402, the first reference signal received at the first time may be the reception time of the DL PRS (e.g., T6), and in step 1404, the second reference signal received at the second time may be the reception time of the sidelink signal transmitted by the second wireless node (e.g., T7). The reported Rx-Tx delay time for the second wireless node may be included in the support data received in step 1406 (e.g., T4-T2). In one embodiment, the estimated propagation time between the first and second wireless nodes may be included in the support data received in step 1406. The estimated propagation time may be included in other supporting data or remain in memory 211 as almanac data. Method 1400 offers the technical advantage of obtaining RSTD values ​​without the need for synchronization time between wireless nodes. In one example, the first wireless node may be a serving cell, and the second wireless node may camp on to a different serving cell. The obtained RSTD values ​​may be used in a multilateration positioning method as described in Figure 5. Other positioning methods may also be used.

[0123]

[0125] Referring to Figure 15, and further to Figures 1-13, Method 1500 for providing sidelink-assisted data includes the illustrated steps. However, Method 1500 is an example and not limiting. Method 1500 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing simultaneously, and / or splitting a single step into multiple steps. Method 1500 can be used in conjunction with both the sidelink-assisted DL PRS positioning procedure and the sidelink-assisted UL SRS positioning procedure.

[0124]

[0126] In step 1502, the method includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. UE200, including transceiver 215 and general-purpose processor 230, is the means for receiving the first reference signal. In a sidelink-assisted DL PRS embodiment, the first reference signal may be DL PRS1216 transmitted by gNB1208 and received by cooperating UEs 1204, 1206. The first radio access link may utilize WAN technology such as LTE, 5G NR or other RAT, as described in Figure 1. Other reference signals (e.g., NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) may be transmitted from other wireless nodes and received by UEs. The first time may be the arrival time of the first reference signal at the target UE. In a sidelink-assisted UL PRS embodiment, the first reference signal may be sidelink signals 1316a-b transmitted by target UE 1202. The first wireless access link may utilize a sidelink channel (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, or other sidelink channels) based on a sidelink protocol.

[0125]

[0127] In step 1504, the method includes transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link. UE200, including transceiver 215 and general-purpose processor 230, is the means for transmitting the second reference signal. In the sidelink-assisted DL PRS embodiment, the second reference signal may be sidelink signals 1218a-b transmitted from cooperating UEs 1204, 1206 and received by target UE 1202. The second radio access link may utilize a sidelink channel (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, or other sidelink channel) based on the sidelink protocol. In one example, the second reference signal may be CSI-RS configured within a PSSCH transmission. The second time may be based on a pre-configured Rx-Tx delay or a sidelink permission received from a serving cell. The UE may be configured to transmit the second reference signal at a second time independent of network timing requirements. For example, referring to Figure 8, when the first time is T2, the second time may be T4. In the side-link-assisted UL PRS embodiment, the second reference signal may be UL SRS1322a-b, transmitted from cooperating UE1204, 1206 to gNB1208.

[0126]

[0128] In step 1506, the method includes determining a transmit delay time value based on a first time and a second time. The UE200, including a general-purpose processor 230, is a means for determining the transmit delay time. The transmit delay time is the Rx-Tx delay between receiving the first reference signal and transmitting the second reference signal. For example, referring to Figure 9, in the sidelink-assisted DL PRS method, the transmit delay time may be Rx-Tx delay values ​​902, 904. In the sidelink-assisted UL PRS method, the transmit delay time may be Rx-Tx delay values ​​1102, 1104 shown in Figure 11.

[0127]

[0129] In step 1508, the method includes transmitting an instruction for a transmit delay time value. The UE 200, including the transceiver 215 and the general-purpose processor 230, is a means for transmitting the transmit delay time instruction. In one embodiment, the cooperative UEs 1204, 1206 may be configured to provide one or more Rx-Tx delay messages determined in step 1506 to network entities such as the LMF 1210 and / or gNB 1208. For example, the transmit delay time value may be included in the LPP message or transmitted via RRC, MAC-CE, DCI, or other signaling protocols.

[0128]

[0130] Referring to Figure 16, and further to Figures 1-13, a method 1600 for determining the arrival time difference in sidelink-assisted uplink positioning includes the illustrated steps. However, method 1600 is an example and not limiting. Method 1600 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing simultaneously, and / or splitting a single step into multiple steps.

[0129]

[0131] In step 1602, the method includes receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. A TRP 300, including a transceiver 315 and a processor 310, is a means for receiving the first reference signal. In one embodiment, the first reference signal may be a UL SRS transmitted from a target UE. Referring to Figure 13, for example, the first reference signal may be a UL SRS 1318 transmitted by a target UE 1202 and received by a gNB 1208. The first radio access link may utilize WAN technology such as LTE, 5G NR or other RATs, as described in Figure 1. Other reference signals (e.g., NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) may be transmitted from other wireless nodes and received by a station such as a gNB 1208. The first time may be the arrival time of the first reference signal at the gNB (e.g., time T8 shown in Figure 11).

[0130]

[0132] In step 1604, the method includes receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node. The TRP300, which includes a transceiver 315 and a processor 310, is a means for receiving the second reference signal. In one embodiment, the second reference signal may be a UL SRS transmitted from a cooperating UE. For example, referring to Figure 13, the second reference signal may be a UL SRS1322a transmitted by the first cooperating UE 1204 and received by gNB1208. The second reference signal may utilize the first radio access link and may be a UL SRS or other reference signal (e.g., NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.), which may be transmitted from a wireless node adjacent to the target UE that transmitted the first reference signal. For example, in a V2X network, the second wireless node may be a roadside unit (RSU) configured to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a Uu interface) and with a neighboring UE via a sidelink (e.g., a PC5 interface). The second time may be the arrival time of the second reference signal in the gNB (e.g., time T9 shown in Figure 11).

[0131]

[0133] In step 1606, the method includes receiving support data, which includes a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using a second radio access link. A TRP 300, which includes a transceiver 315 and a processor 310, is a means for receiving the support data. In one embodiment, referring to Figure 13, the third reference signal may be a first sidelink signal 1316a transmitted by a target UE 1202 and received by a first cooperating UE 1204. The second radio access link may be obtained based on a sidelink protocol and may utilize a sidelink channel (e.g., PSCCH, PSSCH, or other sidelink channel). In one example, the third reference signal may be a CSI-RS configured within a PSSCH transmission. The transmission delay time value in the support data may be an Rx-Tx delay message 1322c indicating an Rx-Tx delay value of 1102. In one embodiment, the LMF1210 may be configured to provide the Rx-Tx delay value to the gNB1208.

[0132]

[0134] In step 1608, the method includes determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time it takes for the first wireless node to transmit a first reference signal and the time it takes for the first wireless node to transmit a third reference signal. The TRP 300, which includes the transceiver 315 and the processor 310, is a means for determining the sidelink delay time value. In one embodiment, the sidelink delay time value is based on a delta SRS-sidelink value contained in a delta SRS-sidelink report message 1320 received from the target UE 1202. Referring to Figure 11, for example, the sidelink delay time value may be a delta SRS-sidelink value 1106a (i.e., T4-T1) based on the time difference between transmitting the first sidelink signal 1012 and transmitting the UL SRS 1010. In one embodiment, the sidelink delay time value is obtained based on sidelink authorization, and the gNB 1208 may be configured to determine the sidelink delay value based on authorization information. For example, the LMF1210 may provide the gNB1208 with an instruction for the sidelink delay time value in a positioning message.

[0133]

[0135] In step 1610, the method includes determining the arrival time difference based at least in part on a first time, a second time, a transmit delay time value, and a sidelink delay time value. The TRP300, including the processor 310, is a means for determining the arrival time difference. In one embodiment, the gNB1208 may be configured to determine the arrival time difference, such as RSTD, in equations (6) and (7). For example, the T8 value may be the first time determined in step 1602, and the T9 value may be the second time determined in step 1604. T6-T3 (i.e., Rx-Tx delay) may be the transmit delay time received in step 1606, and the [Delta SRS-Sidelink] value may be the sidelink delay time value determined in step 1608. The estimated propagation time (i.e., T9-T6) may be provided by the LMF1210 or measured using a second wireless node based on RTT or other NR measurements. In one example, the location of a second wireless node may be known (e.g., via satellite navigation or other precise point navigation methods), and the propagation time may be estimated based on the range to the second wireless node. Method 1600 offers the technical advantage of obtaining uplink-based RSTD values ​​without the need for synchronization time between wireless nodes. The obtained RSTD values ​​may be used in a multilateration positioning method as described in Figure 5. Other positioning methods may also be used.

[0134]

[0136] Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, depending on the nature of the software and the computer, the functions described above may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof, executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including the distribution of parts of the function so that they are implemented in different physical locations.

[0135]

[0137] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” also include the plural form unless the context makes otherwise clear. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including” indicate the presence of the described feature, complete, step, action, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, complete, step, action, element, component, and / or group thereof.

[0136]

[0138] As used herein, the term RS (reference signal) may refer to one or more reference signals and may be applied as appropriate to any form of the term RS, such as PRS, SRS, CSI-RS, etc.

[0137]

[0139] Unless otherwise specified, any statement herein that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation may be based on the stated item or condition, and in addition to one or more items and / or conditions.

[0138]

[0140] Furthermore, as used herein, "or" in enumerations of items ending in "at least one of" or "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive enumeration, such as the enumeration of "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" meaning A or B or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having two or more features (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, the statement that an item, for example, a processor, is configured to perform a function relating to at least one of A or B means that the item may be configured to perform a function relating to A, or may be configured to perform a function relating to B, or may be configured to perform a function relating to both A and B. For example, the phrase “a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B” means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and B (and may be configured to choose whether to measure A or B, or both). Similarly, the description of means for measuring at least one of A or B includes means for measuring A (which may or may not be capable of measuring B), or means for measuring B (which may or may not be configured to measure A), or means for measuring A and B (which may be capable of choosing whether to measure A or B, or both).As another example, the statement that an item, for example, a processor, is configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y, means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform both function X and function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to perform at least one of measuring X or measuring Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure both X and Y (and may be configured to choose whether to measure X or Y, or both).

[0139]

[0141] Substantial modifications may be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may be used, and / or certain elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets) executed by the processor, or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be employed. Unless otherwise stated, functional or other components shown in the figures and / or described herein as connecting or communicating with one another are coupled in a communicative manner; that is, they may be connected directly or indirectly to enable communication between them.

[0140]

[0142] The systems and devices described above are examples. Various configurations may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components as appropriate. For example, features described in relation to some configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of configurations may be combined in the same way. Furthermore, technology is evolving, and therefore many of the elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or claims.

[0141]

[0143] A wireless communication system is a communication system in which communications are carried wirelessly, that is, by electromagnetic and / or acoustic waves that propagate through the atmosphere rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not transmit all communications wirelessly, but it may be configured so that at least some communications are transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the term “wireless communication device” or similar terms does not require that the function of the device be solely for communication, or even primarily for communication, or that the device be a mobile device, but it indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), for example, including at least one radio for wireless communication (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver).

[0142]

[0144] The description provides specific details to offer a complete understanding of exemplary configurations (including implementation forms). However, configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques are shown without unnecessary details to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description provides exemplary configurations and does not limit the claims, applicability, or configurations. Rather, the above description of configurations provides instructions for implementing the described techniques. Various modifications may be made to the function and configuration of the elements.

[0143]

[0145] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium involved in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to (one or more) processors for execution, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including, but are not limited to, non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0144]

[0146] While several exemplary configurations have been described, various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used. For example, the elements described above may be components of a larger system, and other rules may take precedence over or modify the applications of this disclosure. Also, several actions may occur before, during, or after the consideration of the elements described above. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0145]

[0147] The statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or greater than) a first threshold is equivalent to the statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, for example, the second threshold being a single value higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. The statement that a value is less than (or is within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to the statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, for example, the second threshold being a single value lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

[0146]

[0148] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered sections.

[0147]

[0149] Clause 1. A method for determining an arrival time difference, comprising: receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; receiving support data which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; and determining an arrival time difference based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value.

[0148]

[0150] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal.

[0149]

[0151] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0150]

[0152] Clause 4. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0151]

[0153] Clause 5. The method described in Clause 4, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology.

[0152]

[0154] Clause 6. The method according to Clause 1, wherein receiving support data includes receiving one or more sidelink messages containing support data from a second wireless node.

[0153]

[0155] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 1, wherein receiving support data includes receiving one or more messages containing support data from a first wireless node.

[0154]

[0156] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the support data includes an estimated propagation time based on the distance between the first wireless node and the second wireless node, and the arrival time difference is determined based at least in part on the estimated propagation time.

[0155]

[0157] Clause 9. The method of Clause 1, further comprising determining the location on at least a portion of the difference in arrival time.

[0156]

[0158] Clause 10. A method for providing sidelink support data, comprising: receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link; determining a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time; and transmitting an instruction for the transmission delay time value.

[0157]

[0159] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal.

[0158]

[0160] Clause 12. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0159]

[0161] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the first wireless node is user equipment and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0160]

[0162] Clause 14. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the second reference signal is an uplink sounding reference signal.

[0161]

[0163] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0162]

[0164] Clause 16. The method described in Clause 15, wherein cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless.

[0163]

[0165] Clause 17. The method according to Clause 10, wherein transmitting a transmission delay time value instruction includes transmitting one or more sidelink messages containing a transmission delay time value to a nearby user device.

[0164]

[0166] Clause 18. The method according to Clause 10, wherein transmitting a transmission delay time value instruction includes transmitting one or more uplink messages containing a transmission delay time value to a base station.

[0165]

[0167] Clause 19. A method for determining an arrival time difference, comprising: receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node, including a transmission delay time value based on the time at which the second wireless node receives a third reference signal and the time at which the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal; wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a second radio access link, determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time at which the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time at which the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal; and determining an arrival time difference based at least in part on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value and the sidelink delay time value.

[0166]

[0168] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal.

[0167]

[0169] Clause 21. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal.

[0168]

[0170] Clause 22. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the third reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0169]

[0171] Clause 23. The method described in Clause 19, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0170]

[0172] Clause 24. The method described in Clause 23, wherein cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless.

[0171]

[0173] Clause 25. The method of Clause 19, wherein receiving support data includes receiving one or more sidelink messages containing support data from a second wireless node.

[0172]

[0174] Clause 26. The method of Clause 19, wherein receiving support data includes receiving one or more messages containing support data from a network server.

[0173]

[0175] Clause 27. The method according to Clause 19, wherein determining the sidelink delay time value includes receiving one or more messages from the first wireless node.

[0174]

[0176] Clause 28. The method according to Clause 19, wherein determining the sidelink delay time value includes receiving one or more messages from a network server.

[0175]

[0177] Clause 29. The method of Clause 19, further comprising determining the range to a second wireless node.

[0176]

[0178] Clause 30. The method according to Clause 19, further comprising determining the location of the first wireless node based at least in part on the difference in arrival time values.

[0177]

[0179] Clause 31. An apparatus comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receive a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; receive support data including at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; and determine an arrival time difference value based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value.

[0178]

[0180] Clause 32. The apparatus as described in Clause 31, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal.

[0179]

[0181] Clause 33. The apparatus described in Clause 31, wherein the second wireless node is user equipment and the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0180]

[0182] Clause 34. The apparatus described in Clause 31, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0181]

[0183] Clause 35. The apparatus described in Clause 34, which includes cellular wide-area network technology, including fifth-generation new radio.

[0182]

[0184] Clause 36. The apparatus according to Clause 31, further configured to receive one or more sidelink messages containing support data from a second wireless node, wherein at least one processor is also configured.

[0183]

[0185] Clause 37. The apparatus according to Clause 31, further configured to receive one or more messages containing support data from a first wireless node, wherein at least one processor is also configured.

[0184]

[0186] Clause 38. The apparatus according to Clause 31, wherein the support data includes an estimated propagation time based on the distance between a first wireless node and a second wireless node, and at least one processor is further configured to determine an arrival time difference value based at least in part on the estimated propagation time.

[0185]

[0187] Clause 39. The apparatus described in Clause 31, further configured to determine location on at least one processor based at least in part on arrival time difference values.

[0186]

[0188] Clause 40. An apparatus comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, transmit a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link, determine a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time, and transmit an instruction for the transmission delay time value.

[0187]

[0189] Clause 41. The apparatus described in Clause 40, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal.

[0188]

[0190] Clause 42. The apparatus described in Clause 40, wherein the second reference signal is a side-link reference signal.

[0189]

[0191] Clause 43. The apparatus described in Clause 40, wherein the first wireless node is user equipment and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

[0190]

[0192] Clause 44. The apparatus described in Clause 40, wherein the second reference signal is an uplink sounding reference signal.

[0191]

[0193] Clause 45. The apparatus described in Clause 40, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0192]

[0194] Clause 46. The apparatus described in Clause 45, which includes cellular wide-area network technology, including fifth-generation new radio.

[0193]

[0195] Clause 47. The apparatus described in Clause 40, further configured to transmit one or more sidelink messages, including a transmission delay time value, to a nearby user device, wherein at least one processor is also configured to transmit one or more sidelink messages, including a transmission delay time value.

[0194]

[0196] Clause 48. The apparatus described in Clause 40, further configured to transmit one or more uplink messages, including a transmit delay time value, to a base station, wherein at least one processor is also configured.

[0195]

[0197] Clause 49. An apparatus comprising memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor receives a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; receives a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node, between the time the second wireless node receives a third reference signal. An apparatus configured to receive support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time a second wireless node transmits a second reference signal, wherein a third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using a second radio access link, and to determine a sidelink delay time value based on the time a first wireless node transmits a first reference signal and the time a first wireless node transmits a third reference signal, and to determine an arrival time difference value at least in part on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value and the sidelink delay time value.

[0196]

[0198] Clause 50. The apparatus described in Clause 49, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal.

[0197]

[0199] Clause 51. The apparatus described in Clause 49, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal.

[0198]

[0200] Clause 52. The apparatus described in Clause 49, wherein the third reference signal is a side-link reference signal.

[0199]

[0201] Clause 53. The apparatus described in Clause 49, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol.

[0200]

[0202] Clause 54. The apparatus described in Clause 53, which includes cellular wide-area network technology, including fifth-generation new radio.

[0201]

[0203] Clause 55. The apparatus described in Clause 49, further configured to receive one or more sidelink messages containing support data from a second wireless node, wherein at least one processor is also configured.

[0202]

[0204] Clause 56. The apparatus described in Clause 49, further configured to receive one or more messages containing support data from a network server, wherein at least one processor is also configured.

[0203]

[0205] Clause 57. The apparatus described in Clause 49, further configured to receive one or more messages from a first wireless node in order to determine a sidelink delay time value, wherein at least one processor is also configured to receive one or more messages from a first wireless node.

[0204]

[0206] Clause 58. The apparatus described in Clause 49, wherein at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from a network server in order to determine a sidelink delay time value.

[0205]

[0207] Clause 59. The apparatus described in Clause 49, further configured to have at least one processor that determines the range to a second wireless node.

[0206]

[0208] Clause 60. The apparatus according to Clause 49, further configured to determine the location of a first wireless node based at least in part on the arrival time difference.

[0207]

[0209] Clause 61. Apparatus for determining arrival time difference, comprising: means for receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; means for receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; means for receiving support data, which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; and means for determining arrival time difference based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value.

[0208]

[0210] Clause 62. Apparatus for providing sidelink support data, comprising means for receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, means for transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link, means for determining a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time, and means for transmitting an instruction for the transmission delay time value.

[0209]

[0211] Clause 63. Apparatus for determining arrival time difference, comprising: means for receiving a first reference signal in a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; means for receiving a second reference signal in a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node, and includes a transmission delay time value based on the time at which the second wireless node receives a third reference signal and the time at which the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal; wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a second radio access link, and includes means for determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time at which the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time at which the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal; and means for determining arrival time difference based at least in part on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value and the sidelink delay time value.

[0210]

[0212] Non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising a processor-readable instruction configured to cause one or more processors to determine an arrival time difference value, the non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising: a code for receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; a code for receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; a code for receiving support data, which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; and a code for determining an arrival time difference value at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value.

[0211]

[0213] Non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide sidelink support data, the non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising: a code for receiving a first reference signal at a first time; a code for transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; a code for determining a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time; and a code for transmitting an instruction for the transmission delay time value.

[0212]

[0214] Clause 66.1 A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to determine an arrival time difference, comprising: a code for receiving a first reference signal at a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; a code for receiving a second reference signal at a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node, between the time the second wireless node receives a third reference signal and the time the second wireless node receives a second base A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising: a code for receiving support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time it takes to transmit a quasi-signal; a code for determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time it takes for the first wireless node to transmit a first reference signal and the time it takes for the first wireless node to transmit a third reference signal, wherein a third reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a second radio access link; and a code for determining an arrival time difference based at least in part on a first time, a second time, a transmission delay time value and a sidelink delay time value. The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below. [C1] A method for determining the difference in arrival time, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; Receiving support data, which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; The arrival time difference value is determined based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value. A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C2] The method according to C1, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal. [C3] The method according to C1, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C4] The method according to C1, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C5] The method of C4, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C6] The method of C1, wherein receiving the support data includes receiving one or more sidelink messages containing the support data from the second wireless node. [C7] The method of C1, wherein receiving the support data includes receiving one or more messages containing the support data from the first wireless node. [C8] The method of C1, wherein the support data includes an estimated propagation time based on the distance between the first wireless node and the second wireless node, and the determination of the arrival time difference is at least partially based on the estimated propagation time. [C9] The method of C1, further comprising determining the location based at least in part on the arrival time difference value. [C10] A method for providing side link support data, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, and transmitting a second reference signal in a second time period using a second radio access link. The transmission delay time value is determined based on the first time and the second time, To transmit the instruction for the aforementioned transmission delay time value. A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C11] The method according to C10, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal. [C12] The method of C10, wherein the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C13] The method according to C10, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C14] The method of C10, wherein the second reference signal is an uplink sounding reference signal. [C15] The method according to C10, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C16] The method of C15, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C17] The method of C10, wherein transmitting the instruction for the transmission delay time value includes transmitting one or more sidelink messages containing the transmission delay time value to a nearby user device. [C18] The method of C10, wherein transmitting the instruction for the transmission delay time value includes transmitting one or more uplink messages containing the transmission delay time value to a base station. [C19] A method for determining the difference in arrival time, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node; The second wireless node receives support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using a second radio access link. The sidelink delay time value is determined based on the time the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal. The arrival time difference is determined based at least partially on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value, and the sidelink delay time value. A method that includes [a certain feature]. [C20] The method according to C19, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal. [C21] The method according to C19, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal. [C22] The method according to C19, wherein the third reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C23] The method according to C19, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C24] The method of C23, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C25] The method of C19, wherein receiving the support data includes receiving one or more sidelink messages containing the support data from the second wireless node. [C26] The method of C19, wherein receiving the support data includes receiving one or more messages containing the support data from a network server. [C27] The method of C19, wherein determining the sidelink delay time value includes receiving one or more messages from the first wireless node. [C28] The method of C19, wherein determining the sidelink delay time value includes receiving one or more messages from a network server. [C29] The method of C19, further comprising determining the range to the second wireless node. [C30] The method of C19, further comprising determining the location of the first wireless node based at least in part on the arrival time difference value. [C31] Memory and, At least one transceiver, The memory and the at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor. A device comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link; Receiving support data, which includes at least a transmission delay time value based on the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node; The arrival time difference is determined based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value. A device configured to perform the following actions. [C32] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal. [C33] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C34] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C35] The apparatus according to C34, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C36] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more sidelink messages containing the support data from the second wireless node. [C37] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more messages containing the support data from the first wireless node. [C38] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the support data includes an estimated propagation time based on the distance between the first wireless node and the second wireless node, and the at least one processor is further configured to determine the arrival time difference value based at least in part on the estimated propagation time. [C39] The apparatus according to C31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the location based at least in part on the arrival time difference value. [C40] Memory and, At least one transceiver, The memory and the at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor. A device comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, and transmitting a second reference signal in a second time period using a second radio access link. The transmission delay time value is determined based on the first time and the second time, To transmit the instruction for the aforementioned transmission delay time value. A device configured to perform the following actions. [C41] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the first wireless node is a base station and the first reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal. [C42] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the second reference signal is a side link reference signal. [C43] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. [C44] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the second reference signal is an uplink sounding reference signal. [C45] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C46] The apparatus according to C45, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C47] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit one or more sidelink messages, including the transmission delay time value, to a nearby user device. [C48] The apparatus according to C40, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit one or more uplink messages, including the transmission delay time value, to a base station. [C49] Memory and, At least one transceiver, The memory and the at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor. A device comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link; Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node; The second wireless node receives support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using a second radio access link. The sidelink delay time value is determined based on the time the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal. The arrival time difference is determined at least partially based on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value, and the sidelink delay time value. A device configured to perform the following actions. [C50] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the first wireless node is a user device and the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal. [C51] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the second wireless node is a user device and the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal. [C52] The apparatus described in C49, wherein the third reference signal is a side link reference signal. [C53] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the first wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology and the second wireless access link is based on a side-link protocol. [C54] The apparatus described in C53, wherein the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology. [C55] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more sidelink messages containing the support data from the second wireless node. [C56] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more messages containing the support data from a network server. [C57] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from the first wireless node in order to determine the sidelink delay time value. [C58] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive one or more messages from a network server in order to determine the sidelink delay time value. [C59] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the range to the second wireless node. [C60] The apparatus according to C49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the location of the first wireless node based at least in part on the arrival time difference. [C61] A device for determining the difference in arrival time, Means for receiving a first reference signal in a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. Means for receiving a second reference signal in a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node using a second radio access link. Means for receiving support data, including at least the time the first reference signal is received by the second wireless node and a transmission delay time value based on the time the second reference signal is transmitted by the second wireless node, Means for determining the arrival time difference value based at least in part on the first time, the second time, and the transmission delay time value. A device equipped with the following features. [C62] A device for providing side link support data, Means for receiving a first reference signal in a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. Means for transmitting a second reference signal at a second time using a second radio access link, Means for determining a transmission delay time value based on the first time and the second time, means for transmitting the instruction for the transmission delay time value A device equipped with the following features. [C63] A device for determining the difference in arrival time, Means for receiving a first reference signal in a first time, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. Means for receiving a second reference signal in a second time, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node. Means for receiving support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using a second radio access link. Means for determining a sidelink delay time value based on the time the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal, Means for determining the arrival time difference value based at least in part on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value, and the side link delay time value. A device equipped with the following features.

Claims

1. A method performed by user equipment, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, the first radio access link is based on a sidelink protocol, the first wireless node is a user device, and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. Transmitting a second reference signal to the base station at a second time using a second radio access link, The transmission delay time value is determined based on the first time and the second time, To transmit the instruction for the aforementioned transmission delay time value. A method that includes [something].

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second reference signal is an uplink sounding reference signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second wireless access link utilizes cellular wide-area network technology, and the cellular wide-area network technology includes fifth-generation new wireless technology.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein transmitting the instruction for the transmission delay time value includes transmitting one or more uplink messages including the transmission delay time value to the base station.

5. A method for determining the arrival time difference performed by the transmit / receive point, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node. The second wireless node receives support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using the second radio access link. The sidelink delay time value is determined based on the time the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal. The arrival time difference is determined at least partially based on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value, and the sidelink delay time value. A method comprising, wherein the first wireless node is a user device, the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal, and / or the second wireless node is a user device, the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal, and the third reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein receiving the support data includes receiving one or more messages containing the support data from a network server.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein determining the sidelink delay time value includes receiving one or more messages from the first wireless node or receiving one or more messages from a network server.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising determining the range to the second wireless node, or determining the location of the first wireless node based at least in part on the arrival time difference.

9. Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and the at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor. A user device (UE) comprising, wherein the at least one processor is Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link, the first radio access link is based on a sidelink protocol, the first wireless node is a user device, and the first reference signal is a sidelink reference signal. Transmitting a second reference signal to the base station at a second time using a second radio access link, The transmission delay time value is determined based on the first time and the second time, To transmit the instruction for the aforementioned transmission delay time value. A UE configured to perform the following actions.

10. The UE according to claim 9, further configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 2 to 4.

11. Memory and At least one transceiver, The memory and the at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor. A transmit / receive point (TRP) comprising, wherein at least one processor, Receiving a first reference signal in a first time period, wherein the first reference signal is transmitted from a first wireless node using a first radio access link. Receiving a second reference signal in a second time period, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted from a second wireless node. The second wireless node receives support data including a transmission delay time value based on the time the second wireless node receives the third reference signal and the time the second wireless node transmits the second reference signal, wherein the third reference signal is transmitted from the first wireless node using the second radio access link. The sidelink delay time value is determined based on the time the first wireless node transmits the first reference signal and the time the first wireless node transmits the third reference signal. The arrival time difference is determined at least partially based on the first time, the second time, the transmission delay time value, and the sidelink delay time value. A TRP is configured to perform the following, wherein the first wireless node is a user device, the first reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal, and / or the second wireless node is a user device, the second reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal, and the third reference signal is a sidelink reference signal.

12. The TRP according to claim 11, further configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 6 to 8.

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