Positioning techniques for IoT devices

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to a user equipment (UE) receiving (1402) a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability. Aspects of the present disclosure may relate to transmitting (1404) a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability. Aspects of the present disclosure may relate to receiving (1406) a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

Description

POSITIONING TECHNIQUES FOR IOT DEVICESTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to techniques for determining a position of an intemet-of-things (loT) device.BACKGROUND

[0002] A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, which may be known as a network equipment (NE), supporting wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE), or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like)). Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies (RATs) including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., 5G-Advanced (5G-A), sixth generation (6G), etc.).SUMMARY

[0003] An article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’ or “one or both of) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as thephrase “based at least in part on.” Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set' may include one or more elements.

[0004] A UE for wireless communication is described. The UE may be configured to, capable of, or operable to receive a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmit a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receive a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

[0005] A processor for wireless communication by a UE is described. The processor may be configured to, capable of, or operable to receive a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmit a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receive a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

[0006] A method performed or performable by a UE for wireless communication is described. The method may include receiving a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmitting a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receiving a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

[0007] A radio node for wireless communication is described. In some examples, the radio node may implement, or may be implemented by, a UE or an NE. The radio node may be configured to, capable of, or operable to transmit a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; receive a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

[0008] A processor for wireless communication by a radio node is described. The base station may be configured to, capable of, or operable to transmit a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; receive a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

[0009] A method performed or performable by a radio node is described. In some examples, the method may be implemented by a UE or an NE. The method may include transmitting a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; receiving a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determining a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmitting a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a protocol stack in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a location services (LCS) protocol architecture in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 illustrates an example of an LCS network architecture in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 6A illustrates an example of a deployment scenario with direct communication between a network and an ambient intemet-of-things (AIoT) device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 6B illustrates an example of a deployment scenario with indirect communication between a network and an AIoT device, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a radio protocol architecture for AIoT in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 8 illustrates an example of an inventory procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 9 illustrates an example of an AIoT positioning procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 10 illustrates another example of an AIoT positioning procedure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a processor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 13 illustrates an example of an NE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a UE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 15 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by an NE in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] AIoT refers to a new Intemet-of-Things (loT) technology suitable for deployment in cellular telecommunication systems. An AIoT device may exhibit ultra-low complexity and ultra-low power consumption, making it suitable for deployment in low- end loT applications. In various implementations, the energy of an AIoT device may be exclusively provided (e.g., derived) from harvesting energy via radio frequency (RF) waves, light, motion, heat, or any other suitable power source. As such, the AIoT device may also be referred to as an “ambient power-enabled loT device.”

[0027] However, harvesting energy from ambient sources generates only minimal amounts of power, thus the AIoT devices have a lower complexity and reduce functionality as compared to convention loT devices having a power source (e.g., battery). Due to the ultra-low device complexity and ultra-low power consumption, the AIoT device may be presumed to only support relatively small message sizes, for example, 1 kbit data units or less.

[0028] Design targets for AIoT include device types (e.g., Type 1 and Type 2 AIoT devices), coverage, spectrum, traffic types, deployment scenarios, and radio protocol aspects. Design targets for a Type 1 AIoT device include peak power consumption of about 1 microWatt (pW), where the Type 1 AIoT device has energy storage, but does not support DL or UL amplification in the device. Rather, the Type 1 AIoT device’s UL transmission is backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally. Design targets for a Type 2 AIoT device include peak power consumption of a few hundred pW (or less), where the Type 2 AIoT device has energy storage, and supports both DL and UL amplification in the device. The Type 2 AIoT device’s UL transmission may be generated internally by the device, or may be backscattered on a carrier wave provided externally.

[0029] Design targets for AIoT device coverage include a maximum distance of 10-50 m with an indoors device. Design targets for AIoT spectrum include FR1 licensed spectrum in FDD (frequency division duplexing), with spectrum deployment being in-band to NR, in a guard-band to LTE / NR, or in a standalone band (or bands).

[0030] Design targets for AIoT traffic types include device-originated - deviceterminated triggered (DO-DTT) traffic and device-terminated (DT) traffic. Initially, it is expected that the focus will be on traffic types supporting indoor inventory (e.g., rUCl) and indoor command (e.g., rUC4).

[0031] Design targets for the radio protocol aspects of AIoT include: no radio resource control (RRC) states, no mobility (i.e., at least no cell selection / re-sel ection -like function), no hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and no automatic repeat request (ARQ).

[0032] Some example applications of AIoT include, but are not limited to, asset management (e.g., inventory management, asset tracking, or the like), electronic labeling, actuator control, building automation and control, air quality monitoring, sensor data collection, and sensor-based monitoring of machine conditions, equipment status,environmental conditions, etc. For each of these example AIoT applications, a size (e.g., a maximum size) of a data unit that an AIoT device transmits may be less than or equal to a threshold (e.g., 1000 bits), and uplink data transmission may be controlled (e.g., allocated, scheduled, triggered, enabled) by a network entity (e.g., a controller, a base station, an access point, a server, or the like) based on uplink grants provided (e.g., outputted, transmitted) to the AIoT device.

[0033] Additionally, for each of the example AIoT applications, positioning of an AIoT device may be supported, for example, in order to determine an absolute or a relative location of the AIoT device. By way of example, for inventory management, one or more requirements for an accuracy of the positioning of the AIoT device may be on a scale of x meters for indoors, and x+y for outdoor (e.g., cell-level), where x and y are positive values.

[0034] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to enabling one or more wireless devices, such as a base station (also referred to as a radio node) or other network entities and a UE (e.g., an loT device, an AIoT device, or other types of UE) to support positioning of the UE according to an LCS framework. More specifically, one or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to enabling one or more of a base station or an AIoT device to support positioning of the AIoT device according to an LCS framework. Some positioning techniques are unsuitable for ultra-low complexity devices with ultra-low power consumption (e.g., AIoT devices). Specifically, the use of LPP for signaling of positioning- related information between the network and an AIoT device is too complex and would result in excessive signaling overhead. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure provide for improved techniques that significantly reduce the signaling overhead and complexity for performing positioning-related operations (e.g., signaling) of AIoT devices or similar devices having ultra-low complexity and ultra-low power consumption requirements.

[0035] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

[0036] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more NE 102, one or more UE 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a 4G network,such as an LTE network or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a New Radio (NR) network, such as a 5G network, a 5G-Advanced (5G-A) network, or a 5G ultrawideband (5G-UWB) network.

[0037] In other implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, or other suitable radio access technology (RAT) including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. The wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, for example, 6G. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA), etc.

[0038] The one or more NE 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a base station, a network element, a network function, a network entity, a radio access network (RAN), a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. An NE 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

[0039] An NE 102 may provide a geographic coverage area for which the NE 102 may support services for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, anNE 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different NE 102.

[0040] The one or more UE 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a subscriber device, atransmiter device, a receiver device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an intemet-of-things (loT) device, an intemet-of-everything (loE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples.

[0041] A UE 104 may be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device -to-de vice (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

[0042] An NE 102 may support communications with the CN 106, or with another NE 102, or both. For example, an NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or the CN 106 through one or more backhaul links (e.g., SI, N2, N3, or network interface). In some implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other directly. In some other implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the CN 106). In some implementations, one or more NE 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission-reception points (TRPs).

[0043] The CN 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The CN 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), or a 5G core (5GC), which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more NE 102 associated with the CN 106.

[0044] The CN 106 may communicate with a PDN over one or more backhaul links (e.g., via an SI, N2, N3, or another network interface). The PDN may include an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a protocol data unit (PDU) session, or a PDN connection, or the like) with the CN 106 via an NE 102. The CN 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session). The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of the CN 106).

[0045] In the wireless communications system 100, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). The NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0046] One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., ^=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., i =0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., i=l) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., i=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., ju=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., / 1=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0047] A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0048] Additionally, or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., jU=O, ju=l, ju=2, fi=3, ^=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively.

[0049] Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., i=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots.

[0050] In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 mayperform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0051] FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numeral ogies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., i=0), which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., i =l), which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., i=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., ^=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., i=3), which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0052] Figure 2 illustrates an example of a protocol stack 200, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. While Figure 2 shows a UE 206, a RAN node 208, and a 5G core network (5GC) 210 (e.g., comprising at least an AMF), these are representative of a set of UEs 104 interacting with an NE 102 (e.g., base station) and a CN 106. As depicted, the protocol stack 200 comprises a user plane protocol stack 202 and a control plane protocol stack 204. The user plane protocol stack 202 includes a physical (PHY) layer 212, a medium access control (MAC) sublayer 214, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer 216, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) sublayer 218, and a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) sublayer 220. The control plane protocol stack 204 includes a PHY layer 212, a MAC sublayer 214, an RLC sublayer 216, and a PDCP sublayer 218. The control plane protocol stack 204 also includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer 222 and a non- access stratum (NAS) layer 224.

[0053] The access stratum (AS) layer 226 (also referred to as “AS protocol stack”) for the user plane protocol stack 202 consists of at least SDAP, PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers, and the physical layer. The AS layer 228 for the control plane protocol stack 204 consists of at least RRC, PDCP, RLC and MAC sublayers, and the physical layer. The layer-1 (LI) includes the PHY layer 212. The layer-2 (L2) is split into the SDAP sublayer 220, PDCP sublayer 218, RLC sublayer 216, and MAC sublayer 214. The layer-3 (L3) includes the RRC layer 222 and the NAS layer 224 for the control plane and includes, e.g.,an internet protocol (IP) layer and / or PDU Layer (not depicted) for the user plane. LI and L2 are referred to as “lower layers,” while L3 and above (e.g., transport layer, application layer) are referred to as “higher layers” or “upper layers.”

[0054] The PHY layer 212 offers transport channels to the MAC sublayer 214. The PHY layer 212 may perform a beam failure detection procedure using energy detection thresholds, as described herein. In certain embodiments, the PHY layer 212 may send an indication of beam failure to a MAC entity at the MAC sublayer 214. The MAC sublayer 214 offers logical channels to the RLC sublayer 216. The RLC sublayer 216 offers RLC channels to the PDCP sublayer 218. The PDCP sublayer 218 offers radio bearers to the SDAP sublayer 220 and / or RRC layer 222. The SDAP sublayer 220 offers QoS flows to the core network (e.g., 5GC). The RRC layer 222 manages the addition, modification, and release of carrier aggregation and / or dual connectivity. The RRC layer 222 also manages the establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs).

[0055] The NAS layer 224 is between the UE 206 and an AMF in the 5GC 210. NAS messages are passed transparently through the RAN. The NAS layer 224 is used to manage the establishment of communication sessions and for maintaining continuous communications with the UE 206 as it moves between different cells of the RAN. In contrast, the AS layers 226 and 228 are between the UE 206 and the RAN (i.e., RAN node 208) and carry information over the wireless portion of the network. While not depicted in Figure 2, the IP layer exists above the NAS layer 224, a transport layer exists above the IP layer, and an application layer exists above the transport layer.

[0056] The MAC sublayer 214 is the lowest sublayer in the L2 architecture of the NR protocol stack. Its connection to the PHY layer 212 below is through transport channels, and the connection to the RLC sublayer 216 above is through logical channels. The MAC sublayer 214 therefore performs multiplexing and demultiplexing between logical channels and transport channels: the MAC sublayer 214 in the transmitting side constructs MAC PDUs (also known as transport blocks (TBs)) from MAC service data units (SDUs) received through logical channels, and the MAC sublayer 214 in the receiving side recovers MAC SDUs from MAC PDUs received through transport channels.

[0057] The MAC sublayer 214 provides a data transfer service for the RLC sublayer 216 through logical channels, which are either control logical channels which carry controldata (e.g., RRC signaling) or traffic logical channels which carry user plane data. On the other hand, the data from the MAC sublayer 214 is exchanged with the PHY layer 212 through transport channels, which are classified as uplink (UL) or downlink (DL). Data is multiplexed into transport channels depending on how it is transmitted over the air.

[0058] The PHY layer 212 is responsible for the actual transmission of data and control information via the air interface, i.e., the PHY layer 212 carries all information from the MAC transport channels over the air interface on the transmission side. Some of the important functions performed by the PHY layer 212 include coding and modulation, link adaptation (e.g., adaptive modulation and coding (AMC)), power control, cell search and random access (for initial synchronization and handover purposes) and other measurements (inside the 3 GPP system (i.e., NR and / or LTE system) and between systems) for the RRC layer 222. The PHY layer 212 performs transmissions based on transmission parameters, such as the modulation scheme, the coding rate (i.e., the modulation and coding scheme (MCS)), the number of physical resource blocks (PRBs), etc.

[0059] In some embodiments, the protocol stack 200 may be an NR protocol stack used in a 5G NR system. Note that an LTE protocol stack comprises similar structure to the protocol stack 200, with the differences that the LTE protocol stack lacks the SDAP sublayer 220 in the AS layer 226, that an EPC replaces the 5GC 210, and that the NAS layer 224 is between the UE 206 and an MME in the EPC. Also note that the present disclosure distinguishes between a protocol layer (such as the aforementioned PHY layer 212, MAC sublayer 214, RLC sublayer 216, PDCP sublayer 218, SDAP sublayer 220, RRC layer 222 and NAS layer 224) and a transmission layer in multiple -input multiple -output (MIMO) communication (also referred to as a “MIMO layer” or a “data stream”).

[0060] Various positioning techniques may be configured and performed based on the requirements of the location management function (LMF) and UE capabilities. The transmission of Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) enables the UE to perform UE positioning-related measurements to enable the computation of a UE’s location estimate and are configured per Transmission Reception Point (TRP), where a TRP may transmit one or more beams. Table 1 describes the RAT-dependent positioning techniques for NR.Table 1: RAT-dependent positioning techniques for NR

[0061] A summary of the positioning techniques in Table 1 is as follows:

[0062] Downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA): The DL-TDOA positioning technique makes use of the DL Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) (and optionally DL PRS Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) of downlink signals received from multiple Transmission Points (TPs), at the UE. The UE measures the DL RSTD (and optionally DL PRS RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TPs.

[0063] Downlink Angle -of-Departure (DL-AoD): The DL-AoD positioning technique makes use of the measured DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TPs, at the UE. The UE measures the DL PRS RSRP of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TPs.

[0064] Multiple Round Trip Time (Multi-RTT): The Multi-RTT positioning technique makes use of the UE Receive -Transmit (Rx-Tx) measurements and DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TRPs, measured by the UE and the measured gNB Rx-Tx measurements and UL Sounding Reference Signal (SRS)-RSRP at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from UE.

[0065] The UE measures the UE Rx-Tx measurements (and optionally DL PRS RSRP of the received signals) using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the TRPs measure the gNB Rx-Tx measurements (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP of the received signals) using assistance data received from the positioning server. The measurements are used to determine the Round Trip Time (RTT) at the positioning server which may then be used to estimate the location of the UE.

[0066] Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) / NR E-CID: The E-CID positioning technique estimates the position of a UE with the knowledge of its serving ng-eNB, gNB and cell and is based on LTE signals. The information about the serving ng-eNB, gNB and cell may be obtained by paging, registration, or other methods. NR E-CID positioning refers to techniques which use additional UE measurements and / or NR radio resource and other measurements to improve the UE location estimate using NR signals.

[0067] Although NR E-CID positioning may utilize some of the same measurements as the measurement control system in the RRC protocol, the UE generally is not expected to make additional measurements for the sole purpose of positioning; i.e., the positioning procedures do not supply a measurement configuration or measurement control message, and the UE reports the measurements that it has available rather than being required to take additional measurement actions.

[0068] Uplink Time Different of Arrival (UL-TDOA): The UL-TDOA positioning technique makes use of the UL-TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) at multiple Reception Points (RPs) of uplink signals transmitted from UE. The RPs measure the UL- TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.

[0069] Uplink Angle-of-Arrival (UL-AoA) : The UL-AoA positioning technique makes use of the measured azimuth AoA (A-AoA) and the zenith AoA (Z-AoA) at multiple RPs of uplink signals transmitted from UE. The RPs measure A-AoA and Z-AoA of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.

[0070] The above RAT-dependent techniques are described in greater detail in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.305. Furthermore, the above positioning techniques may be supported in different positioning modes, including UE-based positioning mode, UE- assisted positioning mode, LMF-based positioning mode, and next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node assisted positioning mode.

[0071] In the UE-based positioning mode(s) / version (s), the UE performs measurements and calculates its own location. In the UE-assisted / LMF-based positioningmode(s) / version(s), the UE performs measurements and sends these measurements to the LMF where the position calculation takes place. In the NG-RAN node assisted positioning mode(s) / version(s), the gNB performs measurements (in NR) and sends these measurements to the LMF where the position calculation takes place.

[0072] Regarding location services (LCS), this feature provides the mechanisms to support mobile location services for operators, subscribers and third-party service providers. Examples of location-based services include emergency services, tracking services, location-based information services (e.g., navigation, city sightseeing, location dependent content broadcast, mobile yellow pages, etc.). The location information may be requested by and reported to a client (e.g., an application) associated with the UE 206, or by a client within or attached to a 5GC.

[0073] Figure 3 illustrates an example of aprotocol stack 300 forthe LCS control plane protocol architecture, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. While Figure 3 shows the UE 206, the RAN node 208, an AMF 304 and an LMF 306 (e.g., network functions in the 5GC), these are representative of a set of UEs 104 interacting with an NE 102 (e.g., base station) and a CN 106. As depicted, the protocol stack 300 includes a control plane protocol stack 302 comprising a PHY layer 312, a MAC sublayer 314, a RLC sublayer 316, a PDCP sublayer 318, a RRC layer 320, a NAS layer 324, and an LPP layer 326.

[0074] For the LCS control plane protocol architecture, the main functions of each layer / sublayer include the following:

[0075] The main functions of the LPP layer 326 include the transfer of positioning and protocol capabilities, assistance data, location measurement data, and location estimate information.

[0076] The main functions of the NAS layer 324 include authentication, mobility management, and security control.

[0077] The main functions of the RRC layer 320 include the broadcast (and acquisition) of system information, paging, RRC connection control, AS security, mobility, QoS management, NAS message transfer, message segmentation, UE measurement reporting and control of the reporting, and the detection of and recovery from radio link failure.

[0078] The main functions of the PDCP sublayer 318 include the transfer of data (i.e., user plane and / or control plane), header compression, ciphering, and integrity protection.

[0079] The main functions of the RLC sublayer 316 include the transfer of upper layerPDUs, segmentation, and automatic repeat request (ARQ).

[0080] The main functions of the MAC sublayer 314 include the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels into TBs delivered to the PHY layer 312, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), and priority handling.

[0081] The main functions of the PHY layer 312 include channel coding, error detection, modulation, frequency and time synchronization, and measurements.

[0082] In the radio protocol architectures described herein, the term “SDU” refers to a data unit that is received by a sublayer from a higher sublayer, or that is sent by a sublayer to a higher sublayer. Likewise, the term “PDU” refers to a data unit that is sent by a sublayer to a lower sublayer, or that is received by a sublayer from a lower sublayer.

[0083] Figure 4 illustrates an example of an LCS architecture 400, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 4, the relationship of the LCS entities is shown.

[0084] The external LCS Client 402 interacts with a gateway mobile location centre (GMLC) 404 for the purpose of obtaining location information for one or more (target) UEs 406. The LCS Client 402 may reside in a UE (e.g., the UE 104 and / or UE 206) and may be implemented as hardware or software (e.g., as an application). Examples of an LCS client 402 may include an emergency dispatch centre (PSAP), a mapping service (e.g., Google maps), or the like. GMLC 404 is the first node an external LCS client 402 accesses in a public land mobile network (PLMN) and works as a location server to an external application, for location information.

[0085] The LMF 408 manages the overall co-ordination and scheduling of resources required for the location of a UE that is registered with or accessing 5GC. It also calculates or verifies a final location and any velocity estimate and may estimate the achieved accuracy. The LMF 408 processes the location services request, which may include transferring assistance data to the target UE 406 to assist with UE -based and / or UE-assisted positioning and / or may include positioning of the target UE 406. The LMF 408 then returns the position estimate for a UE back to the AMF 410. In the case of a location servicerequested by an entity other than the AMF 410 (e.g., a GMLC or UE), the AMF 410 returns the location result to this entity. In control plane the LMF 408 works as a location server.

[0086] The AMF 410 contains functionality responsible for managing positioning for a target UE 406 for all types of location request. The AMF 410 receives a request for some location services associated with a particular target UE 406 from another entity (e.g. GMLC or UE) or the AMF 410 itself decides to initiate some location service on behalf of a particular target UE 406 (e.g. for an emergency call from the UE). The AMF 410 then sends a location services request to an LMF 408.

[0087] The NG-RAN node 412 (i.e., gNB) is involved in the handling of various positioning procedures including positioning of a target UE 406, provision of location related information not associated with a particular target UE 406 and transfer of positioning messages between an AMF 410 or LMF 408 and a target UE 406.

[0088] The target UE 406 is the UE whose position (absolute or relative) is to be obtained by the network or by the UE itself. NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) 414 is the control plane radio network layer signalling protocol between an NG-RAN node 412 (gNB) and the LMF 408. LPP 416 is a point-to-point positioning protocol that supports positioning and location related services for a Target device 406. In control plane, the LPP 416 is terminated between a Target device 406 and an LMF 408.

[0089] 3GPP specifies various location requests, including: network induced location request (NI-LR), mobile terminated location request (MT-LR), mobile originated location request (MO-LR), immediate location request, and deferred location request.

[0090] In NI-LR, a serving AMF for a UE initiates localization of the UE for a regulatory service (e.g., an emergency call from the UE) or for verification of a UE location (country or international area) for NR satellite access.

[0091] In MT-LR, an LCS client external to or internal to a serving PLMN sends a location request to the PLMN for the location of a target UE. In MO-LR, a UE sends a request to a serving PLMN for location related information for the UE itself.

[0092] In immediate location request, an LCS client sends or instigates a location request for a target UE (or group of target UEs) and expects to receive a response containing location information for the target UE (or group of target UEs) within a short time period which may be specified using LCS quality of service (QoS). In regulatory cases, one ormore responses of the target UE's location information can be expected. An immediate location request may be used for an NI-LR, MT-LR or MO-LR.

[0093] In deferred location request, an LCS client sends a location request to a PLMN for a target UE (or group of target UEs) and expects to receive a response containing the indication of event occurrence and location information if requested for the target UE (or group of target UEs) at some future time (or times), which may be associated with specific events associated with the target UE (or group of target UEs). Deferred location requests are supported only for an MT-LR.

[0094] Figure 5 shows an exemplary LPP message flow for an MT-LR procedure 500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The MT-LR procedure 500 involves a target UE 502 (i.e., an embodiment of the target UE 406) and an LMF 504 (i.e., an embodiment of the LMF 408) in which the LMF 504 calculates the location of the target UE 502, e.g., based on positioning measurements received from the target UE 502.

[0095] At step 1, the LMF 504 sends the target UE 502 an LPP message (i.e., the LPP Requestcapabilities message) to request capability information for positioning of the target UE 502 (see signaling 506).

[0096] At step 2, the target UE 502 sends the LMF 504 an LPP message (i.e., the LPP ProvideCapabilities message) to indicate its positioning capabilities, including the supported positioning modes (e.g., UE-based positioning mode, UE-assisted positioning mode, LMF-based positioning mode, or RAN-assisted positioning mode) and positioning techniques (see signaling 508). In the following it is assumed that the target UE 502 supports only UE-assisted positioning mode, and UL-AoA and DL-TDOA positioning techniques.

[0097] At step 3, based on the received positioning capabilities from the target UE 502, the LMF 504 sends an LPP message (i.e., the LPP RequestLocationlnformation message) to the target UE 502 to request positioning measurements for DL-TDOA from the target UE 502 (see signaling 510).

[0098] At step 4, it is assumed that the target UE 502 has no stored DL-TDOA assistance data. Therefore, the target UE 502 sends the LMF 504 an LPP message (i.e., the LPP RequestAssistanceData message) to request DL-TDOA assistance data from the LMF 504 (see signaling 512).

[0099] At step 5, the LMF 504 sends the target UE 502 an LPP message (i.e., the LPP ProvideAssistanceData message) that contains the requested DL-TDOA assistance data (see signaling 514).

[0100] At step 6, in accordance with the assistance data received from the LMF 504 in Step 5 the target UE 502 performs positioning measurements for DL-TDOA (see block 516).

[0101] At step 7, upon completing the positioning measurements the target UE 502 sends the LMF 504 the LPP ProvideLocationlnformation message that contains the positioning measurements for DL-TDOA (see signaling 518). Based on the received positioning measurements, the LMF 504 then calculates the location (position) of the target UE 502.

[0102] Figure 6A depicts an exemplary network topology 600 of a first deployment scenario in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In the first deployment scenario, an AIoT device 602 communicates directly and bidirectionally with abase station (BS) 604 that serves a micro cell 606. The communication link 608 between the BS 604 and the AIoT device 602 is used to transfer AIoT data and / or signaling. In one embodiment of the first deployment scenario, both the BS 604 and the AIoT device 602 may be located indoors. Furthermore, the BS 604 may be co-sited with one or more RAN nodes of other 3GPP technologies.

[0103] Figure 6B depicts an exemplary network topology 610 of a second deployment scenario in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In the second deployment scenario, the AIoT device 602 communicates bidirectionally with an intermediate node 612 (such as a UE) between the AIoT device 602 and the BS 604 that serves a macro cell 614. The communication link 616 between the AIoT device 602 and the intermediate node 612 is used to transfer AIoT data and / or signaling, while the communication link 618 between the intermediate node 612 and the BS 604 is used to relay the AIoT data and / or signaling. The intermediate node 612 is a relay device located between the AIoT device 602 and the RAN. The intermediate node 612 may be a UE, and may be located in the same environment (e.g., indoors) as the AIoT device.

[0104] In one embodiment, the intermediate node 612 may function as a relay node between the BS 604 and the AIoT device 602. In another embodiment, the intermediate node 612 may function as an interrogator between the BS 604 and the AIoT device 602,where the intermediate node 612 receives a service request from an AIoT client and initiates an AIoT service procedure with the AIoT device 602 in response to the request. In certain embodiments of the second deployment scenario, the BS 604 may be located outdoors, while both the intermediate node 612 and the AIoT device 602 may be located indoors. Furthermore, the BS 604 may be co-sited with one or more RAN nodes of other 3GPP technologies.

[0105] Considering the fact that AIoT devices are assumed to be ultra-low complexity devices with ultra-low power consumption for the very low-end loT applications, the radio protocol architecture for Ambient loT needs to be compact compared to the architecture as specified for NR.

[0106] Figure 7 illustrates an example of a protocol stack 700 for the AIoT control plane radio protocol architecture, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. While Figure 7 shows an AIoT UE 702 and correspondent node 704 (e.g., a base station or intermediate node), these are representative of a set of AIoT UEs 104 interacting with an interrogator (e.g., an embodiment of the NE 102 and / or the UE 104). As depicted, the protocol stack 700 includes a PHY layer 706, a data link control (DLC) layer 708, and an RRC layer 710. In certain embodiments, the protocol stack 700 consists solely of the PHY layer 706, DLC layer 708, and RRC layer 710.

[0107] For the AIoT radio protocol architecture, the main functions of each layer / sublayer include the following:

[0108] The main functions of the RRC layer 710 include the broadcast of system information, paging, RRC connection control, and AS security.

[0109] The main functions of the DLC layer 708 include the transfer of data (i.e., user plane and / or control plane), ciphering, integrity protection, and multiplexing of MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels into TBs delivered to PHY layer 706.

[0110] The main functions of the PHY layer 706 include the channel coding, error detection, modulation, frequency and time synchronization, and measurements.

[0111] Figure 8 shows an exemplary message flow for an inventory procedure 800, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Inventory is one of the use cases / applications for AIoT, and the inventory procedure 800 involves an inventory client 802, an interrogator 804, and a plurality of tags 806.

[0112] It is assumed that the inventory client 802 wants to take inventory of all the items which are located in a certain area, e.g., warehouse. Each item is attached with a tag 806 (acting as transponder), wherein each tag 806 is realized as an AIoT device. The inventory client may be a UE or network function (NF) within the network, or a 3rdparty entity attached to the network. The interrogator (also known as reader) may be part of the network consisting of CN and RAN, and may be the BS itself. Alternatively, the interrogator may be an intermediate node.

[0113] At step 1, the inventory client 802 sends the interrogator 804 the inventory request message to collect the electronic product codes of all the tags 806 that are located in a certain area (see signaling 808).

[0114] At step 2, the interrogator 804 sends a discovery request message to discover the tags 806 in the concerned area (see signaling 810).

[0115] At step 3, each tag 806 that is capable of receiving the discovery request message sends a discovery response message to the interrogator 804 (see signaling 812).

[0116] At step 4, an inventory procedure is performed between the interrogator and the discovered tags 806 (i.e., Tagl to Tag ') (see block 814). During the inventory procedure the interrogator 804 collects the electronic product code from each discovered tag 806 (i.e., from Tagl to TagA').

[0117] At step 5, the interrogator 804 sends an inventory response message to the inventory client 802 (see signaling 816). The inventory response message contains the collected electronic product codes, i.e., received from the discovered Tagl to TagA'.

[0118] With regards to positioning the locations of Tagl to TagA' are known by the network after step 3 with area-level accuracy.

[0119] In order to significantly reduce the signaling overhead and complexity for performing positioning of an AIoT device the following solutions are proposed.

[0120] In accordance with aspects of a first solution, the radio protocol architecture for Ambient loT control plane may include a location measurement control function (LMCF) for managing the positioning functionality. In some implementations, the LMCF may reside in the RRC layer 710 at both the AIoT device and the network / intermediate node.The LMCF manages the positioning functionality in the network / intermediate node and AIoT device.

[0121] In some embodiments, all positioning-related signaling between the network entity and the AIoT device is performed via RRC messages. In one exemplary implementation, the network entity may refer to a BS or location server or combination of BS and location server.

[0122] In certain various embodiments, the positioning-related signaling between the network entity and the AIoT device is composed of one of four messages: Positioning Start, Positioning End, Positioning Information Request, Positioning Information Response. These four messages for AIoT positioning are described in Table 2.Table 2: Description of the positioning messages for AIoT

[0123] In accordance with aspects of a second solution, the positioning capability information is sent by an AIoT device using a BITSTRING of length M bits. Each bit in the BITSTRING corresponds to a positioning profde, and each positioning profile indicates at least the associated positioning mode, positioning technique, and modulation scheme of positioning pilot signal.

[0124] Depending on the selected positioning profile, the positioning measurements are obtained by network / intermediate node and / or AIoT device based on the associated positioning pilot signal (e.g., a sequence of binary values “0” and “1” with known pattern). Different pilot signals may be used for UL and DL measurements.

[0125] Table 3 describes an example for the definition of positioning profiles where a BITSTRING of length 16 bits is used. The bit values “9” to “15” are not defined and reserved for future use. It is assumed that, in principle, all RAT-dependent positioning techniques which have been specified for NR can be reused for Ambient loT.Table 3: Definitions of positioning profiles for AIoT

[0126] An AIoT device may be requested by the network / intermediate node to send the positioning profiles that are preferred or supported by the AIoT device. The former may happen when the network / intermediate node supports all positioning profiles that are defined for Ambient loT. The latter may happen when both the network / intermediate node and AIoT device support only a subset of positioning profiles that are defined for Ambient loT.

[0127] In an extended implementation, a positioning profile may also indicate the pilot signal processing capabilities (e.g. in terms of duration or number of symbols or slots), measurement capabilities (e.g. RSTD, RSRP, reference signal received quality (RSRQ), reference signal received path power (RSRPP)), pilot signal resource capabilities (e.g. in terms of bandwidth, code pattern, repetition), reporting capabilities (e.g. one-time, periodic, event-triggered reporting), response time capabilities (i.e. the maximum time between receipt of the Positioning Start message and transmission of the measurements in the Positioning Information Response message) and support of measurement of additional paths.

[0128] Furthermore, in an alternative implementation, the positioning capability information may comprise a list of supported positioning modes, positioning techniques, pilot signal processing capabilities, measurement capabilities, pilot signal resource capabilities, reporting capabilities, response time capabilities and support of measurement of additional paths.

[0129] Advantageously, the proposed solutions reduce the signaling overhead and complexity for performing positioning of AIoT devices, e.g., by a significant amount as compared to legacy LPP positioning procedures. As another benefit of the proposed solutions, the LCS framework as specified for NR / 5GC can be reused with the exception of the radio interface part.

[0130] In the following some embodiments with regards to the proposed solutions are described.

[0131] According to a first embodiment, the network may query an AIoT device for the positioning capabilities supported by the AIoT device. The AIoT device may indicate its supported capabilities with reference to one or more positioning profiles, e.g., as described with reference to Table 3. The network may then determine a positioning technique to use and initiates a positioning session to obtain positioning data corresponding to the AIoT device.

[0132] Figure 9 shows an exemplary message flow for an AIoT positioning procedure 900, in accordance with aspects of this first embodiment. The AIoT positioning procedure 900 involves an LCS client 902, a network node 904 (e.g., BS), and an AIoT device 906, wherein UL positioning techniques are utilized to determine a location of the AIoT device 906. In certain embodiments, the LCS client 902 is a network function (NF) within the network and may reside in the CN.

[0133] Note that Figure 9 assumes the deployment scenario 1 with topology 1 (i.e., as described above) in which the BS is part of the network consisting of a CN and RAN. The following assumptions are made:

[0134] An AIoT device of Type 1 or Type 2 that transmits UL data based on backscattering of an unmodulated carrier wave (CW) that is sent by the network. The energy is harvested by the AIoT device using the carrier wave and the modulated RF carrier on which it receives DL data from the network.

[0135] The AIoT device has been inventoried before, e.g., according to the inventory procedure as shown in Figure 8. As such, the location of the AIoT device is currently known only on area-level, e.g., based on cell identifier (ID) such as NR cell global ID (NCGI), physical cell ID (PCI), etc.

[0136] At step 1, the LCS client 902 sends an LCS Request message to request the network node 904 to determine a more precise location of the AIoT device 906 (see signaling 908).

[0137] At step 2, based on the received LCS Request message the network node 904 sends a Positioning Information Request message to request the AIoT device 906 to sendall its supported positioning profiles, i.e., the parameter “Positioning capability request” in the message is set to the value “supported by AIoT device” (see signaling 910).

[0138] At step 3, in response to the received Positioning Information Request message the AIoT device 906 sends the network node 904 a Positioning Information Response message that contains the requested positioning capability information (see signaling 912).

[0139] In the depicted embodiment, it is assumed that the AIoT device 906 only supports the positioning techniques E-CID and DL-AoD. To indicate the supported positioning profiles (e.g., as described with reference to Table 3), the positioning capability information contains a BITSTRING where the bits “0”, “5” and “6” are set to “1” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profile is supported) and where the other bits are set to “0” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profiles are not supported).

[0140] At step 4, based on the received positioning capability information the network node 904 determines the positioning profile (see block 914). It is assumed that the network node 904 supports all the indicated positioning profiles and decides to perform DL-AoD based on BSK modulation (corresponding to positioning profile “5”).

[0141] At step 5, the network node 904 sets up a positioning session #1 and sends the AIoT device 906 a Positioning Start message that contains the selected positioning profile “5” and the assistance data for the selected positioning profile, i.e., the configuration of the DL positioning pilot signal with regards to the resources allocated in time and frequency (see signaling 916). The parameter “Session identifier” is set to value “1”.

[0142] At step 6, the network node 904 sends the DL positioning pilot signal in accordance with the configuration sent in Step 5 and the AIoT device 906 measures the RSRP of the received DL positioning pilot signal (see block 918).

[0143] At step 7, upon completing the measurement the AIoT device 906 sends the network node 904 a Positioning Information Response message that contains the measured RSRP of the DL positioning pilot signal. The parameter “Session identifier” in the message is set to value “1” (see signaling 920).

[0144] At step 8, based on the received RSRP measurement the network node 904 determines the absolute location of the AIoT device 906 (see block 922).

[0145] At step 9, the network node 904 sends the LCS client 902 an LCS Response message containing the determined absolute location of the AIoT device with meter-level accuracy (see signaling 924).

[0146] At step 10, the network node 904 sends the Positioning End message to inform the AIoT device 906 about the end of the positioning session #1 (see signaling 926).

[0147] According to a second embodiment, the network may query an AIoT device for the UL positioning capabilities supported by the AIoT device. The AIoT device may indicate its supported capabilities with reference to one or more positioning profiles, e.g., as described with reference to Table 3. The network may then determine a UL positioning technique to use and initiate a positioning session to obtain positioning data corresponding to the AIoT device.

[0148] Figure 10 shows an exemplary message flow for an AIoT positioning procedure 1000, in accordance with aspects of the first embodiment. The AIoT positioning procedure 1000 involves an LCS client 1002, a network node 1004 (e.g., BS), and an AIoT device 1006, wherein UL positioning techniques are utilized to determine a location of the AIoT device 1006. Note that Figure 10 assumes the deployment scenario 1 with topology 1 (i.e., as described above) in which the BS is part of the network consisting of a CN and RAN. In certain embodiments, the LCS client 1002 is a network function (NF) within the network and may reside in the CN.

[0149] At step 1, the LCS client 1002 sends an LCS Request message to request the network node 1004 to determine a more precise location of the AIoT device 1006 (see signaling 1008).

[0150] At step 2, based on the received LCS Request message the network node 1004 sends a Positioning Information Request message to request the AIoT device 1006 to send all its supported positioning profiles, i.e., the parameter “Positioning capability request” in the message is set to the value “supported by AIoT device 1006” (see signaling 1010).

[0151] At step 3, the AIoT device 1006 only supports the positioning techniques UL- TDOA and UL-AoA. As result, the positioning capability information contains a BITSTRING where the bits “7” and “8” are set to “1” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profile is supported) and where the other bits are set to “0” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profiles are not supported) (see signaling 1012).

[0152] At step 4, based on the received positioning capability information the network node 1004 determines the positioning profde (see block 1014). It is assumed that the network node 1004 supports only positioning profile #8 and decides to perform UL-AoA based on BSK modulation.

[0153] At step 5, the network node 1004 sets up a positioning session #1 and sends the AIoT device 1006 a Positioning Start message that contains the selected positioning profile “8” and the assistance data for the selected positioning profile, i.e., the configuration of the UL positioning pilot signal with regards to the resources allocated in time and frequency (see signaling 1016).

[0154] At step 6, the AIoT device 1006 sends the UL positioning pilot signal in accordance with the configuration received in Step 5 and the network node 1004 device measures the azimuth and zenith / elevation of arrival of the received UL positioning pilot signal (see block 1018). Note that there is no step 7 in the AIoT positioning procedure 1000.

[0155] At step 8, based on the measured azimuth and zenith / elevation of arrival the network node 1004 determines the absolute location of the AIoT device 1006 (see block 1020).

[0156] At step 9, the network node 1004 sends the LCS client 1002 an LCS Response message containing the determined absolute location of the AIoT device with meter-level accuracy (see signaling 1022).

[0157] At step 10, the network node 1004 sends the Positioning End message to inform the AIoT device 1006 about the end of the positioning session #1 (see signaling 1024).

[0158] According to a third embodiment, the network may query an AIoT device for its preferred positioning capabilities. The AIoT device may indicate its preferences with reference to one or more positioning profdes, e.g., as described with reference to Table 3. The network may then determine a positioning technique to use and initiates a positioning session to obtain positioning data corresponding to the AIoT device.

[0159] In this embodiment the assumptions are the same as for the first embodiment with the exception that it is assumed that the network node 904 supports all positioning profiles that are defined for Ambient loT. As result, referring back to Figure 9 the AIoT positioning procedure is as follows:

[0160] At step 1, the LCS client 902 sends an LCS Request message to request the network node 904 to determine a more precise location of the AIoT device 906 (see signaling 908).

[0161] At step 2, the network node 904 sends a Positioning Information Request message to request the AIoT device 906 to send the positioning profiles that are preferred by the AIoT device 906, i.e., the parameter “Positioning capability request” in the message is set to the value “preferred by AIoT device” (see signaling 910).

[0162] At step 3, it is assumed that the AIoT device 906 only supports the positioning techniques E-CID and DL-AoD but prefers E-CID over DL-AoD. As result, the positioning capability information contains a BITSTRING where only the bit “0” is set to “1” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profile is preferred) and where the other bits are set to “0” (indicating that the corresponding positioning profiles are either not supported or not preferred) (see signaling 912).

[0163] At step 4, based on the received positioning capability information the network node 904 decides to perform E-CID based on ASK modulation (corresponding to positioning profile “0”) (see block 914).

[0164] At step 5, the network node 904 sets up a positioning session #1 and sends the AIoT device 906 a Positioning Start message that contains the selected positioning profile “0” and the assistance data for the selected positioning profile, i.e., the configuration of the DL positioning pilot signal with regards to the resources allocated in time and frequency (see signaling 916).

[0165] In the third embodiment, step 6 to step 10 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0166] Figure 11 illustrates an example of a UE 1100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 1100 may include a processor 1102, a memory 1104, a controller 1106, and a transceiver 1108. The processor 1102, the memory 1104, the controller 1106, or the transceiver 1108, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0167] The processor 1102, the memory 1104, the controller 1106, or the transceiver 1108, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0168] The processor 1102 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1102 may be configured to operate the memory 1104. In some other implementations, the memory 1104 may be integrated into the processor 1102. The processor 1102 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1104 to cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0169] The memory 1104 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 1104 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1102, cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 1104 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0170] In some implementations, the processor 1102 and the memory 1104 coupled with the processor 1102 may be configured to cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1102, instructions stored in the memory 1104). In some implementations, the processor 1102 may include multiple processors and the memory 1104 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may be individually or collectively, configured to perform various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of the UE 1100 disclosed herein.

[0171] The processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to receive a first protocol message comprisinga request for UE capability; transmit a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE 1100, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receive a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

[0172] In some implementations, the positioning capability information indicates a set of one or more positioning profiles. In certain implementations, each positioning profile of the set of one or more positioning profiles is associated with one or more of: a positioning technique, a positioning mode associated with the positioning technique, or a modulation scheme associated with a positioning pilot signal.

[0173] In certain implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to identify one or more of: a session identifier, a positioning profile, or positioning assistance data for the positioning profile, based at least in part on the configuration.

[0174] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE 1100, and the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE 1100.

[0175] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE 1100, and the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE 1100.

[0176] In some implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to obtain a set of one or more positioning measurements according to the configuration and to transmit a fourth protocol message comprising the set of one or more positioning measurements. In certain implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to receive a fifth protocol message indicating the end of a positioning session.

[0177] In some implementations, the first protocol message comprises a positioning information request message, and the second protocol message comprises a positioning information response message.

[0178] In some implementations, the UE 1100 implements, or is implemented by, an ambient power-enabled intemet-of-things (AIoT) device. In such implementations, to receive the first protocol message and the third protocol message, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to receive the first protocol message and the third protocol message from a network node or an intermediate node.

[0179] In some implementations, the processor 1102 and the memory 1104 coupled with the processor 1102 may be configured to cause the UE 1100 to perform various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of the intermediate node described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1102, instructions stored in the memory 1104).

[0180] For example, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to transmit a first protocol message comprising a UE capability request; receive a second protocol message comprising the UE capability information, including positioning capability information of an AIoT device; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

[0181] In some implementations, the positioning capability information indicates a set of one or more positioning profiles. In certain implementations, each positioning profile of the set of one or more positioning profiles is associated with one or more of: a positioning technique, a positioning mode associated with the positioning technique, or a modulation scheme associated with a positioning pilot signal.

[0182] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the AIoT device, and the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the AIoT device. In certain implementations, the configuration for positioning comprises one or more of a session identifier, a positioning profile, or positioning assistance data for the positioning profile.

[0183] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the AIoT device, and the positioningcapability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the AIoT device.

[0184] In some implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to perform a positioning technique according to the configuration for positioning, and to determine a location of the AIoT device based at least in part on the positioning technique.

[0185] In certain implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to receive an LCS request from an LCS client, where the first protocol message is transmitted based at least in part on the LCS request. In such implementations, the processor 1102 coupled with the memory 1104 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the UE 1100 to transmit an LCS response message comprising the determined location and to transmit a fourth protocol message indicating the end of a positioning session.

[0186] In some implementations, the first protocol message comprises a positioning information request message, and the second protocol message comprises a positioning information response message. In some implementations, the UE 1100 implements, or is implemented by, an intermediate node.

[0187] The controller 1106 may manage input and output signals for the UE 1100. The controller 1106 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the UE 1100. In some implementations, the controller 1106 may utilize an operating system (OS) such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 1106 may be implemented as part of the processor 1102.

[0188] In some implementations, the UE 1100 may include at least one transceiver 1108. In some other implementations, the UE 1100 may have more than one transceiver 1108. The transceiver 1108 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1108 may include one or more receiver chains 1110, one or more transmitter chains 1112, or a combination thereof.

[0189] A receiver chain 1110 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 1110 may include one or more antennas for receiving the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier(LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 1110 may include at least one decoder for decoding / processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0190] A transmitter chain 1112 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 1112 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase -shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 1112 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 1112 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0191] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a processor 1200 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 1200 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1200 may include a controller 1202 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 1200 may optionally include at least one memory 1204, which may be, for example, an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 1200 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 1206. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0192] The processor 1200 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamicRAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others).

[0193] The controller 1202 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 1200 to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. For example, the controller 1202 may operate as a control unit of the processor 1200, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 1200. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

[0194] The controller 1202 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 1204 and determine subsequent instruction(s) to be executed to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 1202 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 1204. The controller 1202 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 1202 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 1200 to cause the processor 1200 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 1202 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 1200. The controller 1202 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and other functional units of the processor 1200.

[0195] The memory 1204 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 1200 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the memory 1204 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 1200). In some other implementations, the memory 1204 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 1200).

[0196] The memory 1204 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1200, cause the processor 1200 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 1202 and / or the processor 1200 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1204 to cause the processor 1200 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 1200 and / or the controller 1202 may be coupled with or to the memory 1204, the processor 1200, the controller 1202, and the memory 1204 may be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 1200 may include multiple processors and the memory 1204 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

[0197] The one or more ALUs 1206 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, the one or more ALUs 1206 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200). In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 1206 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 1200). One or more ALUs 1206 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 1206 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 1206 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 1206 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR), not-OR (NOR), and not-AND (NAND), enabling the one or more ALUs 1206 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0198] In some implementations, the processor 1200 may support various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of an AIoT device, in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the controller 1202 coupled with the memory 1204 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the processor 1200 to receive a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmit a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the processor 1200, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receive a third protocol messagethat indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session. Additionally, the controller 1202 coupled with the memory 1204 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the processor 1200 to perform one or more functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of the AIoT device as described herein.

[0199] Additionally, or alternatively, in some other implementations, the processor 1200 may support various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of an interrogator, such as a base station, a RAN node, or intermediate node, in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the controller 1202 coupled with the memory 1204 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the processor 1200 to transmit a first protocol message comprising a UE capability request; receive a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning. Additionally, the controller 1202 coupled with the memory 1204 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the processor 1200 to perform one or more functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of the interrogator as described herein.

[0200] Figure 13 illustrates an example of an NE 1300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The NE 1300 may include a processor 1302, a memory 1304, a controller 1306, and a transceiver 1308. The processor 1302, the memory 1304, the controller 1306, or the transceiver 1308, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0201] The processor 1302, the memory 1304, the controller 1306, or the transceiver 1308, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0202] The processor 1302 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1302 may be configured to operate the memory 1304. In some other implementations, the memory 1304 may be integrated into the processor 1302. The processor 1302 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1304 to cause the NE 1300 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0203] The memory 1304 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 1304 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 1302 cause the NE 1300 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 1304 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0204] In some implementations, the processor 1302 and the memory 1304 coupled with the processor 1302 may be configured to cause the NE 1300 to perform various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1302, instructions stored in the memory 1304). In some implementations, the processor 1302 may include multiple processors and the memory 1304 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may be individually or collectively, configured to perform various functions (e.g., operations, signaling) of the NE 1300 as disclosed herein.

[0205] For example, the processor 1302 coupled with the memory 1304 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the NE 1300 to transmit a first protocol message comprising a UE capability request; receive a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

[0206] In some implementations, the positioning capability information indicates a set of one or more positioning profiles. In certain implementations, each positioning profile of the set of one or more positioning profiles is associated with one or more of: a positioning technique, a positioning mode associated with the positioning technique, or a modulation scheme associated with a positioning pilot signal.

[0207] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE, and the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE.

[0208] In some implementations, the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE, and the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE.

[0209] In some implementations, the processor 1302 coupled with the memory 1304 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the NE 1300 to perform a positioning technique according to the configuration for positioning, and to determine a location of the UE based at least in part on the positioning technique. In certain implementations, the configuration for positioning comprises one or more of a session identifier, a positioning profile, or positioning assistance data for the positioning profile.

[0210] In certain implementations, the processor 1302 coupled with the memory 1304 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the NE 1300 to receive an LCS request from an LCS client, where the first protocol message is transmitted based at least in part on the LCS request. In such implementations, the processor 1302 coupled with the memory 1304 may be configured to, capable of, or operable to cause the NE 1300 to transmit an LCS response message comprising the determined location and to transmit a fourth protocol message indicating the end of a positioning session.

[0211] In some implementations, the first protocol message comprises a positioning information request message, and the second protocol message comprises a positioning information response message. In some implementations, the UE implements, or may be implemented by, an AIoT device, and the NE 1300 implements, or may be implemented by, a base station, a RAN node, or an intermediate node.

[0212] The controller 1306 may manage input and output signals for the NE 1300. The controller 1306 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the NE 1300. In someimplementations, the controller 1306 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 1306 may be implemented as part of the processor 1302.

[0213] In some implementations, the NE 1300 may include at least one transceiver 1308. In some other implementations, the NE 1300 may have more than one transceiver 1308. The transceiver 1308 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1308 may include one or more receiver chains 1310, one or more transmitter chains 1312, or a combination thereof.

[0214] A receiver chain 1310 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 1310 may include one or more antennas for receiving the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 1310 may include at least one decoder for decoding / processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0215] A transmitter chain 1312 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 1312 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase -shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 1312 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 1312 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0216] Figure 14 depicts one embodiment of a method 1400 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by an AIoT device, such as a UE, as described herein. In some implementations, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the UE to perform the described AIoT functions.

[0217] At step 1402, the method 1400 may include receiving a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability. The operations of step 1402 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of step 1402 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0218] At step 1404, the method 1400 may include transmitting a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability. The operations of step 1404 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of step 1404 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11 .

[0219] At step 1406, the method 1400 may include receiving a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session. The operations of step 1406 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of step 1406 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0220] It should be noted that the method 1400 described herein describes one possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0221] Figure 15 depicts one embodiment of amethod 1500 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In various embodiments, the operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a base station, such as the NE, or by an intermediate node, such as the UE, as described herein. In some implementations, the NE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the NE to perform the described functions. In other implementations, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the UE to perform the described functions.

[0222] At step 1502, the method 1500 may include transmitting afirstprotocolmessage comprising a request for UE capability. The operations of step 1502 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1502 may be performed by an NE, as described with reference to Figure13. In other implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1502 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11.

[0223] At step 1504, the method 1500 may include receiving a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE. The operations of step 1504 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1504 may be performed by an NE, as described with reference to Figure 13. In other implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1504 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11 .

[0224] At step 1506, the method 1500 may include determining a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information. The operations of step 1506 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1506 may be performed by an NE, as described with reference to Figure 13. In other implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1506 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11 .

[0225] At step 1508, the method 1500 may include transmitting a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning. The operations of step 1508 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1508 may be performed by an NE, as described with reference to Figure 13. In other implementations, aspects of the operations of step 1508 may be performed by a UE, as described with reference to Figure 11 .

[0226] It should be noted that the method 1500 described herein describes one possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0227] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described hereinbut is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the UE to: receive a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmit a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receive a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the positioning capability information indicates a set of one or more positioning profiles.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein each positioning profile of the set of one or more positioning profiles is associated with one or more of: a positioning technique, a positioning mode associated with the positioning technique, or a modulation scheme associated with a positioning pilot signal.

4. The UE of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to identify one or more of a session identifier, a positioning profile, or positioning assistance data for the positioning profile, based at least in part on the configuration.

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE, and wherein the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE.

6. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE, and wherein thepositioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE.

7. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: obtain a set of one or more positioning measurements according to the configuration; and transmit a fourth protocol message comprising the set of one or more positioning measurements; and receive a fifth protocol message indicating an end of a positioning session.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the first protocol message comprises a positioning information request message, and wherein the second protocol message comprises a positioning information response message.

9. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE comprises an ambient power-enabled intemet- of-things (AIoT) device, and wherein, to receive the first protocol message and the third protocol message, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to receive the first protocol message and the third protocol message from a network node or an intermediate node.

10. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a first protocol message comprising a request for UE capability; transmitting a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of the UE, based at least in part on the request for UE capability; and receiving a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of a positioning session or a configuration for positioning associated with the positioning session.

11. A radio node for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the radio node to:transmit a first protocol message comprising a request for user equipment (UE) capability; receive a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determine a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmit a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

12. The radio node of claim 11, wherein the positioning capability information indicates a set of one or more positioning profiles.

13. The radio node of claim 12, wherein each positioning profile of the set of one or more positioning profiles is associated with one or more of: a positioning technique, a positioning mode associated with the positioning technique, or a modulation scheme associated with a positioning pilot signal.

14. The radio node of claim 12, wherein the configuration for positioning comprises one or more of a session identifier, a positioning profile, or positioning assistance data for the positioning profile.

15. The radio node of claim 11, wherein the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE, and wherein the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles supported by the UE.

16. The radio node of claim 11, wherein the first protocol message indicates a request for a set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE, and wherein the positioning capability information indicates the set of one or more positioning profiles preferred by the UE.

17. The radio node of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the radio node to: perform a positioning technique according to the configuration for positioning; anddetermine a location of the UE based at least in part on the positioning technique.

18. The radio node of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the radio node to: receive a location services (LCS) request from an LCS client, wherein the first protocol message is transmitted based at least in part on the LCS request; transmit an LCS response message comprising the determined location; and transmit a fourth protocol message indicating an end of a positioning session.

19. The radio node of claim 11, wherein the UE comprises an ambient power-enabled intemet-of-things (AIoT) device, and wherein the radio node comprises a base station, a radio access network (RAN) node, or an intermediate node.

20. A method performed by a radio node, the method comprising: transmitting a first protocol message comprising a request for user equipment (UE) capability; receiving a second protocol message comprising UE capability information, including positioning capability information of a UE; determining a configuration for positioning associated with a positioning session, based at least in part on the positioning capability information; and transmitting a third protocol message that indicates one or more of a start of the positioning session or the configuration for positioning.

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