Patent Description:
It is often desirable to know the location of a user equipment (UE), e.g., a cellular phone, with the terms "location" and "position" being synonymous and used interchangeably herein. A location services (LCS) client may desire to know the location of the UE and may communicate with a location center in order to request the location of the UE. The location center and the UE may exchange messages, as appropriate, to obtain a location estimate for the UE. The location center may return the location estimate to the LCS client, e.g., for use in one or more applications.

Obtaining the location of a mobile device that is accessing a wireless network may be useful for many applications including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating a friend or family member, etc. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from a variety of devices including satellite vehicles and terrestrial radio sources in a wireless network such as base stations and access points. Stations in a wireless network may be configured to transmit reference signals to enable mobile device to perform positioning measurements. In patent document <CIT>, it is discussed that user equipment (UE) positioning within a <NUM> New Radio (NR) network may be determined by receiving a downlink (DL) position reference signal (PRS) resource set indicating a plurality of DL PRS resources and receiving a DL PRS report configuration that indicates a set of measurements to be performed by a UE for each of the plurality of the DL PRS resources with the DL PRS resource set. Patent document <CIT> is also referenced.

Items and/or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. A user equipment (UE) may be configured to transmit one or more uplink positioning reference signals (UL PRS) with one or more beams. One or more base stations may be configured to receive the UL PRS and obtain measurement values such as angle of arrival, signal strength and timing information. The base stations may provide the measurement values to a network server. The network server may be configured to analyze the measurement values received from a plurality of stations and perform an outlier rejection process. The network server may utilize the UL PRS measurements to configure downlink positioning reference signals (DL PRS). The DL PRS configuration information may be provided to base stations in the network. The base stations may be configured to transmit the DL PRS based on the DL PRS schedule and configuration information received from the network server. The UL PRS and DL PRS may utilize different bandwidths and different frequencies. A location of the UE may be determined based on the DL PRS. Latency associated with DL PRS measurements may be decreased. Messaging overhead for DL PRS management may be reduced. Other capabilities may be provided and not every implementation according to the disclosure must provide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed.

Techniques are discussed herein for providing and managing positioning reference signals in communication networks. In general, exchanges of positioning reference signals (PRSs) between network stations, such as a user equipment (UE) and a base station (BS), may be used to determine a location of a station. A base station may be configured to transmit downlink (DL) PRS to UEs, and UEs may be configured to transmit uplink (UL) PRS to base stations. The measurements associated with the PRS exchanges may be used to determine ranges between the status via techniques such as, for example, time-of-arrival (ToA), time difference of arrival (TDoA), round trip time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), and a received signal strength indication (RSSI). In modern communication networks, such as <NUM> NR, the transceivers in the network stations may be configured to utilize beamforming technologies and thus able to determine bearing and elevation related measurements such as angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD).

The overhead associated with PRS beam management is proportional to the number of stations in a network, as well as the number of transmit and receive beams each station may use. For example, if a first station is configured to periodically transmit PRS beams (resources) at varying angles (e.g., azimuths and/or elevations), and a second station is configured to periodically sweep through receive beam angles, then there may be a delay between the pairing of aligned transmit and receive beams. Such a pairing process may cause latency in positioning applications.

The impact of beam pairing latency may be different for UL and DL PRS operations. In general, the latency associated with UL PRS transmitted from a UE may be less than the latency associated with DL PRS transmitted from a base station, because multiple base stations may receive a single UL PRS whereas a UE is required or may be required to measure each DL PRS individually (e.g., one by one). A potential drawback of UL PRS based positioning, however, is that UL transmissions from a UE may have limited transmit power which may impact the accuracy of the position estimate. The power limitation may also practically limit the bandwidth of the UL PRS in higher frequency bands. In contrast, DL PRS transmitted by a base station may utilize higher power and may provide an improved position estimate as compared to UL PRS methods. The techniques provided herein utilize UL PRS to reduce the latency associated with establishing beam pairing combinations, and then utilize DL PRS to determine the location of a UE. The claimed invention corresponds to <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG> and to the related text in the description. The remaining figures and the text of the description are intended to better explain the invention.

In an embodiment, a UE may be configured with both DL and UL PRS. The network may utilize UL PRS transmitted by a UE to determine angle measurements, and then determine the beams to utilize for DL PRS. The UE may be configured to transmit the UL PRS with or without repetitions with the same or different transmit beams. In an example, the UE may report the UL PRS transmit beams it used in assistance data. The base stations may conduct PRS measurements based on the received UL PRS (e.g., AoA and timing info, signal strength). The base stations may report PRS measurements to a network server. The network server may be configured to reject outlier measurements based on gathered information to prune out incompatible receive beam options of certain base stations and certain UEs. The network server may be configured to schedule, reschedule, refine, and/or optimize the DL PRS scheduling based on the reports received from the base stations and/or assistance data provided by a UE. The network server may be configured to select transmit beam options across base stations based on time and frequency division multiplexing (TDM/FDM) patterns of the DL PRS, a reference cell selection, etc. The network server may provide DL PRS configuration information to the base stations and/or UE and initialize a DL PRS procedure with the base stations. These techniques and configurations are examples, and other techniques and configurations may be used.

Referring to <FIG>, an example of a communication system <NUM> includes a UE <NUM>, a Radio Access Network (RAN) <NUM>, here a Fifth Generation (<NUM>) Next Generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN), and a <NUM> Core Network (5GC) <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may be, e.g., an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular telephone, or other device. A <NUM> network may also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network; NG-RAN <NUM> may be referred to as a <NUM> RAN or as an NR RAN; and 5GC <NUM> may be referred to as an NG Core network (NGC). Standardization of an NG-RAN and 5GC is ongoing in the <NUM>rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, the NG-RAN <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM> may conform to current or future standards for <NUM> support from 3GPP. The RAN <NUM> may be another type of RAN, e.g., a <NUM> RAN, a <NUM> Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The communication system <NUM> may utilize information from a constellation <NUM> of satellite vehicles (SVs) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) like the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou or some other local or regional SPS such as the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system <NUM> are described below. The communication system <NUM> may include additional or alternative components.

As shown in <FIG>, the NG-RAN <NUM> includes NR nodeBs (gNBs) 110a, 110b, and a next generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) <NUM>, and the 5GC <NUM> includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) <NUM>, a Session Management Function (SMF) <NUM>, a Location Management Function (LMF) <NUM>, and a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) <NUM>. The gNBs 110a, 110b and the ng-eNB <NUM> are communicatively coupled to each other, are each configured to bi-directionally wirelessly communicate with the UE <NUM>, and are each communicatively coupled to, and configured to bi-directionally communicate with, the AMF <NUM>. The AMF <NUM>, the SMF <NUM>, the LMF <NUM>, and the GMLC <NUM> are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client <NUM>. The SMF <NUM> may serve as an initial contact point of a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions.

<FIG> provides a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as necessary. Specifically, although one UE <NUM> is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communication system <NUM>. Similarly, the communication system <NUM> may include a larger (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs <NUM>-<NUM> shown), gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs <NUM>, AMFs <NUM>, external clients <NUM>, and/or other components. The illustrated connections that connect the various components in the communication system <NUM> include data and signaling connections which may include additional (intermediary) components, direct or indirect physical and/or wireless connections, and/or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, substituted, and/or omitted, depending on desired functionality.

While <FIG> illustrates a <NUM>-based network, similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as <NUM>, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (be they for <NUM> technology and/or for one or more other communication technologies and/or protocols) may be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at UEs (e.g., the UE <NUM>) and/or provide location assistance to the UE <NUM> (via the GMLC <NUM> or other location server) and/or compute a location for the UE <NUM> at a location-capable device such as the UE <NUM>, the gNB 110a, 110b, or the LMF <NUM> based on measurement quantities received at the UE <NUM> for such directionally-transmitted signals. The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) <NUM>, the location management function (LMF) <NUM>, the access and mobility management function (AMF) <NUM>, the SMF <NUM>, the ng-eNB (eNodeB) <NUM> and the gNBs (gNodeBs) 110a, 110b are examples and may, in various embodiments, be replaced by or include various other location server functionality and/or base station functionality respectively.

The UE <NUM> may comprise and/or may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), or by some other name. Moreover, the UE <NUM> may correspond to a cellphone, smartphone, laptop, tablet, PDA, tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, asset tracker, health monitors, security systems, smart city sensors, smart meters, wearable trackers, or some other portable or moveable device. Typically, though not necessarily, the UE <NUM> may support wireless communication using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE <NUM> WiFi (also referred to as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth® (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), <NUM> new radio (NR) (e.g., using the NG-RAN <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM>), etc. The UE <NUM> may support wireless communication using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) which may connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or packet cable, for example. The use of one or more of these RATs may allow the UE <NUM> to communicate with the external client <NUM> (e.g., via elements of the 5GC <NUM> not shown in <FIG>, or possibly via the GMLC <NUM>) and/or allow the external client <NUM> to receive location information regarding the UE <NUM> (e.g., via the GMLC <NUM>).

The UE <NUM> may include a single entity or may include multiple entities such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video and/or data I/O (input/output) devices and/or body sensors and a separate wireline or wireless modem. An estimate of a location of the UE <NUM> may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, thus providing location coordinates for the UE <NUM> (e.g., latitude and longitude) which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, a location of the UE <NUM> may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., as a postal address or the designation of some point or small area in a building such as a particular room or floor). A location of the UE <NUM> may be expressed as an area or volume (defined either geographically or in civic form) within which the UE <NUM> is expected to be located with some probability or confidence level (e.g., <NUM>%, <NUM>%, etc.). A location of the UE <NUM> may be expressed as a relative location comprising, for example, a distance and direction from a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin at a known location which may be defined, e.g., geographically, in civic terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume, e.g., indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may comprise any of these variants unless indicated otherwise. When computing the location of a UE, it is common to solve for local x, y, and possibly z coordinates and then, if desired, convert the local coordinates into absolute coordinates (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

The UE <NUM> may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. The UE <NUM> may be configured to connect indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. The D2D P2P links may be supported with any appropriate D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on. One or more of a group of UEs utilizing D2D communications may be within a geographic coverage area of a Transmission/Reception Point (TRP) such as one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage areas, or may be otherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station. Groups of UEs communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many (<NUM>:M) system in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. A TRP may facilitate scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications may be carried out between UEs without the involvement of a TRP.

Base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN <NUM> shown in <FIG> include NR Node Bs, referred to as the gNBs 110a and 110b. Pairs of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN <NUM> may be connected to one another via one or more other gNBs. Access to the <NUM> network is provided to the UE <NUM> via wireless communication between the UE <NUM> and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, which may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC <NUM> on behalf of the UE <NUM> using <NUM>. In <FIG>, the serving gNB for the UE <NUM> is assumed to be the gNB 110a, although another gNB (e.g. the gNB 110b) may act as a serving gNB if the UE <NUM> moves to another location or may act as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE <NUM>.

Base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN <NUM> shown in <FIG> may include the ng-eNB <NUM>, also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB <NUM> may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN <NUM>, possibly via one or more other gNBs and/or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB <NUM> may provide LTE wireless access and/or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE <NUM>. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b and/or the ng-eNB <NUM> may be configured to function as positioning-only beacons which may transmit signals to assist with determining the position of the UE <NUM> but may not receive signals from the UE <NUM> or from other UEs.

The BSs 110a, 110b, <NUM> may each comprise one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of a BS may comprise a TRP, although multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., share a processor but have separate antennas). The system <NUM> may include macro TRPs or the system <NUM> may have TRPs of different types, e.g., macro, pico,
and/or femto TRPs , etc. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscription. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscription. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals having association with the femto cell (e.g., terminals for users in a home).

As noted, while <FIG> depicts nodes configured to communicate according to <NUM> communication protocols, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols, such as, for example, an LTE protocol or IEEE <NUM>. 11x protocol, may be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE wireless access to the UE <NUM>, a RAN may comprise an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) which may comprise base stations comprising evolved Node Bs (eNBs). A core network for EPS may comprise an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). An EPS may comprise an E-UTRAN plus EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN <NUM> and the EPC corresponds to the 5GC <NUM> in <FIG>.

The gNBs 110a, 110b and the ng-eNB <NUM> may communicate with the AMF <NUM>, which, for positioning functionality, communicates with the LMF <NUM>. The AMF <NUM> may support mobility of the UE <NUM>, including cell change and handover and may participate in supporting a signaling connection to the UE <NUM> and possibly data and voice bearers for the UE <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> may communicate directly with the UE <NUM>, e.g., through wireless communications. The LMF <NUM> may support positioning of the UE <NUM> when the UE <NUM> accesses the NG-RAN <NUM> and may support position procedures / methods such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Real Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), and/or other position methods. The LMF <NUM> may process location services requests for the UE <NUM>, e.g., received from the AMF <NUM> or from the GMLC <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> may be connected to the AMF <NUM> and/or to the GMLC <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> may be referred to by other names such as a Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), commercial LMF (CLMF), or value added LMF (VLMF). A node / system that implements the LMF <NUM> may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location-support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least part of the positioning functionality (including derivation of the location of the UE <NUM>) may be performed at the UE <NUM> (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE <NUM> for signals transmitted by wireless nodes such as the gNBs 110a, 110b and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>, and/or assistance data provided to the UE <NUM>, e.g. by the LMF <NUM>).

The GMLC <NUM> may support a location request for the UE <NUM> received from the external client <NUM> and may forward such a location request to the AMF <NUM> for forwarding by the AMF <NUM> to the LMF <NUM> or may forward the location request directly to the LMF <NUM>. A location response from the LMF <NUM> (e.g., containing a location estimate for the UE <NUM>) may be returned to the GMLC <NUM> either directly or via the AMF <NUM> and the GMLC <NUM> may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client <NUM>. The GMLC <NUM> is shown connected to both the AMF <NUM> and LMF <NUM>, though one of these connections may be supported by the 5GC <NUM> in some implementations.

As further illustrated in <FIG>, the LMF <NUM> may communicate with the gNBs 110a, 110b and/or the ng-eNB <NUM> using a New Radio Position Protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) <NUM>. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS <NUM>, with NRPPa messages being transferred between the gNB 110a (or the gNB 110b) and the LMF <NUM>, and/or between the ng-eNB <NUM> and the LMF <NUM>, via the AMF <NUM>. As further illustrated in <FIG>, the LMF <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may communicate using an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may also or instead communicate using a New Radio Positioning Protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and/or NPP messages may be transferred between the UE <NUM> and the LMF <NUM> via the AMF <NUM> and the serving gNB 110a, 110b or the serving ng-eNB <NUM> for the UE <NUM>. For example, LPP and/or NPP messages may be transferred between the LMF <NUM> and the AMF <NUM> using a <NUM> Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP) and may be transferred between the AMF <NUM> and the UE <NUM> using a <NUM> Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and/or NPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE <NUM> using UE-assisted and/or UE-based position methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA and/or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE <NUM> using network-based position methods such as E-CID (e.g., when used with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b or the ng-eNB <NUM>) and/or may be used by the LMF <NUM> to obtain location related information from the gNBs 110a, 110b and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>, such as parameters defining directional SS transmissions from the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>.

With a UE-assisted position method, the UE <NUM> may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) for computation of a location estimate for the UE <NUM>. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Round Trip signal propagation Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and/or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) for the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB <NUM>, and/or a WLAN AP. The location measurements may also or instead include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and/or carrier phase for the SVs <NUM>-<NUM>.

With a UE-based position method, the UE <NUM> may obtain location measurements (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to location measurements for a UE-assisted position method) and may compute a location of the UE <NUM> (e.g., with the help of assistance data received from a location server such as the LMF <NUM> or broadcast by the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB <NUM>, or other base stations or APs).

With a network-based position method, one or more base stations (e.g., the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ or Time Of Arrival (TOA) for signals transmitted by the UE <NUM>) and/or may receive measurements obtained by the UE <NUM>. The one or more base stations or APs may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) for computation of a location estimate for the UE <NUM>.

Information provided by the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM> to the LMF <NUM> using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions and location coordinates. The LMF <NUM> may provide some or all of this information to the UE <NUM> as assistance data in an LPP and/or NPP message via the NG-RAN <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM>.

An LPP or NPP message sent from the LMF <NUM> to the UE <NUM> may instruct the UE <NUM> to do any of a variety of things depending on desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message could contain an instruction for the UE <NUM> to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and/or OTDOA (or some other position method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct the UE <NUM> to obtain one or more measurement quantities (e.g., beam ID, beam width, mean angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within particular cells supported by one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM> (or supported by some other type of base station such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE <NUM> may send the measurement quantities back to the LMF <NUM> in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., inside a <NUM> NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or the serving ng-eNB <NUM>) and the AMF <NUM>.

As noted, while the communication system <NUM> is described in relation to <NUM> technology, the communication system <NUM> may be implemented to support other communication technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., that are used for supporting and interacting with mobile devices such as the UE <NUM> (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functionalities). In some such embodiments, the 5GC <NUM> may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the 5GC <NUM> may be connected to a WLAN using a Non-3GPP InterWorking Function (N3IWF, not shown <FIG>) in the 5GC <NUM>. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE <NUM> WiFi access for the UE <NUM> and may comprise one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and to other elements in the 5GC <NUM> such as the AMF <NUM>. In some embodiments, both the NG-RAN <NUM> and the 5GC <NUM> may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in an EPS, the NG-RAN <NUM> may be replaced by an E-UTRAN containing eNBs and the 5GC <NUM> may be replaced by an EPC containing a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in place of the AMF <NUM>, an E-SMLC in place of the LMF <NUM>, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC <NUM>. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa in place of NRPPa to send and receive location information to and from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE <NUM>. In these other embodiments, positioning of the UE <NUM> using directional PRSs may be supported in an analogous manner to that described herein for a <NUM> network with the difference that functions and procedures described herein for the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB <NUM>, the AMF <NUM>, and the LMF <NUM> may, in some cases, apply instead to other network elements such eNBs, WiFi APs, an MME, and an E-SMLC.

As noted, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented, at least in part, using the directional SS beams, sent by base stations (such as the gNBs 110a, 110b, and/or the ng-eNB <NUM>) that are within range of the UE whose position is to be determined (e.g., the UE <NUM> of <FIG>). The UE may, in some instances, use the directional SS beams from a plurality of base stations (such as the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB <NUM>, etc.) to compute the UE's position.

Referring also to <FIG>, a UE <NUM> is an example of the UE <NUM> and comprises a computing platform including a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM> including software (SW) <NUM>, one or more sensors <NUM>, a transceiver interface <NUM> for a transceiver <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receiver <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, and a position (motion) device <NUM>. The processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the sensor(s) <NUM>, the transceiver interface <NUM>, the user interface <NUM>, the SPS receiver <NUM>, the camera <NUM>, and the position (motion) device <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus <NUM> (which may be configured, e.g., for optical and/or electrical communication). One or more of the shown apparatus (e.g., the camera <NUM>, the position (motion) device <NUM>, and/or one or more of the sensor(s) <NUM>, etc.) may be omitted from the UE <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor <NUM> may comprise multiple processors including a general-purpose/ application processor <NUM>, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) <NUM>, a modem processor <NUM>, a video processor <NUM>, and/or a sensor processor <NUM>. One or more of the processors <NUM>-<NUM> may comprise multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor <NUM> may comprise, e.g., processors for radar, ultrasound, and/or lidar, etc. The modem processor <NUM> may support dual SIM/dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module or Subscriber Identification Module) may be used by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE <NUM> for connectivity. The memory <NUM> is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disc memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory <NUM> stores the software <NUM> which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor <NUM> to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor <NUM> but may be configured to cause the processor <NUM>, e.g., when compiled and executed, to perform the functions. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function, but this includes other implementations such as where the processor <NUM> executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors <NUM>-<NUM> performing the function. The description may refer to the UE <NUM> performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE <NUM> performing the function. The processor <NUM> may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and/or instead of the memory <NUM>. Functionality of the processor <NUM> is discussed more fully below.

The configuration of the UE <NUM> shown in <FIG>. In the invention, the UE includes one or more of the processors <NUM>-<NUM> of the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and the wireless transceiver <NUM>. Other example configurations include one or more of the processors <NUM>-<NUM> of the processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the wireless transceiver <NUM>, and one or more of the sensor(s) <NUM>, the user interface <NUM>, the SPS receiver <NUM>, the camera <NUM>, the PMD <NUM>, and/or the wired transceiver <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> may comprise the modem processor <NUM> that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and down-converted by the transceiver <NUM> and/or the SPS receiver <NUM>. The modem processor <NUM> may perform baseband processing of signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver <NUM>. Also or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by the processor <NUM> and/or the DSP <NUM>. Other configurations, however, may be used to perform baseband processing.

The UE <NUM> may include the sensor(s) <NUM> that may include, for example, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) <NUM>, one or more magnetometers <NUM>, and/or one or more environment sensors <NUM>. The IMU <NUM> may comprise one or more inertial sensors, for example, one or more accelerometers <NUM> (e.g., collectively responding to acceleration of the UE <NUM> in three dimensions) and/or one or more gyroscopes <NUM>. The magnetometer(s) may provide measurements to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and/or true north) that may be used for any of a variety of purposes, e.g., to support one or more compass applications. The environment sensor(s) <NUM> may comprise, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and/or one or more microphones, etc. The sensor(s) <NUM> may generate analog and/or digital signals indications of which may be stored in the memory <NUM> and processed by the DSP <NUM> and/or the processor <NUM> in support of one or more applications such as, for example, applications directed to positioning and/or navigation operations.

The sensor(s) <NUM> may be used in relative location measurements, relative location determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by the sensor(s) <NUM> may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based location determination, and/or sensor-assisted location determination. The sensor(s) <NUM> may be useful to determine whether the UE <NUM> is fixed (stationary) or mobile and/or whether to report certain useful information to the LMF <NUM> regarding the mobility of the UE <NUM>. For example, based on the information obtained/measured by the sensor(s) <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may notify/report to the LMF <NUM> that the UE <NUM> has detected movements or that the UE <NUM> has moved, and report the relative displacement/distance (e.g., via dead reckoning, or sensor-based location determination, or sensor-assisted location determination enabled by the sensor(s) <NUM>). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensors/IMU can be used to determine the angle and/or orientation of the other device with respect to the UE <NUM>, etc..

The IMU <NUM> may be configured to provide measurements about a direction of motion and/or a speed of motion of the UE <NUM>, which may be used in relative location determination. For example, the one or more accelerometers <NUM> and/or the one or more gyroscopes <NUM> of the IMU <NUM> may detect, respectively, a linear acceleration and a speed of rotation of the UE <NUM>. The linear acceleration and speed of rotation measurements of the UE <NUM> may be integrated over time to determine an instantaneous direction of motion as well as a displacement of the UE <NUM>. The instantaneous direction of motion and the displacement may be integrated to track a location of the UE <NUM>. For example, a reference location of the UE <NUM> may be determined, e.g., using the SPS receiver <NUM> (and/or by some other means) for a moment in time and measurements from the accelerometer(s) <NUM> and gyroscope(s) <NUM> taken after this moment in time may be used in dead reckoning to determine present location of the UE <NUM> based on movement (direction and distance) of the UE <NUM> relative to the reference location.

The magnetometer(s) <NUM> may determine magnetic field strengths in different directions which may be used to determine orientation of the UE <NUM>. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE <NUM>. The magnetometer(s) <NUM> may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Also or alternatively, the magnetometer(s) <NUM> may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) <NUM> may provide means for sensing a magnetic field and providing indications of the magnetic field, e.g., to the processor <NUM>.

The transceiver <NUM> may include a wireless transceiver <NUM> and a wired transceiver <NUM> configured to communicate with other devices through wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> coupled to one or more antennas <NUM> for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and/or one or more sidelink channels) and/or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and/or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals <NUM> and transducing signals from the wireless signals <NUM> to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals <NUM>. Thus, the transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver <NUM> may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with TRPs and/or one or more other devices) according to a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) such as <NUM> New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobiles), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), V2C (Uu), IEEE <NUM> (including IEEE <NUM>. 11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, Zigbee etc. NR systems may be configured to operate on different frequency layers such as FR1 (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>) and FR2 (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>), and may extend into new bands such as sub-<NUM> and/or <NUM> and higher (e.g., FR2x, FR3, FR4). The wired transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM> configured for wired communication, e.g., with the network <NUM> to send communications to, and receive communications from, the gNB 110a, for example. The transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wired transceiver <NUM> may be configured, e.g., for optical communication and/or electrical communication. The transceiver <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface <NUM>, e.g., by optical and/or electrical connection. The transceiver interface <NUM> may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver <NUM>.

The user interface <NUM> may comprise one or more of several devices such as, for example, a speaker, microphone, display device, vibration device, keyboard, touch screen, etc. The user interface <NUM> may include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface <NUM> may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE <NUM>. For example, the user interface <NUM> may store indications of analog and/or digital signals in the memory <NUM> to be processed by DSP <NUM> and/or the general-purpose processor <NUM> in response to action from a user. Similarly, applications hosted on the UE <NUM> may store indications of analog and/or digital signals in the memory <NUM> to present an output signal to a user. The user interface <NUM> may include an audio input/output (I/O) device comprising, for example, a speaker, a microphone, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, an amplifier and/or gain control circuitry (including more than one of any of these devices). Other configurations of an audio I/O device may be used. Also or alternatively, the user interface <NUM> may comprise one or more touch sensors responsive to touching and/or pressure, e.g., on a keyboard and/or touch screen of the user interface <NUM>.

The SPS receiver <NUM> (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals <NUM> via an SPS antenna <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> is configured to transduce the wireless signals <NUM> to wired signals, e.g., electrical or optical signals, and may be integrated with the antenna <NUM>. The SPS receiver <NUM> may be configured to process, in whole or in part, the acquired SPS signals <NUM> for estimating a location of the UE <NUM>. For example, the SPS receiver <NUM> may be configured to determine location of the UE <NUM> by trilateration using the SPS signals <NUM>. The general-purpose processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the DSP <NUM> and/or one or more specialized processors (not shown) may be utilized to process acquired SPS signals, in whole or in part, and/or to calculate an estimated location of the UE <NUM>, in conjunction with the SPS receiver <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signals <NUM> and/or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from the wireless transceiver <NUM>) for use in performing positioning operations. The general-purpose processor <NUM>, the DSP <NUM>, and/or one or more specialized processors, and/or the memory <NUM> may provide or support a location engine for use in processing measurements to estimate a location of the UE <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> may include the camera <NUM> for capturing still or moving imagery. The camera <NUM> may comprise, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device or a CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, frame buffers, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and/or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by the general-purpose processor <NUM> and/or the DSP <NUM>. Also or alternatively, the video processor <NUM> may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and/or manipulation of signals representing captured images. The video processor <NUM> may decode/decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown), e.g., of the user interface <NUM>.

The position (motion) device (PMD) <NUM> may be configured to determine a position and possibly motion of the UE <NUM>. For example, the PMD <NUM> may communicate with, and/or include some or all of, the SPS receiver <NUM>. The PMD <NUM> may also or alternatively be configured to determine location of the UE <NUM> using terrestrial-based signals (e.g., at least some of the signals <NUM>) for trilateration, for assistance with obtaining and using the SPS signals <NUM>, or both. The PMD <NUM> may be configured to use one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's position beacon)) for determining the location of the UE <NUM>, and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and terrestrial positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE <NUM>. The PMD <NUM> may include one or more of the sensors <NUM> (e.g., gyroscope(s), accelerometer(s), magnetometer(s), etc.) that may sense orientation and/or motion of the UE <NUM> and provide indications thereof that the processor <NUM> (e.g., the processor <NUM> and/or the DSP <NUM>) may be configured to use to determine motion (e.g., a velocity vector and/or an acceleration vector) of the UE <NUM>. The PMD <NUM> may be configured to provide indications of uncertainty and/or error in the determined position and/or motion.

Referring also to <FIG>, an example of a TRP <NUM> of the BSs 110a, 110b, <NUM> comprises a computing platform including a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM> including software (SW) <NUM>, a transceiver <NUM>, and (optionally) an SPS receiver <NUM>. The processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the transceiver <NUM>, and the SPS receiver <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus <NUM> (which may be configured, e.g., for optical and/or electrical communication). One or more of the shown apparatus (e.g., a wireless interface and/or the SPS receiver <NUM>) may be omitted from the TRP <NUM>. The SPS receiver <NUM> may be configured similarly to the SPS receiver <NUM> to be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals <NUM> via an SPS antenna <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor <NUM> may comprise multiple processors (e.g., including a general-purpose/ application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and/or a sensor processor as shown in <FIG>). The memory <NUM> is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM)), flash memory, disc memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory <NUM> stores the software <NUM> which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor <NUM> to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor <NUM> but may be configured to cause the processor <NUM>, e.g., when compiled and executed, to perform the functions. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function, but this includes other implementations such as where the processor <NUM> executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors contained in the processor <NUM> performing the function. The description may refer to the TRP <NUM> performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the TRP <NUM> (and thus of one of the BSs 110a, 110b, <NUM>) performing the function. The processor <NUM> may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and/or instead of the memory <NUM>. Functionality of the processor <NUM> is discussed more fully below.

The transceiver <NUM> may include a wireless transceiver <NUM> and a wired transceiver <NUM> configured to communicate with other devices through wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> coupled to one or more antennas <NUM> for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and/or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals <NUM> and transducing signals from the wireless signals <NUM> to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals <NUM>. Thus, the transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver <NUM> may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE <NUM>, one or more other UEs, and/or one or more other devices) according to a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) such as <NUM> New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobiles), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE <NUM> (including IEEE <NUM>. 11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, Zigbee etc. The wired transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM> configured for wired communication, e.g., with the network <NUM> to send communications to, and receive communications from, the LMF <NUM> or other network server, for example. The transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wired transceiver <NUM> may be configured, e.g., for optical communication and/or electrical communication.

The configuration of the TRP <NUM> shown in <FIG> is an example and not limiting of the disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses that the TRP <NUM> is configured to perform or performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the LMF <NUM> and/or the UE <NUM> (i.e., the LMF <NUM> and/or the UE <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

Referring also to <FIG>, an example server, such as the LMF <NUM>, comprises a computing platform including as in the claimed invention, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. The memory may include software (SW) <NUM>. The processor <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and the transceiver <NUM> may be communicatively coupled to each other by a bus <NUM> (which may be configured, e.g., for optical and/or electrical communication). One or more of the shown apparatus (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the server <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor <NUM> may comprise multiple processors (e.g., including a general-purpose/ application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and/or a sensor processor as shown in <FIG>). The memory <NUM> is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM)), flash memory, disc memory, and/or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory <NUM> stores the software <NUM> which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor <NUM> to perform various functions described herein. Alternatively, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor <NUM> but may be configured to cause the processor <NUM>, e.g., when compiled and executed, to perform the functions. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function, but this includes other implementations such as where the processor <NUM> executes software and/or firmware. The description may refer to the processor <NUM> performing a function as shorthand for one or more of the processors contained in the processor <NUM> performing the function. The description may refer to the server <NUM> (or the LMF <NUM>) performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server <NUM> performing the function. The processor <NUM> may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and/or instead of the memory <NUM>. Functionality of the processor <NUM> is discussed more fully below.

The transceiver <NUM> may include a wireless transceiver <NUM> and a wired transceiver <NUM> configured to communicate with other devices through wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> coupled to one or more antennas <NUM> for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and/or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals <NUM> and transducing signals from the wireless signals <NUM> to wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and/or optical) signals to the wireless signals <NUM>. Thus, the transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wireless transceiver <NUM> may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE <NUM>, one or more other UEs, and/or one or more other devices) according to a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) such as <NUM> New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobiles), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE <NUM> (including IEEE <NUM>. 11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, Zigbee etc. The wired transceiver <NUM> may include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM> configured for wired communication, e.g., with the network <NUM> to send communications to, and receive communications from, the TRP <NUM>, for example. The transmitter <NUM> may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components, and/or the receiver <NUM> may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined/integrated components. The wired transceiver <NUM> may be configured, e.g., for optical communication and/or electrical communication.

The configuration of the server <NUM> shown in <FIG> is an example and not limiting of the disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver <NUM> may be omitted. Also or alternatively, the description herein discusses that the server <NUM> is configured to perform or performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the TRP <NUM> and/or the UE <NUM> (i.e., the TRP <NUM> and/or the UE <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

Referring to <FIG>, example downlink PRS resource sets are shown. In general, a PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across one base station (e.g., TRP <NUM>) which have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration and the same repetition factor across slots. A first PRS resource set <NUM> includes <NUM> resources and a repetition factor of <NUM>, with a time-gap equal to <NUM> slot. A second PRS resource set <NUM> includes <NUM> resources and a repetition factor of <NUM> with a time-gap equal to <NUM> slots. The repetition factor indicates the number of times each PRS resource is repeated in each single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>). The time-gap represents the offset in units of slots between two repeated instances of a PRS resource corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>). The time duration spanned by one PRS resource set containing repeated PRS resources does not exceed PRS-periodicity. The repetition of a PRS resource enables receiver beam sweeping across repetitions and combining RF gains to increase coverage. The repetition may also enable intra-instance muting.

Referring to <FIG>, example subframe and slot formats for positioning reference signal transmissions are shown. The example subframe and slot formats are included in the PRS resource sets depicted in <FIG>. The subframes and slot formats in <FIG> are examples and not limitations and include a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>, and a comb-<NUM> with <NUM> symbols format <NUM>. In general, a subframe may include <NUM> symbol periods with indices <NUM> to <NUM>. The subframe and slot formats may be used for a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). Typically, a base station may transmit the PRS from antenna port <NUM> on one or more slots in each subframe configured for PRS transmission. The base station may avoid transmitting the PRS on resource elements allocated to the PBCH, a primary synchronization signal (PSS), or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) regardless of their antenna ports. The cell may generate reference symbols for the PRS based on a cell ID, a symbol period index, and a slot index. Generally, a UE may be able to distinguish the PRS from different cells.

A base station may transmit the PRS over a particular PRS bandwidth, which may be configured by higher layers. The base station may transmit the PRS on subcarriers spaced apart across the PRS bandwidth. The base station may also transmit the PRS based on the parameters such as PRS periodicity TPRS, subframe offset PRS, and PRS duration NPRS. PRS periodicity is the periodicity at which the PRS is transmitted. The PRS periodicity may be, for example, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>. Subframe offset indicates specific subframes in which the PRS is transmitted. And PRS duration indicates the number of consecutive subframes in which the PRS is transmitted in each period of PRS transmission (PRS occasion). The PRS duration may be, for example, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>.

The PRS periodicity TPRS and the subframe offset PRS may be conveyed via a PRS configuration index IPRS. The PRS configuration index and the PRS duration may be configured independently by higher layers. A set of NPRS consecutive subframes in which the PRS is transmitted may be referred to as a PRS occasion. Each PRS occasion may be enabled or muted, for example, the UE may apply a muting bit to each cell. A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a base station which have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across slots (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> slots).

In general, the PRS resources depicted in <FIG> may be a collection of resource elements that are used for transmission of PRS. The collection of resource elements can span multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain and N (e.g., <NUM> or more) consecutive symbol(s) within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. A PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size-N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, starting slot and starting symbol, number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). Currently, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers in each symbol carrying PRS. For example, a comb-size of comb-<NUM> means that every fourth subcarrier of a given symbol carries PRS.

A PRS resource set is a set of PRS resources used for the transmission of PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmission-reception point (e.g., a TRP <NUM>). Each of the PRS resources in the PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern, and the same repetition factor across slots. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and may be associated with a particular TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by an antenna panel of a base station. A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set may be associated with an omnidirectional signal, and/or with a single beam (and/or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station may transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource of a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam and as such, a PRS resource, or simply resource can also be referred to as a beam. Note that this does not have any implications on whether the base stations and the beams on which PRS are transmitted are known to the UE.

Referring to <FIG>, a conceptual diagram of an example frequency layer <NUM> is shown. In an example, the frequency layer <NUM> also referred to as a positioning frequency layer, may be a collection of PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs. The positioning frequency layer may have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same point-A, the same value of DL PRS Bandwidth, the same start PRB, and the same value of comb-size. The numerologies supported for PDSCH may be supported for PRS. Each of the PRS resource sets in the frequency layer <NUM> is a collection of PRS resources across one TRP which have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across slots.

Note that the terms positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to, PRS signals, navigation reference signals (NRS) in <NUM>, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc..

The ability of a UE to process PRS signals may vary based on the capabilities of the UE. In general, however, industry standards may be developed to establish a common PRS capability for UEs in a network. For example, an industry standard may require that a duration of DL PRS symbol in units of milliseconds (ms) a UE can process every T ms assuming a maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz, which is supported and reported by UE. As examples, and not limitations, the maximum DL PRS bandwidth for the FR1 bands may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and for the FR2 bands may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. The standards may also indicate a DL PRS buffering capability as a Type <NUM> (i.e., sub-slot/symbol level buffering), or a Type <NUM> (i.e., slot level buffering). The common UE capabilities may indicate a duration of DL PRS symbols N in units of ms a UE can process every T ms assuming maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz, which is supported and reported by a UE. Example T values may include <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and example N values may include <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. A UE may be configured to report a combination of (N, T) values per band, where N is a duration of DL PRS symbols in ms processed every T ms for a given maximum bandwidth (B) in MHz supported by a UE. In general, a UE may not be expected to support a DL PRS bandwidth that exceeds the reported DL PRS bandwidth value. The UE DL PRS processing capability may be defined for a single positioning frequency layer <NUM>. The UE DL PRS processing capability may be agnostic to DL PRS comb factor configurations such as depicted in <FIG>. The UE processing capability may indicate a maximum number of DL PRS resources that a UE can process in a slot under it. For example, the maximum number for FR1 bands may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for each SCS: <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and the maximum number for the FR2 bands may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for each SCS: <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, a conceptual diagram <NUM> of example downlink and uplink beam pairings is shown. The diagram <NUM> includes a base station <NUM>, such as a <NUM> NR gNB configured to transmit a plurality of beamformed signals along different azimuths and/or elevations, and a UE <NUM> configured to utilize receive beamforming to improve the gain of signals based on the angle of arrival. The base station <NUM> may be configured to generate N different reference beams and various azimuths, elevations, and/or beam widths. In an example the beams transmitted by the base station <NUM> may be based on SS Blocks, CSI-RS, TRS, or PRS resource sets. Other sensing and tracking reference signals may also be used. The UE <NUM> may be configured to utilize phase shifters and other software and hardware techniques to generate receive beams such as a first receive beam <NUM>, a second receive beam <NUM>, and a third receive beam <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may also be configured to utilize beam forming for transmitted beams. The base station <NUM> may transmit a first reference signal <NUM> in the direction of a target object, such as the building <NUM>, which may be reflected and the UE <NUM> may receive a reflected signal <NUM> with the first receive beam <NUM>. The reflected signal <NUM> represents a NLOS path of the first reference signal <NUM> to the UE <NUM>. The base station <NUM> also transmits a second reference signal <NUM> on a second beam. The UE <NUM> receives the second reference signal <NUM> with the second receive beam <NUM>. The second reference signal <NUM> is a LOS path to the UE <NUM>. While the LOS path is preferred for some positioning applications, some positioning applications may use NLOS paths based on the location of known reflectors such as the building <NUM>.

In operation, the UE <NUM> may be configured to report the channel responses for each of the first and second reference signals <NUM>, <NUM> to the base station <NUM> or another serving cell, and the base station <NUM> may be configured to manage the transmit beam and receive beam pairs for positioning methods. For example, the base station <NUM> may be configured to determine that the beam pair including the second reference signal <NUM> and the second receive beam <NUM> are a LOS path (e.g., based on fastest time of flight measurement) and then use the beam pair for ToA, RTT, RSTD, AoA, AoD or other ranging techniques. The beam identification information associated with the beam pairs may be a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) sent in a DCI message which includes configurations such as QCL relationships between the transmit and receive beams.

In an example, the latency associated with determining the LOS beam pairs between multiple base stations and the UE <NUM> may increase because each base station may iterate through their respective DL beam transmissions as the UE <NUM> iterates through different receive beams. The UL assisted techniques provided herein may be used to reduce this latency and messaging overhead.

Referring to <FIG>, a conceptual diagram <NUM> of example uplink positioning reference signals is shown. The diagram <NUM> includes a UE <NUM>, which may include some or all of the components of the UE <NUM> which may be an example of the UE <NUM> and is configured to transmit a plurality of beamformed signals, such as UL PRS, along different azimuths and/or elevations. A plurality of base stations, such as a <NUM> NR gNB, including a first base station <NUM>, a second base station <NUM>, a third base station <NUM>, and a fourth base station <NUM> are configured to utilize receive beamforming to determine the gain of received signals as well as the angle of arrival (AoA) of the signals. The base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may include some or all of the components of the TRP <NUM>, which may be an example of one, some or all of the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. In operation, the UE <NUM> may transmit a first UL PRS <NUM> in a first beam 905a (i.e., a first PRS resource), second UL PRS <NUM> in a second beam 905b (i.e., a second PRS resource), and a third UL PRS <NUM> in a third beam 905c (i.e., a third PRS resource). The first base station <NUM> may determine a first AoA of the first UL PRS <NUM> based on a first receive beam 902a, and the second base station <NUM> may determine a second AoA of the first UL PRS <NUM> based on a second receive beam 904a. That is, both the first and second base stations <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the first UL PRS <NUM>. The third base station <NUM> may determine an AoA of the second UL PRS <NUM> based on a receive beam 906a. The fourth base station <NUM> may determine an AoA of the third UL PRS <NUM> based on a receive beam 908a. The UE <NUM> may be configured to transmit the UL PRS with or without repetitions and may use the same or different transmit beams. In an example, the UE <NUM> may be configured to provide assistance data including the beam and PRS configuration information to a network server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) and/or the base stations. Each of the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may report the respective AoA, timing and signal strength measurements to a network server, such as the LMF <NUM> (not shown in <FIG>). The network server may be configured to provide DL PRS configuration information to the UE <NUM> and the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> based at least in part on the received UL PRS AoA, timing and signal strength information. For example, the LMF <NUM> may utilize network protocols such as NRPPa and LPP to provide the DL PRS configuration information to the gNBs and UEs, respectively. The DL PRS configuration information may be configured to assign the beam pairs between the UE <NUM> and the respective base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for the DL PRS transmissions. For example, beam 902a on the first base station <NUM> and beam 905a on the UE <NUM> are an example beam pair, beam 904a on the second base station <NUM> and beam 905a on the UE <NUM> are an example beam pair, beam 906a on the third base station <NUM> and beam 905b on the UE <NUM> are an example beam pair, and beam 908a on the fourth base station <NUM> and beam 905c on the UE <NUM> are an example beam pair.

In an embodiment, the UL PRS <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and the subsequent DL PRS may be within the same, or in different frequency bands. If in the same frequency band, a QCL or spatial relationship may be defined directly between receive beams with UL PRS and a transmit beam with DL-PRS at the base station side. In an example, the receive beam with DL PRS may be QCLed with the a transmit beam with UL PRS at the UE side. In general, if the UL PRS and the DL PRS will be in different bands, the UL PRS may utilize a lower band than the DL PRS. Utilizing a lower band for the UL PRS may provide advantages in that the pathloss for the lower frequency may be less than at higher frequencies, and thus the UL PRS may enable improved signal to noise ratios (SINR). The angle estimation may be improved with more digital beamforming as compared to analog beamforming. Using different bands may eliminate reciprocal DL/UL channels. The AoA measurements obtained in the lower band may provide insight for the DL PRS beam in the higher band. A base station may be configured to recommend the use of a higher band DL PRS to the network server.

Referring to <FIG>, an example message flow <NUM> for uplink assisted positioning reference signal beam management is shown. The message flow <NUM> may be based on the communication system <NUM> and includes a UE <NUM>, a first base station <NUM>, a second base station <NUM>, and a third base station <NUM>. The UE <NUM> and base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to communicate with a network server such as a LMF <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may include some of the components of the UE <NUM>, and the UE <NUM> may be an example of the UE <NUM>. The base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may include some of the components of the TRP <NUM>, and the TRP <NUM> may be an example of a base station. The LMF <NUM> may include components of the network server <NUM> such as the LMF <NUM>. In general, the message flow <NUM> may be used to enable uplink assisted positioning reference signal beam management. The message flow <NUM> is an example, and not a limitation as variations on messages, information elements, and action sequences may be used to provide uplink assistance reference signal beam management.

In operation, in an example, the UE <NUM> may be configured to provide one or more optional assistance data messages <NUM> configured to include UL PRS beam information to the network (e.g., via a serving cell). The one or more assistance data messages <NUM> may utilize wireless protocols such as LPP, RRC, or other signaling methods. The UL PRS may be considered a type of SRS and may be transmitted with different transmit beams. The beam information in the assistance data messages <NUM> may be used to describe UE transmitted beam parameters such as boresight angle, beamwidth, beam shape, E-field, and other beam parameters to define transmissions from the UE. The boresight angle may be based on true or magnetic heading information provided by the IMU <NUM> (e.g., magnetometers <NUM> and/or the gyroscope <NUM>). In an example, the UE beam information may be included in general assistance data or embedded into assistance data for the UL PRS. For example, the beam information may be included in network data, such as the SRS-SpatialRelationInfoPos object.

At stage <NUM>, the UE <NUM> is configured to transmit one or more UL PRS signals. The UL PRS may be transmitted with our without repetitions and with the same or different transmit beams. The UL PRS beams may conform to the beam information in the assistance data. The base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to measure the UL PRS and determine AoA, timing and signal strength information. At stage <NUM>, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to report their respective UL PRS measurement information to the LMF <NUM>, or another network entity. In an example, the UL PRS measurement information may be provided via network protocols such as NRPPa messaging.

At stage <NUM>, the LMF <NUM> may configure the DL PRS based on the UL PRS measurement information provided by the base stations. In an example, the LMF <NUM> may be configured to perform an outlier procedure on the UL PRS measurement information to remove or reduce the significance of incompatible receive beam options of certain base stations. The LMF <NUM> may be configured to schedule or reschedule DL PRS based on the received measurement information. For example, multiple DL PRS may be transmitted from the same gNB with different TRPs. The LMF <NUM> may be configured to perform other optimizations such as selection TDM/FDM patterns for the DL PRS, assign or reassign a reference cell, etc. The DL PRS may utilize a different frequency layer than the UL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM>. In an example, the LMF <NUM> may be configured to utilize the beam information provided in the assistance data messages <NUM> to schedule the DL PRS. For example, the beam information may be used for outlier rejection and scheduling. At stage <NUM>, the LMF <NUM> may provide DL PRS configuration information to the network stations via NRPP/NRPPa and LPP/LPPa messages. The network stations may be wireless nodes such as base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and the UE <NUM>. As examples, and not limitations, the LMF <NUM> may provide DL PRS assistance data (e.g., NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceDataPerTRP) which may include information elements configured to modify the DL PRS resources such as the PRS repetition factor, the DL PRS resource time gap, the muting options (e.g., muting pattern(s)), the DL PRS comb size, and the DL PRS QCL information. The DL PRS assistance data may include additional information, such as station location and beam AoD information, to enable a UE to perform positioning calculations based on the assistance data and measurements of the DL PRS transmissions.

At stage <NUM>, the LMF <NUM> may be configured to initialize the DL PRS procedure based on the configuration determined at stage <NUM>. In an example, the DL PRS procedure may be initialized based on an on-demand PRS request received by a station from the UE <NUM>. At stage <NUM>, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> are configured to transmit the scheduled DL PRS and the UE <NUM> may obtain measurements such as ToA, RSTD, AoA, etc. based on the DL PRS. The DL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM> may be in a different frequency band than the UL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM>. At stage <NUM>, in a UE based positioning approach, the UE <NUM> may be configured to perform positioning computations based on the measurements and other assistance data. For example, the UE <NUM> may determine a range to a station based on the ToA (e.g., Distance = time * speed of light). Multilateration may be used to determine the location of the UE <NUM> based on ranges to multiple stations. In an example, the UE <NUM> may be configured to provide the measurement values obtained at stage <NUM> to a network server, such as the LMF <NUM>, and the network server may be configured to compute the location of the UE <NUM>. One or more location / measurement messages <NUM> may be provided to the LMF <NUM> and configured to include location and/or DL PRS measurement information.

Referring to <FIG>, example bandwidth comparisons for uplink and downlink positioning reference signals are shown. The bandwidth comparisons are conceptual examples and not limitations. In general, a UE may have reduced power and beam forming capabilities as compared to a base station. The power limitation may also include using a reduce bandwidth for the UL PRS transmissions. <FIG> depicts a first example where the UL and DL PRS utilize the same frequency band, and a UL PRS bandwidth <NUM> and a first DL PRS bandwidth <NUM> are the same. <FIG> depicts a second example where the UL and DL PRS utilize the same frequency band, but a second DL PRS bandwidth <NUM> is larger than the UL PRS bandwidth <NUM>. <FIG> depicts a third example where the UL and DL PRS utilize different frequency bands and a third DL PRS bandwidth <NUM> is larger than the UL PRS bandwidth <NUM>. For example, the second frequency band (Band <NUM>) may be at a higher frequency than the first frequency band (Band <NUM>) and the DL PRS resources may occupy a significantly larger bandwidth. The relatively smaller UL PRS bandwidth is sufficient for the receiving base stations to determine the AoA of the UL PRS. The smaller bandwidth of the UL PRS may provide advantages such as improved power management, and improved SNR (i.e., the transmit power is distributed over a smaller bandwidth).

Referring to <FIG>, with further reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> performed at a user equipment for uplink assisted positioning reference signal beam management includes the stages shown. The method <NUM> may be altered, e.g., by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, performed concurrently, and/or having single stages split into multiple stages. For example, transmitting assistance data at stage <NUM> and determining a location at stage <NUM> are optional, or may be combined with other stages.

At stage <NUM>, the method optionally includes transmitting assistance data including uplink positioning reference signal beam information. A UE <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and transceiver <NUM>, is a means for transmitting assistance data. In an embodiment, a UE such as the UE <NUM> may be configured to provide one or more optional assistance data messages <NUM> configured to include UL PRS beam information to a base station (e.g., gNB) and/or a network server (e.g., LMF). The one or more assistance data messages <NUM> may utilize wireless protocols such as LPP, RRC, or other signaling methods. The beam information may be used to describe UE transmitted beam parameters such as boresight angle, beamwidth, beam shape, E-field, and other beam parameters to define transmissions from the UE. In operation, a network server may utilize the UL PRS beam information for providing DL PRS. For example, the UL PRS beam information may be used for outlier rejection and DL PRS scheduling.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes transmitting one or more uplink positioning reference signals. The UE <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and transceiver <NUM>, is a means for transmitting UL PRS. In an embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the UE <NUM> may transmit a first UL PRS <NUM> in a first beam 905a, a second UL PRS <NUM> in a second beam 905b, and a third UL PRS <NUM> in a third beam 905c. In an example, the bandwidth of the UL PRS may be reduced to improve the power spectral density (PSD) of the UL PRS. The first base station <NUM> and the second base station <NUM> may determine respective AoAs of the first UL PRS <NUM>. The third base station <NUM> may determine an AoA of the second UL PRS <NUM>, and the fourth base station <NUM> may determine an AoA of the third UL PRS <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may be configured to transmit the UL PRS with or without repetitions and may use the same or different transmit beams. The UL PRS may be provided periodically or via a semi-persistent methodology. In an example, the UL PRS may be triggered by a network entity, such as the gNB, via signaling methods such as Downlink Control Information (DCI) and Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) messages.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes receiving downlink positioning reference signal configuration information associated at least in part with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals. The UE <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving the DL PRS configuration information. In operation, a network server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) may be configured to provide DL PRS configuration information to the UE based at least in part on UL PRS AoA, timing and signal strength information associated with the UL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM> and reported by one or more base stations. In an example, the LMF <NUM> may utilize network protocols such as LPPa to provide the DL PRS configuration information to the UE <NUM>. In general, the DL PRS configuration information may assign the beam pairs between the UE <NUM> and the respective base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for the DL PRS transmissions. The LMF <NUM> may provide DL PRS configuration information to the network stations, such as the base stations and UE, via NRPP/NRPPa and LPP/LPPa assistance data messages. For example, DL PRS assistance data (e.g., NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceDataPerTRP) which may include information elements configured to modify the DL PRS resources such as the PRS repetition factor, the DL PRS resource time gap, the muting options, the DL PRS comb size, and the DL PRS QCL information based at least in part on the measurements of the UL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM>. The DL PRS assistance data may include additional beam and positioning information.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes measuring one or more downlink positioning reference signals based at least in part on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information. The UE <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and transceiver <NUM>, is a means for measuring the DL PRS. In an embodiment the DL PRS may be within the same or different frequency bands as the UL PRS transmitted at stage <NUM>. If in the same frequency band, a QCL or spatial relationship may be defined directly between received beams with UL PRS and a transmit beam with DL-PRS at the base station side. In an example, the receive beam with DL PRS may be QCLed with the a transmit beam with UL PRS at the UE side. Base stations in the communication network, such as the base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>, are configured to transmit the DL PRS based on the DL PRS configuration information, and the UE may obtain measurements such as ToA, RSRP, RSTD, AoA, etc. based on the transmitted DL PRS. In an embodiment, the UE may provide the measurement values to the LMF <NUM>, or another network entity, and the LMF <NUM> may be configured to determine a location of the UE based on the measurements and locations of the base stations (e.g., multilateration). Other measurements, such as RSSI, E-CID and AoA and AoD (from the base stations) may also be used to determine the location of the UE.

At stage <NUM>, the method optionally includes determining a location based at least in part on measurement values associated with one or more downlink positioning reference signals. The UE <NUM>, including the processor <NUM>, and a server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM>, are means for determining the location of the UE. In an example, the UE <NUM> may be configured to receive positioning assistance data including station location information and the UE <NUM> may be configured to compute a location based on the measurements obtained at stage <NUM>. The UE <NUM> may report the computed location to a network server such as the LMF <NUM>. In an example, the UE <NUM> may report the measurements obtained to a network server and the network server may be configure to compute a location of the UE.

Referring to <FIG>, with further reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> performed at a base station for uplink assisted positioning reference signal beam management includes the stages shown. The method <NUM> is, however, an example and not limiting. The method <NUM> may be altered, e.g., by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, performed concurrently, and/or having single stages split into multiple stages. For example, receiving assistance data at stage <NUM> is optional, or may be combined with other stages, and stage <NUM> is optional as.

At stage <NUM>, the method optionally includes receiving assistance data including uplink positioning reference signal beam information from a user equipment. The TRP <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving assistance data. In an embodiment, a UE may be configured to provide one or more optional assistance data messages configured to include UL PRS beam information to the base station (e.g., gNB) and/or a network server (e.g., LMF). The one or more assistance data messages may utilize wireless protocols such as LPP, RRC, or other signaling methods. The beam information may be used to describe UE transmitted beam parameters such as boresight angle, beamwidth, beam shape, E-field, and other beam parameters to define transmissions from the UE. In operation, a network server may utilize the UL PRS beam information for providing DL PRS. For example, the UL PRS beam information may be used for outlier rejection and DL PRS scheduling.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes receiving one or more uplink positioning reference signals transmitted from the user equipment. The TRP <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving the UL PRS. The UE is configured to transmit one or more UL PRS signals. The UL PRS may be transmitted with our without repetitions and with the same or different transmit beams. In an embodiment, the UL PRS beams may conform to the beam information in the assistance data. A base station is configured to measure the UL PRS and determine AoA, timing and signal strength information for each received UL PRS. In an example, the base station may be configured to send one or more signals (e.g., DCI, MAC-CE) configured to trigger the UE to transmit one or more UL PRS.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes providing one or more measurement values associated with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals to a network server. The TRP <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for providing the measurement values. The base station is configure to report the UL PRS measurement information such as the AoA, timing and signal strength information to the network entity, such as the LMF <NUM>. In an example, the UL PRS measurement information may be provided via network protocols such as NRPPa messaging.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes receiving downlink positioning reference signal configuration information from the network server, the configuration information being based at least in part on the one or more measurement values. The TRP <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving the DL PRS configuration information. In an embodiment, the network server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) is configured to schedule DL PRS based on the UL PRS measurement information provided by the base stations at stage <NUM>. The network server may be configured to schedule or reschedule DL PRS based on the received measurement information and the corresponding beam pairs. For example, multiple DL PRS may be transmitted from the same gNB with different TRPs. The network server may be configured to select TDM/FDM patterns for the DL PRS, assign or reassign a reference cell, etc. The DL PRS may utilize a different frequency layer than the UL PRS received at stage <NUM>. The network server may provide DL PRS configuration information to the base stations via NRPP/NRPPa messages, or via other network communication protocols. The network server may provide the DL PRS configuration information to a UE via LPP/LPPa, or other network communication protocols (e.g., RRC). As examples, and not limitations, the network server may provide DL PRS assistance data (e.g., NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceDataPerTRP) which may include information elements configured to modify the DL PRS resources such as the PRS repetition factor, the DL PRS resource time gap, the muting options, the DL PRS comb size, and the DL PRS QCL information.

In an embodiment, the LMF <NUM> may provide the DL PRS configuration information to a specific UE and one or more gNBs may transmit DL PRS based on previous DL PRS configuration information. For example, in a periodic DL PRS scheme, a gNB may broadcast <NUM> DL PRS with four beams. The LMF <NUM> may not change the DL PRS configuration on the gNB because the previous DL PRS configurations may be useful to other UEs in the coverage area of the gNB. The LMF <NUM> may configure the DL PRS at the UE side and indicate which receive beams the UE should use.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes transmitting one or more downlink positioning reference signals based on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information. The TRP <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for transmitting one or more DL PRS. In general, the base station is configured to transmit the scheduled DL PRS based on the configuration information received at stage <NUM>, and one or more UEs may obtain measurements such as ToA, RSTD, AoA, etc. based on the DL PRS. In an embodiment, the base station may be configured to provide assistance data including station location information to enable the receiving UEs to perform positioning computations locally.

Referring to <FIG>, with further reference to <FIG>, a method <NUM> performed at a network server for uplink assisted positioning reference signal beam management includes the stages shown. The method <NUM> may be altered, e.g., by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, performed concurrently, and/or having single stages split into multiple stages. For example, receiving assistance data at stage <NUM> and performing outlier rejection at stage <NUM> are optional, or may be combined with other stages.

At stage <NUM>, the method optionally includes receiving assistance data including uplink positioning reference signal beam information from a user equipment. A server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving assistance data. In an embodiment, a UE may be configured to provide one or more optional assistance data messages configured to include UL PRS beam information to a wireless node such as a base station (e.g., gNB) and/or a network server. The one or more assistance data messages may utilize wireless protocols such as LPP, RRC, or other signaling methods. The beam information may be used to describe UE transmitted beam parameters such as boresight angle, beamwidth, beam shape, E-field, and other beam parameters to define transmissions from the UE. In operation, the network server (e.g., LMF <NUM>) may utilize the UL PRS beam information for providing DL PRS. For example, the UL PRS beam information may be used for outlier rejection and DL PRS scheduling.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes receiving one or more uplink positioning reference signals measurement values associated with the user equipment from a one or more wireless nodes. transmitted from the user equipment. The server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for receiving the UL PRS measurement values. A UE is configured to transmit one or more UL PRS signals which are received and measured by the one or more wireless nodes. A wireless node may be a base station such as the gNBs 110a-b, ng-eNB <NUM>, or other wireless stations such as the UE <NUM>. In an example a UE may be configured to perform as a base station (e.g., in a sidelink based network). The UL PRS may be transmitted with our without repetitions and with the same or different transmit beams. In an embodiment, the UL PRS beams may conform to the beam information in the assistance data. Each of the one or more wireless nodes are configured to measure the UL PRS and determine AoA, timing and signal strength values for each received UL PRS, and then report the UL PRS measurement value information the network server. In an example, the UL PRS measurement values may be provided via network protocols such as NRPPa messaging.

At stage <NUM>, the method may optionally include performing an outlier rejection process on the one or more uplink positioning measurement values. The server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the memory <NUM>, is a means for performing an outlier rejection process. In an example, the network server may be configured to combine all of the UL PRS measurement values received from the one or more wireless nodes and exclude or diminish (e.g., assign a lower weight) to the measurement values that outside one or two standard deviations of the data set. For example, timing synchronization errors, obstructed signals or multipath errors may cause the measurement values associated with a UL PRS to be outside of an expected distribution. The state of the transmitting UE may also impact the viability of UL PRS or the ability to receive one or more DL PRS. For example, if the mobile device is in use (e.g., near a user's body) certain antennas or power settings may be altered to reduce the potential of radiation to the user. The network server may be configured to remove DL PRS associated with the outliers from the DL PRS configuration.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes determining a downlink positioning reference signal configuration based at least in part on the one or more uplink positioning reference signal measurement values. The server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the memory <NUM>, is a means for determining the DL PRS configuration. In an embodiment, the network server (e.g., the LMF <NUM>) is configured to schedule DL PRS based on the UL PRS measurement information, including the beam pair information, received from the one or more wireless nodes at stage <NUM>. The network server may be configured to schedule or reschedule DL PRS based on the received measurement information. For example, multiple DL PRS may be transmitted from the same gNB with different TRPs. The network server may be configured to select TDM/FDM patterns for the DL PRS, assign or reassign a reference cell, etc. The DL PRS may utilize a different frequency layer than the UL PRS reported by the wireless node at stage <NUM>. In an example, the DL PRS configuration may include at least one of a repetition factor, a resource time gap, a muting pattern, a comb size, or quasi co-location (QCL) information.

At stage <NUM>, the method includes providing the downlink positioning reference signal configuration to the one or more wireless nodes. The server <NUM>, including the processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM>, is a means for providing the DL PRS configuration. In an example, the network server may provide the DL PRS configuration to the wireless nodes via NRPP/NRPPa messages, or via other network communication protocols. In an embodiment the DL PRS configuration may include DL PRS assistance data (e.g., NR-DL-PRS-AssistanceDataPerTRP) which may include information elements configured to modify the DL PRS resources such as the PRS repetition factor, the DL PRS resource time gap, the muting options, the DL PRS comb size, and the DL PRS QCL information.

For example, due to the nature of software and computers, functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or a combination of any of these. For example, one or more functions, or one or more portions thereof, discussed above as occurring in the LMF <NUM> may be performed outside of the LMF <NUM> such as by the TRP <NUM>.

As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, "a processor" may include one processor or multiple processors. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Also, as used herein, "or" as used in a list of items prefaced by "at least one of" or prefaced by "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C," or a list of "one or more 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), or combinations with more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware might also be used, and/or particular elements might be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.) executed by a processor, or both.

The systems and devices discussed above are examples. For instance, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations.

A wireless communication system is one in which communications are conveyed wirelessly, i.e., by electromagnetic and/or acoustic waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than through a wire or other physical connection. A wireless communication network may not have all communications transmitted wirelessly, but is configured to have at least some communications transmitted wirelessly. Further, the term "wireless communication device," or similar term, does not require that the functionality of the device is exclusively, or evenly primarily, for communication, or that the device be a mobile device, but indicates that the device includes wireless communication capability (one-way or two-way), e.g., includes at least one radio (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description provides example configurations, and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of the configurations provides a description for implementing described techniques. Various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

The terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium," as used herein, refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific fashion. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media might be involved in providing instructions/code to processor(s) for execution and/or might be used to store and/or carry such instructions/code (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, a processor-readable medium is a physical and/or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical and/or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, without limitation, dynamic memory.

Claim 1:
A method, performed at a user equipment, UE, of measuring downlink positioning reference signals, comprising:
transmitting (<NUM>) one or more uplink positioning reference signals;
receiving (<NUM>) downlink positioning reference signal configuration information, the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information based at least in part on one or more uplink positioning reference signal measurement values associated with the one or more uplink positioning reference signals, associated with the UE and
measuring (<NUM>) one or more downlink positioning reference signals based at least in part on the downlink positioning reference signal configuration information.