Patent Description:
Wireless communication systems have developed through various generations, including a first-generation analog wireless phone service (<NUM>), a second-generation (<NUM>) digital wireless phone service (including interim <NUM> and <NUM> networks), a third-generation (<NUM>) high speed data, Internet-capable wireless service and a fourth-generation (<NUM>) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are presently many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM) variation of TDMA, etc..

A fifth generation (<NUM>) mobile standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data transfer speeds, greater numbers of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. The <NUM> standard, according to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, is designed to provide data rates of several tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with <NUM> gigabit per second to tens of workers on an office floor. Several hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported in order to support large sensor deployments. Consequently, the spectral efficiency of <NUM> mobile communications should be significantly enhanced compared to the current <NUM> standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiencies should be enhanced and latency should be substantially reduced compared to current standards.

Some wireless communication networks, such as <NUM>, support operation at very high and even extremely-high frequency (EHF) bands, such as millimeter wave (mmW) frequency bands (generally, wavelengths of <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>). These extremely high frequencies may support very high throughput such as up to six gigabits per second (Gbps).

To support position estimations in terrestrial wireless networks, a mobile device can be configured to measure and report the observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) or reference signal timing difference (RSTD) between reference RF signals received from two or more network nodes (e.g., different base stations or different transmission points (e.g., antennas) belonging to the same base station). The mobile device can also be configured to report the time of arrival (ToA) of RF signals.

With OTDOA, when the mobile device reports the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between RF signals from two network nodes, the location of the mobile device is then known to lie on a hyperbola with the locations of the two network nodes as the foci. Measuring TDOAs between multiple pairs of network nodes allows for solving for the mobile device's position as intersections of the hyperbolas.

Round trip time (RTT) is another technique for determining a position of a mobile device. RTT is a two-way messaging technique (network node to mobile device and mobile device to network node), with both the mobile device and the network node reporting their receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time differences to a positioning entity, such as a location server or location management function (LMF), that computes the mobile device's position. This allows for computing the back-and-forth flight time between the mobile device and the network node. The location of the mobile device is then known to lie on a circle with a center at the network node's position. Reporting RTTs with multiple network nodes allows the positioning entity to solve for the mobile device's position as the intersections of the circles.

Attention is drawn to a paper by <NPL>
Attention is further drawn to a paper by <NPL>.

The present invention is set forth in the independent claims.

This summary identifies features of some example aspects, and is not an exclusive or exhaustive description of the disclosed subject matter. Whether features or aspects are included in, or omitted from this summary is not intended as indicative of relative importance of such features. Additional features and aspects are described, and will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description and viewing the drawings that form a part thereof.

In accordance with the various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes, a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method including: receiving a plurality of downlink reference signals (DL RSs) from a plurality of TRPs; transmitting a corresponding plurality of uplink reference signals (UL RSs) to the plurality of TRPs; determining one or more numerology factors for the plurality of TRPs; generating a measurement report for the plurality of TRPs based on the numerology factors; and transmitting the measurement report to a network entity, where the measurement report includes a receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference for at least two of the TRPs.

In accordance with the various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes, a user equipment (UE) including: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, where the transceiver, the memory in combination with the processor are configured to: receive a plurality of downlink reference signals (DL RSs) from a plurality of TRPs; transmit a corresponding plurality of uplink reference signals (UL RSs) to the plurality of TRPs; determine one or more numerology factors for the plurality of TRPs; generate a measurement report for the plurality of TRPs based on the numerology factors; and transmit the measurement report to a network entity, where the measurement report includes a receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference for at least two of the TRPs.

In accordance with the various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes, a method performed by a network entity, the method including: receiving, from a user equipment (UE) a measurement report of a plurality of TRPs; and determining a position of the UE based on the measurement report, and/or forwarding the measurement report to a location server, where the measurement report includes a receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference for at least two of the TRPs, and where the Rx-Tx time difference for each TRP is determined based on numerology factors of communications between the plurality of TRPs and the UE.

In accordance with the various aspects disclosed herein, at least one aspect includes, a network entity including: a communication device; and a processor coupled to the memory and the communication device, where the communication device, the memory in combination with the processor are configured to: receive, from a user equipment (UE) a measurement report of a plurality of TRPs; and determine a position of the UE based on the measurement report, and/or forwarding the measurement report to a location server, where the measurement report includes a receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference for at least two of the TRPs, and where the Rx-Tx time difference for each TRP is determined based on numerology factors of communications between the plurality of TRPs and the UE.

The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of examples of one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter and are provided solely for illustration of the examples and not limitation thereof:.

As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE may be any device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE may be mobile or may (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be referred to interchangeably as an "access terminal" or "AT," a "client device," a "wireless device," a "subscriber device," a "subscriber terminal," a "subscriber station," a "user terminal" or UT, a "mobile terminal," a "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected with external networks such as the Internet and with other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and/or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE <NUM>, etc.) and so on.

A base station may operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. In addition, in some systems a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions while in other systems it may provide additional control and/or network management functions. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either an UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be an array of antennas (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signals the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station are to be understood as referring to a particular TRP of the base station.

An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transports information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates an exemplary wireless communications system <NUM>. The wireless communications system <NUM> (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations <NUM> and various UEs <NUM>. The base stations <NUM> may include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and/or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station may include eNBs where the wireless communications system <NUM> corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communications system <NUM> corresponds to a NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc..

The base stations <NUM> may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network <NUM> (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or next generation core (NGC)) through backhaul links <NUM>, and through the core network <NUM> to one or more location servers <NUM>. In addition to other functions, the base stations <NUM> may perform functions that relate to one or more of transferring user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations <NUM> may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / NGC) over backhaul links <NUM>, which may be wired or wireless.

In an aspect, one or more cells may be supported by a base station <NUM> in each coverage area <NUM>. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communication with a base station (e.g., over some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, band, or the like), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) for distinguishing cells operating via the same or a different carrier frequency. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine-type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector), insofar as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of geographic coverage areas <NUM>.

While neighboring macro cell base station <NUM> geographic coverage areas <NUM> may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some of the geographic coverage areas <NUM> may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area <NUM>. For example, a small cell base station <NUM>' may have a coverage area <NUM>' that substantially overlaps with the coverage area <NUM> of one or more macro cell base stations <NUM>. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

The communication links <NUM> between the base stations <NUM> and the UEs <NUM> may include UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM> and/or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>. The communication links <NUM> may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity. The communication links <NUM> may be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or less carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL).

Receive beams may be spatially related. A spatial relation means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a receive beam for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

In <NUM>, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations <NUM>/<NUM>, UEs <NUM>/<NUM>) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (from <NUM> to <NUM>), FR2 (from <NUM> to <NUM>), FR3 (above <NUM>), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system, such as <NUM>, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells. " In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by a UE <NUM>/<NUM> and the cell in which the UE <NUM>/<NUM> either performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels, and may be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that may be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE <NUM> and the anchor carrier and that may be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, since both primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs <NUM>/<NUM> in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE <NUM>/<NUM> at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier over which some base station is communicating, the term "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," and the like can be used interchangeably.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may further include one or more UEs, such as UE <NUM>, that connects indirectly to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In the example of <FIG>, UE <NUM> has a D2D P2P link <NUM> with one of the UEs <NUM> connected to one of the base stations <NUM> (e.g., through which UE <NUM> may indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link <NUM> with WLAN STA <NUM> connected to the WLAN AP <NUM> (through which UE <NUM> may indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, the D2D P2P links <NUM> and <NUM> may be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may further include a UE <NUM> that may communicate with a macro cell base station <NUM> over a communication link <NUM> and/or the mmW base station <NUM> over a mmW communication link <NUM>. For example, the macro cell base station <NUM> may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE <NUM> and the mmW base station <NUM> may support one or more SCells for the UE <NUM>.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates an example wireless network structure <NUM>. For example, an NGC <NUM> (also referred to as a "5GC") can be viewed functionally as control plane functions <NUM> (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions <NUM>, (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) which operate cooperatively to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) <NUM> and control plane interface (NG-C) <NUM> connect the gNB <NUM> to the NGC <NUM> and specifically to the control plane functions <NUM> and user plane functions <NUM>. In an additional configuration, an eNB <NUM> may also be connected to the NGC <NUM> via NG-C <NUM> to the control plane functions <NUM> and NG-U <NUM> to user plane functions <NUM>. Further, eNB <NUM> may directly communicate with gNB <NUM> via a backhaul connection <NUM>. In some configurations, the New RAN <NUM> may only have one or more gNBs <NUM>, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs <NUM> and gNBs <NUM>. Either gNB <NUM> or eNB <NUM> may communicate with UEs <NUM> (e.g., any of the UEs depicted in <FIG>). Another optional aspect may include location server <NUM>, which may be in communication with the NGC <NUM> to provide location assistance for UEs <NUM>. The location server <NUM> can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The location server <NUM> can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs <NUM> that can connect to the location server <NUM> via the core network, NGC <NUM>, and/or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server <NUM> may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

According to various aspects, <FIG> illustrates another example wireless network structure <NUM>. For example, an NGC <NUM> (also referred to as a "5GC") can be viewed functionally as control plane functions, provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) <NUM>, and user plane functions, provided by a session management function (SMF) <NUM>, which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., NGC <NUM>). User plane interface <NUM> and control plane interface <NUM> connect the eNB <NUM> to the NGC <NUM> and specifically to SMF <NUM> and AMF/UPF <NUM>, respectively. In an additional configuration, a gNB <NUM> may also be connected to the NGC <NUM> via control plane interface <NUM> to AMF/UPF <NUM> and user plane interface <NUM> to SMF <NUM>. Further, eNB <NUM> may directly communicate with gNB <NUM> via the backhaul connection <NUM>, with or without gNB direct connectivity to the NGC <NUM>. In some configurations, the New RAN <NUM> may only have one or more gNBs <NUM>, while other configurations include one or more of both eNBs <NUM> and gNBs <NUM>. Either gNB <NUM> or eNB <NUM> may communicate with UEs <NUM> (e.g., any of the UEs depicted in <FIG>). The base stations of the New RAN <NUM> communicate with the AMF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> over the N2 interface and the UPF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> over the N3 interface.

The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE <NUM> and the SMF <NUM>, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE <NUM> and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE <NUM>, and receives the intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE <NUM> authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (universal mobile telecommunications system) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access-network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF also includes location services management for regulatory services, transport for location services messages between the UE <NUM> and the location management function (LMF) <NUM>, as well as between the New RAN <NUM> and the LMF <NUM>, evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the EPS, and UE <NUM> mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF also supports functionalities for non-3GPP access networks.

Functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra-linter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to the data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL/DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the DL), UL traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

The functions of the SMF <NUM> include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the proper destination, control of part of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which the SMF <NUM> communicates with the AMF-side of the AMF/UPF <NUM> is referred to as the N11 interface.

Another optional aspect may include a LMF <NUM>, which may be in communication with the NGC <NUM> to provide location assistance for UEs <NUM>. The LMF <NUM> can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately may each correspond to a single server. The LMF <NUM> can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs <NUM> that can connect to the LMF <NUM> via the core network, NGC <NUM>, and/or via the Internet (not illustrated).

<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> illustrate several sample components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into a UE <NUM> (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a TRP <NUM> (which may correspond to any of the base stations, gNBs, eNBs, cells, etc. described herein), and a network node <NUM> (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server <NUM> and the LMF <NUM>) to support the file transmission operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other apparatuses in a communication system. For example, other apparatuses in a system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus may contain one or more of the components. For example, an apparatus may include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and/or communicate via different technologies.

The UE <NUM> and the TRP <NUM> each include wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and/or the like. The WWAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., some set of time/frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> include one or more transmitters <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, and one or more receivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

The UE <NUM> and the TRP <NUM> also include, at least in some cases, wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The WLAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The WLAN transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> include one or more transmitters <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, and one or more receivers <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

Transceiver circuitry including a transmitter and a receiver may comprise an integrated device (e.g., embodied as a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit of a single communication device) in some implementations, may comprise a separate transmitter device and a separate receiver device in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. In an aspect, a transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, a receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), such that the respective apparatus can only receive or transmit at a given time, not both at the same time. A wireless communication device (e.g., one or both of the transceivers <NUM> and <NUM> and/or <NUM> and <NUM>) of the apparatuses <NUM> and/or <NUM> may also comprise a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

The apparatuses <NUM> and <NUM> also include, at least in some cases, satellite positioning systems (SPS) receivers <NUM> and <NUM>. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, for receiving SPS signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> may comprise any suitable hardware and/or software for receiving and processing SPS signals <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. The SPS receivers <NUM> and <NUM> request information and operations as appropriate from the other systems, and performs calculations necessary to determine the apparatus' <NUM> and <NUM> positions using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

The TRP <NUM> and the network node <NUM> each include at least one network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> for communicating with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wire-based or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces <NUM> and <NUM> may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wire-based or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, and/or other types of information.

The apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations as disclosed herein. The UE <NUM> includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, sounding reference signals (SRS) transmissions as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. The TRP <NUM> includes a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, SRS configuration and reception as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. The network node <NUM> includes a processing system <NUM> for providing functionality relating to, for example, SRS configuration as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. In an aspect, the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

The apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> include memory circuitry implementing memory components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (e.g., each including a memory device), respectively, for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and so on). In some cases, the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include RTT measurement reporting components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively. The RTT measurement reporting components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively, that, when executed, cause the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, the RTT measurement reporting components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be memory modules (as shown in <FIG>) stored in the memory components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively, that, when executed by the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, cause the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> to perform the functionality described herein.

The UE <NUM> may include one or more sensors <NUM> coupled to the processing system <NUM> to provide movement and/or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver <NUM>, the WLAN transceiver <NUM>, and/or the GPS receiver <NUM>. By way of example, the sensor(s) <NUM> may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric pressure altimeter), and/or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) <NUM> may include a plurality of different types of devices and combine their outputs in order to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) <NUM> may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to compute positions in 2D and/or 3D coordinate systems.

In addition, the UE <NUM> includes a user interface <NUM> for providing indications (e.g., audible and/or visual indications) to a user and/or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, and so on). Although not shown, the apparatuses <NUM> and <NUM> may also include user interfaces.

Referring to the processing system <NUM> in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network node <NUM> may be provided to the processing system <NUM>. The processing system <NUM> may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The processing system <NUM> may provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

The transmitter <NUM> and the receiver <NUM> may implement Layer-<NUM> functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-<NUM>, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding/decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation/demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter <NUM> handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the UE <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> and the receiver <NUM> implement Layer-<NUM> functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver <NUM> may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE <NUM>. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE <NUM>, they may be combined by the receiver <NUM> into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver <NUM> then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the TRP <NUM>. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the TRP <NUM> on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the processing system <NUM>, which implements Layer-<NUM> and Layer-<NUM> functionality.

In the UL, the processing system <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system <NUM> is also responsible for error detection.

Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the TRP <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the TRP <NUM> may be used by the transmitter <NUM> to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter <NUM> may be provided to different antenna(s) <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The UL transmission is processed at the TRP <NUM> in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system <NUM>.

In the UL, the processing system <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE <NUM>. IP packets from the processing system <NUM> may be provided to the core network. The processing system <NUM> is also responsible for error detection.

For convenience, the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM> are shown in <FIG> as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated blocks may have different functionality in different designs.

The various components of the apparatuses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may communicate with each other over data buses <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively. The components of <FIG> may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of <FIG> may be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and/or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and/or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the UE <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the TRP <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks <NUM> to <NUM> may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the network node <NUM> (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and/or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and/or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a positioning entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and/or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as the processing systems <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, the transceivers <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the memory components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, the RTT measurement reporting modules <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, etc..

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary wireless communications system <NUM> according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example of <FIG>, a UE <NUM> (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its position, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third party application, etc.) to calculate an estimate of its position. The UE <NUM> may communicate wirelessly with a plurality of base stations <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM> (collectively, base stations <NUM>, and which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for the modulation of the RF signals and the exchange of information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals, and utilizing the layout of the wireless communications system <NUM> (i.e., the base stations' locations, geometry, etc.), the UE <NUM> may determine its position, or assist in the determination of its position, in a predefined reference coordinate system. In an aspect, the UE <NUM> may specify its position using a two-dimensional coordinate system; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not so limited, and may also be applicable to determining positions using a three-dimensional coordinate system, if the extra dimension is desired. Additionally, while <FIG> illustrates one UE <NUM> and three base stations <NUM>, as will be appreciated, there may be more UEs <NUM> and more base stations <NUM>.

To support position estimates, the base stations <NUM> may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, or SSS, etc.) to UEs <NUM> in their coverage area to enable a UE <NUM> to measure characteristics of such reference RF signals. For example, the UE <NUM> may measure the time of arrival (ToA) of specific reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by at least three different base stations <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>-<NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM> and may use the RTT positioning method to report these ToAs (and additional information) back to the serving base station <NUM> or another positioning entity (e.g., location server <NUM>, LMF <NUM>).

In an aspect, although described as the UE <NUM> measuring reference RF signals from a base station <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may measure reference RF signals from one of multiple TRPs supported by a base station <NUM>. Where the UE <NUM> measures reference RF signals transmitted by a TRP supported by a base station <NUM>, the at least two other reference RF signals measured by the UE <NUM> to perform the RTT procedure would be from TRPs supported by base stations <NUM> different from the first base station <NUM> and may have good or poor signal strength at the UE <NUM>.

In order to determine the position (x, y) of the UE <NUM>, the entity determining the position of the UE <NUM> needs to know the locations of the base stations <NUM>, which may be represented in a reference coordinate system as (xk, yk), where k=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in the example of <FIG>. Where one of the base stations <NUM> (e.g., the serving base station) or the UE <NUM> determines the position of the UE <NUM>, the locations of the involved base stations <NUM> may be provided to the serving base station <NUM> or the UE <NUM> by a location server with knowledge of the network geometry (e.g., location server <NUM>, LMF <NUM>). Alternatively, the location server may determine the position of the UE <NUM> using the known network geometry.

Either the UE <NUM> or the respective base station <NUM> may determine the distance <NUM> (dk, where k=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) between the UE <NUM> and the respective base station <NUM>. Specifically, the distance <NUM>-<NUM> between the UE <NUM> and base station <NUM>-<NUM> is d<NUM>, the distance <NUM>-<NUM> between the UE <NUM> and base station <NUM>-<NUM> is d<NUM>, and the distance <NUM>-<NUM> between the UE <NUM> and base station <NUM>-<NUM> is d<NUM>. In an aspect, determining the RTT of signals exchanged between the UE <NUM> and any base station <NUM> can be performed and converted to a distance <NUM> (dk). As discussed further below, RTT techniques can measure the time between sending a signaling message (e.g., reference RF signals) and receiving a response. These methods may utilize calibration to remove any processing delays. In some environments, it may be assumed that the processing delays for the UE <NUM> and the base stations <NUM> are the same. However, such an assumption may not be true in practice.

Once each distance <NUM> is determined, the UE <NUM>, a base station <NUM>, or the location server (e.g., location server <NUM>, LMF <NUM>) can solve for the position (x, y) of the UE <NUM> by using a variety of known geometric techniques, such as, for example, trilateration. From <FIG>, it can be seen that the position of the UE <NUM> ideally lies at the common intersection of three semicircles, each semicircle being defined by radius dk and center (xk, yk), where k=<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

In some instances, additional information may be obtained in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) that defines a straight line direction (e.g., which may be in a horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or possibly a range of directions (e.g., for the UE <NUM> from the location of a base station <NUM>). The intersection of the two directions at or near the point (x, y) can provide another estimate of the location for the UE <NUM>.

A position estimate (e.g., for a UE <NUM>) may be referred to by other names, such as a location estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, or the like. A position estimate may be geodetic and comprise coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or may be civic and comprise a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of a location. A position estimate may further be defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default level of confidence).

<FIG> is an exemplary diagram <NUM> showing exemplary timings of RTT measurement signals exchanged between a TRP <NUM> (e.g., any of the base stations, gNBs, cells, etc. described herein) and a UE <NUM> (e.g., any of the UEs described herein), according to aspects of the disclosure. In the example of <FIG>, the TRP <NUM> sends an RTT measurement signal <NUM> (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) to the UE <NUM> at time T<NUM>. The RTT measurement signal <NUM> has some propagation delay TProp as it travels from the TRP <NUM> to the UE <NUM>. At time T<NUM> (the ToA of the RTT measurement signal <NUM> at the UE <NUM>), the UE <NUM> receives/measures the RTT measurement signal <NUM>. After some UE processing time, the UE <NUM> transmits an RTT response signal <NUM> (e.g., an SRS, UL-PRS) at time T<NUM>. After the propagation delay TProp, the TRP <NUM> receives/measures the RTT response signal <NUM> from the LTE <NUM> at time T<NUM> (the ToA of the RTT response signal <NUM> at the TRP <NUM>).

In order to identify the ToA (e.g., T<NUM>) of an RF signal (e.g., an RTT measurement signal <NUM>) transmitted by a given network node, the receiver (e.g., UE <NUM>) first jointly processes all the resource elements (REs) on the channel on which the transmitter (e.g., TRP <NUM>) is transmitting the RF signal, and performs an inverse Fourier transform to convert the received RF signals to the time domain. The conversion of the received RF signals to the time domain is referred to as estimation of the channel energy response (CER). The CER shows the peaks on the channel over time, and the earliest "significant" peak should therefore correspond to the ToA of the RF signal. Generally, the receiver will use a noise-related quality threshold to filter out spurious local peaks, thereby presumably correctly identifying significant peaks on the channel. For example, the UE <NUM> may chose a ToA estimate that is the earliest local maximum of the CER that is at least X decibels (dB) higher than the median of the CER and a maximum Y dB lower than the main peak on the channel. The receiver determines the CER for each RF signal from each transmitter in order to determine the ToA of each RF signal from the different transmitters.

The RTT response signal <NUM> may explicitly include the difference between time T<NUM> and time T<NUM> (i.e., TRx→Tx). Alternatively, it may be derived from the timing advance (TA), i.e., the relative UL/DL frame timing and specification location of UL reference signals. (Note that the TA is usually the RTT between the TRP <NUM> and the UE <NUM>, or double the propagation time in one direction. ) Using this measurement and the difference between time T<NUM> and time T<NUM> (i.e., TTx→RX), the TRP <NUM> can calculate the distance to the UE <NUM> as: <MAT> where c is the speed of light.

Note that the UE <NUM> can perform an RTT procedure with multiple TRPs <NUM>. However, the RTT procedure does not require synchronization between these base stations <NUM>. In the multi-RTT positioning procedure, the basic procedure is repeatedly performed between the UE and multiple TRPs (e.g., base stations gNBs, eNBs, cells, etc.). The basic procedure is as follows:.

Positioning reference signal (PRS) is an example of the DL RS and sounding reference signal (SRS) is an example of the UL RS. With the knowledge of (T<NUM> - T<NUM>) and (T<NUM> - T<NUM>), the following equation may be generated: <MAT>.

In conventional wireless networks (e.g., LTE), an E-CID (Enhanced Cell-ID) procedure is defined to determine the UE position. In this procedure, the UE measures its surroundings and provides measurement reports to the network. One measurement report may include measurements results for up to <NUM> TRPs. For a measured TRP, the measurement results includes:.

The parameter UERx-Tx (referred to as "ue-RxTxTimeDiff' in LTE) is defined as TUE,Rx - TUE,Tx in which TUE,Rx is the UE received timing of a downlink (DL) radio frame from the serving TRP, and TUE,Tx is the UE transmit time of corresponding uplink (UL) radio frame to the serving TRP. This is visually presented in <FIG>. As seen, the "ue-RxTxTimeDiff' is the difference between the transmit timing of uplink frame #i at the UE and the received timing of downlink frame #i also at the UE. Even though up to <NUM> TRPs can be measured, the ue-RxTxTimeDiff is provided only for the UE's primary TRP in conventional systems.

In LTE (Ts=<NUM> nsec), the UERx-Tx is measured using <NUM> bits, with varying resolution depending on the size of the UERx-Tx. According to LTE, the reporting range of the UERx-Tx is defined from <NUM> to 20472Ts with 2Ts resolution for UERx-Tx less than 4096Ts and 8Ts for UERx-Tx equal to or greater than 4096Ts. The following table defines the mapping of measured quantity (copied from 3GPP, TS <NUM>, Table <NUM>. <NUM>-<NUM>).

For example, if the UE reports RX_TX_TIME_DIFFERENCE_0002, this means that the UERx-Tx of the UE and the primary TRP is in between <NUM> nsec and <NUM> nsec, i.e., an uncertainty of <NUM> nsec.

In NR, it is expected that one measurement report and for a given TRP k (not just for the primary TRP), the UE will include:.

For example, in the scenario of <FIG>, the measurement report will include the Rx-Tx time difference measurements of multiple TRPs (e.g., serving gNB1 and neighbor gNB2). The Rx-Tx time difference (UERx-Tx,k (time_diff)) for each TRP k is defined as TUE,Rx,k - TUE,Tx,k in which TUE,Rx,k is the UE received timing of a downlink (DL) radio subframe from the TRP k, and TUE,Tx,k is the UE transmit time of corresponding uplink (UL) radio subframe to the TRP k.

The following problems/issues are identified. First, there can be many TRPs included in the measurement report. In NR, there can be up to <NUM> TRPs for RRM purposes. Therefore, measurement reporting for positioning may need to be extended at least to this number. However, this can increase the reporting overhead significantly. Second, there can be different numerologies used in NR for UL and DL. This means that the step size Ts can change and is not necessarily fixed as in LTE.

Regarding numerology, LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (<NUM>) and symbol length). In contrast, <NUM> NR may support multiple numerologies, for example, subcarrier spacings of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> or greater may be available. Table <NUM> provided below lists some various parameters for different <NUM> NR numerologies.

Throughout this specification, unless otherwise noted, the size of various fields in the time domain may be expressed in time units <MAT>, where Δfmax = <NUM> * <NUM><NUM>Hz and Nf = <NUM>. The constant k = Ts/Tc = <NUM> where Ts=<NUM>/(Δfref·*Nf,ref) in which Δfref = <NUM> * <NUM><NUM>Hz and Nf,ref = <NUM>.

As indicated, the conventional measurement reports have the following issues. (<NUM>) Reporting the UERx-Tx (or time_diff) measurements for up to <NUM> TRPs (and this number may increase in the future) can require significant overhead; and (<NUM>) the existing LTE resolution may not be sufficient to provide positioning accuracy. To address these and other issues, techniques/processes are proposed to achieve one or both of enhanced resolution (and hence positioning accuracy) without increasing reporting overhead and reduced reporting overhead without sacrificing accuracy.

Regarding the resolution, the LTE's resolution of 2Ts (<NUM> nsec) or 8Ts (<NUM> nsec) may not provide sufficient accuracy in positioning determination. To enhance the resolution and hence increase the accuracy, in the main embodiment of the invention, it is proposed to have the step size be dependent on Tc = <NUM> nsec (based on highest sampling rate) and the numerology factor "u". For example, the step size Ts may be Tc<NUM>u, where "u" is one of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, if u is zero, then the step size Ts = <NUM> nsec. This is significantly smaller than the LTE's step size of <NUM> nsec meaning that a much finer timing resolution can be obtained, which in turn can increase the accuracy of positioning. Generally, the resolution can be based on the numerology according to KTc<NUM>u, where the value of K and u will generally decrease as the subcarrier spacing increases. Table <NUM> below provides values in nsec for KTc<NUM>u for various values of K and numerology factor u.

For a numerology with subcarrier spacing of <NUM>, it may be desirable to keep consistency with the LTE. Accordingly, for <NUM>, then K=<NUM> and u=<NUM>, which results in the same value <NUM> nsec as <NUM>·Ts. However, for other <NUM> NR numerologies, the values of u can vary.

It is mentioned above that numerologies for DL RS (e.g., PRS) and UL RS (e.g., SRS) in NR can be different. Regarding the UERx-Tx included in the measurement report, the following options may be implemented:.

For example, in option <NUM>, a numerology factor is configured for each UERx-Tx,k (i.e., time_diff) measurement, which is independent of the subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the DL RS and UL RS used to measure the TUE,Rx,k, TUE,Tx,k components of the UERx-Tx,k measurement. In some ways, this can be said to reflect the measurement capabilities of the UE. For example, if there is a high confidence regarding the UE's measurements for a particular TRP k, then the numerology factor may be configured as u=<NUM> (for <NUM> SCS). In this instance, the step size Ts = <NUM> nsec. Generally, a smaller numerology factor would infer better accuracy. In the foregoing example for the <NUM> SCS, the sampling rate is <NUM>/<NUM>*<NUM>, which correspond to <NUM> nsec, and the numerology factor u being u=<NUM>.

If the same <NUM> bits and the same discretization as in LTE is used (2Ts resolution), then the uncertainty for each discretized entry is reduced from <NUM> nsec (for LTE) to <NUM> nsec. For example, if RX_TX_TIME_DIFFERENCE_0002 is reported, then for LTE, the actual UERx-Tx, ranges between <NUM> nsec and <NUM> nsec. On the other hand, if the same RX_TX_TIME_DIFFERENCE_0002 is reported for the configured numerology, then the actual UERx-Tx, ranges between <NUM> nsec and <NUM> nsec. In short, accuracy is enhanced without increasing the reporting overhead.

In option <NUM>, the numerology factor used in reporting the UERx-Tx,k for a TRP k is implicit. In general, larger SCS implies a larger bandwidth (higher sampling rate), which in turn implies a higher resolution and accuracy. In option <NUM>, the step size is determined based the larger of the SCS used for DL RS and UL RS signals. For example, if the SCS for the DL RS is <NUM> (corresponding to u=<NUM>) and the SCS for the UL RS is <NUM> (corresponding to u=<NUM>), then the step size Ts = <NUM> nsec. This means that the uncertainty for each discretized TIME_DIFFERENCE value is <NUM> nsec.

Option <NUM> is similar to option <NUM> in that the numerology factor is implicit. The difference is that instead of using the larger SCS, in option <NUM>, the smaller SCS is used. Thus, option <NUM> may be viewed as the "optimistic approach" while option <NUM> may be viewed as the "conservative approach". Then for the same scenario described above, the step size Ts = <NUM> nsec, meaning that the uncertainty for each discretized TIME_DIFFERENCE value increases to <NUM> nsec as compared to option <NUM>.

Option <NUM> is another instance in which the numerology factor is implicitly derived. As mentioned, larger bandwidth (BW) is usually indicative of greater accuracy. In some aspects, the numerology factor may be based on the DL RS bandwidth or the UL RS bandwidth. In further aspects, if the PRS, SRS are respectively used as the DL RS, UL RS, then the numerology factor may be a function based on min(PRS BW, SRS BW). Alternatively, the numerology factor may be a function based on max(PRS BW, SRS BW). In an aspect, there may be a mapping between the bandwidths and the numerology factors.

Option <NUM> is simple in that for a given measurement report, the same numerology factor u is assumed for all UERx-Tx, measurements. The network entity may configure the UE with the numerology factor u in the PRS measurement report.

In option <NUM>, the UERx-Tx, measurements are grouped, e.g., such that the numerology factor is the same for all members in each group (same intra-group numerology factor). Of course, different groups can have different numerology factors (independent inter-group numerology factors). The numerology factors in option <NUM> may be arrived at through any of the options <NUM>-<NUM>.

One benefit of grouping the UERx-Tx measurements is that the reporting overhead can be reduced. As will be made clear from the description below, option <NUM> is also referred to as "differential reporting". Broadly, the differential reporting is as follows:.

The differential UERx-Tx bit width can be less than the full UERx-Tx bit width. However, it is preferred that the differential UERx-Tx bit width be wide enough to cover the maximum cyclic prefix (CP) length on the UL or the DL with the same resolution as that used for the UERx-Tx. As an illustration, assume a legacy UERx-Tx width of <NUM> bits with <NUM>Ts resolution. Also assume that all TRPs in a group are received within a CP of <NUM> SCS (<NUM> usec) with a Ts = <NUM> nsec. Then <MAT> bits are sufficient to report each differential UERx-Tx. The resolution and the maximum size of the differential bit width can be configured per group to achieve even greater compression gains.

The differential reporting is useful where capacity may be an issue, such as in the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). However, even when the capacity is not a significant issue, such as in Physical Uplink Shared Control Channel (PUSCH), the differential reporting can still be useful. As an option, the differential step size, i.e., the step size for the differential UERx-Tx, need not be the same as the reference step size of the reference UERx-Tx. This can be useful in circumstances such as when multiple far away TRPs are in a group, but the relative differences among the member TRPs is slight.

In one aspect, the groups can be explicitly configured along with the reference TRP for each group. For example, a network entity may explicitly configure the groups in the DL RS measurement configuration or the UE in the measurement report. In another aspect, the groups can be implicitly derived by the DL RS configurations. For example, when PRS is used, the following guidance can be used:.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary method performed by a UE for providing measurement reports. At <NUM>, the UE receives a plurality of downlink reference signals (DL RSs) from a plurality of TRPs (e.g., plurality of gNBs). At <NUM>, the UE transmits a corresponding plurality of uplink reference signals (UL RSs) to the plurality of TRPs. PRSs are examples of the DL RSs and/or SRSs are examples of the UL RSs.

At <NUM>, the UE determines the numerology factors for all TRPs. As discussed in the foregoing, the time_diff UERx-Tx,k for each TRP k is defined as TUE,Rx,k - TUE,Tx,k in which TUE,Rx,k is the UE received timing of a downlink (DL) radio subframe from the TRP k, and TUE,Tx,k is the UE transmit time of corresponding uplink (UL) radio subframe to the TRP k. Also, as discussed in the foregoing, the accuracy of the UERx-Tx,k depends on the numerology factors which determines the step size Ts,k of each TRP.

In the simplest case, the same numerology factors, and hence the same step size may be determined for all. This corresponds to option <NUM> discussed above. However, the numerology factor can be tailored to each of the TRPs k to enhance accuracy and/or reduce overhead. As discussed in the foregoing, the Ts,k for each TRP k represents resolution of a UE received timing of the DL RS from the TRP k and/or a resolution of a UE transmit timing of the UL RS to the TRP k. In one aspect, the numerology factor of a TRP k is configured independently of the SCS of the DL RS received from the TRP k and independent of the SCS of the UL RS transmitted to the TRP k. This corresponds to option <NUM> discussed above.

Alternatively, the numerology factor of a TRP k can be determined based on some characteristics/parameters of the DL RS received from the TRP k and/or of the UL RS transmitted to the TRP k. For example, the step size numerology factor for TRP k can be determined based on a larger subcarrier spacing (SCS) of the DL RS and the UL RS. This corresponds to option <NUM> discussed above. As another example, the numerology factor for TRP k can be determined based on a smaller SCS of the DL RS and the UL RS.

Instead of or in addition thereto, the bandwidths of DL RS and/or UL RS maybe used to determine the numerology factor. For example, the numerology factor may be based on the DL RS bandwidth, the UL RS bandwidth, a function min(DL RS bandwidth, UL RS bandwidth) or max(DL RS bandwidth, UL RS bandwidth). These correspond to option <NUM> discussed above.

At <NUM>, the UE generates the measurement report for all TRPs k based on the numerology factors. The measurement report includes the time_diff UERx-Tx,k for each TRP k. To report the time_diffs UERx-Tx, for the TRPs, the measurement report can include, for each TRP k, a time_diff field configured to hold the UERx-Tx of the TRP k. In one aspect, if the UERx-Tx of the TRPs are individually generated and reported, then the entire width of the time_diff field will be used for the UERx-Tx of each of the TRPs. The UE transmits the measurement report to its serving TRP at <NUM>. The measurement report includes a receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference (e.g., UERx-Tx,k) for each TRP (e.g., TRP k).

<FIG> illustrates an example process performed by the UE to implement block <NUM>. By grouping the UERx-Tx of the TRPs as discussed above (corresponding to option <NUM>), the reporting overhead can be reduced. At <NUM>, the UE determines the TRP groups. At <NUM>, the UE determines a reference TRP (e.g., reference gNB) for each TRP group. This automatically determines the reference time_diff UERx-Tx of the group. In one aspect, the TRP groups may be determined such that within a TRP group, the numerology factor is the same for all members of the TRP group.

The TRP groups can be explicitly configured (e.g., by the network and/or the UE) along with the reference TRP inside each TRP group. Alternatively, the TRP groups can be determined implicitly. For example, the TRP groups can be determined such that for at least one TRP group, all member TRPs transmit positioning reference signals (PRSs) on a same slot. As another example, the TRP groups can be determined such that for at least one TRP group, all member TRPs transmit the PRSs on a same frame. As a further example, the TRP groups can be determined such that for at least one TRP group, all member TRPs transmit the PRSs on same symbols.

The TRP groups can also be determined based on the sounding reference signals (SRS). For example, an SRS configuration is associated with specific TRPs. In this instance, the set of such TRPs can be a TRP group. Also, the TRPs groups can be determined based on different PUCCH commands, or different timing advance groups (TAGs).

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary method performed by a network entity. At <NUM>, the network entity (e.g., location server, serving TPR, other TRP, etc.) receives a measurement report from the UE. At <NUM>, the network entity can determine the position of the UE from the measurement. Alternatively or in addition thereto, the network entity (e.g., serving TRP) can forward the measurement to a location server (e.g., LMU, E-SMLC, LMF, GMLC, etc.) for the UE position to be determined.

<FIG> illustrates an example network entity <NUM>, which can be a serving TRP, location server, etc. represented as a series of interrelated functional modules connected by a common bus. Each of the modules may be implemented in hardware or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, the modules may be implemented as any combination of the apparatus <NUM> or <NUM>. A module for receiving a measurement report <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> in <FIG> or <NUM> in <FIG> and/or a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, or <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. A module for determining the UE position <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, or <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. An optional module for forwarding the measurement report <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> in <FIG> or <NUM> in <FIG> and/or a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, or <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein.

<FIG> illustrates an example user equipment <NUM> represented as a series of interrelated functional modules connected by a common bus. Each of the modules may be implemented in hardware or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, the modules may be implemented as any combination of the apparatus <NUM>. A module for receiving a plurality of reference signals <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> in <FIG> and/or a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. A module for transmitting a plurality of uplink reference signals <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> in <FIG> and/or a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. A module for determining numerology factors <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. A module for generating measurement report <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein. A module for transmitting a measurement report <NUM> may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a communication device, such as communication device <NUM> in <FIG> and/or a processing system, such as processing system <NUM> in <FIG>, as discussed herein.

The functionality of the modules of <FIG> may be implemented in various ways consistent with the teachings herein. In some designs, the functionality of these modules may be implemented as one or more electrical components. In some designs, the functionality of these blocks may be implemented as a processing system including one or more processor components. In some designs, the functionality of these modules may be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or more integrated circuits (e.g., an ASIC). As discussed herein, an integrated circuit may include a processor, software, other related components, or some combination thereof. Thus, the functionality of different modules may be implemented, for example, as different subsets of an integrated circuit, as different subsets of a set of software modules, or a combination thereof. Also, it will be appreciated that a given subset (e.g., of an integrated circuit and/or of a set of software modules) may provide at least a portion of the functionality for more than one module.

In addition, the components and functions represented by <FIG>, as well as other components and functions described herein, may be implemented using any suitable means. Such means also may be implemented, at least in part, using corresponding structure as taught herein. For example, the components described above in conjunction with the "module for" components of <FIG> also may correspond to similarly designated "means for" functionality. Thus, in some aspects one or more of such means may be implemented using one or more of processor components, integrated circuits, or other suitable structure as taught herein.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE).

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>) performed by a user equipment, UE, (<NUM>) the method comprising:
receiving (<NUM>) a plurality of downlink reference signals, DL RSs, from a plurality of transmission reception points, TRPs;
transmitting (<NUM>) a corresponding plurality of uplink reference signals, UL RSs, to the plurality of transmission reception points, TRPs;
determining (<NUM>) one or more numerology factors for the plurality of TRPs;
generating (<NUM>) a measurement report for the plurality of TRPs based on the numerology factors; and
transmitting (<NUM>) the measurement report to a network entity,
wherein the measurement report includes a receive-transmit, Rx-Tx, time difference for at least two of the TRPs,
wherein the step size used for reporting the Rx-Tx time difference for each TRP depends on a time unit Tc corresponding to the highest sampling rate and on the numerology factor of communications between each TRP and the UE; and
wherein the numerology factor of a TRP k is configured separately from configuring of a subcarrier spacing, SCS, of the DL RS received from the TRP k and independent of the SCS of the UL RS transmitted to the TRP k; or
wherein the numerology factor of a TRP k is determined based on one or more characteristics of the DL RS received from the TRP k and/or the UL RS transmitted to the TRP k; or
wherein a same numerology factor is assigned for all TRPs.