# US 11,909,685 B2 · Signaling of reception-to-transmission measurements for round-trip-time (RTT)-based positioning

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- Number: US 11,909,685 B2
- Document ID: US11909685B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/718,029
- Filed: 2022-04-11
- Published: 2022-07-28
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-11
- Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated
- Inventors: Alexandros Manolakos; Sony Akkarakaran; Sven Fischer; Jay Kumar Sundararajan; Joseph Binamira Soriaga; Tingfang Ji
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11909685B2

## CPC

- G01S 5/14: Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
- H04L 5/0048: {Allocation of pilot signals, i.e. of signals known to the receiver (allocation of control signalling H04L5/0053; use of control signalling H04L5/0091)}
- G01S 5/0263: {by combining or switching between positions derived from two or more separate positioning systems}
- G01S 13/765: {with exchange of information between interrogator and responder}
- H04L 47/283: in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
- H04W 64/00: Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
- H04W 64/003: {locating network equipment}
- H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination}
- H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
- H04W 72/23: in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
- H04W 88/04: adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
- H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers}
- H04L 5/0023: {Time-frequency-space}
- H04L 5/0035: {Resource allocation in a cooperative multipoint environment}
- H04L 27/2601: {Multicarrier modulation systems}
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for signaling of reception-to-transmission measurements from gNBs and user equipments (UEs) for round trip time (RTT) based positioning in wireless networks such as new radio (NR). In multi-RTT positioning, the flow of messages that are exchanged differ depending on the entity acting as the location server determining the position of the UE.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method performed by a positioning entity, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of transmission-reception point (TRP) round trip time (RTT) related measurements, the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements being one-to-one associated with a plurality of TRPs, wherein each TRP RTT-related measurement is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs;
receiving a plurality of user equipment (UE) RTT-related measurements via a primary TRP in data communication with the UE, wherein each of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs; and
determining a position of a UE based on the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements and the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements,
wherein:
a TRP RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between that TRP transmitting a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the UE and that TRP receiving a corresponding uplink reference signal (UL RS) from the UE, and
a UE RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between the UE receiving the DL RS from that TRP and the UE transmitting the corresponding UL RS to that TRP,
wherein for each TRP k,
the associated TRP RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔgNBk=TgNB,Rxk−TgNB,Txk in which TgNB,Txk represents a transmission time of the DL RS from that TRP and TgNB,Rxk represents a reception time of the corresponding UL RS at that TRP, and
the associated UE RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔUEk=TUE,Rxk−TUE,Txk in which TUE,Rxk represents a reception time of the DL RS at the UE and TUE,Txk represents a transmission time of the corresponding UL RS from the UE,
wherein the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔgNB1, zero or more ΔgNB2, and zero or more ΔgNB3 such that a total number of TRP RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔgNB1 corresponding to a primary TRP, each ΔgNB2 corresponding to each secondary TRP in data communication with the UE, and each ΔgNB3 corresponding to a neighboring TRP not in data communication with the UE, and
wherein the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔUE1, zero or more ΔUE2, and zero or more ΔUE3 such that a total number of UE RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔUE1 corresponding to the primary TRP, each ΔUE2 corresponding to each secondary TRP, and each ΔUE3 corresponding to each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the DL RS is a positioning reference signal (PRS) and/or the UL RS is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one TRP k,
the TUE,Rxk, TUE,Txk measurements are derived from a received timing at the UE of a downlink radio subframe i from the TRP k defined by a first detected path in time, and a transmit timing at the UE of an uplink radio subframe i corresponding to the downlink radio subframe i, and/or
the TgNB,Rxk, TgNB,Txk measurements are derived from a received timing at the TRP k of the uplink radio subframe i defined by a first detected path in time, and a transmit timing at the TRP k of the downlink radio subframe.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the primary TRP is the positioning entity.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprises:
determining the TRP RTT-related measurement ΔgNB1 through direct measurements of the transmission time of the DL RS transmitted from the primary TRP and the reception time of the corresponding UL RS received from the UE; and
receiving the TRP RTT-related measurement ΔgNB2, ΔgNB3 from each secondary TRP and from each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 comprises:
receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from the UE.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein obtaining the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 comprises:
receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from the secondary TRP.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7,
wherein a non-coherent coordinated multipoint (CoMP) is in effect, and
wherein the secondary TRP is determined to have a higher link quality to the UE than the primary TRP.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 comprises:
receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from the UE; or
receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from the secondary TRP.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the positioning entity is outside of any of the primary and secondary TRPs and is outside of the UE.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprises:
receiving all of the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements ΔgNB1, ΔgNB2, ΔgNB3 from a designated TRP, the designated TRP being the primary TRP or a secondary TRP.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11,
wherein the designated TRP is the primary TRP when no non-coherent coordinated multipoint (CoMP) is in effect, and
wherein the designated TRP is a serving TRP among the primary and secondary TRPs with a highest link quality when the non-coherent CoMP is in effect.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein obtaining the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprises:
receiving individually the TRP RTT-related measurements ΔgNB1, ΔgNB2, ΔgNB3 from each primary TRP, each secondary TRP, and each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 14 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein receiving the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 comprises:
receiving all of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from a designated TRP, the designated TRP being the primary TRP or one of the secondary TRP.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14,
wherein the designated TRP is the primary TRP when no non-coherent coordinated multipoint (CoMP) is in effect, and
wherein the designated TRP is a serving TRP among the primary and secondary TRPs with a highest link quality when the non-coherent CoMP is in effect.

### Claim 16

A positioning entity, comprising:
at least one network interface or at least one transceiver or a combination thereof;
a memory; and
at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to:
obtain a plurality of transmission-reception point (TRP) round trip time (RTT) related measurements, the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements being one-to-one associated with a plurality of TRPs, wherein each TRP RTT-related measurement is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs,
receive a plurality of user equipment (UE) RTT-related measurements via a primary TRP in data communication with the UE, wherein each of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs; and
determine a position of a UE based on the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements and the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements,
wherein:
a TRP RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between that TRP transmitting a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the UE and that TRP receiving a corresponding uplink reference signal (UL RS) from the UE, and
a UE RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between the UE receiving the DL RS from that TRP and the UE transmitting the corresponding UL RS to that TRP,
wherein for each TRP k,
the associated TRP RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔgNBk=TgNB,Rxk−TgNB,Txk in which TgNB,Txk represents a transmission time of the DL RS from that TRP and TgNB,Rxk represents a reception time of the corresponding UL RS at that TRP, and
the associated UE RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔUEk=TUE,Rxk−TUE,Txk in which TUE,Rxk represents a reception time of the DL RS at the UE and TUE,Txk represents a transmission time of the corresponding UL RS from the UE,
wherein the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔgNB1, zero or more ΔgNB2, and zero or more ΔgNB3 such that a total number of TRP RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔgNB1 corresponding to a primary TRP, each ΔgNB2 corresponding to each secondary TRP in data communication with the UE, and each ΔgNB3 corresponding to a neighboring TRP not in data communication with the UE, and
wherein the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔUE1, zero or more ΔUE2, and zero or more ΔUE3 such that a total number of UE RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔUE1 corresponding to the primary TRP, each ΔUE2 corresponding to each secondary TRP, and each ΔUE3 corresponding to each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The positioning entity of claim 16, wherein the DL RS is a positioning reference signal (PRS) and/or the UL RS is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The positioning entity of claim 16, wherein for at least one TRP k,
the TUE,Rxk, TUE,Txk measurements are derived from a received timing at the UE of a downlink radio subframe i from the TRP k defined by a first detected path in time, and a transmit timing at the UE of an uplink radio subframe i corresponding to the downlink radio subframe i, and/or
the TgNB,Rxk, TgNB,Txk measurements are derived from a received timing at the TRP k of the uplink radio subframe i defined by a first detected path in time, and a transmit timing at the TRP k of the downlink radio subframe.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The positioning entity of claim 16, wherein the positioning entity is outside of any of the primary and secondary TRPs and is outside of the UE.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The positioning entity of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor being configured to obtain the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprises the at least one processor being configured to:
receive, via the at least one transceiver, all of the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements ΔgNB1, ΔgNB2, ΔgNB3 from a designated TRP, the designated TRP being the primary TRP or a secondary TRP.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The positioning entity of claim 20,
wherein the designated TRP is the primary TRP when no non-coherent coordinated multipoint (CoMP) is in effect, and
wherein the designated TRP is a serving TRP among the primary and secondary TRPs with a highest link quality when the non-coherent CoMP is in effect.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The positioning entity of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor being configured to obtain the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprises the at least one processor being configured to:
receive, via the at least one transceiver, individually the TRP RTT-related measurements ΔgNB1, ΔgnB2, ΔgNB3 from each primary TRP, each secondary TRP, and each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 23 (depends on 19)

The positioning entity of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor being configured to receive the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 comprises the at least one processor being configured to:
receive, via the at least one transceiver, all of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements ΔUE1, ΔUE2, ΔUE3 from a designated TRP, the designated TRP being the primary TRP or one of the secondary TRP.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The positioning entity of claim 23,
wherein the designated TRP is the primary TRP when no non-coherent coordinated multipoint (CoMP) is in effect, and
wherein the designated TRP is a serving TRP among the primary and secondary TRPs with a highest link quality when the non-coherent CoMP is in effect.

### Claim 25

A positioning entity, comprising:
means for obtaining a plurality of transmission-reception point (TRP) round trip time (RTT) related measurements, the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements being one-to-one associated with a plurality of TRPs, wherein each TRP RTT-related measurement is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs;
means for receiving a plurality of user equipment (UE) RTT-related measurements via a primary TRP in data communication with the UE, wherein each of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs; and
means for determining a position of a UE based on the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements and the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements,
wherein:
a TRP RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between that TRP transmitting a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the UE and that TRP receiving a corresponding uplink reference signal (UL RS) from the UE, and
a UE RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between the UE receiving the DL RS from that TRP and the UE transmitting the corresponding UL RS to that TRP,
wherein for each TRP k,
the associated TRP RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔgNBk=TgNB,Rxk−TgNB,Txk in which TgNB,Txk represents a transmission time of the DL RS from that TRP and TgNB,Rxk represents a reception time of the corresponding UL RS at that TRP, and
the associated UE RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔUEk=TUE,Rxk−TUE,Txk in which TUE,Rxk represents a reception time of the DL RS at the UE and TUE,Txk represents a transmission time of the corresponding UL RS from the UE,
wherein the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔgNB1, zero or more ΔgNB2, and zero or more ΔgNB3 such that a total number of TRP RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔgNB1 corresponding to a primary TRP, each ΔgNB2 corresponding to each secondary TRP in data communication with the UE, and each ΔgNB3 corresponding to a neighboring TRP not in data communication with the UE, and
wherein the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔUE1, zero or more ΔUE2, and zero or more ΔUE3 such that a total number of UE RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔUE1 corresponding to the primary TRP, each ΔUE2 corresponding to each secondary TRP, and each ΔUE3 corresponding to each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The positioning entity of claim 25, wherein the DL RS is a positioning reference signal (PRS) and/or the UL RS is a sounding reference signal (SRS).

### Claim 27

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for a positioning entity, the computer-executable instructions comprising:
one or more instructions causing the positioning entity to obtain a plurality of transmission-reception point (TRP) round trip time (RTT) related measurements, the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements being one-to-one associated with a plurality of TRPs, wherein each TRP RTT-related measurement is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs;
one or more instructions causing the positioning entity to receive a plurality of user equipment (UE) RTT-related measurements via a primary TRP in data communication with the UE, wherein each of the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements is associated with one TRP of the plurality of TRPs; and
one or more instructions causing the positioning entity to determine a position of a UE based on the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements and the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements,
wherein:
a TRP RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between that TRP transmitting a downlink reference signal (DL RS) to the UE and that TRP receiving a corresponding uplink reference signal (UL RS) from the UE, and
a UE RTT-related measurement associated with each TRP of the plurality of TRPs represents a duration between the UE receiving the DL RS from that TRP and the UE transmitting the corresponding UL RS to that TRP,
wherein for each TRP k,
the associated TRP RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔgNBk=TgNB,Rxk−TgNB,Txk in which TgNB,Txk represents a transmission time of the DL RS from that TRP and TgNB,Rxk represents a reception time of the corresponding UL RS at that TRP, and
the associated UE RTT-related measurement is expressed as ΔUEk=TUE,Rxk−TUE,Txk in which TUE,Rxk represents a reception time of the DL RS at the UE and TUE,Txk represents a transmission time of the corresponding UL RS from the UE,
wherein the plurality of TRP RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔgNB1, zero or more ΔgNB2, and zero or more ΔgNB3 such that a total number of TRP RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔgNB1 corresponding to a primary TRP, each ΔgNB2 corresponding to each secondary TRP in data communication with the UE, and each ΔgNB3 corresponding to a neighboring TRP not in data communication with the UE, and
wherein the plurality of UE RTT-related measurements comprise quantities one ΔUE1, zero or more ΔUE2, and zero or more ΔUE3 such that a total number of UE RTT-related measurements is two or greater, the ΔUE1 corresponding to the primary TRP, each ΔUE2 corresponding to each secondary TRP, and each ΔUE3 corresponding to each neighboring TRP.

### Claim 28 (depends on 27)

The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the DL RS is a positioning reference signal (PRS) and/or the UL RS is a sounding reference signal (SRS).