# US 12,192,963 B2 · Radio (NR) downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) design resource allocation and mapping in NR positioning

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- Number: US 12,192,963 B2
- Document ID: US12192963B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/593,076
- Filed: 2020-03-31
- Published: 2022-06-16
- Granted: 2025-01-07
- Earliest claimed: 2019-04-01
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Alexey Khoryaev; Sergey Sosnin; Dmitry Belov; Artyom Putilin; Seunghee Han
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12192963B2

## CPC

- H04L 27/261: {Details of reference signals}
- H04W 72/02: Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
- H04L 1/1614: {using bitmaps}
- 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)}
- H04L 5/005: {of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals}
- H04L 5/0098: {Signalling of the activation or deactivation of component carriers, subcarriers or frequency bands}
- H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
- H04L 5/001: {the frequencies being arranged in component carriers}
- 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

Devices and methods provide for transmitting downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs) in a wireless system. A DL PRS resource pool is configured and divided into a plurality of DL PRS resource sets. The DL PRS resource pool includes a periodically repeated amount of resources dedicated for DL PRS transmission by a plurality of gNBs in the wireless communication system. The plurality of DL PRS resource sets correspond to one or more gNB of the plurality of the gNBs. The DL PRSs are encoded for transmission on configured DL PRS resources within the plurality of DL PRS resource sets.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for allocating resources for downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs) in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:
a baseband processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the baseband processor, configure the apparatus to:
configure a DL PRS resource pool comprising a periodically repeated amount of resources dedicated for DL PRS transmission by a plurality of base stations in the wireless communication system;
divide the DL PRS resource pool into a plurality of DL PRS resource sets corresponding to one or more base station of the plurality of base stations; and
generate configured DL PRS resources within the plurality of DL PRS resource sets for transmission of the DL PRSs, wherein the configured DL PRS resources comprise a resource element map pattern based on N consecutive symbols comprising comb-N frequency allocation patterns corresponding to unique frequency shifts, wherein a value of N={1,2,3,4}.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to configure the DL PRS resource pool comprises to configure one or more parameters comprising:
a unique DL PRS pool identifier (ID);
a DL PRS pool bandwidth; a DL PRS pool periodicity defining an amount of time between two consecutive DL PRS pools; and
a DL PRS pool time offset.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the DL PRS pool time offset is defined in slots with respect to a predetermined system frame number (SFN).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to configure the DL PRS resource pool comprises to configure a DL PRS pool slot pattern to indicate which slots are configured for DL PRS transmission on a given DL PRS resource.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The apparatus of claim 4, wherein to configure the DL PRS pool slot pattern comprises to format a bitmap pattern to indicate each PRS allocated slot inside of the DL PRS resource pool.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to configure the DL PRS resource pool comprises to configure a DL PRS pool symbol pattern to indicate which symbols inside a slot are configured for DL PRS transmission on a given DL PRS resource.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein to configure the DL PRS pool symbol pattern comprises to format a bitmap pattern to indicate each allocated symbol inside of each slot available for DL PRS transmission.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein to configure the DL PRS pool bandwidth comprises one of:
indicate a start and an end physical resource block (PRB) for the DL PRS resource pool with respect to reference point;
indicate a PRB offset with respect to the reference point and a number of allocated PRBs for the DL PRS resource pool; or
indicate a PRB allocation pattern defined as a bitmap with respect to the reference point.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to configure the DL PRS resource pool comprises to configure one or more parameters comprising:
a resource set identifier (ID) to identify a configured DL PRS resource set;
a cell ID to indicate to which cell the configured DL PRS resource set belongs;
a list of DL PRS resource IDs to indicate DL PRS resources in the configured DL PRS resource set;
a resource set type;
a same transmit (TX) antenna port field to indicate whether a same spatial TX filter is applied across DL PRS resources within the configured DL PRS resource set; and
a muting bitmap for activation and/or deactivation of DL PRS transmission occasions.

### Claim 10

A method for transmitting downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
configuring a DL PRS resource pool comprising a periodically repeated amount of resources dedicated for DL PRS transmission by a plurality of g node Bs (gNBs) in the wireless communication system;
dividing the DL PRS resource pool into a plurality of DL PRS resource sets corresponding to one or more gNB of the plurality of the gNBs; and
encoding the DL PRSs for transmission on configured DL PRS resources within the plurality of DL PRS resource sets, wherein the configured DL PRS resources comprise a resource element map pattern based on N consecutive symbols comprising comb-N frequency allocation patterns corresponding to unique frequency shifts, wherein a value of N={1,2,3,4}.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein configuring the DL PRS resource pool comprises configuring one or more parameters comprising:
a unique DL PRS pool identifier (ID);
a DL PRS pool bandwidth;
a DL PRS pool periodicity defining an amount of time between two consecutive DL PRS pools; and
a DL PRS pool time offset.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the DL PRS pool time offset is defined in slots with respect to a predetermined system frame number (SFN).

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein configuring the DL PRS resource pool comprises configuring a DL PRS pool slot pattern to indicate which slots are configured for DL PRS transmission on a given DL PRS resource.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein configuring the DL PRS pool slot pattern comprises formatting a bitmap pattern indicating each PRS allocated slot inside of the DL PRS resource pool.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein configuring the DL PRS resource pool comprises configuring a DL PRS pool symbol pattern to indicate which symbols inside a slot are configured for DL PRS transmission on a given DL PRS resource.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein configuring the DL PRS pool symbol pattern comprises formatting a bitmap pattern indicating each allocated symbol inside of each slot available for DL PRS transmission.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein configuring the DL PRS pool bandwidth comprises one of:
providing an indication of a start and an end physical resource block (PRB) for the DL PRS resource pool with respect to reference point;
providing an indication of a PRB offset with respect to the reference point and a number of allocated PRBs for the DL PRS resource pool;
or providing an indication of a PRB allocation pattern defined as a bitmap with respect to the reference point.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein configuring the DL PRS resource pool comprises configuring one or more parameters comprising:
a resource set identifier (ID) to identify a configured DL PRS resource set;
a cell ID to indicate to which cell the configured DL PRS resource set belongs;
a list of DL PRS resource IDs to indicate DL PRS resources in the configured DL PRS resource set;
a resource set type;
a same transmit (TX) antenna port field to indicate whether a same spatial TX filter is applied across DL PRS resources within the configured DL PRS resource set; and
a muting bitmap for activation and/or deactivation of DL PRS transmission occasions.