CN112956136A

CN112956136A - Beam pattern switching for positioning reference signal measurements

Info

Publication number: CN112956136A
Application number: CN201880099261.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孟艳; 陶涛; 刘建国; 骆喆; 沈钢
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Oyj; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2018-11-01
Filing date: 2018-11-01
Publication date: 2021-06-11
Also published as: WO2020087441A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for beam pattern switching for Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements. In an example embodiment, a User Equipment (UE) receives an indication of a beam pattern for transmitting PRSs in a reference cell. Then, a PRS is detected by the UE based on the beam pattern.

Description

Beam pattern switching for positioning reference signal measurements

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and, in particular, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for beam pattern switching for Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements.

Background

Positioning techniques for New Radio (NR) systems are being investigated to support NR-based Radio Access Technology (RAT) related positioning in NR operating bands including both low frequency bands (<6GHz or FR1) and high frequency bands (>6GHz or FR 2). Observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) is a Downlink (DL) positioning technique in Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems. The OTDOA technique is a multipoint positioning technique in which a User Equipment (UE) measures time of arrival (TOA) of signals received from a plurality of base stations (e.g., enodebs or enbs), and the UE can position the UE based on the TOA.

In order to improve the positioning performance of the OTDOA technique, Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) have been introduced. For example, the UE measures the TOA of the PRS from the base station to improve the positioning performance of the OTDOA technique. OTDOA is a mature location technology and has been well defined in LTE standardization. However, this technique is not suitable for NR localization. Furthermore, multi-beam transmission has been negotiated to provide better coverage in NR systems, especially for high frequency bands.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for beam pattern switching for PRS measurements.

In a first aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to receive, at a user equipment, an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit positioning reference signals in a reference cell. The apparatus is also caused to detect a positioning reference signal based on the beam pattern.

In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to collect, at a location server, a set of beam patterns for transmitting a set of positioning reference signals in a set of cells. The apparatus is also caused to select a reference cell from a set of cells for the user equipment. The apparatus is also caused to transmit, via the base station, an indication of a beam pattern among the set of beam patterns used to transmit positioning reference signals among the set of positioning reference signals in the reference cell to the user equipment.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. In the method, a user equipment receives an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit positioning reference signals in a reference cell. A positioning reference signal is detected based on the beam pattern.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. In the method, a location server collects a set of beam patterns used to transmit a set of positioning reference signals in a set of cells. The location server selects a reference cell from a set of cells for the user equipment. Furthermore, the location server transmits, via the base station, an indication of a beam pattern among the set of beam patterns used for transmitting positioning reference signals among the set of positioning reference signals in the reference cell to the user equipment.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising means for performing a method according to the third or fourth aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon is provided. The computer program, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the method according to the third or fourth aspect.

It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern in an LTE system;

fig. 2 shows an example beam scanning pattern in an NR system;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern in accordance with some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 7(a) shows a conventional TOA estimation process without beam combining in case of using the beam patterns as shown in fig. 6;

FIG. 7(b) illustrates another conventional TOA estimation process without beam combining in the case of using the beam patterns as shown in FIG. 6;

fig. 7(c) illustrates an example TOA estimation process with in-beam combining, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 shows a flowchart of an example method according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure;

figure 9 illustrates an example process of beam pattern switching according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to a few exemplary embodiments. It is understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and are presented to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and enabling the disclosure, without placing any limitation on the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in a variety of other ways besides those described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used herein, the term "base station" (BS) refers to a device via which a terminal device or UE can access a communication network. Examples of BSs include relays, Access Points (APs), transmission points (TRPs), node BS (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), gigabit NodeB (gnb), remote radio modules (RRUs), Radio Heads (RH), Remote Radio Heads (RRHs), low power nodes (such as femto, pico), and so forth.

As used herein, the term "terminal device" or "user equipment" (UE) refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication with each other or a base station. Communication may involve the transmission and/or reception of wireless signals using electromagnetic signals, radio waves, infrared signals, and/or other types of signals suitable for the conveyance of information over the air. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may transmit information to the network device on a predetermined schedule, triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network side.

Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, User Equipment (UE), such as a smart phone, a wireless-enabled tablet, a Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), a laptop installation equipment (LME), and/or a wireless Customer Premises Equipment (CPE). For purposes of discussion, some embodiments will be described with reference to a UE as an example of a terminal device, and the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of this disclosure.

As used herein, the term "location server" refers to a device that is capable of communicating with base stations and providing location services to UEs. As an example, the location server may be a device in a core network of a communication network, such as an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC).

As used herein, the term "reference cell" refers to any cell that may be used as a reference for positioning a UE. As an example, the reference cell may be a serving cell provided by a base station that is serving the UE, or any other cell provided by the serving base station or any other base station.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) a purely hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation in analog and/or digital circuitry only); and

(b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), any portion of software and memory that work in conjunction to cause a device such as a mobile telephone or server to perform various functions; and

(c) hardware circuitry and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate but may not be present when software operation is not required.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses an implementation of a portion of a purely hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses (e.g., and if applicable to the particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "comprises" (and variants thereof should be understood as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to." the term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". the terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment.

In OTDOA positioning of an LTE system, a UE typically measures the time difference in PRS signals from two or more base stations for positioning. PRSs may be transmitted periodically by a base station in groups of consecutive DL subframes with omni-directional antennas.

Fig. 1 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern 100 in an LTE system. As shown, the PRS 105 is transmitted in several subframes 110 in a PRS period 115. With respect to the reference time 120 when the subframe number (SFN) is 0 and the slot number is 0, the PRS 105 has a PRS subframe offset 125. To assist the UE in acquiring or detecting the PRS 105, assistance data, such as a PRS subframe offset 125, a PRS period 115, and a number of consecutive PRS subframes 110 may be provided from the base station to the UE.

In NR systems, multi-beam transmission or beam scanning is supported in the high frequency band (>6GHz) to provide better coverage. Fig. 2 shows an example beam scanning pattern 200 in an NR system. As shown, in beam scanning mode 200, TRP 205 transmits signals by scanning 210 from beam 215-1 to beam 215-N, where N represents any suitable positive integer greater than 1. For purposes of discussion, the beams will be collectively or individually referred to as beams 215. Multiple UEs 220-1, 220-2, … …, 220-M (where M represents any suitable positive integer) may receive signals transmitted using respective beams.

For NR positioning, PRS can be transmitted with such multi-beam scanning. If the UE does not know the beam sweep design of the PRS, the UE will not be able to perform Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a beam pattern switching scheme to improve multi-beam PRS measurements and TOA estimation, for example, at a UE. With this scheme, the UE receives an indication of a beam pattern for transmitting PRSs in a reference cell. The beam pattern may include the number of beams, beam indices of the beams, beam durations of the beams, subframe offsets of the beams, transmission occasions of one beam, beam scanning periods, and the like. Based on the beam pattern, the UE may detect the PRS more efficiently and accurately.

In this way, PRS configurations related to beam patterns can be communicated to UEs to support multi-beam PRS measurements in NR, especially for high frequency bands (>6 GHz). Based on the received beam pattern, the UE may determine how to detect and measure PRSs, and may perform RSTD measurements more efficiently and effectively. For example, the UE may combine PRSs transmitted with one beam to improve the accuracy of TOA estimation and thus improve positioning accuracy.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment 300 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Environment 300, which is part of a communication network, includes a base station 310 and a UE 320. As shown, the base station 310 provides a cell 330 in which the UE 320 may be served. The environment 300 also includes a location server 340, and the location server 340 can communicate with the base station 310 and with the UE 320 via the base station 310 to provide location services to the UE 320.

It should be understood that one base station, one UE, and one location server are shown in fig. 1 for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of the present disclosure. Environment 300 may include any suitable number of base stations, UEs, and location servers suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. It should also be understood that one cell is provided by base station 310 for purposes of illustration only. Depending on the particular implementation, base station 310 may provide more cells.

The UE 320 may communicate with the base station 310 or may communicate with another terminal device or a location server 340 or other network entity via the base station 310. The communication between the UE 320 and the base station 310 may follow any suitable wireless communication standard or protocol, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), fifth generation (5G) NR, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communication technology, including, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth (Bluetooth), ZigBee, and Machine Type Communication (MTC), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), large-scale Machine Type Communication (MTC), and ultra-reliable low-delay communication (urrllc) technologies.

Location server 340 may communicate with base station 310 and other base stations. The communication between the location server 340 and the base station 310 may utilize any suitable communication technology. In some embodiments, location server 340 and base station 310 may communicate using cable.

In this example, the base station 310 may transmit PRSs to the UE 320 on three beams 215-1, 215-2, and 215-3 in the cell 330. Location server 340 may communicate with base station 310 and other surrounding base stations to collect beam patterns of PRSs transmitted in respective cells provided by the base stations.

In various example embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE 320 receives an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit PRSs in a reference cell and detects PRSs based on the beam pattern. The indication may be received by the UE 320 from the location server 340 via the base station 310. The reference cell may be a serving cell (e.g., cell 340) of UE 320, or may be any other cell provided by another base station and used as a reference for locating UE 320.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 400 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented at a UE 320 as shown in fig. 3. For discussion purposes, the method 400 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

At block 405, the UE 320 receives an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit PRSs in a reference cell. The UE 320 may receive the indication from the location server 340 via the base station 310. For example, the base station 310 and other base stations may transmit beam patterns for transmitting PRSs in respective cells to the location server 340. Thus, the location server 340 may be aware of the beam scanning patterns of these base stations. The location server 340 may then inform the UE 320 of the beam pattern in the reference cell via the base station 310. The detailed process and operation at the location server 340 will be discussed later with reference to fig. 8.

The beam pattern may convey any suitable information related to one or more beams used to transmit PRSs. For example, in the beam scanning pattern 200 as shown in fig. 2, PRSs may be transmitted using multiple transmission occasions on all beams to cover the entire cell coverage. On one beam, PRSs may be transmitted within a beam duration. The beam duration may include some continuous or discontinuous time resources such as OFDM symbols, subframes, and slots. The beam durations may be different for different beams. The beam duration indicates a transmission opportunity associated with the corresponding beam. In this case, for example, transmission occasions of different beams may be distinguished so that the UE 320 may combine PRSs transmitted with the same beam.

As examples, the beam pattern may include a number of beams, beam indices of the beams, beam durations of the beams, subframe offsets of the beams, transmission occasions of the beams, beam scanning periods, and so on. In some example embodiments of the present disclosure, the beam index may indicate which beam is used for PRS transmission in the beam duration. The beam pattern for PRS transmissions may be repeated for one period, and the period may be configured by the base station.

The beam pattern may be indicated in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, a bitmap based beam mask sequence may be used. The beam mask sequence may be implemented by a bit string of length K, where K is the total transmission opportunity for all beams. Each bit in the bit string may be assigned a value of "0" or "1". In the bit string, the positioning of a "1" bit indicates a transmission occasion (or subframe, symbol, or slot) that has been used for PRS transmission. If a certain bit in the beam mask sequence is set to "0," the corresponding transmission occasion is not used for PRS transmission. For each beam, the number of "1" bits may indicate the beam duration of the beam. Example implementations of beam mask sequences are discussed below with reference to fig. 5 and 6.

Fig. 5 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern 500 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the PRS transmission mode 500, the PRS has a PRS subframe offset 505 with respect to a reference time when the SFN is 0 and the slot number is 0. In the beam pattern 510 as shown in fig. 5, PRSs are transmitted on three beams 215, indexed as beam #1, beam #2, and beam # 3. To achieve diversity gain or support interference coordination, PRS transmissions on beam #1, beam #2, and beam #3 are interleaved. As shown in fig. 5, the beam duration 515 of beam #1 includes two non-contiguous resource blocks 520, and each block 520 may include several subframes, slots, or symbols. Each block 520 represents a PRS transmission occasion. The beam pattern 510 may repeat over the PRS period 525.

In this example, the configuration of beam #1 may be indicated by the bit sequence "100100", the configuration of beam #2 may be indicated by the bit sequence "010010", and the configuration of beam #3 may be indicated by the bit sequence "001001".

Fig. 6 illustrates an example PRS transmission pattern 600 according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure.

In contrast to the PRS transmission pattern 500 shown in fig. 5, in the beam pattern 610 of the PRS transmission pattern 600, PRS transmissions on beam #1, beam #2, and beam #3 are sequential. As shown in fig. 6, beam duration 615 of beam #1 includes two consecutive resource blocks 520. In this case, the configuration of beam #1 may be indicated by a bit sequence of "110000", the configuration of beam #2 may be indicated by a bit sequence of "001100", and the configuration of beam #3 may be indicated by a bit sequence of "000011".

It should be understood that the above bit masking schemes are exemplary only, and not limiting. Other methods of indication of the beam pattern are also possible.

Still referring to fig. 4, at block 410, the UE 320 detects PRSs based on the beam pattern. For example, the UE 320 may know when and where to detect or measure PRSs. Taking beam pattern 600 in fig. 6 as an example, beam pattern 610 associated with three beams may be represented as a beam mask sequence "110000001100000011". Based on the beam mask sequence, the UE 320 may derive a configuration for each beam. For example, for each beam, the beam duration may be derived based on the number of "1" bits, and the positioning of "1" represents a transmission opportunity used for PRS transmission with the beam.

Further, the UE 320 may design an appropriate estimation algorithm based on the beam pattern to improve RSTD measurements and thereby improve positioning performance. Example optimizations of the estimation algorithm will be discussed with reference to fig. 7(a), 7(b) and 7 (c).

Fig. 7(a) shows a conventional TOA estimation process 705 without beam combining in the case of using the beam pattern 610 as shown in fig. 6. In this conventional estimation procedure 705, no information regarding the beam pattern of the PRS is provided to the UE 320. UE 320 estimates (710) the TOA independently at each block 520. The minimum TOA may be selected as the estimated TOA.

Fig. 7(b) shows another conventional TOA estimation process 715 with inter-beam combining if beam pattern 610 is used. In process 715, all (or some) of the blocks 520 for PRS transmissions utilizing different beams are combined (720) to estimate TOA. Inter-beam combining may bring a combining diversity gain over several blocks 520. However, due to the large phase shift difference between the different beams, it is possible to cancel most PRS signals received on the different beams. As a result, the performance of the TOA estimate may be poor.

Fig. 7(c) illustrates an example TOA estimation process 725 with in-beam combining, according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. In process 725, the UE 320 may combine 730 the blocks 520 for the beam duration of each beam to achieve a combined diversity gain. Further, UE 320 may select the minimum TOA as the estimated TOA to achieve selective diversity gain. In this way, a TOA value of high accuracy can be obtained to improve positioning accuracy.

In some embodiments, to further improve RSTD measurements for the UE 320, the UE 320 may receive additional indications of beam patterns used to transmit PRSs in neighboring cells and then detect PRSs based on the beam patterns. The implementation of this indication is similar to that of the beam pattern in the reference cell, and details thereof will be omitted. In an implementation, the UE 320 may be provided with beam patterns related to any suitable number of neighboring cells to improve positioning accuracy.

To enable the UE 320 to know the beam pattern of PRSs in the reference cell or neighboring cells, the location server 340 may need to collect beam patterns from the relevant base stations. The detailed process and operation of the location server 340 will be described below with reference to fig. 8.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of an example method 800 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 800 may be implemented at location server 340 as shown in fig. 3. For discussion purposes, the method 800 will be described with reference to fig. 3.

At block 805, the location server 340 collects a set of beam patterns used to transmit a set of PRSs in a set of cells. The beam patterns may be collected by the location server 340 from surrounding base stations.

At block 810, the location server 340 selects a reference cell from the set of cells for the UE 320. At block 815, the location server 340 transmits, via the base station 310, a beam pattern for transmitting PRSs in a reference cell to the UE 320.

In some embodiments, the location server 340 may also send beam patterns in neighboring cells to the UE 320. For example, the location server 340 may select a neighboring cell from the set of cells for the UE 320 and then transmit a further indication of a beam pattern for transmitting a further PRS in the neighboring cell.

As an example, location server 340 may send OTDOA assistance data containing two elements to UE 320 via base station 310: OTDOA reference cell information and OTDOA neighbor cell information. Beam patterns related to PRS configurations for the reference cell and the neighboring cells are included in the OTDOA assistance data.

Table 1 illustrates example additional PRS information elements related to beam patterns in OTDOA assistance data according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

TABLE 1

The PRS configuration for the reference cell and one or more neighboring cells may be transmitted from the base station to a location server 340 (e.g., E-SMLC), and the location server 340 may then forward the PRS configuration to the UE 320. Using these beam patterns, RSTD measurements of the UE 320 may be more efficient and effective.

Fig. 9 illustrates an example process 900 of beam pattern exchange between a base station 310, a location server 340, and a UE 320 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In process 900, location server 340 sends (905) an OTDOA information request to base station 310 for OTDOA information for the reference cell and the neighboring cell. The OTDOA information request may include a request for additional PRS information for the base station 310 to provide a beam pattern.

Base station 310 delivers (910) the OTDOA information response to location server 340. The OTDOA information response contains assistance data, which includes, for example, additional beam pattern information of PRSs as shown in table 1.

Location server 340 sends 915 a provide assistance data (ProvideAssistanceData) message to UE 320, the message containing OTDOA assistance data. As shown in table 1, the OTDOA assistance data may include additional PRS information for beam patterns of the reference cell and the neighboring cells.

The location server 340 sends 920 a request location information (RequestLocationInformation) message to the UE 320 to request RSTD measurements. The UE 320 then performs (925) RSTD measurements using the received assistance data. The assistance data includes candidate cells for measurement and their PRS configurations in table 1. Based on the assistance data, the UE will combine PRS signals transmitted with the same beam and obtain one combined TOA measurement, as shown in fig. 7 (c). UE 320 provides 930 RSTD measurements to location server 340.

All of the operations and features described above with reference to fig. 3-7 (c) apply equally to method 800 and have similar effects. Details will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the

method

400 or 800 may include means for performing the respective steps of the

method

400 or 800. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuitry or software modules.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 400 comprises: means for receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit positioning reference signals in a reference cell; and means for detecting a positioning reference signal based on the beam pattern.

In some example embodiments, the beam pattern may include at least one of a number of beams in the set of beams, respective beam indices of the beams, and respective beam durations of the beams.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving a further indication of a further beam pattern for transmitting a further positioning reference signal in a neighboring cell; and means for detecting further positioning reference signals based on the further beam patterns.

In some example embodiments, the indication may be received from a location server via a base station.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 800 comprises: means for collecting, at a location server, a set of beam patterns used to transmit a set of positioning reference signals in a set of cells; means for selecting a reference cell for a user equipment from a set of cells; and means for transmitting, via the base station, an indication of a beam pattern among the set of beam patterns for transmitting a positioning reference signal among the set of positioning reference signals in a reference cell to the user equipment.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for selecting, for the user equipment, a neighbor cell from the set of cells; and means for transmitting, via the base station, a further indication of a further beam pattern among the set of beam patterns for transmitting a further positioning reference signal among the set of positioning reference signals in a neighboring cell to the user equipment.

Fig. 10 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus 1000 may be implemented at the UE 320 or the location server 340 shown in fig. 3.

As shown, the device 1000 includes a processor 1010, a memory 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, a communication module 1030 coupled to the processor 1010, and a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 1030. The memory 1020 stores at least a program 1040. The communication module 1030 is used for bi-directional communication, e.g., via multiple antennas. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication.

The programs 1040 are assumed to include program instructions that, when executed by the associated processor 1010, enable the device 1000 to operate in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to fig. 1-9. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer software executable by the processor 1010 of the device 1000, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The processor 1010 may be configured to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The memory 1020 may be of any type suitable to the local technology network and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as non-transitory computer-readable storage media, semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. Although only one memory 1020 is shown in device 1000, there may be several physically distinct memory modules in device 1000. The processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time dependent from a clock synchronized to the main processor.

When the device 1000 is acting as a UE 320 or part of a UE 320, the processor 1010 and the communication module 1030 may cooperate to implement the method 400 as described above with reference to fig. 4-7 (c). When the device 1000 acts as the location server 340 or as part of the location server 340, the processor 1010 and the communication module 1030 may cooperate to implement the method 800 as described above with reference to fig. 8 and 9. All of the operations and features described above with reference to fig. 1-9 are equally applicable to the apparatus 1000 and have similar effects. Details will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the example embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute in the device on the target real or virtual processor to perform the

methods

400 and 800 as described above with reference to fig. 1-9. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the execution of the program codes by the processor or controller causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Various embodiments of the techniques have been described. In addition to or instead of the above, the following embodiments are described. The functionality described in any of the examples below may be used with other examples described herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit positioning reference signals in a reference cell; and

detecting the positioning reference signal based on the beam pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the beam pattern comprises at least one of: a number of beams in a set of beams, respective beam indices of the beams, and respective beam durations of the beams.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

receiving a further indication of a further beam pattern for transmitting a further positioning reference signal in a neighboring cell; and

detecting the further positioning reference signal based on the further beam pattern.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the indication is received from a location server via a base station.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

collecting, at a location server, a set of beam patterns for transmitting a set of positioning reference signals in a set of cells;

selecting, for a user equipment, a reference cell from the set of cells; and

transmitting, via a base station, an indication of a beam pattern among the set of beam patterns used to transmit positioning reference signals among the set of positioning reference signals in the reference cell to the user equipment.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the beam pattern comprises at least one of: a number of beams in the set of beams, respective beam indices of the beams, and respective beam durations of the beams.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

selecting, for the user equipment, a neighboring cell from the set of cells; and

transmitting, via the base station, a further indication of a further beam pattern of the set of beam patterns for transmitting a further positioning reference signal of the set of positioning reference signals in the neighboring cell to the user equipment.

8. A method, comprising:

detecting the positioning reference signal based on the beam pattern.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the beam pattern comprises at least one of: a number of beams in a set of beams, respective beam indices of the beams and respective beam durations of the beams.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, further comprising:

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication is received from a location server via a base station.

12. A method, comprising:

selecting, for a user equipment, a reference cell from the set of cells; and

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the beam pattern comprises at least one of: a number of beams in the set of beams, respective beam indices of the beams, and respective beam durations of the beams.

14. The method of claim 12 or 13, further comprising:

15. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of a beam pattern used to transmit positioning reference signals in a reference cell; and

means for detecting the positioning reference signal based on the beam pattern.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

means for collecting, at a location server, a set of beam patterns for transmitting a set of positioning reference signals in a set of cells;

means for selecting, for a user equipment, a reference cell from the set of cells; and

means for transmitting, via a base station, an indication of a beam pattern among the set of beam patterns for transmitting a positioning reference signal among the set of positioning reference signals in the reference cell to the user equipment.

17. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 8 to 11.

18. A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of claims 12 to 14.