WO2023048091A1 - Communication device and communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

A communication device (100, 101) comprises: a communication unit (110) that transmits or receives a positioning reference signal for a side link to or from an other communication device (100, 102); and a control unit (120) that estimates the position of the communication device (100, 101) on the basis of the measurement result for the positioning reference signal. The control unit (120) holds one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signal. The communication unit (110) transmits or receives the positioning reference signal on the basis of a predefined setting selected from among the one or more predefined settings being held.

Description

[Supplementation under Rule 26 03.10.2022] Communication device and communication method Cross-references to related applications

This application is based on and claims the benefit of priority from patent application number 2021-154814, filed September 22, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. incorporated herein by.

The present disclosure relates to communication devices and communication methods.

In a mobile communication system that conforms to the technical specifications of 3GPP (registered trademark; hereinafter the same) (3rd Generation Partnership Project), which is a standardization project for mobile communication systems, sidelink communication (for example, V2X (Vehicle to Everything) sidelink communication) Supported (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). In recent years, for example, it is possible to perform positioning using sidelink communication in order to enable positioning of a communication device outside the coverage of a base station or to enable tracking of the relative position of a communication device with low delay. proposed (for example, Non-Patent Document 2). Specifically, it is assumed that the communication device performs positioning (position estimation) using sidelink positioning reference signals from other communication devices around the communication device.

The communication device according to the first aspect includes a communication unit that transmits a sidelink positioning reference signal to another communication device or receives from the other communication device, and based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal, the communication a controller for estimating the position of the device. The controller maintains one or more pre-defined settings pre-defined for the positioning reference signals. The communication unit transmits or receives the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the held one or more pre-defined settings.

A communication method according to the second aspect is a communication method executed by a communication device. The communication method includes a step of transmitting a sidelink positioning reference signal to or receiving from another communication device, and estimating the position of the communication device based on a measurement result for the positioning reference signal. and maintaining one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signals. The receiving step transmits or receives the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the one or more retained pre-defined settings.

Objects, features, advantages, etc. of the present disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a mobile communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a protocol stack in the mobile communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a UE protocol stack in the mobile communication system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the UE according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a base station according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the location management device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining a first operation example according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining a second operation example according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining a third operation example according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining a fourth operation example according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining a fifth operation example according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining a sixth operation example according to one embodiment.

A mobile communication system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals.

The current 3GPP technical specifications do not define specific operations for a communication device to perform position estimation using a sidelink positioning reference signal. Therefore, there is a possibility that the communication device cannot appropriately perform position estimation using the positioning reference signal for the sidelink. Therefore, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a communication device and a communication method that enable appropriate position estimation using positioning reference signals for sidelinks.

(Configuration of mobile communication system)
A configuration of a mobile communication system 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The mobile communication system 1 is, for example, a system conforming to 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS). Hereinafter, as the mobile communication system 1, a mobile communication system based on the 3GPP standard 5th Generation System (5GS), that is, NR (New Radio) will be described as an example.

The mobile communication system 1 has a network 10 and user equipment (UE) 100 communicating with the network 10 . The network 10 includes an NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Network) 20, which is a 5G radio access network, and a 5GC (5G Core Network) 30, which is a 5G core network.

NG-RAN 20 includes multiple base stations 200 . Each base station 200 manages at least one cell. A cell constitutes the minimum unit of a communication area. For example, one cell belongs to one frequency (carrier frequency) and is configured by one component carrier. The term “cell” may represent a radio communication resource and may also represent a communication target of UE 100 . Each base station 200 can perform radio communication with the UE 100 residing in its own cell. The base station 200 communicates with the UE 100 using the RAN protocol stack. Base station 200 provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards UE 100 and is connected to 5GC 30 via NG interface. Such an NR base station 200 is sometimes referred to as a gNodeB (gNB).

The 5GC 30 includes a core network device 300. The core network device 300 includes, for example, AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) and/or UPF (User Plane Function). AMF performs mobility management of UE100. UPF provides functions specialized for user plane processing. The AMF and UPF are connected with the base station 200 via the NG interface.

The 5GC 30 includes a location management device 400. The location manager 400 may manage support for location services for the UE (target UE) 100 . The location management device 400 may manage overall coordination and scheduling of resources required for the location of the UE 100 . The location management device 400 is sometimes called an LMF (Location Management Function). The LMF is connected with the AMF via the NL1 interface. The NL1 interface is only used as transport link for Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) and NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa).

The UE 100 is an example of a communication device. The UE 100 may be a mobile wireless communication device. UE 100 may be a device used by a user. The UE 100 is, for example, a portable device such as a mobile phone terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook PC, a communication module, or a communication card. The UE 100 may be a vehicle (eg, car, train, etc.) or a device provided therein. The UE 100 may be a transport body other than a vehicle (for example, a ship, an airplane, etc.) or a device provided thereon. The UE 100 may be a sensor or a device attached thereto. Note that the UE 100 includes a mobile station, a mobile terminal, a mobile device, a mobile unit, a subscriber station, a subscriber terminal, a subscriber device, a subscriber unit, a wireless station, a wireless terminal, a wireless device, a wireless unit, a remote station, and a remote terminal. , remote device, or remote unit. Also, the UE 100 may be called, for example, a road-side unit (RSU) installed on a road or a vulnerable road user (VRU).

The UEs 100 may perform sidelink communication, which is communication via an interface between the UEs 100. The interface between UEs 100 may be referred to as the PC5 interface.

Sidelink communication may include NR sidelink communication and V2X sidelink communication. NR sidelink communication is an AS (Autonomous System) feature that enables at least V2X communication between two or more nearby UEs 100 using NR technology without going through a network node. V2X sidelink communication is an AS feature that enables V2X communication between two or more nearby UEs 100 without going through a network node using E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access) technology. Support for Vehicle to everything (V2X) services over the PC5 interface can be provided by NR sidelink communications and/or V2X sidelink communications. NR sidelink communication may be used to support services other than V2X services.

Sidelink communication (that is, sidelink transmission and reception) is, regardless of which RRC (Radio Resource Control) state the UE 100 is in, when the UE 100 is within NG-RAN coverage (eg, within a cell), and when the UE 100 is It may be supported both when outside NG-RAN coverage (eg, outside a cell).

A configuration example of a protocol stack in the mobile communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the protocol of the radio section between the UE 100 and the base station 200 includes a physical (PHY) layer, a MAC (Medium Access Control) layer, an RLC (Radio Link Control) layer, a PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) layer, RRC (Radio Resource Control) layer, and LPP (LTE Positioning Protocol) layer.

The PHY layer performs encoding/decoding, modulation/demodulation, antenna mapping/demapping, and resource mapping/demapping. Data and control information are transmitted between the PHY layer of the UE 100 and the PHY layer of the base station 200 via physical channels.

A physical channel is composed of multiple OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbols in the time domain and multiple subcarriers in the frequency domain. One subframe consists of a plurality of OFDM symbols in the time domain. A resource block is a resource allocation unit, and is composed of a plurality of OFDM symbols and a plurality of subcarriers. A frame may consist of 10 ms and may include 10 subframes of 1 ms. A subframe can include a number of slots corresponding to the subcarrier spacing.

Among physical channels, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) plays a central role, for example, for purposes such as downlink scheduling assignments, uplink scheduling grants, and transmission power control.

In NR, the UE 100 can use a narrower bandwidth than the system bandwidth (that is, the cell bandwidth). The base station 200 configures the UE 100 with a bandwidth part (BWP) made up of consecutive PRBs. UE 100 transmits and receives data and control signals on the active BWP. Up to four BWPs can be set in the UE 100, for example. Each BWP may have different subcarrier spacing and may overlap each other in frequency. If multiple BWPs are configured for the UE 100, the base station 200 can specify which BWP to activate through downlink control. This allows the base station 200 to dynamically adjust the UE bandwidth according to the amount of data traffic of the UE 100, etc., and reduce UE power consumption.

For example, the base station 200 can configure up to 3 control resource sets (CORESET) for each of up to 4 BWPs on the serving cell. CORESET is a radio resource for control information that the UE 100 should receive. UE 100 may be configured with up to 12 CORESETs on the serving cell. Each CORESET has an index from 0 to 11. For example, a CORESET consists of 6 resource blocks (PRBs) and 1, 2 or 3 consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain.

The MAC layer performs data priority control, hybrid ARQ (HARQ) retransmission processing, random access procedures, and so on. Data and control information are transmitted between the MAC layer of the UE 100 and the MAC layer of the base station 200 via transport channels. The MAC layer of base station 200 includes a scheduler. The scheduler determines uplink and downlink transport formats (transport block size, modulation and coding scheme (MCS)) and allocation resources to the UE 100 .

The RLC layer uses the functions of the MAC layer and PHY layer to transmit data to the RLC layer on the receiving side. Data and control information are transmitted between the RLC layer of the UE 100 and the RLC layer of the base station 200 via logical channels.

The PDCP layer performs header compression/decompression and encryption/decryption.

An SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer may be provided as an upper layer of the PDCP layer. The SDAP (Service Data Adaptation Protocol) layer performs mapping between an IP flow, which is the unit of QoS (Quality of Service) control performed by the core network, and a radio bearer, which is the unit of AS (Access Stratum) QoS control.

The RRC layer controls logical channels, transport channels and physical channels according to radio bearer establishment, re-establishment and release. RRC signaling for various settings is transmitted between the RRC layer of UE 100 and the RRC layer of base station 200 . When there is an RRC connection between the RRC of UE 100 and the RRC of base station 200, UE 100 is in the RRC connected state. If there is no RRC connection between the RRC of the UE 100 and the RRC of the base station 200, the UE 100 is in RRC idle state. When the RRC connection between the RRC of UE 100 and the RRC of base station 200 is suspended, UE 100 is in RRC inactive state.

The NAS layer located above the RRC layer performs session management and mobility management for UE100. NAS signaling is transmitted between the NAS layer of the UE 100 and the NAS layer of the core network device 300 (AMF).

The LPP layer, which is located above the RRC layer, exchanges positioning capabilities, transmits assistance data, transmits location information, transmits positioning measurements (positioning reference signal measurement results), and/or position estimation (position estimation result), error handling, and/or abort. LPP signaling (LPP messages) is transmitted between the LPP layer of the UE 100 and the LPP layer of the location management device 400 (LPP).

Note that the UE 100 has an application layer and the like in addition to the radio interface protocol.

As shown in FIG. 3, the protocol for the radio section between UEs 100 may have a physical layer, a MAC layer, an RLC layer, a PDCP layer, and an RRC layer. The protocol may be the control plane protocol stack for the sidelink control channel (SCCH) of RRC on the PC5 interface. On the other hand, the control plane protocol for the sidelink broadcast channel (SBCCH) may comprise a physical layer, a MAC layer, an RLC layer, an RRC layer, and omit the PDCP layer.

Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the protocol for the radio section between UEs 100 may include a physical layer, MAC layer, RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer, and PC5-S layer. The protocol may be used in the control plane for the sidelink control channel (SCCH) of PC5-S.

The PHY layer has the same functions as above. Data and control information are transmitted between the PHY layer of the UE 100 and the PHY layer of the UE 100 via physical channels.

In addition to the functions similar to those described above, the MAC layer includes radio resource selection, packet filtering, priority processing between uplink and sidelink transmission, sidelink CSI (Channel State Information) as services and functions via the PC5 interface. ) reporting, etc.

The RLC layer has the same functions as above. Data and control information are transmitted between the RLC layer of the UE 100 and the RLC layer of the UE 100 via logical channels.

The PDCP layer has the same functionality as above, with some restrictions (eg, restrictions on Out-of-order delivery, duplication, etc.).

The RRC layer transfers PC5-RRC messages between peer UEs, maintains and releases PC5-RRC connections between two UEs, detects sidelink radio link failures for PC5-RRC connections, etc. Note that a PC5-RRC connection is a logical connection between two UEs for a pair of Source Layer-2 ID and Destination Layer-2 ID. The logical connection is considered established after the corresponding PC5 unicast link is established.

The PC5-S layer transfers PC5-S signaling (eg, PC5-S messages).

Note that the UE 100 may have layers other than the layers described above.

(Assumed scenario)
An assumed scenario in the mobile communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described. In a mobile communication system 1 conforming to technical specifications of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), which is a standardization project for the mobile communication system 1, positioning using sidelink communication has been proposed. Specifically, it is assumed that the UE 100 performs positioning (position estimation) using sidelink positioning reference signals from other UEs 100 around the UE 100 .

However, the current 3GPP technical specifications do not define specific operations for UE 100 to perform position estimation using sidelink positioning reference signals. Therefore, there is a possibility that the UE 100 cannot appropriately perform position estimation using the sidelink positioning reference signal. In one embodiment described later, an operation for enabling the UE 100 to appropriately perform position estimation using the sidelink positioning reference signal will be described.

(Configuration of user device)
A configuration of the UE 100 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. UE 100 includes communication unit 110 and control unit 120 .

The communication unit 110 performs wireless communication with the base station 200 by transmitting and receiving wireless signals to and from the base station 200 . The communication unit 110 has at least one transmitter 111 and at least one receiver 112 . The transmitter 111 and receiver 112 may be configured to include multiple antennas and RF circuits. The antenna converts a signal into radio waves and radiates the radio waves into space. Also, the antenna receives radio waves in space and converts the radio waves into signals. The RF circuitry performs analog processing of signals transmitted and received through the antenna. The RF circuitry may include high frequency filters, amplifiers, modulators, low pass filters, and the like.

The control unit 120 performs various controls in the UE 100. Control unit 120 controls communication with base station 200 via communication unit 110 . The operations of the UE 100 described above and below may be operations under the control of the control unit 120 . The control unit 120 may include at least one processor capable of executing a program and a memory that stores the program. The processor may execute a program to operate the control unit 120 . The control unit 120 may include a digital signal processor that performs digital processing of signals transmitted and received through the antenna and RF circuitry. The digital processing includes processing of the protocol stack of the RAN. Note that the memory stores programs executed by the processor, parameters related to the programs, and data related to the programs. The memory may include at least one of ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and flash memory. All or part of the memory may be included within the processor.

In the UE 100 configured in this way, the communication unit 110 transmits to or receives from the other UE 100 the positioning reference signal for the sidelink. The control unit 120 performs position estimation of the UE 100 based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal. The control unit 120 holds one or a plurality of setting candidates indicating preset settings for positioning reference signals. The communication unit 110 transmits or receives the positioning reference signal based on the setting selected from the held setting candidates.

In the following, the operation of the functional units provided in the UE 100 (specifically, at least one of the communication unit 110 (the transmission unit 111 and/or the reception unit 112) and the control unit 120) will be described as the operation of the UE 100. There is

(Base station configuration)
A configuration of the base station 200 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Base station 200 has communication unit 210 , network interface 220 , and control unit 230 .

For example, the communication unit 210 receives radio signals from the UE 100 and transmits radio signals to the UE 100. The communication unit 210 has at least one transmitter 211 and at least one receiver 212 . The transmitting section 211 and the receiving section 212 may be configured including an RF circuit. The RF circuitry performs analog processing of signals transmitted and received through the antenna. The RF circuitry may include high frequency filters, amplifiers, modulators, low pass filters, and the like.

The network interface 220 transmits and receives signals to and from the network. The network interface 220, for example, receives signals from adjacent base stations connected via an Xn interface, which is an interface between base stations, and transmits signals to adjacent base stations. Also, the network interface 220 receives signals from the core network device 300 connected via the NG interface, for example, and transmits signals to the core network device 300 .

The control unit 230 performs various controls in the base station 200. The control unit 230 controls communication with the UE 100 via the communication unit 210, for example. The control unit 230 also controls communication with nodes (for example, adjacent base stations, the core network device 300, the location management device 400, etc.) via the network interface 220, for example. The operations of the base station 200 described above and below may be operations under the control of the control unit 230 . The control unit 230 may include at least one processor capable of executing programs and a memory storing the programs. The processor may execute a program to operate the controller 230 . Control unit 230 may include a digital signal processor that performs digital processing of signals transmitted and received through the antenna and RF circuitry. The digital processing includes processing of the protocol stack of the RAN. Note that the memory stores programs executed by the processor, parameters related to the programs, and data related to the programs. All or part of the memory may be included within the processor.

In the following, the operation of the functional unit (specifically, at least one of the transmitting unit 211, the receiving unit 212, the network interface 220, and the control unit 230) included in the base station 200 will be described as the operation of the base station 200. Sometimes.

(Configuration of position management device)
The configuration of the location management device 400 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Location management device 400 has network interface 420 and control unit 430 .

The network interface 420 transmits and receives signals to and from the network. The network interface 420 receives signals from, for example, an AMF connected via an NL1 interface, which is an AMF-location management device interface, and transmits signals to the AMF. The network interface 420 may have a transmitter 421 that transmits signals and a receiver 422 that receives signals.

The control unit 430 performs various controls in the position management device 400 . The control unit 430 controls communication with a node (for example, AMF) via the network interface 420, for example. The operations of the location management device 400 described above and later may be operations controlled by the control unit 430 . The control unit 430 may include at least one processor capable of executing programs and a memory storing the programs. The processor may execute a program to operate the controller 430 . It should be noted that the memory stores programs to be executed by the processor, parameters relating to the programs, and data relating to the programs. All or part of the memory may be included within the processor.

In the position management device 400 configured as described above, the control unit 230 generates control information regarding positioning reference signals for sidelinks. The transmitting unit 421 transmits control information to the UE 100 that transmits or receives positioning reference signals. The control information includes a request to enable or disable the transmission or reception of positioning reference signals, the type of signal to use as positioning reference signals, and whether the UE 100 is the source or destination of the positioning reference signals. and/or information that specifies By this means, the UE 100 that has received the control information can control the transmission or reception of the positioning reference signal based on the request for enabling or disabling the transmission or reception of the positioning reference signal. Also, the UE 100 can control transmission or reception of the positioning reference signal based on the type of signal used as the positioning reference signal. The control unit 120 of the UE 100 can control transmission or reception of the positioning reference signal based on information specifying whether the UE 100 is the source or destination of the positioning reference signal. As a result, the UE 100 can appropriately perform position estimation using the positioning reference signal.

In the following description, the operation of the functional units (specifically, at least one of the network interface 420 (the transmitting unit 421 and the receiving unit 422) and the control unit 430) included in the location management device 400 will be referred to as the operation of the location management device 400. can be described as

(Operation of mobile communication system)
(1) First Operation Example A first operation example of the mobile communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The UE 100 that performs position estimation is hereinafter referred to as a target UE 101 . A target UE 101 may be a UE 100 that performs a position estimation procedure in order to know its own position. The target UE 101 may be outside the cell managed by the base station 200 (ie, outside NG-RAN coverage). In this case, the target UE 101 is in RRC idle state or RRC inactive state. Alternatively, the target UE 101 may be within a cell managed by the base station 200 (ie within NG-RAN coverage). In this case, the target UE 101 is in RRC connected state.

Also, the UE 100 that supports position estimation of the target UE 101 is called an anchor UE 102. The anchor UE 102 may be a UE 100 that performs a location estimation procedure in order for the target UE 101 to know its own location. In this operational example, the anchor UE 102 may be outside the cell managed by the base station 200 (ie, outside NG-RAN coverage). In this case, the anchor UE 102 is in RRC idle state or RRC inactive state. Alternatively, the anchor UE 102 may be within a cell managed by the base station 200 (ie, within NG-RAN coverage). In this case, the anchor UE 102 is in RRC Connected state.

A plurality of UEs 100 around the target UE 101 may serve as the anchor UE 102 . Since each anchor UE 102 operates in the same manner, one anchor UE 102 will be described as a representative in this operation example. Multiple anchor UEs 102 may perform the following operations.

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) holds one or more pre-defined settings for the sidelink positioning reference signal (hereinafter referred to as SL-PRS (Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal)).

Predefined settings may include, for example, time-frequency resources for transmission and reception of SL-PRS. The time/frequency resource is, for example, at least one of the SL-PRS transmission period, the SL-PRS transmission and/or reception bandwidth, the SL-PRS transmission start time, and the SL-PRS transmission end time. may contain. Also, the pre-defined settings may include a signal sequence for SL-PRS.

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may retain one or more pre-defined settings by setting one or more pre-defined settings by the time of shipment. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may also obtain one or more pre-defined settings from the network 10. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may obtain one or more predefined settings from the location management device 400, for example.

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may hold a setting identifier associated with each of one or more predefined settings. A configuration identifier may be, for example, an index. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may have a list consisting of sets of pre-defined settings and setting identifiers associated with the pre-defined settings.

The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120), like the target UE 101, may hold one or more pre-defined settings. Also, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may hold a configuration identifier.

The pre-defined settings held in the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may be commonly defined. Alternatively, the pre-defined settings held in the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may be defined independently. In this case, some of the pre-defined settings held in the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may be different.

In step S101, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) selects a preset setting to be applied from one or a plurality of stored preset settings. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may, for example, initiate the selection of pre-defined settings according to the need to know the location of the target UE 101 itself. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may initiate selection of the pre-defined settings, for example, based on the user's operation.

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the source of the SL-PRS (ie, the transmitting entity that transmits the SL-PRS). The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the transmission source of the SL-PRS to be the target UE 101 itself or the anchor UE 102. In this operation example, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) determines the transmission source of the SL-PRS to be the target UE 101 itself.

Also, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the destination of the SL-PRS (that is, the receiving entity that receives the SL-PRS). The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the transmission destination of the SL-PRS to the target UE 101 itself or to the anchor UE 102. FIG.

Also, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the type of signal to be used as SL-PRS. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine the type of signal to be used as SL-PRS when the mobile communication system 1 supports multiple signals as signals that can be used as SL-PRS. Signals that can be used as SL-PRS are, for example, channel state information reference signals for sidelinks (SL-CSI-RS), sounding reference signals for sidelinks (SL-SRS), demodulation reference signals for sidelinks ( SL-DMRS) and/or synchronization signals and physical broadcast channel blocks for sidelinks (SL-SSB).

Also, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine SL-PRS measurement report targets. Target UE 101 (control unit 120), for example, as a measurement report target of SL-PRS, for example, received power of SL-PRS (for example, RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power)), reception time of SL-PRS, etc. You may decide whether

In step S102, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the anchor UE 102 the setting identifier associated with the selected predefined setting. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110 ) receives the configuration identifier from target UE 101 .

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may generate control information including the setting identifier. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the generated control information. The control information is control information related to SL-PRS. Control information related to SL-PRS includes sidelink control information (SCI) defined in the physical layer, MAC control elements (MAC CE), RRC messages defined in the RRC layer, and PC5-S defined in the PC5-S layer. message, and messages defined in other layers. Other layers may be, for example, LPP (SL-LPP) layers for sidelinks.

The control information may include information indicating SL-PRS measurement report targets.

The control information may also include, for example, the type of signal to use as SL-PRS. The control information may also include designation information that designates whether the anchor UE 102 is the source or destination of the SL-PRS. The designation information may indicate that the anchor UE 102 is the source of the SL-PRS, may indicate that the anchor UE 102 is the destination of the SL-PRS, or indicates that the target UE 101 is the transmission of the SL-PRS. It may indicate that the target UE 101 is the source, or that the target UE 101 is the destination of the SL-PRS.

Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may determine whether to transmit or receive SL-PRS based on the designation information. If the designation information indicates that the anchor UE 102 is the SL-PRS transmission source or indicates that the target UE 101 is the SL-PRS transmission destination, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) transmits the SL-PRS may be determined to be transmitted. In this case, the anchor UE 102 (controller 120) may perform operations to transmit the SL-PRS. On the other hand, if the designation information indicates that the anchor UE 102 is the SL-PRS transmission destination or indicates that the target UE 101 is the SL-PRS transmission source, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) It may be determined to receive the SL-PRS. In this case, the anchor UE 102 (controller 120) may perform operations to receive the SL-PRS.

The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may apply the predefined settings associated with the setting identifier. The pre-defined configuration associated with the configuration identifier may force the anchor UE 102 to apply. Therefore, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may unilaterally determine the pre-defined settings.

Alternatively, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may determine whether to approve the predefined setting associated with the setting identifier. The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may apply the pre-defined settings when approving the pre-defined settings. On the other hand, if the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) does not hold a configuration identifier corresponding to the received configuration identifier, that is, if it does not hold a predefined configuration corresponding to the received configuration identifier, You may reject the default settings. In this manner, the anchor UE 102 may determine to apply the pre-defined configuration associated with the configuration identifier. Therefore, the preset settings may be determined through negotiation by exchanging signals regarding settings between the target UE 101 (control unit 120) and the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) (see step S103).

For example, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may execute the process of step S103 when applying the pre-defined setting, or may execute the process of step S103 when the above determination is made. The process of step S103 may be omitted.

In step S103, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may transmit a response to step S102 to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may receive the response from the anchor UE 102.

The response may contain information indicating approval or rejection of the pre-defined configuration associated with the configuration identifier received from the target UE 101. The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may include information indicating approval of the pre-defined setting in the response when approving the pre-defined setting. When rejecting the predefined settings, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may include information indicating rejection of the predefined settings in the response. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may receive from the anchor UE 102 information indicating approval or rejection of the predefined configuration associated with the configuration identifier in response to the transmission of the configuration identifier.

If the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) rejects the pre-defined configuration associated with the configuration identifier received from the target UE 101, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) controls one or more pre-configured settings held by the anchor UE 102. A pre-defined setting may be selected from among the defined settings to substitute for the rejected pre-defined setting, and the response may include a setting identifier associated with the selected pre-defined setting.

If the response includes information indicating approval of the pre-defined settings, the process of step S104 or step S105 may be performed.

On the other hand, if the response includes information indicating rejection of the pre-defined setting, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may return to the process of step S101. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may select a new pre-defined setting from one or more pre-defined settings held. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may also apply the alternative pre-defined setting if the response contains a setting identifier associated with a pre-defined setting that replaces the rejected pre-defined setting. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may return to the process of step S101 when rejecting the alternative pre-defined setting.

In step S104, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the anchor UE 102 an SL-PRS measurement request requesting SL-PRS measurement. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110 ) receives the SL-PRS measurement request from target UE 101 .

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may include the SL-PRS measurement request in the control information regarding SL-PRS. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the control information to the anchor UE 102. The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive control information from the target UE 101 including the SL-PRS measurement request.

The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit an SL-PRS measurement request to the anchor UE 102 before starting transmission of SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may initiate an operation to measure SL-PRS in response to receiving the SL-PRS measurement request.

Note that the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit a reception activation request for enabling (activating) reception of SL-PRS to the anchor UE 102. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the reception activation request instead of the SL-PRS measurement request, or may transmit it separately from the SL-PRS measurement request.

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may include the reception activation request in the control information regarding SL-PRS. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the control information to the anchor UE 102. The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive control information including a reception activation request from the target UE 101.

Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) enables reception of SL-PRS based on reception of the reception activation request. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may initiate an operation to receive SL-PRS in response to receiving the reception activation request. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) that has enabled reception of SL-PRS may start reception of SL-PRS or start waiting for reception as the operation.

Note that step S104 may be omitted.

In step S105, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits SL-PRS to the anchor UE 102. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110 ) receives the SL-PRS from target UE 101 .

The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits SL-PRS to the anchor UE 102 based on a pre-defined setting selected from one or more held pre-defined settings. For example, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit SL-PRS using time-frequency resources included in the selected pre-defined configuration. Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit a signal corresponding to the determined signal type as SL-PRS.

Note that the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the SL-PRS singly, or may transmit it periodically or aperiodically.

The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) receives the SL-PRS from the target UE 101 based on a pre-defined setting selected from one or more held pre-defined settings. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may control reception of SL-PRS based on control information regarding SL-PRS. For example, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive the signal corresponding to the determined signal type as the SL-PRS.

In step S106, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) measures SL-PRS. For example, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may measure at least one of SL-PRS reception power (eg, RSRP), SL-PRS reception time, and the like. Also, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may perform measurement based on, for example, information indicating SL-PRS measurement report targets.

In step S107, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) transmits a measurement report including measurement results to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the measurement report from the anchor UE 102. Thereby, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the measurement result for the SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102.

The measurement result is, for example, at least one of the SL-PRS received power (eg, RSRP), SL-PRS reception time (arrival time), SL-PRS reception angle (arrival angle), and the like.

The measurement report may contain other information in addition to the measurement results for SL-PRS. For example, the measurement report may include information indicating the geographic coordinates of the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110).

In step S108, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) performs position estimation based on the measurement result and/or the information indicating the geographical coordinates. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform position measurement using, for example, a method similar to the UL-TDOA (Uplink time difference of arrival) positioning method. Here, a method similar to the UL-TDOA positioning method may be referred to as the SL-TDOA positioning method. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform position measurement, for example, based on the arrival time difference (difference in reception time) when SL-PRSs arrive at multiple anchor UEs 102. FIG.

Note that the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may disable SL-PRS reception in response to transmission of the measurement report. Also, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may release the SL-PRS setting in response to transmission of the measurement report.

Also, the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may periodically or aperiodically execute the processes from step S105 to step S108 after the process of step S108 is performed, for example.

Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit a reception deactivation request for disabling reception of SL-PRS in response to reception of the measurement report. The request may be included in the control information for SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may disable (deactivate) reception of SL-PRS in response to receiving the request. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may release the SL-PRS configuration upon receiving the request.

As described above, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) holds one or more predefined settings. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits SL-PRS based on a pre-defined setting selected from one or more pre-defined settings. Since the predefined settings are predefined settings for SL-PRS, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) can appropriately perform position estimation using SL-PRS.

Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the anchor UE 102 a setting identifier associated with the selected pre-defined setting. This allows the selected pre-defined settings to be communicated from the target UE 101 to the anchor UE 102 with a smaller amount of information compared to sending the selected pre-defined settings themselves to the anchor UE 102 .

In addition, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives from the anchor UE 102 information indicating approval or rejection of the predefined setting associated with the setting identifier in response to the transmission of the setting identifier. This allows the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) to know whether the pre-defined setting has been approved or rejected by the anchor UE 102. The target UE 101 can transmit SL-PRS based on appropriate pre-defined settings, so that position estimation using SL-PRS can be performed properly.

Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits the SL-PRS to the anchor UE 102 based on the selected predefined settings. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the measurement result for SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) performs position estimation of the target UE 101 based on the measurement result. This eliminates the need for the target UE 101 to measure the SL-PRS from each of the multiple anchor UEs 102, so the processing load on the target UE 101 can be reduced.

Also, target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits a reception activation request for enabling reception of SL-PRS to anchor UE 102 before starting transmission of SL-PRS. As a result, the anchor UE 102 can disable reception of the SL-PRS until the request is received, and the power of the anchor UE 102 can be saved. Also, the anchor UE 102 can avoid failing to receive the SL-PRS.

Also, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) receives control information regarding SL-PRS from the target UE 101. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) controls reception of SL-PRS based on the control information. The control information may include a request to enable or disable reception of SL-PRS (reception activation request/reception deactivation request). This allows the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) to enable or disable SL-PRS reception based on the request. Power saving of the anchor UE 102 can be achieved.

Also, the control information may be sidelink control information (SCI) defined in the physical layer. This enables real-time control. Also, the control information may be MAC CE. As a result, a large amount of information can be transmitted to the anchor UE 102 compared to when the control information is SCI, so advanced control becomes possible. Also, when the control information is MAC CE, dynamic control becomes possible compared to when the control information is an RRC message. Also, the control information may be an RRC message. As a result, a greater amount of information can be transmitted to the anchor UE 102 compared to when the control information is MAC CE, enabling advanced control.

The control information may also include the type of signal used as the SL-PRS. This allows the anchor UE 102 to receive signals based on that type as SL-PRS and report appropriate measurements to the target UE 101 .

The control information may also include designation information that designates whether the anchor UE 102 is the source or destination of the SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) can determine whether to transmit or receive SL-PRS based on the designation information. This ensures proper transmission and reception of SL-PRS. As a result, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) can appropriately perform position estimation using SL-PRS.

(2) Second Operation Example With reference to FIG. 8, a second operation example will be described, mainly focusing on differences from the above-described operation example. In a second operational example, the target UE 101 selects the pre-defined settings and the anchor UE 102 sends the SL-PRS.

As shown in FIG. 8, steps S201 to S203 are the same as steps S101 to S103. In this operational example, the explanation proceeds assuming that the anchor UE 102 transmits the SL-PRS.

When the target UE 101 (control unit 120) causes a plurality of anchor UEs 102 to transmit SL-PRS, the target UE 101 makes different settings for transmission to each anchor UE 102 so that the anchor UE 102 uses different time/frequency resources for SL-PRS transmission. You may choose an identifier. Also, when transmitting the same configuration identifier to each anchor UE 102, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may determine a plurality of signal sequences as SL-PRS signal sequences. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may include information indicating each of a plurality of signal sequences in control information so that each anchor UE 102 uses a different signal sequence.

In step S204, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the anchor UE 102 a transmission activation request for enabling transmission of SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110 ) receives the transmission activation request from target UE 101 .

The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may include the transmission activation request in the control information regarding SL-PRS. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the control information to the anchor UE 102. The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive control information including a transmission activation request from the target UE 101.

The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may start operation for receiving the SL-PRS in response to transmission of the transmission activation request.

Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) enables transmission of SL-PRS based on the reception of the transmission activation request. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may initiate operations to transmit SL-PRS in response to receiving the transmission activation request. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) that has enabled transmission of SL-PRS may start transmission of SL-PRS or start waiting for transmission as the operation.

Note that step S204 may be omitted.

In step S205, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) transmits SL-PRS to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102.

The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) transmits the SL-PRS to the target UE 101 based on the pre-defined settings selected by the target UE 101. For example, anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may transmit SL-PRS using the determined time/frequency resource. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may transmit a signal corresponding to the determined signal type as SL-PRS.

The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102 based on the pre-defined settings selected by the target UE 101. For example, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may receive the SL-PRS using the determined time/frequency resource. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may receive the signal corresponding to the determined signal type as the SL-PRS.

Note that the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may transmit information indicating the geographical coordinates of the anchor UE 102 to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may receive the SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102.

In step S206, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) measures SL-PRS.

Target UE 101 (control unit 120), for example, received power of SL-PRS (eg, RSRP), reception time of SL-PRS, angle of arrival of SL-PRS (AoA) and angle of departure of SL-PRS (AoD), etc. may be measured. Also, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform measurement based on, for example, information indicating SL-PRS measurement report targets.

Note that when the target UE 101 (control unit 120) receives SL-PRS from each of a plurality of anchor UEs 102, it measures each SL-PRS.

In step S207, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) performs position estimation based on the measurement result. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform position measurement using a method similar to the DL-AoD (Downlink Angle-of-Departure) positioning method, for example. Here, a method similar to the DL-AoD positioning method may be referred to as the SL-AoD positioning method. The target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform position measurements based on angles of launch (AoD) of SL-PRS from multiple anchor UEs 102, for example.

In addition, the target UE 101 (control unit 120), the received power of DL-PRS from a plurality of anchor UE 102 (specifically, RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power)) measured value, SL-PRS spatial information and multiple , the location of the UE 100 may be estimated based on the knowledge of the geographic coordinates of the transmission/reception points (ie, the plurality of anchor UEs 102) (information indicating the geographic coordinates of the anchor UEs 102).

Note that when the anchor UE 102 periodically or aperiodically transmits SL-PRS, the target UE 101 (control unit 120) may perform position estimation each time SL-PRS is measured.

Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit a transmission deactivation request for disabling transmission of SL-PRS according to execution of position estimation. The request may be included in the control information for SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may disable (deactivate) transmission of SL-PRS in response to receiving the request. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may release the pre-defined configuration in response to receiving the request.

As described above, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) holds one or more predefined settings. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the anchor UE 102 a configuration identifier associated with a pre-defined setting selected from one or more pre-defined settings. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the SL-PRS based on the selected pre-defined settings. On the one hand, the anchor UE 102 can know the pre-defined settings selected by the target UE 101 and can send the SL-PRS. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) can receive SL-PRS based on selected pre-defined settings. This allows the target UE 101 (control unit 120) to appropriately perform position estimation using SL-PRS.

Also, target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits a transmission activation request for enabling transmission of SL-PRS to anchor UE 102. As a result, the anchor UE 102 can disable transmission of the SL-PRS until the request is received, and the power of the anchor UE 102 can be saved. Also, the target UE 101 can avoid failing to receive the SL-PRS.

Also, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) receives control information regarding SL-PRS from the target UE 101. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) controls reception of SL-PRS based on the control information. The control information may include a request to enable or disable transmission of SL-PRS (transmission activation request/transmission deactivation request). This allows anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) to enable or disable SL-PRS transmission based on the request. Power saving of the anchor UE 102 can be achieved.

(3) Third Operation Example A third operation example will be described with reference to FIG. 9, mainly focusing on differences from the above-described operation example. In a third operational example, the anchor UE 102 selects the pre-defined settings and the target UE 101 transmits the SL-PRS.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step S301, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) selects a preset setting to be applied from one or a plurality of stored preset settings. The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) performs the same operation as the target UE 101 in step S101.

Note that the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive signaling that triggers step S301 from the target UE 101. Anchor UE 102 (controller 120) may initiate selection of a pre-defined configuration in response to receiving this signaling.

For example, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit an anchor UE request requesting to become an anchor UE to the anchor UE 102. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110 ) receives the anchor UE request from target UE 101 . The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may perform the process of step S302 upon receiving the anchor UE request. Alternatively, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may determine whether or not to approve becoming an anchor UE. The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may perform the process of step S302 when approving to become the anchor UE. When rejecting becoming an anchor UE, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may transmit information indicating rejection of becoming an anchor UE to the target UE 101 .

The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit information that triggers step S302 to the anchor UE 102 instead of the anchor UE request. Such information may be included in the control information for SL-PRS. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) may execute the process of step S302 upon receiving the information.

If the anchor UE 102 is located within the cell, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may receive signaling from the network 10 that triggers step S301. The triggering signaling may be, for example, signaling such as a request or instruction from the base station 200 or signaling such as a message from the location management device 400 .

In step S302, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) transmits the setting identifier associated with the selected predefined setting to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the configuration identifier from the anchor UE 102.

The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) performs the same operation as the target UE 101 in step S102. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) performs the same operation as the anchor UE 102 in step S102. Also, the target UE 101 may perform the same operation as the anchor UE 102 in step S103, and the anchor UE 102 may perform the same operation as the target UE 101 in step S103.

Steps S303 to S307 are the same as steps S104 to S108.

As described above, the anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) holds one or more predefined settings. Anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) selects a pre-defined setting to apply from among one or more pre-defined settings. The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) sends the configuration identifier associated with the selected pre-defined configuration to the target UE 101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives from the anchor UE 102 the configuration identifier associated with the pre-defined configuration selected by the anchor UE 102. This allows the selected pre-defined settings to be conveyed from the anchor UE 102 to the target UE 101 with a smaller amount of information compared to transmitting the selected pre-defined settings themselves to the target UE 101 . Also, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) can know the pre-defined settings selected by the anchor UE 102 and can receive the SL-PRS based on the selected pre-defined settings. This allows the target UE 101 (control unit 120) to appropriately perform position estimation using SL-PRS.

(4) Fourth Operation Example A fourth operation example will be described with reference to FIG. 10, mainly focusing on differences from the above-described operation example. In a fourth operational example, the anchor UE 102 selects the pre-defined settings and the anchor UE 102 transmits the SL-PRS.

As shown in FIG. 10, steps S401 and S402 are similar to steps S301 and S302. Steps S403 to S406 are the same as S204 to S207.

The anchor UE 102 (control unit 120) selects a pre-defined setting to apply from one or more pre-defined settings. The anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) sends the configuration identifier associated with the selected pre-defined configuration to the target UE 101. Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) performs SL-PRS transmission based on the selected pre-defined settings. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives from the anchor UE 102 the configuration identifier associated with the pre-defined configuration selected by the anchor UE 102. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives the SL-PRS from the anchor UE 102 based on the pre-defined configuration associated with the configuration identifier. In this way, the target UE 101 can know the pre-defined settings selected by the anchor UE 102 and can receive the SL-PRS based on the selected pre-defined settings. This allows the target UE 101 (control unit 120) to appropriately perform position estimation using SL-PRS.

(5) Fifth operation example
With reference to FIG. 11, the fifth operation example will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the above-described operation example. In the fifth operation example, the target UE 101 performs position estimation based on the position information from the position management device 400 .

In this operation example, the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 are within the cell managed by the base station 200 (that is, within the NG-RAN coverage). The target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 are in RRC connected state. Alternatively, the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may be in RRC idle state or RRC inactive state. The target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 may transition to the RRC connected state when communicating with the location management device 400 .

As shown in FIG. 11, in step S501, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits a location service request to the location management device 400. The location management device 400 receives a location service request from the target UE 101 .

A location service request may request information used to determine SL-PRS settings. A request for location services may be included, for example, in any of MO-LR request messages, UL NAS transport messages, LPP messages, and the like. The location service request (including a message) includes, for example, at least one of information indicating location estimation accuracy, SL-PRS measurement accuracy, location service (LCS) quality of service (QoS), and the like. can be

UE 100 and location management device 400 communicate (transmit and/or receive) via base station 200 (cell) and AMF. (cell) and AMF may be omitted.

In step S<b>502 , the location management device 400 transmits location assistance information (eg, AssistanceData) to the target UE 101 . The target UE 101 (communication unit 110 ) receives location assistance information from the location management device 400 .

The location assistance information may be included in, for example, the MO-LR response message, the DL NAS transport message, the LPP message, or the like. Location assistance information may include information used to determine pre-defined settings. The location assistance information may also include information indicating candidate types of signals to be used as SL-PRS.

The location assistance information may include information of each UE 100 existing around the target UE 101. Location assistance information may include anchor UE 102 information. The location assistance information may include, for example, the identifier of the anchor UE 102, the location information of the anchor UE 102, and the like.

Note that the location management device 400 may transmit location assistance information to each UE 100 (anchor UE 102) existing around the target UE 101. The location assistance information may include, for example, the identifier of the target UE 101 and the location information of the target UE 101 .

In step S503, a position estimation procedure is performed. The position estimation procedure may include any of the steps described in the above first to fourth operation examples.

Note that in step S503, the target UE 101 may execute the process of step S506 without estimating the position. Also, the anchor UE 102 may perform the process of step S504 without sending the measurement report to the target UE 101 .

Also, in step S503, if the anchor UE 102 selects the preset setting, the location management device 400 may send the anchor UE request instead of the target UE 101. Anchor UE 102 may initiate selection of a pre-defined configuration in response to receiving an anchor UE request from location management device 400 .

In step S504, the anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) transmits the SL-PRS measurement report to the location management device 400. Location management device 400 receives measurement reports from anchor UE 102 . Note that the measurement report for SL-PRS is the same as the operation example described above.

Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) may include the measurement report in either a UL NAS transport message, an LPP message, or the like and transmit it to location management device 400.

Anchor UE 102 (communication unit 110) sends a measurement report on SL-PRS to base station 200 using a measurement report, a UE auxiliary information message, etc. used for reporting communication quality from adjacent base stations adjacent to base station 200. may be sent to The base station 200 may transmit the SL-PRS measurement report to the location management device 400 via AMF.

Note that the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) may transmit the measurement report to the location management device 400. For example, when SL-PRS measurements are performed in the target UE 101 , a measurement report may be sent from the target UE 101 to the location management device 400 . Location management device 400 receives measurement reports from anchor UE 102 .

In step S505, the location management device 400 performs location estimation based on the measurement report. The position management device 400 can perform position estimation in the same manner as in the operation example described above.

In step S<b>506 , the target UE 101 (communication unit 110 ) may transmit a location service request to the location management device 400 . The location management device 400 transmits a request for location information of the target UE 101 to the location management device 400 . The location management device 400 may receive a request for location information from the target UE 101 .

A request for location information may be included in, for example, a MO-LR request message, a UL NAS transport message, an LPP message, or the like. The (message containing) location information request includes, for example, at least one of information indicating location estimation accuracy, SL-PRS measurement accuracy, location service (LCS) quality of service (QoS), and the like. can be

In step S507, the location management device 400 transmits the location information to the target UE101. Target UE 101 (communication unit 110 ) receives location information from location management device 400 .

The location information indicates the location of the target UE 101 estimated by the location management device 400. Location information may be included in, for example, MO-LR response messages, UL NAS transport messages, LPP messages, or the like.

(6) Sixth operation example
With reference to FIG. 12, the sixth operation example will be described mainly with respect to the differences from the above-described operation example. In the sixth operation example, the base station 200 transmits control information regarding SL-PRS. The RRC states of the target UE 101 and the anchor UE 102 are the same as in the fifth operation example.

In step S601, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) transmits to the base station 200 a request for control information regarding SL-PRS. The base station 200 (communication unit 210 ) receives the request for control information from the target UE 101 .

In step S602, the base station 200 (communication unit 210) transmits control information regarding SL-PRS to the target UE101. The target UE 101 (communication unit 110 ) receives control information from the base station 200 .

The base station 200 (communication unit 210) may generate control information in response to receiving a request for control information. The control information may be downlink control information (DCI) defined by the physical layer, MAC CE, or RRC message.

In step S603, a position estimation procedure is performed. The position estimation procedure may be any one of the first to fourth operation examples described above.

As described above, the target UE 101 (communication unit 110) receives control information regarding SL-PRS from the base station 200. This allows the base station 200 to control the position estimation procedure.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiments, the target UE 101 or the anchor UE 102 transmitted configuration identifiers associated with each of one or more pre-defined configurations, but this is not the only option. The target UE 101 or anchor UE 102 may send control information containing pre-defined settings.

As shown in Operation Example 5 of the above-described embodiment, the location management device 400 may perform location estimation based on the SL-PRS measurement results. In this case, the target UE 101 may perform position estimation based on the SL-PRS measurement results, or may not perform position estimation based on the SL-PRS measurement results. When the target UE 101 does not perform position estimation, the target UE 101 may receive the position information of the target UE 101 from the position management device 400 that has performed the position estimation.

The operation sequences (and operation flows) in the above-described embodiments do not necessarily have to be executed in chronological order according to the order described in the flow diagrams or sequence diagrams. For example, the steps in the operations may be performed out of order or in parallel with the order illustrated in the flow diagrams or sequence diagrams. Also, some steps in the operation may be omitted and additional steps may be added to the process. Further, the operation sequences (and operation flows) in the above-described embodiments may be implemented independently, or two or more operation sequences (and operation flows) may be combined and implemented. For example, some steps of one operation flow may be added to another operation flow, or some steps of one operation flow may be replaced with some steps of another operation flow.

In the above-described embodiment, the mobile communication system 1 based on NR has been described as an example. However, the mobile communication system 1 is not limited to this example. The mobile communication system 1 may be a TS-compliant system of either LTE or another generation system (eg, 6th generation) of the 3GPP standard. Base station 200 may be an eNB that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination towards UE 100 in LTE. The mobile communication system 1 may be a system conforming to a TS of a standard other than the 3GPP standard. The base station 200 may be an IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) donor or an IAB node.

A program that causes a computer to execute each process performed by the UE 100 or the base station 200 may be provided. The program may be recorded on a computer readable medium.
A computer readable medium allows the installation of the program on the computer. Here, the computer-readable medium on which the program is recorded may be a non-transitory recording medium. The non-transitory recording medium is not particularly limited. For example, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory) or a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory) good. Also, circuits that execute each process performed by the UE 100 or the base station 200 may be integrated, and at least a part of the UE 100 or the base station 200 may be configured as a semiconductor integrated circuit (chipset, SoC).

In the above embodiments, "transmit" may mean performing at least one layer of processing in the protocol stack used for transmission, or physically transmitting the signal wirelessly or by wire. may mean sending to Alternatively, "transmitting" may mean a combination of performing the at least one layer of processing and physically transmitting the signal wirelessly or by wire. Similarly, "receive" may mean performing processing of at least one layer in the protocol stack used for reception, or physically receiving a signal wirelessly or by wire. may mean that Alternatively, "receiving" may mean a combination of performing the at least one layer of processing and physically receiving the signal wirelessly or by wire. Similarly, "obtain/acquire" may mean obtaining information among stored information, and may mean obtaining information among information received from other nodes. Alternatively, it may mean obtaining the information by generating the information. Similarly, references to "based on" and "depending on/in response to" are used unless otherwise specified. does not mean The phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least in part on." Similarly, the phrase "depending on" means both "only depending on" and "at least partially depending on." Similarly, "include" and "comprise" are not meant to include only the recited items, and may include only the recited items or in addition to the recited items. Means that it may contain further items. Similarly, in the present disclosure, "or" does not mean exclusive OR, but means logical OR. Furthermore, any references to elements using the "first," "second," etc. designations used in this disclosure do not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, references to first and second elements do not imply that only two elements may be employed therein or that the first element must precede the second element in any way. In this disclosure, when articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, these articles are used in plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. shall include things.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to examples, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to those examples or structures. The present disclosure also includes various modifications and modifications within the equivalent range. In addition, various combinations and configurations, as well as other combinations and configurations, including single elements, more, or less, are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

(Appendix)
Features related to the above-described embodiments are added.

(Appendix 1)
A communication device (100, 101),
A communication unit (110) that transmits a sidelink positioning reference signal to another communication device (100, 102) or receives it from the other communication device (100, 102);
a control unit (120) for estimating the position of the communication device (100, 101) based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal;
the control unit (120) maintains one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signal;
The communication unit (110) transmits or receives the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the held one or more pre-defined settings. Communication devices (100, 101) .

(Appendix 2)
The control unit (120) holds a setting identifier associated with each of the one or more predefined settings,
The control unit (120) selects a pre-defined setting to be applied from among the one or more pre-defined settings,
The communication device (100, 101) according to appendix 1, wherein the communication unit (110) transmits a setting identifier associated with the selected predefined setting to the other communication device (100, 102).

(Appendix 3)
The communication unit (110) receives, from the other communication devices (100, 102), information indicating approval or rejection of the predefined setting associated with the setting identifier in response to the transmission of the setting identifier. The communication device (100, 101) according to appendix 2.

(Appendix 4)
The control unit (120) holds a setting identifier associated with each of the one or more predefined settings,
1. Said communication unit (110) receives from said other communication device (100, 102) a setting identifier associated with a predefined setting selected by said other communication device (100, 102) communication device (100, 101).

(Appendix 5)
The communication unit (110), in response to receiving the setting identifier, transmits information indicating approval or rejection of the pre-defined setting associated with the setting identifier to the other communication devices (100, 102). The communication device (100, 101) according to appendix 4.

(Appendix 6)
The communication unit (110)
transmitting the positioning reference signal to the other communication device (100, 102) based on the selected pre-defined configuration;
6. The communication device (100, 101) according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the measurement result for the positioning reference signal is received from the other communication device (100, 102).

(Appendix 7)
The communication unit (110) transmits a request to enable reception of the positioning reference signal to the other communication devices (100, 102) before starting transmission of the positioning reference signal. A communication device (100, 101) as described.

(Appendix 8)
the communication unit (110) receives the positioning reference signal from the other communication device (100, 102) based on the selected pre-defined configuration;
6. The communication device (100, 101) according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the control unit (120) measures the positioning reference signal received from the other communication device (100, 102).

(Appendix 9)
The communication unit (110)
sending a request to the other communication device (100, 102) to enable transmission of the positioning reference signal;
9. The communication device (100, 101) of claim 8, initiating an operation to receive the positioning reference signal in response to sending the request.

(Appendix 10)
A communication method executed in a communication device (100, 101), comprising:
A step of transmitting or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal to another communication device (100, 102) from the other communication device (100, 102);
estimating the position of the communication device (100, 101) based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal;
retaining one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signal;
wherein the receiving step comprises transmitting or receiving the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the retained one or more pre-defined settings.

Claims (10)

1. A communication device (100, 101),
   A communication unit (110) that transmits a sidelink positioning reference signal to another communication device (100, 102) or receives it from the other communication device (100, 102);
   a control unit (120) for estimating the position of the communication device (100, 101) based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal;
   the control unit (120) maintains one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signal;
   The communication unit (110) transmits or receives the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the held one or more pre-defined settings. Communication devices (100, 101) .
2. The control unit (120) holds a setting identifier associated with each of the one or more predefined settings,
   The control unit (120) selects a pre-defined setting to be applied from among the one or more pre-defined settings,
   The communication device (100, 101) according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit (110) transmits a setting identifier associated with said selected predefined setting to said other communication device (100, 102).
3. The communication unit (110) receives, from the other communication devices (100, 102), information indicating approval or rejection of the predefined setting associated with the setting identifier in response to the transmission of the setting identifier. A communication device (100, 101) according to claim 2.
4. The control unit (120) holds a setting identifier associated with each of the one or more predefined settings,
   2. The communication unit (110) of claim 1, wherein the communication unit (110) receives from the other communication device (100, 102) a setting identifier associated with a pre-defined setting selected by the other communication device (100, 102). A communication device (100, 101) as described.
5. The communication unit (110), in response to receiving the setting identifier, transmits information indicating approval or rejection of the pre-defined setting associated with the setting identifier to the other communication devices (100, 102). A communication device (100, 101) according to claim 4.
6. The communication unit (110)
   transmitting the positioning reference signal to the other communication device (100, 102) based on the selected pre-defined configuration;
   6. The communication device (100, 101) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the measurement result for the positioning reference signal is received from the other communication device (100, 102).
7. 6. The communication unit (110) transmits a request to enable reception of the positioning reference signal to the other communication device (100, 102) before starting transmission of the positioning reference signal. A communication device (100, 101) according to claim 1.
8. the communication unit (110) receives the positioning reference signal from the other communication device (100, 102) based on the selected pre-defined configuration;
   The communication device (100, 101) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control unit (120) performs measurements on the positioning reference signals received from the other communication devices (100, 102).
9. The communication unit (110)
   sending a request to the other communication device (100, 102) to enable transmission of the positioning reference signal;
   9. A communication device (100, 101) according to claim 8, wherein in response to transmitting said request, it initiates an operation for receiving said positioning reference signal.
10. A communication method executed in a communication device (100, 101), comprising:
    A step of transmitting or receiving a sidelink positioning reference signal to another communication device (100, 102) from the other communication device (100, 102);
    estimating the position of the communication device (100, 101) based on the measurement result for the positioning reference signal;
    retaining one or more predefined settings for the positioning reference signal;
    wherein the receiving step comprises transmitting or receiving the positioning reference signal based on a pre-defined setting selected from the retained one or more pre-defined settings.
    

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