OTDOA (observed time difference of arrival) positioning enhancement by using heterogeneous reference signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11656317-B2
Application number	US-202217749241-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2022
Priority date	Jan 26, 2015
Publication date	May 23, 2023
Grant date	May 23, 2023

Abstract

Techniques for observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) positioning based on heterogeneous reference signals (RSs) are discussed. One example apparatus configured to be employed within a user equipment (UE) comprises receiver circuitry, a processor, and transmitter circuitry. The receiver circuitry can receive, from each of a plurality of evolved Node Bs (eNBs), one or more RSs of each of a plurality of distinct types of RSs. The processor can determine, for each of the eNBs, a time of arrival (TOA) of the one or more RSs of each of the plurality of distinct types of RSs; and compute, for each of the eNBs, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based at least in part on the TOAs of the one or more RSs of each of the plurality of distinct types of RSs. The transmitter circuitry can transmit the RSTD computed for each of the eNBs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured to be employed within a network device, the apparatus comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to generate a plurality of reference signals (RSs) comprising a set of one or more RSs of each of at least two distinct types of RSs;
transmitter circuitry configured to:
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a configuration message that facilitates computation of a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the at least two distinct types of RSs; and
transmit the plurality of RSs to the UE; and

receiver circuitry configured to receive, from the UE, a set of RSTD measurements for estimating a position of the UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of RSs comprises a set of one or more position reference signals (PRSs) and a set of one or more cell-specific reference signals (CRSs).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the configuration message indicates quasi-collocation of antenna ports associated with each of the at least two distinct types of RSs.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration message as a radio resource control (RRC) message.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration message as a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is further configured to transmit a cyclic prefix (CP) length associated with each of the at least two distinct types of RSs to the UE.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the set of RSTD measurements is based on a time of arrival (TOA) of the set of one or more RSs of each of the at least two distinct types of RSs at the UE.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmit circuitry is configured to transmit the plurality of RSs to the UE after transmitting the configuration message to the UE.

9. A method to be employed within a network device, the method comprising:
generating, by a processor, a plurality of reference signals (RSs) comprising a set of one or more RSs of each of at least two distinct types of RSs;
transmitting, by transmitter circuitry, a configuration message to a user equipment (UE), wherein the configuration message facilitates computation of a reference signal time difference (RSTD) based on the at least two distinct types of RSs; and
transmitting, by the transmitter circuitry, the plurality of RSs to the UE; and
receiving, by receiver circuitry, a set of RSTD measurements for estimating a position of the UE from the UE.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of RSs comprises a set of one or more position reference signals (PRSs) and a set of one or more cell-specific reference signals (CRSs).

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the configuration message indicates quasi-collocation of antenna ports associated with each of the at least two distinct types of RSs.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration message as a radio resource control (RRC) message.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit the configuration message as a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is further configured to transmit a cyclic prefix (CP) length associated with each of the at least two distinct types of RSs to the UE.

15. An apparatus configured to be employed within a network device, the apparatus comprising:
a memory;
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to generate a position reference signal (PRS) and a cell-specific reference signal (CRS);
transmitter circuitry configured to:
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a configuration message that facilitates computation of a set of reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements based on the PRS and the CRS, wherein the configuration message indicates quasi-collocation of antenna ports associated with the PRS and the CRS;
transmit the PRS and the CRS to the UE; and

receiver circuitry configured to receive, from the UE, the set of RSTD measurements based on the PRS and the CRS.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the PRS and the CRS are combined into the set of RSTD measurements coherently.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the PRS and the CRS are combined into the set of RSTD measurements non-coherently.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the set of RSTD measurements is based on a PRS-specific RSTD measurement result and CRS-specific RSTD measurement result respectively based on the PRS and the CRS.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the transmitter circuitry is further configured to signal a cyclic prefix length of the CRS to the UE.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the set of RSTD measurements is based on a time of arrival (TOA) of the PRS at the UE and a TOA of the CRS at the UE.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Han Seunghee
• Khoryaev Alexey
• Tang Yang
• Yu Zhibin
• Bashar Shafi

Classifications

• G01S5/10 Primary

  Position of receiver fixed by co-ordinating a plurality of position lines defined by path-difference measurements {, e.g. omega or decca systems}(G01S5/12 takes precedence {; beacons and receivers cooperating therewith G01S1/306, G01S1/308}) · CPC title

• H04W64/006 Primary

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• G01S1/20

  using a comparison of transit time of synchronised signals transmitted from non-directional antennas or antenna systems spaced apart, i.e. path-difference systems · CPC title

• G01S5/0236

  Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac · CPC title