WO2022147750A1

WO2022147750A1 - Methods and apparatuses for a sidelink positioning mechanism

Info

Publication number: WO2022147750A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/070808
Authority: WO
Inventors: Zhennian SUN; Xiaodong Yu; Haipeng Lei; Xin Guo; Haiming Wang
Original assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Current assignee: Lenovo Beijing Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-08
Filing date: 2021-01-08
Publication date: 2022-07-14
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-08

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and apparatuses for a sidelink positioning mechanism in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) 5G and/or new radio (NR) networks. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: transmitting a sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS); receiving, from another UE, information associated with time of arrival (TOA) and information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains, wherein the information associated with TOA is measured based on the SL-PRS; and identifying a relative position of the abovementioned another UE relative to the UE in the geographical coordinate domains based on at least one of: the information associated with TOA; the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains; and an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR A SIDELINK POSITIONING MECHANISM

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present application are related to wireless communication technology, and more particularly, related to methods and apparatuses for a sidelink positioning mechanism in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) 5G and/or new radio (NR) networks.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle to everything (V2X) has been introduced into 3GPP 5G wireless communication technology. In terms of a channel structure of V2X communication, a direct link between two UEs is called a sidelink. A sidelink is a long-term evolution (LTE) feature introduced in 3GPP Release 12, and enables a direct communication between proximal UEs, and data does not need to go through a base station (BS) or a core network.

3GPP 5G and/or new radio (NR) networks are expected to increase network throughput, coverage, and robustness and reduce latency and power consumption. With the development of 3GPP 5G and/or NR networks, various aspects need to be studied and developed to perfect the 5G and/or NR technology. Currently, details of a sidelink positioning mechanism have not been discussed in 3GPP 5G and/or NR technology yet.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the present application provide a method, which may be performed by a user equipment (UE) . The method includes: transmitting a sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) ; receiving, from another UE, information associated with time of arrival (TOA) and information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains, wherein the information associated with TOA is measured based on the SL-PRS; and identifying a relative position of the abovementioned another UE relative to the UE in the geographical coordinate domains based on at least one of: the information associated with TOA; the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains; and an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

Some embodiments of the present application provide a further method, which may be performed by a UE. The method includes: receiving, from another UE, a SL-PRS; measuring information associated with TOA based on the SL-PRS; and transmitting, to the abovementioned another UE, the information associated with TOA and information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains. In one embodiment, a relative position of the UE relative to the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains is identified based on at least one of: the measured information associated with TOA; the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains; and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

Some embodiments of the present application provide an apparatus. The apparatus includes: a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, a receiving circuitry; a transmitting circuitry; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to implement any of the abovementioned methods performed by a UE.

The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, a description of the present application is rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. These drawings depict only exemplary embodiments of the present application and are not therefore intended to limit the scope of the present application.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary V2X communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for transmitting information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary diagram of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 6 illustrates a further exemplary diagram of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 7 illustrates a further exemplary flow chart of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application; and

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description of the appended drawings is intended as a description of preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application may be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the present application.

Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architecture and new service scenarios, such as 3GPP 5G, 3GPP LTE Release 8, B5G, 6G, and so on. It is contemplated that along with developments of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems; and moreover, the terminologies recited in the present application may change, which should not affect the principle of the present application.

In a V2X communication system, a transmission UE may also be named as a transmitting UE, a Tx UE, a sidelink Tx UE, a sidelink transmission UE, or the like. A reception UE may also be named as a receiving UE, a Rx UE, a sidelink Rx UE, a sidelink reception UE, or the like.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary V2X communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 1, a wireless communication system 100 includes at least five user equipments (UEs) , including one Tx UE (i.e., UE 101 as shown in FIG. 1) and four Rx UEs (i.e., UE 102, UE 103, UE 104, and UE 105 as shown in FIG. 1) , for illustrative purpose. Although a specific number of UEs are depicted in FIG. 1, it is contemplated that any number of UE (s) (e.g., Tx UE (s) or Rx UE (s) ) may be included in the wireless communication system 100.

The V2X transmission implemented in the wireless communication system 100 of the embodiments of FIG. 1 includes unicast transmission, groupcast transmission, and broadcast transmission. For example, UE 102 and UE 105 represent Rx UEs for unicast transmission. UE 103 and UE 104 may form group#1 as shown in FIG. 1. In one example, group#1 may correspond to a sidelink groupcast session for groupcast transmission. UE 101 may transmit data to UE 103 and UE 104 in group#1 through a sidelink groupcast session. In a further example, group#1 may correspond to a sidelink broadcast session for broadcast transmission. UE 101 may transmit data to UE 103 and UE 104 in group#1 through a sidelink broadcast session.

Each UE in FIG. 1 may include computing devices, such as desktop computers, laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs) , tablet computers, smart televisions (e.g., televisions connected to the Internet) , set-top boxes, game consoles, security systems (including security cameras) , vehicle on-board computers, network devices (e.g., routers, switches, and modems) , or the like. According to some embodiments of the present application, a UE in FIG. 1 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular telephone, a flip phone, a device having a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device that is capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network.

In some embodiments of the present application, a UE in FIG. 1 is a pedestrian UE (P-UE or PUE) or a cyclist UE. In some embodiments of the present application, a UE in FIG. 1 includes wearable devices, such as smart watches, fitness bands, optical head-mounted displays, or the like. Moreover, a UE in FIG. 1 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terminology used in the art. A UE in FIG. 1 may communicate directly with a base station (BS) via LTE or NR Uu interface.

In some embodiments of the present application, each UE in FIG. 1 may be deployed an IoT application, an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) application and/or an ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC) application. For instance, UE 101 may implement an IoT application and may be named as an IoT UE, while UE 102 may implement an eMBB application and/or a URLLC application and may be named as an eMBB UE, an URLLC UE, or an eMBB/URLLC UE. It is contemplated that the specific type of application (s) deployed in the UE in FIG. 1 may be varied and not limited.

According to some embodiments of FIG. 1, a UE may exchange V2X messages with another UE (s) through a sidelink, for example, PC5 interface as defined in 3GPP standard document TS23.303. The UE may transmit information or data to another UE (s) within the V2X communication system, through sidelink unicast, sidelink groupcast, or sidelink broadcast.

The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network that is capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) -based network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) -based network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) -based network, a LTE network, a 3GPP-based network, a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communications network, a high altitude platform network, and/or other communications networks.

In some embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with the 5G NR of the 3GPP protocol, wherein BS (s) (not shown in FIG. 1) transmit data using an OFDM modulation scheme on the downlink (DL) and the UE (s) in FIG. 1 transmit data on the uplink (UL) using a Discrete Fourier Transform-Spread-Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or cyclic prefix-OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme. More generally, however, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, for example, WiMAX, among other protocols.

In general, according to agreements of 3GPP standard documents, in a 3GPP 5G NR sidelink system or the like, radio access technology (RAT) -dependent positioning is supported by LTE and NR, and observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) is used for positioning a UE in LTE and NR. OTDOA is a multilateration method, in which a UE measures the time of arrival (TOA) of signals received from multiple BSs. RAT-dependent positioning is only available in a cellular network coverage area and tends to have a high latency due to the exchanges between radio and core network elements. Currently, details of a sidelink positioning mechanism have not been discussed in 3GPP 5G and/or NR technology yet. Embodiments of the present application aim to solve the above issues and provide a sidelink positioning mechanism.

In particular, a sidelink positioning mechanism may work independently of or collaboratively with the current RAT-dependent positioning techniques; and it can add a unique benefit of positioning availability, especially in a partial coverage and out-of-coverage areas for applications (such as, public safety) that should operate independently of the network coverage. In addition, a sidelink positioning mechanism has a potential advantage to improve an accuracy of Uu-link positioning by sharing positioning related information through a sidelink, even within the network coverage areas. It can also provide positioning related information regarding lower-latency service (s) due to removal of signaling between different network elements.

An additional benefit of a sidelink positioning mechanism is that sidelink positioning can be particularly useful for relative positioning in a V2X service, which is inherently based on positioning. For relative positioning of a sidelink, a sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) may be transmitted by a particular Tx UE, while a Rx UE can only measure time information. With only the time information measured by the Rx UE, the Tx UE cannot identity a position of the Rx UE due to a loss of orientation information of the Rx UE. That is, the Tx UE cannot get a detailed position of the Rx UE, including relative distance and also the relative direction, only through the SL-PRS measurement.

Some embodiments of the present application define specific alternatives for a sidelink relative positioning solutions between two sidelink UEs. Moreover, the embodiments of the present application have an advantage of reducing signaling overhead in the network during positioning a sidelink UE. More details will be illustrated in the following text in combination with the appended drawings.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of FIG. 2 may be performed by a UE (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1, UE (a) illustrated and shown in FIG. 4, UE-a illustrated and shown in FIG. 5, UE-A illustrated and shown in FIG. 6, or UE (1) illustrated and shown in FIG. 7) . Although described with respect to a UE, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform a method similar to that of FIG. 2.

In the exemplary method 200 as shown in FIG. 2, in operation 201, a UE (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) transmits a SL-PRS. In operation 202, the UE receives, from another UE (e.g., any of UE 102 to UE 105 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1, UE (b) illustrated and shown in FIG. 4, UE-b illustrated and shown in FIG. 5, UE-B illustrated and shown in FIG. 6, or UE (2) illustrated and shown in FIG. 7) , information associated with TOA and information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains. The information associated with TOA may be measured based on the transmitted SL-PRS.

In the embodiments of FIG. 2, the UE functions as a Tx UE and the abovementioned another UE functions as a Rx UE. For example, the geographical coordinate domains may be related to a global positioning system (GPS) or other position system. The geographical coordinate domains may be marked as “X axis” and “Y axis” as shown in the embodiments of FIG. 6.

According to some embodiments, the information associated with TOA and/or the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains may be received via sidelink control information (SCI) . For example, at least one of the information associated with TOA and the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains may be carried in 1 ^st stage of the SCI or 2 ^nd stage of the SCI.

According to some further embodiments, the information associated with TOA and/or the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains may be received via a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission.

According to some other embodiments, the information associated with TOA and/or the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains may be received via a combination of SCI or a PSSCH transmission.

Referring back to FIG. 2, in operation 203, the UE identifies a relative position of the abovementioned another UE relative to the UE in the geographical coordinate domains based on at least one of: the information associated with TOA; the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains; and an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. The actual position of the UE may also be named as an actual location of the UE or the like.

According to some embodiments, the UE further transmits zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains. This information may be transmitted to the abovementioned another UE. In an embodiment, the zone configuration information includes at least one of:

(1) An identity (ID) of a zone of the actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. The ID of the zone of the actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains may also be named as a zone ID of the UE, zone_id of the UE, or the like. For instance, the zone ID of the UE may be transmitted via SCI or a PSSCH transmission. In an example, the zone ID of the UE may be carried in 1 ^st stage of the SCI or 2 ^nd stage of the SCI. Alternatively, the zone ID of the UE may be implicitly carried in a SL-PRS. For example, the zone ID of the UE may be implicitly carried during generating a sequence of the SL-PRS transmitted in operation 201.

(2) Information regarding one zone length configuration, if two or more zone length configurations are configured to the UE and the abovementioned another UE. For example, the information regarding one zone length configuration is an index of this zone length configuration.

In particular, in a case that multiple zone configurations are configured for the UE and the abovementioned another UE, each zone configuration may be related to a different zone length in geographical coordinate domains. The UE may select one specific zone configuration from the configured multiple zone configurations, based on accuracy of positioning or by the UE’s implementation. In this case, the UE should also indicate, to the abovementioned another UE, the selected specific zone configuration within the configured multiple zone configurations. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit a message, e.g., which includes an information element (IE) “sl-ZoneConfig-Index” , to indicate an index of the selected specific zone configuration. If the abovementioned another UE receives the message, based on the index of the selected specific zone configuration, the abovementioned another UE may determine which zone configuration is selected by the UE. Then, the abovementioned another UE may calculate, based on the selected specific zone configuration, an angle included in the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains which is received in operation 202.

In one embodiment, the IE sl-ZoneConfig-Index may be of the following format:

sl-ZoneConfig-List SEQUENCE (SIZE (16) ) OF SL-ZoneConfig

SL-ZoneConfig :: = SEQUENCE {

sl-ZoneConfig-Index INTEGER (0, 1, …15)

sl-ZoneLength ENUMERATED {m5, m10, m20, m30, m40, m50, spare2, spare1}

}

In this embodiment, if the information regarding one zone length configuration is an index of this zone length configuration, e.g., the UE transmits index “0” to the abovementioned another UE, the abovementioned another UE may determine that a zone length of “m5” is selected by the UE. A zone length may also be named as a zone size or the like. Then, the abovementioned another UE may calculate, based on the zone length of “m5” , the angle (which is included in the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains which is received in operation 202) .

According to some embodiments, the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains received in operation 202 includes one angle. The angle is associated with the actual position of the UE and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains. Specific examples are described in FIGS. 5 and 6 (i.e., “angle N” as shown in FIG. 5 or “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) . In an embodiment, the angle is defined in view of a pre-defined reference direction in the geographical coordinate domains (i.e., “reference direction 0” as shown in FIG. 5 or “reference direction 1” as shown in FIG. 6) . For example, the angle may represented by a degree value within “a range from +180 degree to -180 degree” or a similar range in view of the pre-defined reference direction.

For instance, the angle (i.e., “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) may be calculated, by the abovementioned another UE (e.g., UE-B as shown in FIG. 6) , based on: a zone ID of an actual position of the UE in geographical coordinate domains (e.g., zone_id of UE-A “66” as shown in FIG. 6) ; and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains (e.g., an actual position of of UE-B in zone “132” as shown in FIG. 6) .

In some embodiments of FIG. 2, during identifying the relative position of the abovementioned another UE, the UE calculates, based on the information associated with TOA received in operation 202, a relative distance of the abovementioned another UE relative to the UE; and then, the UE calculates, based on the angle (which is included in the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains received in operation 202) , an orientation of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

In some other embodiments, the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains received in operation 202 includes a zone ID of an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains (e.g., zone_id of UE-B “132” as shown in FIG. 6) .

In these other embodiments, during identifying the relative position of the abovementioned another UE, the UE may calculate, based on the information associated with TOA (which is received in operation 202) , a relative distance of the abovementioned another UE relative to the UE. Then, the UE may calculate, based on a zone ID of the actual position of the abovementioned another UE (which is included in the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains received in operation 202) , an orientation of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains. A specific example is described in FIG. 7.

According to some embodiments, the UE receives, from the abovementioned another UE, zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains. In one embodiment, if two or more zone length configurations are configured to the UE and the abovementioned another UE, the zone configuration information received by the UE from the abovementioned another UE may include information regarding one specific zone length configuration within these two or more zone length configurations. For example, the information regarding this specific zone length configuration is an index of this zone length configuration.

For instance, if multiple zone configurations are configured for the UE and the abovementioned another UE, the abovementioned another UE should also indicate, to the UE, the selected specific zone configuration within the multiple zone configurations. For example, the abovementioned another UE may transmit a message, e.g., which includes the IE “sl-ZoneConfig-Index” to indicate an index of the selected zone configuration, to the UE. Based on the index of the selected specific zone configuration, the UE may determine which zone configuration is selected by the abovementioned another UE. Then, the UE may calculate, based on the selected specific zone configuration indicated by the message from the abovementioned another UE, an angle which is associated with the actual position of the UE and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains (i.e., “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) .

According to some embodiments, the UE transmits direction (s) of the UE’s interest in the geographical coordinate domains. The direction (s) of the UE’s interest may be associated with a moving direction of the UE. The direction (s) of the UE’s interest may also be named as interested direction (s) of the UE or the UE’s interested direction (s) or the like. For example, if a particular UE receives the UE’s interested direction (s) transmitted by the UE, but this particular UE is not in any of the UE’s interested direction (s) , this particular UE may not transmit the information associated with TOA or the angle information to the UE. In other words, in these embodiments, the UE only identify relative position (s) of UE (s) which is in the interested direction (s) of the UE, and thus only UE (s) in the UE’s interested direction (s) need to transmit the corresponding information to the UE.

According to some embodiments, the UE transmits distance information of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. For example, the UE transmits information regarding a communication range of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. If a particular UE’s relative distance relative to the UE is larger than (or equal to) the distance information indicated by the UE (e.g., the UE’s communication range) , this particular UE may not transmit, to the UE, the information associated with TOA or the angle information. In other words, in these embodiments, the UE only identify relative position (s) of UE (s) located within the UE’s communication range. Thus, only UE (s) within the UE’s communication range need to transmit the corresponding information to the UE.

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-8, especially, contents related to identifying a UE’s relative position in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 2. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 2 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 3-8.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of a method for transmitting information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of FIG. 3 may be performed by a UE (e.g., any of UE 102 to UE 105 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1, UE (b) illustrated and shown in FIG. 4, UE-b illustrated and shown in FIG. 5, UE-B illustrated and shown in FIG. 6, or UE (2) illustrated and shown in FIG. 7) . Although described with respect to a UE, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform a method similar to that of FIG. 3.

In the exemplary method 300 as shown in FIG. 3, in operation 301, a UE (e.g., UE 102 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) receiving a SL-PRS from another UE (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1, UE (a) illustrated and shown in FIG. 4, UE-a illustrated and shown in FIG. 5, UE-A illustrated and shown in FIG. 6, or UE (1) illustrated and shown in FIG. 7) . In the embodiments of FIG. 3, the UE functions as a Rx UE and the abovementioned another UE functions as a Tx UE.

In operation 302, the UE measures information associated with TOA based on the received SL-PRS. In operation 303, the UE transmits, to the abovementioned another UE, the information associated with TOA and information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains.

According to some embodiments, a relative position of the UE relative to the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains may be identified, e.g., by the abovementioned another UE, based on at least one of: the information associated with TOA; the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains; and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

According to some embodiments, the information associated with TOA and/or the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains may be received via: sidelink control information (SCI) ; and/or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission. For example, at least one of the first information and the second information is carried in 1 ^st stage of the SCI; or 2 ^nd stage of the SCI. According to some other embodiments.

According to some embodiments, the UE receives, from the abovementioned another UE, zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains. In an embodiment, the zone configuration information includes at least one of:

(1) An ID of a zone of an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains. The ID of the zone of the actual position of the abovementioned another UE may also be named as a zone ID or zone_id of the abovementioned another UE or the like. For instance, the zone ID of the abovementioned another UE may be transmitted via SCI or a PSSCH transmission. In an example, it may be carried in 1 ^st stage of the SCI; or 2 ^nd stage of the SCI. Alternatively, it may be implicitly carried in a SL-PRS (e.g., the SL-PRS received in operation 301) during generating a sequence of the SL-PRS.

In particular, in a case that multiple zone configurations are configured for the UE and the abovementioned another UE, each zone configuration may be related to a different zone length. Then, the abovementioned another UE may select one specific zone configuration based on accuracy of positioning or by its implementation. In this case, the abovementioned another UE should also indicate, to the UE, the selected specific zone configuration within the configured multiple zone configurations.

In some embodiments, the abovementioned another UE may transmit a message, e.g., which includes an IE “sl-ZoneConfig-Index” , to the UE to indicate an index of the selected specific zone configuration. In one embodiment, the IE sl-ZoneConfig-Index may be of the following format:

sl-ZoneConfig-List SEQUENCE (SIZE (16) ) OF SL-ZoneConfig

SL-ZoneConfig :: = SEQUENCE {

sl-ZoneConfig-Index INTEGER (0, 1, …15)

sl-ZoneLength ENUMERATED {m5, m10, m20, m30, m40, m50, spare2, spare1}

}

If the UE receives the message from the abovementioned another UE, based on the index of the selected one zone configuration, e.g., index “1” , the UE may determine that a zone length of “m10” is selected by the abovementioned another UE. Then, the UE may calculate, based on the zone length of “m10” , an angle associated with an actual position of the UE and an actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains.

According to some embodiments, the UE calculates an angle, which is associated with actual positions of the UE and the abovementioned another UE. The angle may be included in the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains transmitted in operation 303. Specific examples are described in FIGS. 5 and 6 (i.e., “angle N” as shown in FIG. 5 or “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) . In an example, the angle is calculated in view of a pre-defined reference direction in the geographical coordinate domains (i.e., “reference direction 0” as shown in FIG. 5 or “reference direction 1” as shown in FIG. 6) .

In an example, the angle (i.e., “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) is calculated, by the UE (e.g., UE-B as shown in FIG. 6) , based on: a zone ID of the actual position of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains (e.g., zone_id of UE-A “66” as shown in FIG. 6) ; and the actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains (e.g., an actual position of of UE-B in zone “132” as shown in FIG. 6) .

In some embodiments of FIG. 3, the UE’s relative distance relative to the abovementioned another UE may be identified by: a relative distance of the UE relative to the abovementioned another UE (that is calculated based on the information associated with TOA measured in operation 302) ; and an orientation of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains (that is calculated based on the angle calculated by the UE) .

According to some other embodiments, the information associated with the zone in the geographical coordinate domains transmitted in operation 303 includes a zone ID of an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains (e.g., zone_id of UE-B “132” as shown in FIG. 6) .

In these other embodiments, the UE’s relative distance relative to the abovementioned another UE may be identified by: a relative distance of the UE relative to the abovementioned another UE (that is calculated based on the information associated with TOA measured in operation 302) ; and an orientation of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains (that is calculated based on the zone ID of the actual position of the UE) . A specific example is described in FIG. 7.

According to some embodiments, the UE transmits, to the abovementioned another UE, zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains. In one example, if two or more zone length configurations are configured to the UE and the abovementioned another UE, the zone configuration information transmitted by the UE to the abovementioned another UE may include information regarding one specific zone length configuration within these two or more zone length configurations. For example, the information regarding the specific zone length configuration is an index of this specific zone length configuration.

For instance, if multiple zone configurations are configured for the UE and the abovementioned another UE, the UE should also indicate, to the abovementioned another UE, the selected specific one zone configuration within the multiple zone configurations. For example, the UE may transmit a message, e.g., which includes the IE “sl-ZoneConfig-Index” to indicate an index of the selected specific zone configuration, to the abovementioned another UE. Based on the index of the selected specific zone configuration, the abovementioned another UE may determine which zone configuration is selected by the UE. Then, the abovementioned another UE may calculate, based on the selected specific zone configuration indicated by the message from the UE, an angle associated with actual positions of the UE and the abovementioned another UE (i.e., “angle 1” as shown in FIG. 6) .

According to some embodiments, the UE receives, from the abovementioned another UE, direction (s) of the abovementioned another UE’s interest in the geographical coordinate domains. If an orientation of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains belongs to the direction (s) of the abovementioned another UE’s interest, the information associated with TOA and the information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains will be transmitted in operation 303.

The direction (s) of the abovementioned another UE’s interest may be associated with the abovementioned another UE’s moving direction. These direction (s) may also be named as interested direction (s) of the abovementioned another UE or the abovementioned another UE’s interested direction (s) or the like. That is, if the UE receives the interested direction (s) transmitted by the abovementioned another UE and if the UE is in one of these interested direction (s) , the UE will transmit the information associated with TOA or the angle information to the abovementioned another UE in operation 303.

According to some embodiments, the UE receives, from the abovementioned another UE, distance information of the abovementioned another UE in the geographical coordinate domains, for example, the abovementioned another UE’s communication range. If the UE’s relative distance relative to the abovementioned another UE is larger than (or equal to) the distance information indicated by the abovementioned another UE (e.g., its communication range) , the UE may not transmit the information associated with TOA or the angle information to the UE. If the UE’s relative distance relative to the abovementioned another UE is less than (or equal to) the distance information indicated by the abovementioned another UE (e.g., its communication range) , the UE will transmit the information associated with TOA or the angle information to the UE in operation 303.

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4-8, especially, contents related to transmitting information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 3. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 3 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1, 2, and 4-8.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of FIG. 4 assume that UE (a) (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) wants to get a relative position of UE (b) (e.g., UE 102 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) in geographical coordinate domains. The embodiments of FIG. 4 assume that UE (a) functions as a Tx UE, and UE (b) functions as a Rx UE.

According to some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, in operation 401, UE (a) transmits, to UE (b) , SL-PRS and an ID of a zone of UE (a) in geographical coordinate domains. The ID of a zone of UE (a) in geographical coordinate domains may also be named as a zone ID of UE (a) , zone_id of UE (a) , or the like.

In an embodiment, the zone_id of UE (a) is transmitted in SCI. For example, the zone_id of UE (a) may be transmitted in 1 ^st stage SCI or 2 ^nd stage SCI. In a further embodiment, the zone_id of UE (a) is transmitted in a PSSCH transmission.

In another embodiment, the zone_id of UE (a) is implicitly transmitted with SL-PRS. For example, the SL-PRS is initialized with the zone_id of UE (a) . This embodiment may reduce an overhead of SCI or an overhead of a PSSCH transmission.

Upon receiving the SL-PRS, UE (b) may measure TOA based on the received SL-PRS. Upon receiving the zone_id of UE (a) , UE (b) may calculate an angle associated with positions of UE (a) and UE (b) in the geographical coordinate domains. For example, UE (b) may calculate the angle based on the received zone_id of UE (a) and UE (b) ’s own position information in the geographical coordinate domains. In particular, in accordance with the embodiments as shown in FIG. 5, UE (b) may calculate the angle in view of a pre-defined reference direction in the geographical coordinate domains (i.e., “reference direction 0” as shown in FIG. 5) .

In operation 402 as shown in FIG. 4, UE (b) transmits, to UE (a) , the measured TOA information and the calculated angle information. In an embodiment, at least one of the measured TOA information and the calculated angle information is transmitted in SCI. For example, the measured TOA information is transmitted in 1 ^st stage SCI or 2 ^nd stage SCI. In a further embodiment, at least one of the measured TOA information and the calculated angle information is transmitted in a PSSCH transmission.

Then, based on the TOA information and angle information transmitted by UE (b) in operation 402, UE (a) may calculate UE (b) ’s relative position relative to UE (a) in the geographical coordinate domains. For instance, the TOA information may be used to calculate a relative distance between UE (a) and UE (b) . The angle information may be used to calculate an orientation of UE (b) in the geographical coordinate domains. In view of the relative distance between UE (a) and UE (b) and the orientation of UE (b) , UE (a) can finally determine UE (b) ’s actual position in the geographical coordinate domains. That is, UE (a) can implement a sidelink positioning mechanism of another UE on a NR sidelink.

According to some embodiments of FIG. 4, multiple zone configurations may be configured for UE (a) and UE (b) . Each zone configuration may be related to a different zone length. Then, UE (a) may select one zone configuration based on accuracy of positioning or by UE (a) ’s implementation.

For instance, if multiple zone configurations are configured for UE (a) and UE (b) , UE (a) should also indicate the selected zone configuration to UE (b) , e.g., sl-ZoneConfig-Index with the following format. UE (b) calculates the angle based on the indicated zone configuration.

sl-ZoneConfig-List SEQUENCE (SIZE (16) ) OF SL-ZoneConfig

SL-ZoneConfig :: = SEQUENCE {

sl-ZoneConfig-Index INTEGER (0, 1, …15)

sl-ZoneLength ENUMERATED {m5, m10, m20, m30, m40, m50, spare2, spare1}

}

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5-8, especially, contents related to identifying a UE’s relative position in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 4. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 4 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1-3 and 5-8.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary diagram of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of FIG. 5 assume that UE-a (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) wants to get a relative position of UE-b (e.g., UE 102 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) in geographical coordinate domains. The embodiments of FIG. 5 assume that UE-a functions as a Tx UE, and UE-b functions as a Rx UE.

The embodiments of FIG. 5 assume that a reference direction (i.e., “reference direction 0” as shown in FIG. 5) is defined in geographical coordinate domains. For example, the reference direction may be specified, e.g., West, East, North or South. It is contemplated that any other direction may also be defined as the reference direction in the geographical coordinate domains. UE-a and UE-b in the embodiments of FIG. 5 have the same knowledge of the defined reference direction.

The embodiments of FIG. 5 assume that geographical coordinate domains are divided or configured to several zones, and a zone_id of a UE represent a zone which covers an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. UE-a and UE-b in the embodiments of FIG. 5 have the same knowledge of zone divisions or configurations and zone IDs of the geographical coordinate domains.

In the embodiments of FIG. 5, UE-a is located in a zone (i.e., “zone M” as shown in FIG. 5) in the geographical coordinate domains. A zone_id of UE-a (e.g., which may be marked as “M” ) represents zone M which covers an actual position of UE-a in the geographical coordinate domains. UE-a may be located in any position belonging to zone M. For instance, UE-a may be located in a center of zone M (i.e., a black dot within zone M as shown in FIG. 5) or a non-center position of zone M.

The embodiments of FIG. 5 define an angle (i.e., “angle N” as shown in FIG. 5) between “the line from a central location of a zone indicated by the zone_id of UE-a to an actual position of UE-b” and “reference direction 0” . The angle may be represented by a degree value within “a range from +180 degree to -180 degree” or a similar range in view of reference direction 0. For example, “angle N” is +30degree in view of reference direction 0.

According to some embodiments of the subject application, UE-a transmits, to UE-b, the zone_id of UE-a in geographical coordinate domains. UE-b may calculate “angle N” based on: the received zone_id of UE-a, UE-b’s own actual position in the geographical coordinate domains, and reference direction 0.

Specifically, according to the zone_id of UE-a, UE-b may determine zone M in which UE-a is located and the central location of zone M. Then, UE-b may determine a line from the central location of zone M to UE-b’s own actual position, and calculate angle N between the line and reference direction 0.

In accordance with some embodiments, UE-b may transmit information regarding the calculated angle N to UE-a. Based on angle N, UE-a knows the relative direction (or orientation) of UE-b in the geographical coordinate domains. Then, in combination of the relative distance between UE-a and UE-b (e.g., which may be determined based on TOA or any other factor) and the relative direction of UE-b, UE-a may finally determine the actual position of UE-b in the geographical coordinate domains.

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1-4 and 6-8, especially, contents related to identifying a UE’s relative position in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 5. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 5 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1-4 and 6-8.

As specified in 3GPP standard document TS38.331, in a NR sidelink, the calculation of a zone ID may be defined as follows. A UE may determine a zone ID (i.e., Zone_id as below) , in which it is located using the following formulae, if sl-ZoneConfig is configured:

x ₁= Floor (x /L) Mod 64;

y ₁= Floor (y /L) Mod 64;

Zone_id = y ₁ *64 + x ₁.

The parameters in the formulae are defined as follows:

“L” is the value of sl-ZoneLength included in sl-ZoneConfig;

“x” is the geodesic distance in longitude between UE's current location and geographical coordinates (0, 0) and it is expressed in meters; and

“y” is the geodesic distance in latitude between UE's current location and geographical coordinates (0, 0) and it is expressed in meters.

A specific example of how to calculate an angle (e.g., “angle N” as shown in FIG. 5) using a zone_id of a UE is described in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further exemplary diagram of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

Similar to the embodiments of FIG. 5, the embodiments of FIG. 6 assume that UE-A (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) wants to get a relative position of UE-B (e.g., UE 102 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) in geographical coordinate domains. The embodiments of FIG. 6 assume that UE-A functions as a Tx UE, and UE-B functions as a Rx UE.

Similar to the embodiments of FIG. 5, the embodiments of FIG. 6 assume that a reference direction (i.e., “reference direction 1” as shown in FIG. 6) is defined in geographical coordinate domains, which are marked as “X axis” and “Y axis” as shown in FIG. 6, respectively. For example, “reference direction 1” may be specified, e.g., West, East, North or South. It is contemplated that any other direction may also be defined as “reference direction 1” . UE-A and UE-B in the embodiments of FIG. 6 have the same knowledge of the definition of “reference direction 1” .

Similar to the embodiments of FIG. 5, the embodiments of FIG. 6 assume that the geographical coordinate domains are divided to several zones, and a zone_id of a UE represent a zone which covers an actual position of the UE in the geographical coordinate domains. UE-A and UE-B in the embodiments of FIG. 6 have the same knowledge of zone divisions and zone IDs of the geographical coordinate domains.

Calculations of zone IDs in the embodiments of FIG. 6 may adopt the formulae specified in 3GPP standard document TS38.331 as indicated above. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the bottom fours lines of Y axis, zones are numbered continuously from 0 to 63, 64 to 127, 128 to 191, and 192 to 255 along the X axis, respectively. In FIG 6, only 0 to 7, 64 to 71, 128 to 135, and 192 to 199 are shown for illustrative purpose. Although a specific number of configured zones are depicted in FIG. 6, it is contemplated that any number of zone (s) may be configured according to different zone length configurations in the geographical coordinate domains. In addition, based on different zone length configurations, a total number of configured zones and sequence numbers of each configured zone may vary in the geographical coordinate domains in different embodiments. That is, in different zone length configurations, the same UE in the same geographical coordinate domains may have different zone IDs.

In an embodiment of a certain zone length configuration, a zone_id of UE-Ais 66, and a zone_id of UE-B is 132, as shown in FIG. 6. For instance, a zone length configured for this embodiment may be any of zone lengths, e.g., “m5” , as listed in the IE sl-ZoneConfig-Index.

According to some embodiments, UE-A transmits, to UE-B, SL-PRS and the zone_id of UE-A (e.g., number “66” or other manner) in geographical coordinate domains. UE-B may measure TOA based on the received SL-PRS. According to the zone_id of UE-A, UE-B may determine zone 66 in which UE-A is located and the central location of zone 66. UE-B knows well about its own precise position in geographical coordinate domains. Then, UE-B may determine a line from the central location of zone 66 to UE-B’s own precise position, and calculates “angle 1” between the line and reference direction 1. The “angle 1” may be represented by a degree value within “a range from +180 degree to -180 degree” or a similar range in view of reference direction 1 or a similar range. For example, “angle 1” is +40 degree in view of reference direction 1.

In accordance with some embodiments, UE-B may transmit, to UE-A, information regarding the calculated “angle 1” as well as information regarding the measured TOA. Based on the information regarding angle 1, UE-A knows a relative direction of UE-B in the geographical coordinate domains. Based on the information regarding TOA, UE-A knows a relative distance between UE-A and UE-B. In combination of the relative direction of UE-B and the relative distance between UE-A and UE-B, UE-A may determine the actual position of UE-B in the geographical coordinate domains. That is, UE-A finally precisely positions UE-B on a sidelink in the geographical coordinate domains. Such embodiments can greatly reduce signaling overhead between UE-A and UE-B during positioning UE-B.

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1-5, 7, and 8, especially, contents related to identifying a UE’s relative position in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 6. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 6 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1-5, 7, and 8.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further exemplary flow chart of identifying a relative position of a UE in geographical coordinate domains according to some embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of FIG. 7 assume that UE (1) (e.g., UE 101 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) wants to get a relative position of UE (2) (e.g., UE 102 illustrated and shown in FIG. 1) in geographical coordinate domains. The embodiments of FIG. 7 assume that UE (1) functions as a Tx UE, and UE (2) functions as a Rx UE.

According to some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7, in operation 701, UE (1) transmits SL-PRS to UE (2) . Upon receiving the SL-PRS, UE (2) may measure TOA based on the received SL-PRS. In operation 702, UE (2) transmits, to UE (1) , the measured TOA information and a zone ID of UE (2) in the geographical coordinate domains. The zone ID of UE (2) may also be named as zone_id of UE (2) or the like.

In some embodiments, at least one of the measured TOA information and zone_id of UE (2) is transmitted in SCI. In an embodiment, the measured TOA information is transmitted in 1 ^st stage SCI or 2 ^nd stage SCI. In a further embodiment, the zone_id of UE (2) is transmitted in SCI. For instance, the zone_id may be transmitted in 1 ^st stage SCI or 2 ^nd stage SCI.

In some other embodiments, at least one of the measured TOA information and the zone_id of UE (2) is transmitted in a PSSCH transmission. In an embodiment, the zone_id of UE (2) is transmitted in a PSSCH transmission. In a further embodiment, both the measured TOA information and the zone_id of UE (2) are transmitted in a PSSCH transmission.

Upon receiving the TOA information and the zone_id of UE (2) transmitted by UE (2) in operation 702, UE (1) may calculate an actual position of UE (2) in the geographical coordinate domains.

Specifically, the TOA information may be used to calculate a relative distance between UE (1) and UE (2) . The zone_id of UE (2) may be used to identify an orientation of UE (2) in the geographical coordinate domains. For instance, UE (1) may identify the orientation of UE (2) based on the received zone_id of UE (2) and UE (1) ’s own position in the geographical coordinate domains. In view of the relative distance between UE (1) and UE (2) and the orientation of UE (2) , UE (1) can finally determine the actual position of UE (2) . That is, UE (1) can implement a sidelink positioning mechanism of UE (2) on a NR sidelink via the abovementioned embodiments.

Similar to the embodiments of FIG. 4, in some embodiments of FIG. 7, if multiple zone configurations are configured for UE (1) and UE (2) , UE (2) should also indicate, to UE (1) , the selected specific zone configuration, e.g., via the IE sl-ZoneConfig-Index, for UE (1) to identify the orientation of UE (2) in the geographical coordinate domains.

Details described in the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIGS. 1-6 and 8, especially, contents related to identifying a UE’s relative position in geographical coordinate domains, are applicable for the embodiments as illustrated and shown in FIG. 7. Moreover, details described in the embodiments of FIG. 7 are applicable for all the embodiments of FIGS. 1-6 and 8.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present application. In some embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 800 may be a UE, which can at least perform the method illustrated in any one of FIGS. 2-7.

As shown in FIG. 8, the apparatus 800 may include at least one receiver 802, at least one transmitter 804, at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 806, and at least one processor 808 coupled to the at least one receiver 802, the at least one transmitter 804, and the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 806.

Although in FIG. 8, elements such as the at least one receiver 802, the at least one transmitter 804, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 806, and the at least one processor 808 are described in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. In some embodiments of the present application, the at least one receiver 802 and the at least one transmitter 804 are combined into a single device, such as a transceiver. In certain embodiments of the present application, the apparatus 800 may further include an input device, a memory, and/or other components.

In some embodiments of the present application, the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium 806 may have stored thereon computer-executable instructions which are programmed to implement the operations of the methods, for example as described in view of any of FIGS. 2-7, with the at least one receiver 802, the at least one transmitter 804, and the at least one processor 808.

Those having ordinary skills in the art would understand that the operations of a method described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations of a method may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

While this disclosure has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in the other embodiments. Also, all of the elements of each figure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, those having ordinary skills in the art would be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Accordingly, embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

In this document, the terms “includes, ” “including, ” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “a, ” “an, ” or the like does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. Also, the term “another” is defined as at least a second or more. The term “having” and the like, as used herein, are defined as “including. ”

Claims

A method performed by a first user equipment (UE) , comprising:

transmitting a sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) ;

receiving, from a second UE, first information associated with time of arrival (TOA) and second information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains, wherein the first information is measured based on the SL-PRS; and

identifying a relative position of the second UE relative to the first UE in the geographical coordinate domains based on at least one of:

the first information;

the second information; and

an actual position of the first UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting first zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 2, wherein the first zone configuration information includes at least one of:

an identity (ID) of a zone of the actual position of the first UE in the geographical coordinate domains; and

information regarding one zone length configuration, in response to two or more zone length configurations being configured to the first UE and the second UE.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the second information includes one angle associated with the actual position of the first UE and an actual position of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 4, wherein identifying the relative position of the second UE further comprises:

calculating, based on the first information, a relative distance of the second UE relative to the first UE; and

calculating, based on the angle, an orientation of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 1, wherein the second information includes an ID of a zone of an actual position of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 6, wherein identifying the relative position of the second UE further comprises:

calculating, based on the first information, a relative distance of the second UE relative to the first UE; and

calculating, based on the ID of the zone of the actual position of the second UE, an orientation of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
A method performed by a first user equipment (UE) , comprising:

receiving, from a second UE, a sidelink-positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) ;

measuring first information associated with time of arrival (TOA) based on the SL-PRS; and

transmitting, to the second UE, the first information and second information associated with a zone in geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 8, wherein a relative position of the first UE relative to the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains is identified based on at least one of:

the first information;

the second information; and

an actual position of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from the second UE, first zone configuration information of the geographical coordinate domains.
The method of Claim 10, wherein the first zone configuration information includes at least one of:

an identity (ID) of a zone of an actual position of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains; and

information regarding one zone length configuration, in response to two or more zone length configurations being configured to the first UE and the second UE.
The method of Claim 8, further comprising:

calculating one angle associated with an actual position of the first UE and an actual position of the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains,

wherein the second information is associated with the angle.
The method of Claim 12, wherein a relative position of the first UE relative to the second UE in the geographical coordinate domains is identified by:

a relative distance of the first UE relative to the second UE calculated based on the first information; and

an orientation of the first UE in the geographical coordinate domains calculated based on the angle.
The method of Claim 8, wherein the second information includes an ID of a zone of an actual position of the first UE in the geographical coordinate domains.
An apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions;

a receiving circuitry;

a transmitting circuitry; and

a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the receiving circuitry and the transmitting circuitry,

wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to implement the method of any of Claims 1-14.