IP Library › Granted Patent US 12671534
Granted Patent B2
US 12671534 · App. 17/691,799 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Systems and techniques for secure positioning signaling

Inventors: Weimin Duan (San Diego, CA); Lianghai Ji (San Diego, CA); Huilin Xu (Temecula, CA); Liangping Ma (San Diego, CA); Mehmet Izzet Gurelli (San Diego, CA); Qiang Wu (San Diego, CA); Karthik Anantha Swamy (La Jolla, CA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04L5/0048
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12671534
App. No.
17/691,799
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and techniques are provided for wireless communications at a network entity. For example, then systems and techniques can include determining, at the network entity, a transmission timing compensation between a first reference signal and a second reference signal. The first reference signal can be transmitted using a first communication link. The second reference signal can be transmitted based on an offset determined based on the transmission timing compensation, wherein the second reference signal is transmitted suing a second communication link. The offset can be used to offset transmission of the second reference signal from transmission of the first reference signal.

Claims (63)

1 . A method for wireless communications performed at a network entity, comprising:

determining, at the network entity, a transmission timing compensation between a first reference signal for a first non-terrestrial network (NTN) transceiver and a second reference signal for a second NTN transceiver, wherein the transmission timing compensation is determined based on a target relative time difference (RTD) comprising a random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, and wherein the random RTD is obtained in a transmission timing partial pre-compensation request received at the network entity from an additional network entity;

transmitting the first reference signal using a first communication link to the first NTN transceiver for re-transmission to a user equipment (UE); and

transmitting, based on an offset determined based on the transmission timing compensation, the second reference signal using a second communication link to the second NTN transceiver for re-transmission to the UE, wherein the offset offsets transmission of the second reference signal from transmission of the first reference signal by a duration corresponding to the transmission timing compensation.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first reference signal and the second reference signal is a positioning reference signal (PRS).

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal comprises:

determining a relative propagation time difference between the first communication link and the second communication link.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising determining, at the network entity, the relative propagation time difference between the first communication link and the second communication link in response to receiving a transmission timing full compensation request from the additional network entity.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the network entity is a base station or a gateway and the additional network entity is a location server.

6 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

determining a distance associated with the first communication link using a location of the first NTN transceiver associated with the first communication link;

determining a distance associated with the second communication link using a location of the second NTN transceiver associated with the second communication link; and

determining the relative propagation time difference based on the distance associated with the first communication link and the distance associated with the second communication link.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the first NTN transceiver and the second NTN transceiver are satellites; and

at least one of the location of the first NTN transceiver or the location of the second NTN transceiver is determined based on ephemeris information of the satellites.

8 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising transmitting assistance data, wherein:

the assistance data does not include relative time difference (RTD) information for the first reference signal and the second reference signal; or

the assistance data includes RTD information for the first reference signal and the second reference signal having a value of zero.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal comprises:

obtaining the target RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and

determining the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal based on the target RTD.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein obtaining the target RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal comprises:

receiving, at the network entity, the transmission timing partial pre-compensation request from the additional network entity; and

determining, at the network entity, the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, wherein the transmission timing partial pre-compensation request causes the network entity to determine the random RTD.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

transmitting the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

transmitting assistance data including the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the network entity comprises a non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway or a base station.

14 . An apparatus for wireless communications, the apparatus comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to:

determine, at a network entity, a transmission timing compensation between a first reference signal for a first non-terrestrial network (NTN) transceiver and a second reference signal for a second NTN transceiver, wherein the transmission timing compensation is determined based on a target relative time difference (RTD) comprising a random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, and wherein the random RTD is obtained in a transmission timing partial pre-compensation request received at the network entity from an additional network entity;

transmit the first reference signal using a first communication link to the first NTN transceiver for re-transmission to a user equipment (UE); and

transmit, based on an offset determined based on the transmission timing compensation, the second reference signal using a second communication link to the second NTN transceiver for re-transmission to the UE, wherein the offset offsets transmission of the second reference signal from transmission of the first reference signal by a duration corresponding to the transmission timing compensation.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the first reference signal and the second reference signal is a positioning reference signal (PRS).

16 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein, to determine the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, the at least one processor is configured to:

determine a relative propagation time difference between the first communication link and the second communication link.

17 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine, at the network entity, the relative propagation time difference between the first communication link and the second communication link in response to receiving a transmission timing full compensation request from the additional network entity.

18 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the network entity is a base station or a gateway and the additional network entity is a location server.

19 . The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

determine a distance associated with the first communication link using a location of the first NTN transceiver associated with the first communication link;

determine a distance associated with the second communication link using a location of the second NTN transceiver associated with the second communication link; and

determine the relative propagation time difference based on the distance associated with the first communication link and the distance associated with the second communication link.

20 . The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein:

the first NTN transceiver and the second NTN transceiver are satellites; and

at least one of the location of the first NTN transceiver or the location of the second NTN transceiver is determined based on ephemeris information of the satellites.

21 . The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to transmit assistance data, wherein:

the assistance data does not include relative time difference (RTD) information for the first reference signal and the second reference signal; or

the assistance data includes RTD information for the first reference signal and the second reference signal having a value of zero.

22 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein, to determine the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, the at least one processor is configured to:

obtain the target RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal; and

determine the transmission timing compensation between the first reference signal and the second reference signal based on the target RTD.

23 . The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein, to obtain the target RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, the at least one processor is configured to:

receive, at the network entity, the transmission timing partial pre-compensation request from the additional network entity; and

determine, at the network entity, the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal, wherein the transmission timing partial pre-compensation request causes the network entity to determine the random RTD.

24 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

transmit the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

25 . The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

transmit assistance data including the random RTD between the first reference signal and the second reference signal.

26 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the network entity comprises a non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway or a base station.