IP Library Granted Patent US 12,563,522
Granted Patent B2
US 12,563,522 · App. 18/354,027 · Granted Feb 24, 2026

Positioning a user device

Inventors: Morten Toft (Aalborg, DK); Samantha Caporal del Barrio (Aalborg, DK); Johannes Harrebek (Aalborg, DK); Simon Svendsen (Aalborg, DK)
Assignee: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
H04W64/00H04W74/0833
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,563,522
App. No.
18/354,027
Granted
Feb 24, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An apparatus (e.g. a user device), method and computer program is described to perform steps including: receiving at a user device, while the user device in is an inactive, unconnected or idle mode, a paging message for positioning determination from one or more of a plurality of network nodes in a radio network; and transmitting, a same group channel preamble message dedicated for positioning determination, to a group of network nodes which are selected by the user device, wherein the same group channel preamble message which being a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble message, is transmitted under a single random access channel occasion (RO).

Claims (21)

1 . A user device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the user device at least to:

transmit a message to a positioning network node indicating that the user device supports group channel preamble transmission;

receive, while the user device still in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive, unconnected or idle mode, a paging message for positioning determination from one or more of a plurality of network nodes in a radio network,

wherein the paging message comprises:

a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold,

a number of network nodes configured for receiving a group channel preamble message,

an identity of network nodes configured for receiving the group channel preamble message, and

an expected uplink preamble receiving power; and

transmit a same group channel preamble message dedicated for positioning determination to a group of network nodes which are selected by the user device from the plurality of network nodes,

wherein the group of network nodes are configured to receive a location determining information request from a positioning module in communication with the user device,

wherein the location determining information request includes:

a time of arrival associated with the same group channel preamble message, and

an angle of arrival associated with the same group channel preamble message,

wherein the group of network nodes are synchronized, such that the time of arrival associated with the same group channel preamble message is a relative time compared to a downlink symbol start time,

wherein the same group channel preamble message is transmitted under a single random access channel occasion (RO),

wherein the same group channel preamble message comprises a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble message,

wherein the group of network nodes are selected within a same transmit spatial filter of the user device,

wherein the positioning module is a location management function (LMF) module, and

wherein the positioning module is configured to determine a position of the user device based on location determining information.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2023
From: TOFT, MORTEN; CAPORAL DEL BARRIO, SAMANTHA; HARREBEK, JOHANNES; SVENDSEN, SIMON
To: NOKIA DENMARK A/S
Reel/Frame 064732/0640 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 29, 2023
From: NOKIA DENMARK A/S
To: NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
Reel/Frame 064732/0761 →
Priority Claims (1)
FI 20225698 · Aug 4, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240049164A1 · Feb 8, 2024
References Cited (39)
US 7110781B1 · Hulbert · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 10863473B2 · Wong · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11115103B2 · Guo et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11683659B2 · Kim · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 20110177814A1 · Buchmayer · 2011 [cited by examiner]
US 20200229130A1 · Keating et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210058971A1 · MolavianJazi et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210105833A1 · Freda et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210368538A1 · Yerramalli et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220061097A1 · Kwak et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20220167301A1 · Goyal et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
EP 4117358A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
WO 2018028925A1 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO 2020168573A1 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022006744A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022007719A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022020059A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022031457A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022057997A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022078763A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2022081893A1 · 2022 [cited by applicant]
WO 2023108377A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
“Revised SID on Study on expanded and improved NR positioning”, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #94e, RP-213588, Agenda: 8.6.1, Intel, Dec. 6-17, 2021, 5 pages. [cited by applicant]
“3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Service requirements for cyber-physical control applications in vertical domains; Stage 1 (Release 18)”, 3GPP TS 22.104, V1… [cited by applicant]
“3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical layer procedures for control (Release 17)”, 3GPP TS 38.213, V17.1.0, Mar. 2022, pp. 1-245. [cited by applicant]
“3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification (Release 17)”, 3GPP TS 38.331, V17.0.0, Mar. 2022, pp. 1-1221. [cited by applicant]
“3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NG Radio Access Network (NG-RAN); Stage 2 functional specification of User Equipment (UE) positioning in NG-RAN (Release 17)”, 3GP… [cited by applicant]
“3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; Physical channels and modulation (Release 17)”, 3GPP TS 38.211, V17.1.0, Mar. 2022, pp. 1-135. [cited by applicant]
“Performance evaluation for beam grouping principles”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 Meeting #87, R1-1611416, Agenda: 7.1.3.3, ZTE, Nov. 14-18, 2016, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
“Provisioning of TRS occasions to Idle/Inactive UEs”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #106bis-e, R1-2110137, Agenda: 8.7.1.2, Ericsson, Oct. 11-19, 2021, pp. 1-16. [cited by applicant]
“Open issues for RRC”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 #109 electronic, R2-2002125, Agenda: 6.13.1, Ericsson, Feb. 24-Mar. 6, 2020, pp. 1-13. [cited by applicant]
“RRM and mobility support”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG4 Meeting #80-bis, R4-168037, Agenda: 10.6.1.2, Ericsson, Oct. 10-14, 2016, pp. 1-3. [cited by applicant]
Pereira et al., “PRACH Power Control Mechanism for Improving Random-Access Energy Efficiency in Long Term Evolution”, IEEE 10th Latin-American Conference on Communications (LATINCOM), Nov. 14-16, 2018, 6 pages. [cited by applicant]
“FL summary #2 for AI 9.5.2.3—low power high accuracy positioning”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #109-e, R1-2205354, Agenda: 9.5.2.3, CMCC, May 9-20, 2022, pp. 1-85. [cited by applicant]
Office action received for corresponding Finnish Patent Application No. 20225698, dated Dec. 22, 2022, 10 pages. [cited by applicant]
“Potential positioning enhancements”, 3GPP TSG RAN WG1 #103-e, R1-2008083, Agenda: 8.5.3, Xiaomi, Oct. 26-Nov. 13, 2020, 5 pages. [cited by applicant]
Extended European Search Report received for corresponding European Patent Application No. 22188870.4, dated Jan. 27, 2023, 9 pages. [cited by applicant]
Office action received for corresponding Finnish Patent Application No. 20225698, dated Apr. 25, 2023, 7 pages. [cited by applicant]
Extended European Search Report received for corresponding European Patent Application No. 23186302.8, dated Jan. 3, 2024, 6 pages. [cited by applicant]