Sidelink anchor group for sidelink position estimation

1. A method of operating a position estimation entity, comprising:

performing sidelink anchor registration with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

transmitting, to the plurality of sidelink anchors and a user equipment (UE), a set of proximity-based sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation; and

receiving one or more measurement reports associated with an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session between the UE and a dynamic sidelink anchor group that is determined in accordance with the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting the plurality of sidelink anchors based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the selection is based on one or more of UE capability, mobility status, power supply, position estimation accuracy, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

instructing the UE to trigger the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon entry into the at least one dead zone, or

triggering the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon detection that the UE has entered into the at least one dead zone.

10. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising:

receiving, from a position estimation entity, a set of proximity-based sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation, the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations associated with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

transmitting a sidelink PRS trigger to trigger an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session with a dynamic sidelink anchor group, the sidelink PRS trigger configured to indicate a sidelink zone associated with the UE and a proximity requirement for participation in the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation; and

performing a sidelink PRS exchange with the dynamic sidelink anchor group in association with the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session based on one or more proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations from the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

determining one or more beams for the sidelink PRS exchange based on a spatial relationship between the sidelink zone associated with the UE and one or more sidelink zones associated with the dynamic sidelink anchor group.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the proximity requirement designates a maximum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, a minimum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein performing the sidelink PRS exchange comprises blind decoding or descrambling for sidelink PRS from the dynamic sidelink anchor group in accordance with a zone-specific sequence, or

wherein performing the sidelink PRS exchange comprises selective decoding or descrambling for sidelink PRS from the dynamic sidelink anchor group based on feedback to the sidelink PRS trigger from the dynamic sidelink anchor group.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sidelink anchors is distributed across the plurality of sidelink zones based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.

20. The method of claim 19 ,

wherein the UE is instructed by the position estimation entity to trigger the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon entry into the at least one dead zone, or

wherein the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session is triggered upon detection that the UE has entered into the at least one dead zone.

21. A method of operating a sidelink anchor, comprising:

performing sidelink anchor registration with a position estimation entity;

receiving, from the position estimation entity, a set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation, the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations associated with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a sidelink PRS trigger to trigger an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session with a dynamic sidelink anchor group, the sidelink PRS trigger configured to indicate a sidelink zone associated with the UE and a proximity requirement for participation in the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation;

determining that the sidelink anchor satisfies the proximity requirement to the sidelink zone;

selecting at least one proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration from the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations based on a proximity between the sidelink anchor and the sidelink zone associated with the UE; and

performing a sidelink PRS exchange with the UE associated with the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session based on the determination and in accordance with the at least one selected proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

determining one or more beams for the sidelink PRS exchange based on a spatial relationship between the sidelink zone associated with the UE and a sidelink zone associated with the sidelink anchor.

23. The method of claim 21 , wherein the proximity requirement designates a maximum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, a minimum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, or a combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:

transmitting a response to the sidelink PRS trigger to facilitate the sidelink PRS exchange between the UE and the sidelink anchor.

25. The method of claim 21 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

26. The method of claim 21 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 21 ,

wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones, or

wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters, or

wherein the plurality of sidelink anchors is distributed across the plurality of sidelink zones based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone, or

a combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 21 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.

29. A position estimation entity, comprising:

a memory;

at least one transceiver; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to:

perform sidelink anchor registration with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

transmit, via the at least one transceiver, to the plurality of sidelink anchors and a user equipment (UE), a set of proximity-based sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation; and

receive, via the at least one transceiver, one or more measurement reports associated with an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session between the UE and a dynamic sidelink anchor group that is determined in accordance with the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations.

30. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

31. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

32. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones.

33. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters.

34. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

select the plurality of sidelink anchors based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone.

35. The position estimation entity of claim 34 , wherein the selection is based on one or more of UE capability, mobility status, power supply, position estimation accuracy, or a combination thereof.

36. The position estimation entity of claim 29 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.

37. The position estimation entity of claim 36 ,

wherein the at least one processor is further configured to instruct the UE to trigger the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon entry into the at least one dead zone, or

wherein the UE is triggered by the position estimation entity to perform the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon detection that the UE has entered into the at least one dead zone.

38. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

a memory;

at least one transceiver; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to:

receive, via the at least one transceiver, from a position estimation entity, a set of proximity-based sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS) pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation, the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations associated with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a sidelink PRS trigger to trigger an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session with a dynamic sidelink anchor group, the sidelink PRS trigger configured to indicate a sidelink zone associated with the UE and a proximity requirement for participation in the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation; and

perform a sidelink PRS exchange with the dynamic sidelink anchor group in association with the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session based on one or more proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations from the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations.

39. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine one or more beams for the sidelink PRS exchange based on a spatial relationship between the sidelink zone associated with the UE and one or more sidelink zones associated with the dynamic sidelink anchor group.

40. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the proximity requirement designates a maximum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, a minimum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, or a combination thereof.

41. The UE of claim 38 ,

wherein, to perform the sidelink PRS exchange, the at least one processor is configured to perform blind decoding or descrambling for sidelink PRS from the dynamic sidelink anchor group in accordance with a zone-specific sequence, or

wherein, to perform the sidelink PRS exchange, the at least one processor is configured to perform selective decoding or descrambling for sidelink PRS from the dynamic sidelink anchor group based on feedback to the sidelink PRS trigger from the dynamic sidelink anchor group.

42. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

43. The UE of claim 38 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

44. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones.

45. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters.

46. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the plurality of sidelink anchors is distributed across the plurality of sidelink zones based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone.

47. The UE of claim 38 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.

48. The UE of claim 47 ,

wherein the UE is instructed by the position estimation entity to trigger the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon entry into the at least one dead zone, or

wherein the UE is triggered by the position estimation entity to perform the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session upon detection that the UE has entered into the at least one dead zone.

49. A sidelink anchor, comprising:

a memory;

at least one transceiver; and

at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to:

perform sidelink anchor registration with a position estimation entity;

receive, via the at least one transceiver, from the position estimation entity, a set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations for on-demand PRS position estimation, the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations associated with a plurality of sidelink anchors distributed throughout a plurality of sidelink zones;

receive, via the at least one transceiver, from a user equipment (UE), a sidelink PRS trigger to trigger an on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session with a dynamic sidelink anchor group, the sidelink PRS trigger configured to indicate a sidelink zone associated with the UE and a proximity requirement for participation in the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation;

determine that the sidelink anchor satisfies the proximity requirement to the sidelink zone;

select at least one proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration from the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations based on a proximity between the sidelink anchor and the sidelink zone associated with the UE;

perform a sidelink PRS exchange with the UE associated with the on-demand sidelink PRS position estimation session based on the determination and in accordance with the at least one selected proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration.

50. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine one or more beams for the sidelink PRS exchange based on a spatial relationship between the sidelink zone associated with the UE and a sidelink zone associated with the sidelink anchor.

51. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein the proximity requirement designates a maximum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, a minimum distance from the sidelink zone associated with the UE, or a combination thereof.

52. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a response to the sidelink PRS trigger to facilitate the sidelink PRS exchange between the UE and the sidelink anchor.

53. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones is associated with a non-public network (NPN).

54. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein each proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configuration of the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations designates a sidelink PRS frequency layer, a first offset from a sidelink PRS trigger from the UE to a sidelink PRS transmission from the respective sidelink anchor, an expected reception time of sidelink PRS from the UE, a comb type, a muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

55. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 ,

wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations is based at least in part upon a number of sidelink zones among the plurality of sidelink zones, or

wherein the set of proximity-based sidelink PRS pre-configurations comprises one or more sidelink zone-specific parameters, or

wherein the plurality of sidelink anchors is distributed across the plurality of sidelink zones based on a sidelink anchor constraint that limits a number of sidelink anchors assigned per sidelink zone, or

a combination thereof.

56. The sidelink anchor of claim 49 , wherein the plurality of sidelink zones comprises at least one dead zone where Uu-based position estimation does not satisfy an accuracy requirement.