Design of Orthogonal Phase of Arrival Positioning Scheme Based on 5G PRS and Optimization of TOA Performance

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of achieving accurate TOA-based positioning with 5G PRS under low sampling rates. It introduces an orthogonal phase arrival (OPA) based residual TOA estimator that extracts fractional timing information from CFR phase differences, enabling sub-sample TOA refinement with low computational load. The authors formulate an RTOA estimation framework, analyze how PRS resource allocation patterns affect TOA accuracy, and validate the approach on a software-defined 5G PRS testbed using USRP hardware. Results show that TOA accuracy improves significantly with appropriate PRS configurations and that adaptive PRS resource management is key for reliable positioning across diverse environments. The work demonstrates practical feasibility for high-precision, resource-efficient 5G positioning and provides guidelines for configuring PRS resources in real deployments.

Abstract

This study analyzes the performance of positioning techniques based on configuration changes of 5G New Radio signals. In 5G networks, a terminal position is determined from the Time of Arrival of Positioning Reference Signals transmitted by base stations. We propose an algorithm that improves TOA accuracy under low sampling rate constraints and implement 5G PRS for positioning in a software defined modem. We also examine how flexible time frequency resource allocation of PRS affects TOA estimation accuracy and discuss optimal PRS configurations for a given signal environment.

Figures (13)

• Figure 1: Flow chart of the proposed TOA estimation method.
• Figure 2: Pseudo-code of the proposed RTOA estimation method.
• Figure 3: USRP antenna connection ports for PRS transmission and reception.
• Figure 4: 5G PRS frame structure used in the experiment.
• Figure 5: Channel Frequency Response (Top) and TOA Adjustment Timeline (Bottom)