Bandwidth configuration for receiving the positioning reference signal

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to bandwidth portion configuration for reception of positioning reference signals. A method for configuring a BWP for receiving PRS includes: generating an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving positioning reference signals at a terminal device; sending the request to a network device; and receiving a target configuration of the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request. In this way, the BWP switching process can be significantly simplified, thereby reducing signaling overhead.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to a method, device, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for configuring a bandwidth portion for receiving a positioning reference signal. Background Art

[0002] The concept of "Bandwidth Part (BWP)" was introduced to save power. User Equipment (UE) is allowed to operate on a bandwidth narrower than the operating bandwidth of the next generation NodeB (gNB). Although up to four DL BWPs are allowed to be configured for a UE, only one DL bandwidth part may be active at a specific time.

[0003] Recently, the NR positioning research project was approved. Some radio access technology (RAT) related solutions for this research have been agreed upon, namely, downlink-based solution, downlink and uplink-based solution, and uplink-based solution. In both the downlink-based solution and the downlink and uplink-based solution, the UE can receive and measure reference signals from the transmission point on the appropriate BWP. Summary of the invention

[0004] Generally speaking, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for configuring a bandwidth part (BWP) for reception of a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0005] In a first aspect, a method is provided, comprising: generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; sending the request to a network device; and receiving a target configuration of the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request.

[0006] In a second aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving, at a network device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device, the allocation request being used to receive a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; determining a target configuration of the bandwidth portion; and sending the target configuration to the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, comprising computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: generate, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; send a request to a network device; and receive a target configuration of the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, comprising computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to at least: receive, at a network device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device, the allocation request being used to receive a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; determine a target configuration for the bandwidth portion; and send the target configuration to the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; a component for sending a request to a network device; and a component for receiving a target configuration of the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device at a network device, the allocation request being used to receive a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; a component for determining a target configuration of the bandwidth portion; and a component for sending the target configuration to the terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the first aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by at least one processor of a device, causes the device to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0013] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example implementations of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0016] Figure 2 A block diagram illustrating an example process 200 for BWP configuration for PRS reception according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 3 A block diagram illustrating an example BWP switching window according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 A block diagram illustrating another example BWP switching window according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an example method 500 for receiving a BWP configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 6 A flow chart illustrating an example method 600 for receiving a BWP configuration according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 7 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is illustrated in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure.

[0023] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustration and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than the following description.

[0025] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0026] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard or protocol, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), and 5G NR, and uses any suitable communication technology, including, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), OFDM, time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, machine type communication (MTC), eMBB, mMTC, and uRLLC technology. For the purpose of discussion, in some example embodiments, an LTE network, an LTE-A network, a 5G NR network, or any combination thereof is used as an example of a communication network.

[0027] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to any suitable device on the network side of a communication network. The network device may include any suitable device in an access network of a communication network, such as a base station (BS), a relay, an access point (AP), a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G or next generation NodeB (gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a low power node, such as a femto, a pico, and the like. For the purpose of discussion, in some example embodiments, a gNB is taken as an example of a network device.

[0028] The network equipment may also include any suitable equipment in the core network, for example, including multi-standard radio (MSR) radio equipment such as an MSR BS, a network controller (BSC) such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a mobile switching center (MSC) and MME, operations and management (O&M) nodes, operations support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes such as an enhanced serving mobile positioning center (E-SMLC) and / or a mobile data terminal (MDT).

[0029] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to a device that can be configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate with a network device or other terminal devices in a communication network. Communication may involve the use of electromagnetic signals, radio waves, infrared signals and / or other types of signals suitable for sending information through the air to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, when triggered by an internal or external event or in response to a request from the network side, the terminal device may transmit information to the network device according to a predetermined schedule.

[0030] Examples of terminal devices include, but are not limited to, user equipment (UE), such as a smart phone, a wireless-enabled tablet, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), and / or a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE). For the purpose of discussion, some embodiments will be described below with reference to UE as an example of a terminal device, and the terms "terminal device" and "user equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of the present disclosure.

[0031] As used herein, the term "location server" may refer to a service function that provides the location of a target UE to a location client. The positioning server may communicate with the target UE via high-layer signaling to obtain a positioning measurement report of the target UE. The positioning service may also communicate with a network device to obtain information associated with the location of the target UE. The location server may be a component independent of the network device. As an option, the location server may be any functional module or functional entity embedded in the network device.

[0032] In contrast to the term "location server", the term "location client" used herein may refer to an application or entity that requests the location of a target UE. A location client may transmit a location request to a location service and receive the location of the target UE from a location server. In addition, a location client may be considered as the target UE itself.

[0033] As used herein, the term "cell" refers to an area covered by radio signals transmitted by network equipment. Terminal equipment within the cell can be served by the network equipment and access the communication network through the network equipment.

[0034] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0035] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits), and

[0036] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): (i) analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), software and memory that work together to enable a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions), and

[0037] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0038] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term "including" and its variations should be understood as open terms, meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" should be understood as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". Other definitions may be explicitly and implicitly included below.

[0040] Figure 1 Illustrated is a communication environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0041] like Figure 1 As shown, the communication environment 100 may include a plurality of network devices 121, 122, and 123 (hereinafter also referred to as gNB121, 122, and 123) and a terminal device 110 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 110). UE 110 may communicate with a plurality of gNBs 121, 122, and 123. In the communication environment 100, gNB 123 may be considered as a serving gNB of UE 110, and serving cell 143 may be a serving cell 110 of UE, which may be considered as a reference cell of UE 110, while cells 141 and 142 may be considered as neighboring cells. It should be understood that the reference cell may not be the serving cell of UE 110. For example, UE 110 is moving to the edge of the serving cell, and reference signals associated with other cells have a better SNR than the reference signal associated with the serving cell, in which case the reference cell may be a cell other than the serving cell.

[0042] Location server 130 may communicate with UE 110 to initiate a positioning procedure for UE 110. Generally, location server 130 may provide UE 110 with configuration information of positioning reference signals (PRS) received from multiple cells, and receive a positioning measurement report from UE 110.

[0043] As an option, the location of UE 110 can be determined by observing the time difference of arrival (OTDOA) technology. As described above, OTDOA is a downlink positioning technology in which the target UE measures the TOA (time of arrival) of the PRS transmitted from the reference cell and the neighboring cell, and reports the reference signal time difference (RSTD) for finding the location of the target device. Therefore, UE 110 may need corresponding resources to receive the PRS from the reference cell and the neighboring cell.

[0044] As mentioned above, the concept of "Bandwidth Part (BWP)" is introduced to save power. The UE is allowed to operate on a bandwidth narrower than the operating bandwidth of the gNB. Therefore, the UE 110 can switch to a specific bandwidth part for receiving PRS. In the traditional way, different ways are defined for BWP switching, namely, through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, through scheduling Downlink Control Information (DCI), and through inactivity timer. If the BWP is switched by the inactivity timer, the default BWP becomes active when the inactivity timer expires.

[0045] In downlink-based positioning techniques, a UE may sometimes receive and measure positioning reference signals not only from its serving cell but also from neighboring cells. At the serving gNB, the PRS configuration (e.g., bandwidth, periodicity) of the neighboring cells is unknown. Without this information, the gNB cannot allocate a suitable BWP for the UE to perform PRS reception. Therefore, for the configuration of the BWP for PRS reception of UE 110, the primary issue is how the serving gNB 143 determines the appropriate BWP configuration for PRS reception, especially from neighboring cells.

[0046] Additionally, in NR systems, the UE may be configured with an active downlink BWP (for data reception), which is maintained and controlled by its serving gNB. If the UE is requested to provide positioning services, the UE may need to adjust its RF to receive and measure PRS. As described above, for the UE, the downlink BWP for normal service data reception is different from the BWP required for PRS reception. It may be important to determine how to initiate BWP switching for PRS reception.

[0047] As an option, the UE may autonomously switch its own RF to receive PRS. Without the control of the gNB, the BWP perceived by the gNB may not be consistent with the BWP perceived by the UE. In the absence of information associated with the UE's BWP switching, the gNB may schedule data or transmit reference signals in the wrong BWP.

[0048] As another option, the serving gNB can switch the active BWP to a BWP with a configuration suitable for PRS reception. As mentioned above, there are multiple potential approaches for BWP switching in NR. However, all of these approaches are one-way solutions, i.e., if the BWP for PRS reception is switched to the active BWP for receiving normal data, the serving gNB needs to transmit another switching indication to switch back to the active BWP, which can increase the signaling overhead.

[0049] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes an efficient BWP switching mechanism for PRS reception in NR positioning. UE 110 may transmit an allocation request for a BWP for receiving a positioning reference signal to serving gNB 123, and serving gNB 123 may determine a configuration of a bandwidth portion for UE 110 to enable UE 110 to receive positioning reference signals from serving gNB 123 or a neighboring gNB.

[0050] The following will be combined Figure 2 Describe the principles and implementations of the present disclosure in detail. Figure 2 A process 200 is shown according to an example implementation of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Describes process 200. Process 200 may involve configuring a BWP for PRS reception.

[0051] like Figure 2 As shown, location server 130 may transmit 305 a location request to UE 110. In some embodiments, if the location of UE 110 is required by an application, a location client, a gNB, etc., then location server 130 may transmit a location request. In addition, location server 130 may receive a configuration for a PRS from a cell associated with UE 110. Here, the term "cell associated with UE 110" may refer to a cell such as a cell associated with UE 110. Figure 1 The serving cell 143 shown or Figure 1 The neighboring cell 141 or 142 is shown. That is, the gNB 121-123 can broadcast the configuration for the PRS, which can be received by the location server 130.

[0052] After receiving the location request from the location server 130, the UE 110 generates 310 an allocation request for a BWP of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal. That is, the UE 110 may switch from a BWP currently used for receiving normal data to a specific BWP for receiving PRS. The PRS may be transmitted from the serving gNB 123 or the neighboring gNBs 121 and 122. The UE 110 then transmits 315 an allocation request to the gNB 123 in order to request a BWP configuration for PRS reception.

[0053] In some embodiments, the request may be sent from UE 110 to gNB 123 via RRC signaling, such as “Bandwidth Part Switching Indication”. Some corresponding configuration information may also be transmitted from UE 110 to gNB 123 via RRC signaling.

[0054] To determine the configuration of the BWP for receiving the PRS, a reference configuration may be transmitted to the gNB 123. In some embodiments, the reference configuration may be referred to as positioning assistance information. As described above, the positioning assistance information may indicate the configuration of the PRS for the cell associated with the UE 110. The location server 130 may transmit the positioning assistance information to the UE 110, and the UE 110 may forward the positioning assistance information to the gNB 123.

[0055] In some implementations, the reference configuration may be referred to as a desired configuration of a BWP determined by UE 110. UE 110 may receive positioning assistance information from location server 130 and generate desired configuration information and RF capabilities of UE 110 based on the positioning assistance, such as a delay for switching from a current BWP to a BWP for receiving PRS.

[0056] In some implementations, the desired configuration may reflect when UE 110 receives PRS (ie, PRS timing) and where UE 110 receives PRS from different cells (ie, PRS bandwidth and frequency).

[0057] In some embodiments, the expected BWP configuration may be determined based on a joint set of all received positioning assistance information. In some embodiments, the expected BWP configuration may be determined based on a joint set of a portion of the received positioning assistance information. UE 110 may transmit the desired configuration of the BWP to gNB 123.

[0058] In some embodiments, the reference configuration information may be transmitted with the request via RRC signaling. Alternatively, the reference configuration information may be transmitted from UE 110 to gNB 123 via RRC signaling after the request has been sent by UE 110.

[0059] As another option, the reference configuration may be provided from positioning server 130. For the case where positioning server 130 provides the reference configuration, in some embodiments, the reference configuration may also be referred to as positioning assistance information. As described above, the positioning assistance information may indicate a configuration of a PRS for a cell associated with UE 110. Location server 130 may transmit the positioning assistance information to gNB 123.

[0060] In some embodiments, the location server 130 may determine a reference configuration based on the positioning assistance information and transmit the reference configuration to the gNB 123.

[0061] The gNB 123 then determines 320 a configuration (hereinafter also referred to as a target configuration). For example, the gNB 123 may determine the target configuration of the BWP based on a reference configuration provided by the UE 110. For example, the reference configuration may be positioning assistance information forwarded from the location server 130 or a desired configuration determined by the UE 110.

[0062] In some embodiments, the reference configuration may be provided by a location server. In some embodiments, the reference configuration may be positioning assistance information. In some embodiments, the reference configuration may be determined by the location server 130 based on the positioning assistance information.

[0063] The gNB 123 may transmit 325 a target configuration of the BWP to the UE 110. The target configuration may include an indication of the BWP in the frequency domain and in the time domain. For example, the target configuration may include a bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion and a frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion. It should be understood that the reference point here may be referred to as a starting point, an end point, or a point with an offset.

[0064] For example, the target configuration may include a duration of a switching window for switching to a bandwidth portion, the switching window including an RF return delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one of: a switching opportunity, a time reference point for the switching window, and a periodicity of the switching window. Similarly, it should be understood that the reference point herein may be referred to as a starting point, an end point, or a point with an offset.

[0065] Figure 3 A block diagram of an example BWP switching window according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example, the length of the BWP switching window may include at least one of a transition time (delay) from a current BWP to a PRS BWP, a duration for PRS reception, and a transition time from a PRS BWP to an original BWP. Figure 3 As shown, the switching window 310 may include a transition time (delay) from the current BWP to the PRS BWP 341 , a duration for PRS reception 331 , and a transition time from the PRS BWP to the original BWP 342 . Figure 1 3. Another switching window 311 is also shown in FIG. 3, which is the same as switching window 310. In each window, different BWPs are allocated to UE 110 to receive PRS from serving gNB and / or other gNBs. For example, BWP 321 is allocated to UE 110 to receive PRS from serving gNB 123.

[0066] Figure 4 FIG. 5 is a block diagram of another example BWP switching window according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the BWP switching window may include more than one set of consecutive PRS opportunities. For example, Figure 4As shown, switching window 410 may include two groups of consecutive PRS opportunities, each group of consecutive PRS opportunities having different BWPs assigned to UE 110 to receive PRS from the serving gNB or other gNBs, such as BWP 421-423 and BWP 424-426. Switching window 411 may have a similar structure to switching window 410.

[0067] In some implementations, the period of the switching window may be zero, which means that UE 110 does not need to switch its BWP from the PRS BWP back to the original BWP.

[0068] UE 110 may then receive PRS based on the target configuration from gNB 123 or gNB 121 or 122. In some embodiments, if the target configuration includes a PRS BWP frequency assignment, UE 110 switches its BWP from the original BWP to the indicated PRS BWP and performs PRS reception and then switches back to the original BWP within the switching window.

[0069] In some embodiments, if the configuration does not include a PRS BWP frequency allocation, the UE 110 switches its BWP according to the received PRS configuration within the switching window. In some embodiments, if the length of the switching window is configured as "0", the UE 110 switches its BWP to the PRS BWP at the indicated timing.

[0070] Based on the received PRS, UE 110 may generate a location report and transmit the report to location server 130 .

[0071] In some embodiments, UE 110 may transmit a termination indication for stopping the allocation of the bandwidth portion to gNB 123. gNB 123 may generate a disable indication for disabling the target configuration based on the termination indication, and transmit the disable indication to the terminal device.

[0072] The BWP configuration mechanism proposed in this disclosure can be used in any downlink-only positioning technology (e.g., OTDOA and DL-AoD). The UE 110 switches its BWP for PRS reception within the switching window according to the configuration of the gNB. The proposed mechanism can also be used in downlink and uplink based positioning technologies (e.g., multi-cell E-CID; multi-cell RTT) to perform reception and measurement of downlink reference signaling.

[0073] In this way, the BWP switching process can be significantly simplified and thus the signaling overhead can be reduced. In addition, compared with UE autonomous BWP switching, the proposal of gNB controlled BWP switching avoids data loss due to BWP misalignment. Under the control of the gNB, the UE can switch to the appropriate BWP at the right time for PRS reception.

[0074] Will refer to Figures 5 to 6 Detailed description of example embodiments according to the present disclosure.

[0075] Figure 5 1 is a flow chart showing an example method 500 for configuring a BWP for receiving a PRS according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be performed in a Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 500 is described.

[0076] At 510, the UE 110 generates an allocation request for a bandwidth portion for terminal devices receiving positioning reference signals.

[0077] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may obtain positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with UE 110; and generate an allocation request based on the positioning assistance information.

[0078] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may obtain positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with UE 110, determine a desired configuration based on the positioning assistance information and a delay and latency for switching to a bandwidth portion; and generate an allocation request based on the desired configuration.

[0079] At 520, UE 110 sends a request to the network device. At 530, UE 110 receives a target configuration for the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request.

[0080] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may receive a bandwidth length for a bandwidth portion, a frequency reference point for the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion (the switching window includes a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity), a time reference point for the switching window, and a periodicity of the switching window.

[0081] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may receive a positioning reference signal from gNB 123 based on a target configuration.

[0082] In some example embodiments, UE 110 may transmit a termination indication to gNB 123 for stopping allocating a bandwidth portion; and receive a disable indication from gNB 123 for disabling a target configuration, the disable indication being generated by a network device based on the termination indication.

[0083] Figure 6 A flow chart of an example method 600 for configuring a BWP for receiving PRS according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The method 600 may be performed in a Figure 1 For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 600 is described.

[0084] At 610, gNB 123 receives a request for allocation of a bandwidth portion for a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal from UE 110.

[0085] At 620, gNB 123 determines a target configuration for the bandwidth portion based on the allocation request.

[0086] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may obtain positioning assistance information from UE 110, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and determine a target configuration based on the positioning assistance information.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the gNB 123 may obtain a desired configuration from the allocation request, the desired configuration being determined by the terminal device based on positioning assistance information and a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and determine a target configuration based on the desired configuration.

[0088] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may obtain positioning assistance information from a location server indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with UE 110, and determine a target configuration based on the positioning assistance information.

[0089] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may obtain a reference configuration from a location server, the reference configuration being determined by the location server based on positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with the terminal device; and determine a target configuration based on the reference configuration.

[0090] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may send a target configuration including transmitting at least one of: a bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, a frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion (the switching window includes a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity), a time reference point of the switching window, and a period of the switching window.

[0091] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may transmit a positioning reference signal to UE 110 based on a target configuration.

[0092] In some example embodiments, gNB 123 may receive a termination indication from UE 110 to stop allocating a bandwidth portion; generate a disabling indication for disabling a target configuration based on the termination indication; and send the disabling indication to UE 110.

[0093] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 500 (e.g., implemented at UE 110) may include components for performing the various steps of method 500. The apparatus may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the apparatus may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: means for generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; means for transmitting the request to a network device; and means for receiving, from the network device, a target configuration for the bandwidth portion, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the component for generating an allocation request includes: a component for obtaining positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and a component for generating the allocation request based on the positioning assistance information.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the components for generating an allocation request include: a component for obtaining positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with a terminal device; a component for determining a desired configuration based on the positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to a bandwidth portion; and a component for generating an allocation request based on the desired configuration.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the component for receiving the target configuration includes a component for receiving at least one of the following: a bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, a frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion (the switching window includes a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity), a time reference point of the switching window, and a period of the switching window.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving a positioning reference signal from a network device based on the target configuration.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for transmitting a termination indication to the network device for stopping allocating the bandwidth portion; and means for receiving a disabling indication from the network device for disabling the target configuration, the disabling indication being generated by the network device based on the termination indication.

[0100] In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing method 600 (e.g., implemented at gNB 123) may include components for performing the various steps of method 600. The apparatus may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the apparatus may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a network device, a request for an allocation of a bandwidth portion of a terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; means for determining a target configuration of the bandwidth portion; and means for sending the target configuration to the terminal device.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the target configuration includes: a component for obtaining positioning assistance information from a terminal device, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with the terminal device; and a component for determining the target configuration based on the positioning assistance information.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the target configuration includes: a component for obtaining a desired configuration from an allocation request, the desired configuration being determined by the terminal device based on positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to a bandwidth portion, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with the terminal device; and a component for determining the target configuration based on the desired configuration.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the target configuration includes: a component for obtaining positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information being determined by the location server based on positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with a terminal device; and a component for determining the target configuration based on the positioning assistance information.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the component for determining the target configuration includes: a component for obtaining a reference configuration from a positioning server, the reference configuration being determined by the positioning server based on positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with a terminal device; and determining the target configuration based on the reference configuration.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the component for sending the target configuration includes: a component for transmitting at least one of the following: a bandwidth length of a bandwidth portion, a frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion (the switching window includes a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity), a time reference point of the switching window, and a period of the switching window.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for transmitting a positioning reference signal to a terminal device based on the target configuration.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for receiving a termination indication from a terminal device for stopping allocating a bandwidth portion; means for generating a disabling indication for disabling a target configuration based on the termination indication; and means for transmitting the disabling indication to the terminal device.

[0109] Figure 7 700 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement Figure 1 UE 110 and gNB 123 are shown. As shown, device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to processor 710.

[0110] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 440 has one or more communication interfaces for communicating with one or more modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 440 may include at least one antenna.

[0111] Processor 710 may be of any type suitable for use in a local technology network, and may include one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock of a synchronized master processor.

[0112] The memory 720 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0113] Computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions executed by associated processor 710. Program 730 may be stored in ROM 724. Processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 730 into RAM 722.

[0114] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 730, so that the device 700 may execute the following steps: Figures 2 to 4 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or a combination of hardware and software.

[0115] In some embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 700 (e.g., in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 730 stored thereon.

[0116] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other illustrations, it should be understood that the block diagrams, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in the following: non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0117] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced Figures 2 to 4 Methods 500 and 600 are described. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0118] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that these program codes realize the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented when executed by the processor or controller. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine, and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0119] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0120] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or apparatuses, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0121] In addition, although operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequence, or that all of the operations shown be performed to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although the above discussion contains several specific implementation details, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0122] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising: generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a portion of a bandwidth of the terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; Sending the request to a network device; as well as receiving a target configuration for the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request; The generating of the allocation request comprises: Acquire positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; determining a desired configuration based on the positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion; and The allocation request is generated based on the desired configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the allocation request further comprises: Acquire positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The allocation request is generated based on the positioning assistance information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the target configuration comprises receiving at least one of: the bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, The frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion, the switching window comprising a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity, The time reference point of the switching window, and The period of the switching window.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The positioning reference signal is received from the network device based on the target configuration.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sending a termination indication to the network device for stopping allocating the bandwidth portion; as well as A disabling indication for disabling the target configuration is received from the network device, the disabling indication being generated by the network device based on the termination indication.

6. A method for communication, comprising: Receiving, at a network device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device, the allocation request being used to receive a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; determining a target configuration for the bandwidth portion; as well as Sending the target configuration to the terminal device; Wherein determining the target configuration comprises: obtaining a desired configuration from the allocation request, the desired configuration being determined by the terminal device based on positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The target configuration is determined based on the desired configuration.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the target configuration further comprises: Acquire positioning assistance information from the terminal device, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The target configuration is determined based on the positioning assistance information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the target configuration comprises: Acquire positioning assistance information from a positioning server, where the positioning assistance information indicates a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The target configuration is determined based on the positioning assistance information.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the target configuration comprises: Acquire a reference configuration from a positioning server, where the reference configuration is determined by the positioning server based on positioning assistance information, where the positioning assistance information indicates a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The target configuration is determined based on the reference configuration.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein sending the target configuration comprises sending at least one of: the bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, The frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion, the switching window comprising a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity, The time reference point of the switching window, and The period of the switching window.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The positioning reference signal is sent to the terminal device based on the target configuration.

12. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: receiving a termination indication from the terminal device for stopping the allocation of the bandwidth portion; Based on the termination indication, generating a disabling indication for disabling the target configuration; as well as Sending the disabling indication to the terminal device.

13. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a portion of a bandwidth of the terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; Sending the request to a network device; as well as receiving a target configuration for the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request; wherein the device is caused to generate the request by: Acquire positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; determining a desired configuration based on the positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion; as well as The allocation request is generated based on the desired configuration.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to generate the allocation request by: Acquire positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and The allocation request is generated based on the positioning assistance information.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is caused to receive the target configuration by receiving at least one of: the bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, The frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion, the switching window comprising a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity, The time reference point of the switching window, and The period of the switching window.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: The positioning reference signal is received from the network device based on the target configuration.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: sending a termination indication to the network device to stop allocating the bandwidth portion; and A disabling indication for disabling the target configuration is received from the network device, the disabling indication being generated by the network device based on the termination indication.

18. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Receiving, at a network device, an allocation request for a bandwidth portion of a terminal device, the allocation request being used to receive a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; determining a target configuration for the bandwidth portion; as well as Sending the target configuration to the terminal device; wherein the device is caused to determine the target configuration by: obtaining a desired configuration from the allocation request, the desired configuration being determined by the terminal device based on positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as The target configuration is determined based on the desired configuration.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is further caused to determine the target configuration by: Acquire positioning assistance information from the terminal device, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and The target configuration is determined based on the positioning assistance information.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is caused to determine the target configuration by: Acquire positioning assistance information from a positioning server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and The target configuration is determined based on the positioning assistance information.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is caused to determine the target configuration by: Acquire a reference configuration from a positioning server, the reference configuration being determined by the positioning server based on positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal for a cell associated with the terminal device; and The target configuration is determined based on the reference configuration.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is caused to send the target configuration by sending at least one of: the bandwidth length of the bandwidth portion, The frequency reference point of the bandwidth portion, a duration of a switching window for switching to the bandwidth portion, the switching window comprising a delay for switching to the bandwidth portion and at least one switching opportunity, The time reference point of the switching window, and The period of the switching window.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: The positioning reference signal is sent to the terminal device based on the target configuration.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the apparatus is further caused to: receiving a termination indication from the terminal device for stopping the allocation of the bandwidth portion; Based on the termination indication, generating a disabling indication for disabling the target configuration; and Sending the disabling indication to the terminal device.

25. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for generating, at a terminal device, an allocation request for a portion of a bandwidth of said terminal device for receiving a positioning reference signal; A component for sending the request to a network device; as well as means for receiving a target configuration for the bandwidth portion from the network device, the target configuration being determined by the network device in response to receiving the allocation request; The component for generating the allocation request comprises: A component for obtaining positioning assistance information from a location server, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with a terminal device; means for determining a desired configuration based on the positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion; and Means for generating an allocation request based on a desired configuration.

26. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving, at a network device, an allocation request for a portion of a bandwidth of a terminal device, the allocation request being for receiving a positioning reference signal from the terminal device; means for determining a target configuration for said bandwidth portion; as well as A component for sending a target configuration to the terminal device; The components for determining the target configuration include: means for obtaining a desired configuration from the allocation request, the desired configuration being determined by the terminal device based on positioning assistance information and a delay in switching to the bandwidth portion, the positioning assistance information indicating a configuration of a positioning reference signal of a cell associated with the terminal device; as well as A component for determining a target configuration based on a desired configuration.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 1-5.

28. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 6-12.

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