Apparatus and method for network control of aperiodic and srs positioning

Abstract

The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods of network control of aperiodic and SP SRS positioning. An apparatus includes: interface circuitry; and processor circuitry coupled with the interface circuitry, wherein the processor circuitry is to: decode a message received from a network element of a 5GC via the interface circuitry using a NRPPa protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or an SP SRS activation / deactivation indication; and enable or disable SRS transmission by a UE in response to the message. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Description

[0001] Priority Statement

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 028,434, filed May 21, 2020. The entire contents of that application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically to apparatus and methods for network control that use the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) and the F1-AP protocol to locate aperiodic and semi-persistent (SP) sounding reference signals (SRS). Background Technology

[0004] NRPPa is a protocol used between NR radio access network (RAN) nodes (e.g., next-generation NodeB (gNB)) and location management functions (LMF). Without NRPPa, most positioning methods would not function. Supporting and improving 5G NR positioning within NRPPa is crucial. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the message, enable or disable SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE).

[0006] One aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: encode a message for transmission to an access node (AN) via the interface circuit using a New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) activation indication; and, in response to the message, decode a response received from the AN via the interface circuit using the NRPPa protocol to obtain the result of an SRS measurement for a user equipment (UE).

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: a first interface circuit; a second interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to both the first interface circuit and the second interface circuit; wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a first message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the first interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the first message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the first message, encode a second message for transmission to a next-generation NodeB (gNB) distributed unit (DU) via the second interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the second message includes the aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or the SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a message received from a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-centralized unit (CU) via the interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the message, enable or disable SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE). Attached Figure Description

[0009] In the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure will be illustrated by way of example rather than limitation, wherein like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

[0010] Figure 1 An example architecture of a system according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An example architecture of a system including 5GC according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown of a method for locating non-periodic and SPSSRS network control using the NRPPa protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown of a method for locating non-periodic and SPSSRS network control using the NRPPa protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 5Examples of SRS activation controlled by LMF according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0015] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown of a method for locating non-periodic and SPSSRS network control using the F1-AP protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 A flowchart is shown of a method for locating non-periodic and SPSSRS network control using the F1-AP protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 8 Examples of infrastructure devices according to various embodiments are shown.

[0018] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating a component capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium and performing any one or more methods discussed herein, according to some example embodiments.

[0019] Figure 10 Networks according to various embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0020] Figure 11 Wireless networks according to various embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated schematically.

[0021] Figure 12 Example components of a device according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terminology commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the essence of this disclosure to others skilled in the art. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that many alternative embodiments can be practiced using portions of the described aspects. Specific figures, materials, and configurations are set forth for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that alternative embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features may be omitted or simplified to avoid obscuring the illustrative embodiments.

[0023] Furthermore, the various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations in a manner most conducive to understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations must depend on the order. In particular, these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented.

[0024] The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” and “in some embodiments” are used repeatedly throughout this document. These phrases do not typically refer to the same embodiment; however, they may refer to the same embodiment. Unless the context otherwise specifies, the terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonyms. The phrases “A or B” and “A / B” mean “(A), (B), or (A and B).”

[0025] Figure 1 An example architecture of a system 100 according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. The following description is provided for an example system 100 operating in combination with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system standard provided by the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) and the 5G or New Radio (NR) system standard. However, the example embodiments are not limited in this respect, and the described embodiments can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX), etc.).

[0026] like Figure 1As shown, system 100 may include UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively referred to as "(one or more) UE 101"). As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may refer to a device with radio communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The term "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may refer to a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface. In this example, UE 101 is shown as a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronics, cellular phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptops, in-vehicle infotainment systems (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters (ICs), head-up displays (HUDs), on-board diagnostics (OBD) devices, dashboard mobile devices (DMEs), mobile data terminals (MDTs), electronic engine management systems (EEMS), electronic / engine control units (ECUs), electronic / engine control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or “smart” devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and / or the like.

[0027] In some embodiments, any of UEs 101 may include an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a PLMN, Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping messages active, state updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0028] UE 101 can be configured to connect to (e.g., communicatively coupled to) RAN 110. In embodiments, RAN 110 can be a next-generation (NG) RAN or a 5G RAN, an evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), or a legacy RAN, such as UTRAN (UMTS terrestrial radio access network) or GERAN (GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications or Groupe Spécial Mobile) EDGE (GSM evolution) radio access network). As used herein, the term "NGRAN," etc., can refer to RAN 110 operating in NR or 5G system 100, and the term "E-UTRAN," etc., can refer to RAN 110 operating in LTE or 4G system 100. UE 101 utilizes connections (or channels) 103 and 104, respectively, each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below). As used herein, the term "channel" can refer to any tangible or intangible transmission medium used to transmit data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent with "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmission channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," and / or any other similar term that indicates a path or medium through which data is transmitted. Additionally, the term "link" may refer to a connection between two devices for the purpose of sending and receiving information via radio access technology (RAT).

[0029] In this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces for communication coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocol, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, Cellular PTT (POC) protocol, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, 5G protocol, New Radio (NR) protocol, and / or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In this embodiment, UE 101 can directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 105. ProSe interface 105 can alternatively be referred to as sidelink (SL) interface 105 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

[0030] UE 101b is shown configured to access access point (AP) 106 (also referred to as "WLAN node 106", "WLAN 106", "WLAN terminal 106", or "WT106", etc.) via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 106 will include a Wi-Fi router. In this example, AP 106 is shown connected to the Internet but not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 101b, RAN 110, and AP 106 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) operation and / or WLAN LTE / WLAN radio-grade integration (LWIP) operation with IPsec tunneling. LWA operation may involve UE 101b in RRC_CONNECTED being configured by RAN node 111 to utilize LTE and WLAN radio resources. LWIP operation may involve UE 101b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) via an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) sent through connection 107. The IPsec tunnel may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0031] RAN 110 may include one or more RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively referred to as "(one or more) RAN nodes 111") that enable connections to 103 and 104. As used herein, the terms "access node (AN)," "access point," "RAN node," etc., may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between the network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), next-generation node B (gNB), RAN nodes, evolved Node B (eNB), Node B, roadside unit (RSU), transmit receiver point (TRxP or TRP), etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., ground access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., cell). As used herein, the terms "NGRAN node," etc., may refer to RAN node 111 (e.g., gNB) operating in NR or 5G system 100, and the terms "E-UTRAN node," etc., may refer to RAN node 111 (e.g., eNB) operating in LTE or 4G system 100. According to various embodiments, RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more dedicated physical devices such as a macro cell base station and / or a low-power (LP) base station for providing smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macro cell.

[0032] In some embodiments, all or part of RAN node 111 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) and / or Virtual Baseband Unit Pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, CRAN or vBBUP can implement RAN function partitioning, such as: PDCP partitioning, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP, while other Layer 2 (L2) protocol entities are operated by individual RAN node 111; MAC / PHY partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN node 111; or "lower PHY" partitioning, where the upper part of the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and PHY layers is operated by CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower part of the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN node 111. This virtualization framework allows the processor cores of RAN node 111 to be freed up for executing other virtualized applications. In some implementations, individual RAN node 111 may represent a virtualized application running via an individual F1 interface (…). Figure 1 (Not shown) Individual gNB-DUs connected to the gNB-CU. In these implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or radio front-end modules (RFEMs), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more RAN nodes 111 may be next-generation eNBs (ng-eNBs), which are RAN nodes that provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination to UE 101, and are connected to 5GC via the ng interface.

[0033] In a V2X scenario, one or more RAN nodes 111 can be or act as RSUs. The terms "roadside unit" or "RSU" can refer to any transport infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively static) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by a gNB can be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU," and so on. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside, providing connectivity support for a passing vehicle UE 101 (vUE 101). An RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide very low-latency communication required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance and traffic warnings. Alternatively or additionally, the RSU can operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low-latency communication as well as other cellular communication services. Alternatively or additionally, the RSU can operate as a WiFi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communication. One or more computing devices and some or all of the RF circuitry of the RSU can be encapsulated in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide wired (e.g., Ethernet) connectivity to traffic signal controllers and / or backhaul networks.

[0034] Any RAN node 111 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for UE 101. In some embodiments, any RAN node 111 can fulfill various logical functions of RAN 110, including but not limited to radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0035] In an embodiment, UE 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any RAN node 111 via a multi-carrier communication channel using various communication technologies, such as, but not limited to, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited to this aspect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0036] In some embodiments, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any RAN node 111 to UE 101, while uplink transmissions can use a similar technique. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink for each time slot. This time-frequency plane representation is common practice in OFDM systems, making radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises multiple resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Several different physical downlink channels exist that are transmitted using such resource blocks.

[0037] According to various embodiments, UE 101 and RAN node 111 transmit (e.g., send and receive) data through licensed media (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and unlicensed shared media (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). Licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band.

[0038] To operate in unlicensed spectrum, UE 101 and RAN node 111 can use Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced LAA (eLAA), and / or other eLAA (feLAA) mechanisms. In these implementations, UE 101 and RAN node 111 can perform one or more known media sensing and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. Media / carrier sensing operations can be performed according to a Listen-After-Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0039] LBT is a mechanism in which a device (e.g., UE 101, RAN nodes 111, 112, etc.) senses the medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits data when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a specific channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include a Free Channel Assessment (CCA), which utilizes at least Energy Detection (ED) to determine the presence of other signals on the channel to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. This LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with incumbent systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing radio frequency (RF) energy in the intended transmission band for a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy with a predetermined or configured threshold.

[0040] Typically, current systems in the 5GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA). Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 101 or AP 106) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform CCA before transmitting. Additionally, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions when more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits simultaneously. The backoff mechanism can be a counter randomly drawn within the contention window size (CWS), which increases exponentially upon collision and is reset to a minimum upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to CSMA / CA for WLANs. In some implementations, the LBT process for DL ​​or UL transmission bursts that respectively include PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions can have an LAA contention window of variable length between X and Y extended CCA (ECCA) slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the CWS for LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmission can be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and the maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0041] The LAA mechanism is based on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of LTE-Advanced systems. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs can be aggregated, thus the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100 MHz. In Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, the number of aggregated carriers can differ for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or less than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, an individual CC can have a different bandwidth than the other CCs. In Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0042] CA also includes separate serving cells to provide separate CCs. The coverage of serving cells may differ, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell, or primary cell (PCell), can provide the primary CC (PCC) for both UL and DL, and can handle Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Non-Access Stratum (NAS) related activities. Other serving cells are called secondary cells (SCells), and each SCell can provide a separate secondary CC (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as needed, and changing the PCC may require UE 101 to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive a UL grant on the configured LAASCell, which indicates the start position of different Physical Uplink Shared Channels (PUSCHs) within the same subframe.

[0043] The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 101. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries information such as the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform UE 101 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 101b within the cell) can be performed at any RAN node 111 based on channel quality information fed back from any UE 101. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used (e.g., allocated to) each UE 101.

[0044] PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to convey control information. Before mapping to resource elements, PDCCH complex-valued symbols are first organized into quadruplets, which are then permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE can correspond to nine groups of four physical resource elements called Resource Element Groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. The number of CCEs used to transmit PDCCH depends on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions. In LTE, four or more different PDCCH formats (e.g., aggregation levels, L = 1, 2, 4, or 8) with different numbers of CCEs can be defined.

[0045] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the concepts described above. For example, some embodiments may use an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more Enhanced Control Channel Elements (ECCEs). Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine groups of four physical resource elements, referred to as Enhanced Resource Element Groups (EREGs). In some cases, there may be an additional number of EREGs for the ECCE.

[0046] RAN nodes 111 can be configured to communicate with each other via interface 112. In embodiments where system 100 is an LTE system, interface 112 can be an X2 interface 112. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 connected to EPC 120 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) and / or two eNBs connected to EPC 120. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). X2-U can provide flow control mechanisms for user data packets transmitted via the X2 interface and can be used to transmit information about user data transfers between eNBs. For example, X2-U can provide specific sequence number information for user data transmitted from the primary eNB (MeNB) to the secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful sequential transmission of PDCP PDUs from the SeNB to UE 101 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs not transmitted to UE 101; information about the current minimum required buffer size at the SeNB for sending user data to the UE; and so on. X2-C can provide LTE intra-eNB access mobility functions, including context transmission from the source eNB to the destination eNB, user plane transmission control, load management functions, and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0047] In embodiments where system 100 is a 5G or NR system, interface 112 may be an Xn interface 112. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to 5GC 120, between a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) connected to 5GC 120 and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to 5GC 120. In some implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. Xn-U can provide unguaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and supports / provides data forwarding and flow control functions. Xn-C can provide: management and error handling functions; functions for managing the Xn-C interface; and mobility support for UE 101 in connected modes (e.g., CM-CONNECTED), including functions for managing UE mobility in connected modes between one or more RAN nodes 111. Mobility support may include context delivery from the old (source) serving RAN node 111 to the new (destination) serving RAN node 111; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 111 and the new (destination) serving RAN node 111. The Xn-U protocol stack may include a transport network layer built on the Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer built on top of one or more UDP and / or IP layers for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP may reside above the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same as or similar to one or more user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0048] RAN 110 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network—in this embodiment, the core network (CN) 120. CN 120 may include a plurality of network elements 122 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 101) connected to CN 120 via RAN 110. The term “network element” can describe a physical or virtualized device used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term “network element” can be considered synonymous with and / or referred to as: networked computer, network hardware, network device, router, switch, hub, bridge, radio network controller, radio access network device, gateway, server, virtualized network function (VNF), network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), and / or the like. Components of CN 120 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical nodes, including components that read and execute instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In some embodiments, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) can be used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions (described in further detail below) via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media. A logical instantiation of the CN120 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instantiation of a portion of the CN120 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures and infrastructures can be used to virtualize one or more network functions, or to execute them by dedicated hardware onto physical resources including a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches. In other words, an NFV system can be used to execute a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0049] Typically, application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). Application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UE 101 via EPC 120.

[0050] In this embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via NG interface 113. In this embodiment, NG interface 113 may be divided into two parts: NG User Plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries service data between RAN node 111 and User Plane Function (UPF); and S1 Control Plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 111 and AMF.

[0051] In one embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC). When CN 120 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 120", etc.), RAN 110 may connect to CN 120 via S1 interface 113. In one embodiment, S1 interface 13 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 114, which carries service data between RAN node 111 and the serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1 mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is the signaling interface between RAN node 111 and the MME.

[0052] Figure 2 An example architecture of a system 200 including a 5GC 220 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0053] System 200 is shown to include: UE 201, which may be the same as or similar to UE 101 previously discussed; (R)AN 210, which may be the same as or similar to RAN 110 previously discussed, and may include RAN node 111 previously discussed; and data network (DN) 203, which may be, for example, operator service, Internet access or third-party service; and 5G core network (5GC or CN) 220.

[0054] 5GC 220 may include Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 222; Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 221; Session Management Function (SMF) 224; Network Exposure Function (NEF) 223; Policy Control Function (PCF) 226; Network Function (NF) Repository Function (NRF) 225; Unified Data Management (UDM) 227; Application Function (AF) 228; User Plane Function (UPF) 202; and Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 229.

[0055] UPF 202 can act as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external PDU session interconnection point to DN 203, and a branch point supporting multihomed PDU sessions. UPF 202 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, enforcement of policy rules for the user plane portion, lawful packet interception (UP sets), traffic usage reporting, QoS processing on the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic authentication (e.g., SDF-to-QoS traffic mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 202 may include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network. DN 203 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 203 may include or be similar to the previously discussed application server 130. UPF 202 can interact with SMF 224 via the N4 reference point between SMF 224 and UPF 202.

[0056] AUSF 222 can store data for UE 201 authentication and handle authentication-related functions. AUSF 222 can facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. AUSF 222 can communicate with AMF 221 via the N12 reference point between AMF 221 and AUSF 222; and can communicate with UDM 227 via the N13 reference point between UDM 227 and AUSF 222. Additionally, AUSF 222 can expose interfaces based on Nausf services.

[0057] AMF 221 can be responsible for registration management (e.g., for registering UE 201, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, as well as access authentication and authorization. AMF 221 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 221 and SMF 224. AMF 221 can provide transmission of Session Management (SM) messages between UE 201 and SMF 224 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 221 can also be used between UE 201 and the SMS Function (SMSF) (…). Figure 2AMF 221 provides transmission of Short Message Service (SMS) messages between (not shown). AMF 221 can act as a Security Anchor (SEA) function, which may include interaction with AUSF 222 and UE 201, receiving an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 201 authentication process. In the case of USIM-based authentication, AMF 221 can obtain security materials from AUSF 222. AMF 221 may also include a Security Context Management (SCM) function, which receives a key from the SEA for deriving a key specific to the access network. Furthermore, AMF 221 can be the termination point of the RAN CP interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between (R)AN 211 and AMF 221; AMF 221 can be the termination point of NAS (N1) signaling and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0058] AMF 221 can also support NAS signaling with UE 201 via the N3 Interoperability Function (IWF) interface. The N3IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3IWF can be the termination point of the N2 interface between (R)AN 210 and AMF 221 for the control plane, and can be the termination point of the N3 reference point between (R)AN 210 and UPF 202 for the user plane. Thus, AMF 221 can process N2 signaling from SMF 224 and AMF 221 for PDU sessions and QoS, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to the N3 packet marking, taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such marking received via N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between UE 201 and AMF 221 via the N1 reference point between UE 201 and AMF 221, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 201 and UPF 202. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with UE 201. AMF 221 can expose an interface based on Namf services and can be the N14 reference point between two AMF 221s, as well as the interface between AMF 221 and the 5G Device Identifier Register (5G-EIR). Figure 2 The endpoint of the N17 reference point (not shown).

[0059] UE 201 may need to register with AMF 221 to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register or deregister UE 201 with the network (e.g., AMF 221) and establish a UE context within the network (e.g., AMF 221). UE 201 can operate in either RM registration or RM deregistration states. In RM deregistration state, UE 201 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 221 does not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 201; therefore, AMF 221 cannot reach UE 201. In RM registration state, UE 201 registers with the network, and the UE context in AMF 221 can maintain valid location or routing information for UE 201, allowing UE 201 to be reached by AMF 221. In the RM registration state, UE 201 can perform a mobility registration update process, a periodic registration update process triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that UE 201 is still active), and a registration update process to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0060] AMF 221 may store one or more RM contexts for UE 201, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context may be a data structure, database object, etc., indicating or storing registration status and periodic update timers for each access type. AMF 221 may also store a 5GC MM context, which may be the same as or similar to the previously discussed (E)MM context. In various embodiments, AMF 221 may store CE Mode B restriction parameters of UE 201 in the associated MM or RM context. When needed, AMF 221 may also derive this value from UE usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context).

[0061] Connection Management (CM) can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 201 and AMF 221 via the N1 interface. This signaling connection enables NAS signaling exchange between UE 201 and CN 120, and includes AN signaling connections between the UE and the Access Network (AN) (e.g., RRC connections or UE-N3IWF connections for non-3GPP networks) and N2 connections between the AN (e.g., RAN 210) and AMF 221 for UE 201. UE 201 can operate in one of two CM states: CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode. When UE 201 operates in CM-IDLE state / mode, UE 201 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 221 via the N1 interface, and (R)AN210 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) may exist for UE 201. When UE 201 operates in CM-CONNECTED state / mode, UE 201 may have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 221 via the N1 interface, and may have (R)AN 210 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) for UE 201. Establishing an N2 connection between (R)AN 210 and AMF 221 allows UE 201 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED mode, and when the N2 signaling between (R)AN 210 and AMF 221 is released, UE 201 can transition from CM-CONNECTED mode to CM-IDLE mode.

[0062] SMF 224 can be responsible for: Session Management (SM) (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selecting and controlling UP functions; configuring traffic routing at the UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface to policy control functions; controlling policy enforcement and a portion of QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and the interface with the LI system); terminating NAS messages for the SM portion; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information, sent to the AN via N2 through the AMF; and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM can refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" can refer to the PDU connection service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 201 and the data network (DN) 203 identified by the data network name (DNN). A PDU session can be established upon request from UE 201, modified upon request from both UE 201 and 5GC 220, and released upon request from both UE 201 and 5GC 220 using NAS SM signaling exchanged at the N1 reference point between UE 201 and SMF 224. Based on a request from the application server, 5GC 220 can trigger a specific application in UE 201. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 201 can pass the trigger message (or relevant portions / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 201. One or more identified applications in UE 201 can establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 224 can check whether a UE 201 request matches the user subscription information associated with UE 201. In this regard, SMF 224 can retrieve and / or request updates from UDM 227 regarding SMF 224-level subscription data.

[0063] The SMF 224 can include the following roaming functions: handling local implementation to apply QoS SLAs (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (in the interface between the VPLMN and LI systems for SM events); and support for interaction with external DNs to transmit PDU session authorization / authentication signaling over the external DN. An N16 reference point between two SMF 224s can be included in system 200, which can be between another SMF 224 in the access network and an SMF 224 in the home network in a roaming scenario. Additionally, the SMF 224 can expose an interface based on NSMF services.

[0064] NEF 223 can provide means for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 228), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such embodiments, NEF 223 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict AFs. NEF 223 can also translate information exchanged with AF 228 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 223 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 223 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposure capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data in NEF 223 or stored in a data storage device NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re-exposed by NEF 223 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes, such as analysis. Additionally, NEF 223 can expose interfaces based on Nnef services.

[0065] NRF 225 can support service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to those instances. NRF 225 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, terms such as "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which can happen, for example, during the execution of program code. Additionally, NRF 225 can demonstrate interfaces based on NRF services.

[0066] PCF 226 can provide policy rules to control one or more plane functions to implement them, and can also support a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. PCF 226 can also implement a front-end (FE) to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of UDM 227. PCF 226 can communicate with AMF 221 via the N15 reference point between PCF 226 and AMF 221, which can include PCF 226 in the access network and AMF 221 in roaming scenarios. PCF 226 can communicate with AF 228 via the N5 reference point between PCF 226 and AF 228; and with SMF 224 via the N7 reference point between PCF 226 and SMF 224. System 200 and / or CN 120 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 226 (in the home network) and PCF 226 in the access network. Additionally, PCF 226 can expose an interface based on NPCF services.

[0067] UDM 227 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions, and can store UE 201's subscription data. For example, subscription data can be exchanged between UDM 227 and AMF 221 via the N8 reference point between UDM 227 and AMF 221. Figure 2 Transmission is performed (not shown). The UDM 227 may include two parts: the application FE and the user data repository (UDR). Figure 2 (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR can store subscription and policy data for UDM 227 and PCF 226, and / or structured and application data for exposure (including Packet Flow Description (PFD) for application detection and application request information for multiple UEs 201) for NEF 223. The UDR 221 can expose a Nudr-based service interface to allow UDM 227, PCF 226, and NEF 223 to access a specific set of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of related data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM FE, which is responsible for credential processing, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing; user identification processing; access authorization; registration / mobility management; and subscription management. The UDR can interact with SMF 224 via the N10 reference point between UDM 227 and SMF 224. The UDM 227 also supports SMS management, with SMS-FE implementing similar application logic as described above. Additionally, the UDM 227 can display interfaces based on Nudm services.

[0068] AF 228 can influence traffic routing, access Network Capability Exposure (NCE), and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism allowing 5GC 220 and AF 228 to provide information to each other via NEF 223, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted close to the UE 201 access connection point to achieve efficient service delivery by reducing end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, 5GC can select a UPF 202 close to UE 201 and perform service routing from UPF 202 to DN 203 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 228. In this way, AF 228 can influence UPF (re)selection and service routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 228 is considered a trusted entity, network operators can allow AF 228 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Additionally, AF 228 can expose interfaces based on Naf services.

[0069] NSSF 229 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 201. NSSF 229 can also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed single NSSAI (S-NSSAI), if needed. NSSF 229 can also determine the set of AMFs or a list of candidate AMFs 221 for serving UE 201 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 225. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 201 can be triggered by AMF 221 (which registers UE 201 by interacting with NSSF 229), which can result in a change to AMF 221. NSSF 229 can interact with AMF 221 via the N22 reference point between AMF 221 and NSSF 229; and via the N31 reference point ( Figure 2 (Not shown) Communicates with another NSSF 229 in the access network. Additionally, the NSSF 229 can display an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0070] As previously mentioned, 5GC 220 may include an SMSF, which can be responsible for SMS subscription checks and authentication, as well as relaying SM messages from other entities to UE 201 and from UE 201 to other entities, such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. SMS can also interact with AMF 221 and UDM 227 for notification procedures when UE 201 is available for SMS delivery (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 227 when UE 201 is available for SMS).

[0071] 5GC 220 may also include Figure 2 Other components not shown include the data storage system / architecture, the 5G Device Identity Register (5G-EIR), the Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), and so on. The data storage system may include Structured Data Storage Network Function (SDSF), Unstructured Data Storage Network Function (UDSF), and so on. Any NF can be connected via an N18 reference point between any NF and the UDSF. Figure 2 Unstructured data (e.g., UE context) is stored in or retrieved from the UDSF (not shown). Individual NFs can share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or each NF can have its own UDSF located at or near the respective NF. Additionally, the UDSF can expose an interface based on Nudsf services (…). Figure 2 (Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the status of a Permanent Device Identifier (PEI) to determine whether a specific device / entity is blacklisted from the network; SEPP can be a non-transparent agent that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0072] Additionally, there may be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services within an NF; however, for clarity, Figure 2 These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, the 5GC 220 may include an Nx interface, which is the inter-CN interface between the MME and AMF 221 to enable interoperability between the EPC and the 5GC 220. Other example interfaces / reference points may include the interface demonstrated by 5G-EIR based on N5g-eir services, the N27 reference point between the NRF in the access network and the NRF in the home network; and the N31 reference point between the NSSF in the access network and the NSSF in the home network.

[0073] The 5GC 220 may include location management functionality (LMF). Figure 2(Not shown in the diagram), the location management function can communicate with (R)AN 210 and / or UE 201 via AMF 221. The LMF can manage support for different location services for the target UE (e.g., UE 101 and UE 201), including UE positioning and delivery of auxiliary data to the UE. The LMF can interact with the serving gNB (e.g., (R)AN 210) for the target UE to obtain location measurements and / or positioning-related information for the UE, including uplink measurements performed by the gNB and downlink measurements performed by the UE (the downlink measurements are provided to the gNB). The LMF can interact with the target UE to deliver auxiliary data when a specific location service is requested, or to obtain a location estimate when a location estimate is requested.

[0074] 3GPP is specifying various 5G positioning methods in Rel-16, including uplink time difference of arrival (TDOA) and multiple round-trip time (RTT) (belonging to the uplink positioning method category), which are based on sounding reference signals (SRS).

[0075] Three types of SRS are supported: periodic, aperiodic, and semi-persistent (SP). By definition, the latter two are sent only when needed and are controlled by the LMF. For the UE, aperiodic SRS is triggered by the gNB, and SP SRS is activated / deactivated by the gNB.

[0076] NRPPa is a protocol used between gNB and LMF to transmit configuration information (e.g., for downlink (DL) positioning methods) and positioning measurement and configuration results (e.g., for uplink (UL) positioning methods).

[0077] In the split gNB architecture, the gNB is divided into gNB-Centralized Unit (gNB-CU) and gNB-Distributed Unit (gNB-DU). F1-AP is the protocol used between gNB-CU and gNB-DU to transmit indications on the F1 interface.

[0078] This disclosure describes how the LMF controls the gNB to trigger / activate aperiodic / SP SRS, and how the gNB acts based on instructions from the LMF. Other aspects are also described.

[0079] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown of a method 300 for locating aperiodic and SPSSRS network control using the NRPPa protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 300 may be performed by an AN (e.g., gNB). Method 300 may include steps 310 and 320.

[0080] At 310, the message received from a 5GC network element using the NRPPa protocol can be decoded. This message may include an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0081] At 320, the UE's SRS transmission can be enabled or disabled in response to the message.

[0082] Method 300 may include more or fewer steps. This disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0083] In some embodiments, the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0084] In some embodiments, the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, and the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission. In this case, the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE is activated; based on the aperiodic SRS transmission, an SRS measurement is performed for the UE; and the result of the SRS measurement is encoded for transmission to the network elements of the 5GC.

[0085] In some embodiments, the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, and the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission. In this case, the UESP SRS transmission is activated; based on the SP SRS transmission, an SRS measurement is performed for the UE; and the result of the SRS measurement is encoded for transmission to the network elements of the 5GC.

[0086] In some embodiments, the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, and the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission. In this case, the SP SRS transmission of the UE is deactivated.

[0087] In some embodiments, the network element includes an LMF.

[0088] Figure 3 This describes the method from the perspective of AN. Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 for locating aperiodic and SP SRS network control using the NRPPa protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, is shown, described from the perspective of a 5GC network element (e.g., LMF). Method 400 can be performed by a 5GC network element (e.g., LMF). Method 400 may include steps 410 and 420.

[0089] At position 410, the message can be encoded for transmission to the AN using the NRPPa protocol. This message may include an SRS activation indication.

[0090] At 420, in response to this message, the response received from the AN using the NRPPa protocol can be decoded to obtain the results of the SRS measurement for the UE.

[0091] Method 400 may include more or fewer steps. This disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0092] In some embodiments, the message includes the aforementioned NRPPa measurement request message or NRPPa measurement update message.

[0093] In some embodiments, the response includes an NRPPa measurement response message.

[0094] In some embodiments, the SRS activation indication is used to trigger non-periodic SRS transmission of the UE or to activate SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0095] Through methods 300 and 400, the LMF can control the gNB to trigger the UE's aperiodic SRS transmission, or to activate / deactivate the UE's SP SRS transmission.

[0096] Table 1 shows an example of the structure of an NRPPa measurement request message. This message is sent by the LMF to request the gNB to configure location measurements.

[0097] Table 1 NRPPa Measurement Request

[0098]

[0099] The definition of Information Elements (IEs) can be found in 3GPP TS 38.455 V15.2.1 (2019-01) by referring to the description in "IE Types and References". For example, the IE "Message Type" is defined in section 9.2.3 of 3GPP TS 38.455 V15.2.1 (2019-01); the IE "NRPPa Transaction ID" is defined in section 9.2.4 of 3GPP TS 38.455 V15.2.1 (2019-01). The IEs "SRS Configuration" and "SRS Activation" will be described below in this disclosure. In this document, "M" in the "Presence" column stands for "Mandatory", "C" stands for "Conditional", and "O" stands for "Optional" (discussed below).

[0100] The conditions “ifReportCharacteristicsPeriodic” and “ifULRTOA” in Table 1 are explained below.

[0101] condition explain ifReportCharacteristicsPeriodic If the reporting property IE is set to the value "periodic", then the IE will exist. ifULRTOA If the Measured Quantity Item (IE) is set to the value "UL-RTOA", then the IE will exist.

[0102] The following explains the range boundaries “maxnoMeas” and “maxnoofMeasTRPs” in the “Range” column of Table 1.

[0103]

[0104] Table 2 shows an example of the structure of an NRPPa measurement update message. This message is sent by the LMF to update previously configured measurements.

[0105] Table 2 NRPPa Measurement Update

[0106]

[0107] Similarly, the definition of IE can be found in Table 2 of 3GPP TS 38.455V15.2.1 (2019-01) by referring to the description in "IE Types and References", which will not be described in detail here.

[0108] The IE "SRS Configuration" can contain the SRS configuration configured by the gNB for the UE. This IE can also include descriptions of "IE / Group Name," "Presence," "Scope," "IE Type and Reference," "Semantic Description," etc. For example, Table 3 shows a structural example of the SRS configuration.

[0109] Table 3 SRS Configuration

[0110] IE / Group Name exist scope IE types and references Semantic description

[0111] The IE "SRS Activation" can include an aperiodic SRS trigger indication or an SP SRS activation / deactivation indication. The IE can also include descriptions of "IE / Group Name," "Presence," "Scope," "IE Type and Reference," "Semantic Description," etc. For example, Table 4 shows a structural example of SRS activation.

[0112] Table 4 SRS Activation

[0113]

[0114] Figure 5 Examples of SRS activation controlled by LMF according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown.

[0115] like Figure 5 As shown, at step 1, the LMF can use the LTE Location Protocol (LPP) capability transfer procedure described in subclause 8.13.3.1 of 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.0.0 (2020-03) to request the target device (such as...) Figure 5The positioning capability of the UE (as shown) is determined as follows: In step 2, the LMF sends an NRPPa positioning information request message to the UE's serving gNB to request the UE's UL SRS configuration information, as described in subclause 8.13.3.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.0.0 (2020-03). In step 3, the serving gNB determines the resources available for UL SRS and configures the target device UE with the UL-SRS resource set in step 3a. In step 4, the serving gNB provides UL information to the LMF in an NRPPa positioning information response message. Thus, the LMF obtains the UL SRS configuration information for the UE.

[0116] Next, in step 5, the LMF sends an NRPPa measurement request message to the selected gNB (including, for example, ...). Figure 5 The serving gNB and neighboring gNBs (shown in the original text) provide UL SRS configuration as described in subclause 8.13.3.3 of 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.0.0 (2020-03). This message includes all the information required for the gNB / TRP to perform UL measurements, specifically SP SRS activation / deactivation or aperiodic SRS triggering. At step 6, the serving gNB activates / deactivates the UL SRS transmission. The target device UE initiates UL SRS transmission according to the time-domain behavior configured for the UL SRS resources. Thus, the LMF can control the gNB to activate / deactivate SP SRS or trigger aperiodic SRS, for example, via an NRPPa measurement request message.

[0117] At step 7, each gNB configured at step 5 measures the UL SRS transmission from the target device UE. At step 8, each gNB reports the UL SRS measurement to the LMF in an NRPPa measurement response message, as described in subclause 8.13.3.3 of 3GPP TS 38.305 V16.0.0 (2020-03).

[0118] Figure 5 An example of using the UL TDOA positioning method is shown. However, the network control methods for locating aperiodic and SP SRS using the NRPPa protocol in this paper can be applied to the Multi-RTT positioning method, and for the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0119] Figure 5Only the NRPPa measurement request message carrying SRS activation and deactivation information is shown. In some embodiments, such information may be carried by an NRPPa measurement update message to update previously configured measurements by the LMF. For example, the LMF may use an NRPPa measurement update message to deactivate SP SRS. Alternatively, the LMF may also use an NRPPa measurement update message to activate SP SRS or trigger aperiodic SRS.

[0120] In some embodiments, the LMF can use the NRPPa measurement abort message to abort the measurement.

[0121] Figure 6 and Figure 7 Flowcharts are shown for methods 600 and 700 for locating non-periodic and SP SRS network control using the F1-AP protocol, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 6 Method 600 and Figure 7 Method 700 is described from the perspectives of both gNB-CU and gNB-DU. Specifically, gNB-CU can receive the aforementioned instructions from LMF, while gNB-DU can actually perform SRS activation and deactivation.

[0122] like Figure 6 As shown, method 600 may include steps 610 and 620, which may be executed by gNB-CU.

[0123] At 610, the first message, received from a 5GC network element (e.g., LMF) using the NRPPa protocol, can be decoded. The first message may include an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or an SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0124] At 620, in response to the first message, a second message can be encoded for transmission to the gNB-DU using the F1-AP protocol. The second message may include an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or an SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0125] In some embodiments, the first message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0126] In some embodiments, the second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0127] Table 5 shows an example of the structure of the F1-AP positioning measurement request message. This message is sent by the gNB-CU to request the gNB-DU to configure positioning measurements.

[0128] Table 5 F1-AP Positioning Measurement Request

[0129]

[0130] The conditions “ifReportCharacteristicsPeriodic” and “ifULRTOA” in Table 5 are explained below.

[0131] condition explain ifReportCharacteristicsPeriodic If the reporting property IE is set to the value "periodic", then the IE will exist. ifULRTOA If the measurement type IE is set to the value "UL-RTOA", then the IE will exist.

[0132] The following explains the range boundary "maxnoMeas" in the "Range" column of Table 5.

[0133] Range Boundary explain maxnoMeas The maximum number of measured quantities that can be configured and reported in a single message. The value is 64.

[0134] Table 6 shows an example of the structure of an F1-AP positioning measurement update message. This message is sent by the gNB-CU to update previously configured measurements.

[0135] Table 6 F1-AP Positioning Measurement Updates

[0136]

[0137] Turning Figure 7 .like Figure 7 As shown, method 700 may include steps 710 and 720, which may be performed by gNB-DU.

[0138] At 710, the message received from the gNB-CU using the F1-AP protocol can be decoded. This message may include an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or an SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0139] At 720, the UE's SRS transmission can be enabled or disabled in response to the aforementioned message.

[0140] In some embodiments, the message includes the F1-AP positioning measurement request message or the F1-AP positioning measurement update message as described above.

[0141] Using the technical solution disclosed herein, the LMF can use NRPPa measurement request messages or NRPPa measurement update messages (especially IE "SRS Activation") to request location measurements and simultaneously instruct SP SRS activation / deactivation or aperiodic SRS triggering. Thus, the LMF can control the gNB to trigger aperiodic SRS and / or activate / deactivate SP SRS.

[0142] In addition, gNB-CU can receive the above instructions from LMF and transmit the instructions to gNB-DU via the F1-AP protocol so that gNB-DU can perform the above triggering and / or activation / deactivation.

[0143] Figure 8 Examples of infrastructure device 800 according to various embodiments are shown. Infrastructure device 800 (or “system 800”) may be implemented as a base station, radio headend, RAN node, etc., such as RAN nodes 111 and 112 previously shown and described. In other examples, system 800 may be implemented in or by a UE, one or more application servers 130 and / or any other element / device discussed herein. System 800 may include one or more of the following: application circuitry 805, baseband circuitry 810, one or more radio headend modules 815, memory 820, power management integrated circuitry (PMIC) 825, power tee circuitry 830, network controller 835, network interface connector 840, satellite positioning circuitry 845, and user interface 850. In some embodiments, device 800 may include additional elements such as memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interface elements. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., for a cloud RAN (C-RAN) implementation, the circuitry may be separately included in more than one device).

[0144] For the purposes of this document, the term "circuit" can refer to, be part of, or include hardware components configured to provide the described functions, such as: electronic circuitry, logic circuitry, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and / or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or system-on-chips (SoCs)), digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. Furthermore, the term "circuit" can also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or circuitry used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code for performing the functions of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware components and program code can be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0145] The terms “application circuit” and / or “baseband circuit” may be considered synonymous with “processor circuit” and may be referred to as “processor circuit”. For the purposes of this document, the term “processor circuit” may refer to, be part of, or include circuits capable of sequentially and automatically performing a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations; and recording, storing, and / or transmitting digital data. The term “processor circuit” may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0146] Application circuitry 805 may include one or more central processing unit (CPU) cores and one or more of the following: cache memory, low drop-out (LDO) regulator, interrupt controller, serial interface such as SPI, I2C, or a universal programmable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC), timer-counter including interval and watchdog timers, general purpose input / output (I / O), memory card controller such as Secure Digital (SD) / MultiMediaCard (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access port. As an example, application circuitry 805 may include one or more Intel... or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processor; etc. In some embodiments, system 800 may not utilize application circuitry 805, but may instead include, for example, a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received from EPC or 5GC.

[0147] Additionally or alternatively, application circuitry 805 may include, but is not limited to, circuitry such as: one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and so on. In this embodiment, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, including other interconnected resources, which may be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions, etc., of the various embodiments discussed herein. In this embodiment, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 may include storage cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), antifuse, etc.) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.), etc.

[0148] The baseband circuit 810 may be implemented, for example, as a soldered substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single-package integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Although not shown, the baseband circuit 810 may include one or more digital baseband systems that may be coupled to the CPU subsystem, audio subsystem, and interface subsystem via interconnect subsystems. The digital baseband subsystems may also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and mixed-signal baseband subsystem via additional interconnect subsystems. Each interconnect subsystem may include a bus system, point-to-point connection, network-on-chip (NOC) architecture, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include digital signal processing circuitry, buffer memory, program memory, voice processing accelerator circuitry, data converter circuitry such as analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converter circuitry, analog circuitry including one or more amplifiers and filters, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of this disclosure, the baseband circuit 810 may include protocol processing circuitry having one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuitry and / or radio frequency circuitry (e.g., radio front-end module 815).

[0149] User interface circuitry 850 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable interaction with a user of system 800, or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components of system 800. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes, LEDs), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio emitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, headphones, a display screen or display device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, universal serial bus (USB) ports, audio jacks, power supply interfaces, etc.

[0150] The radio front-end module (RFEM) 815 may include a millimeter-wave RFEM and one or more submillimeter-wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more submillimeter-wave RFICs may be physically separated from the millimeter-wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave radio functions may be implemented in the same physical radio front-end module 815. The RFEM 815 may contain both millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave antennas.

[0151] The memory circuitry 820 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); and nonvolatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly known as flash memory), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may contain information from… and A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 820 can be implemented as one or more of a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket-type memory module, and an insertable memory card.

[0152] The PMIC 825 may include a voltage regulator, surge protector, power alarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources such as batteries or capacitors. The power alarm detection circuitry can detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a power surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 830 can provide power drawn from the network cable to supply both power and data connectivity to infrastructure equipment 800 via a single cable.

[0153] Network controller circuitry 835 can provide connectivity to a network using standard network interface protocols such as Ethernet, GRE-tunneled Ethernet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) based Ethernet, or some other suitable protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from infrastructure device 800 via a physical connection through network interface connector 840, which can be electrical (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), optical, or wireless. Network controller circuitry 835 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, network controller circuitry 835 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0154] Positioning circuitry 845 may include circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted by one or more navigation satellite constellations of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., Navigation with Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), etc.). Positioning circuitry 845 may include various hardware components (e.g., hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc., to facilitate communication over-the-air (OTA) communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network (e.g., navigation satellite constellation nodes).

[0155] Nodes or satellites of one or more navigation satellite constellations (“GNSS nodes”) can provide positioning services by continuously transmitting or broadcasting GNSS signals along the line of sight. These GNSS signals can be used by GNSS receivers (e.g., positioning circuitry 845 and / or positioning circuitry implemented by UEs 101, 102, etc.) to determine their GNSS positions. GNSS signals may include pseudo-random codes known to the GNSS receiver (e.g., a sequence of ones and zeros) and a message including the time of transmission (ToT) of the code epoch (e.g., a defined point in the pseudo-random code sequence) and the GNSS node position at the ToT. The GNSS receiver can monitor / measure GNSS signals transmitted / broadcast by multiple GNSS nodes (e.g., four or more satellites) and solve various equations to determine the corresponding GNSS positions (e.g., spatial coordinates). The GNSS receiver also implements a clock that is typically not as stable and accurate as the atomic clocks of the GNSS nodes, and can use the measured GNSS signals to determine the GNSS receiver's deviation from real time (e.g., the deviation of the GNSS receiver clock from the GNSS node time). In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 845 may include a micro-technology for positioning, navigation, and timing (Micro-PNT) IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance.

[0156] A GNSS receiver can measure the time of arrival (ToA) of GNSS signals from multiple GNSS nodes according to its own clock. The GNSS receiver can determine the time of flight (ToF) value for each received GNSS signal based on the ToA and ToT, and then determine the three-dimensional (3D) position and clock offset based on the ToF. The 3D position can then be converted into latitude, longitude, and altitude. Positioning circuitry 845 can provide data to application circuitry 805, which may include one or more of position data or time data. Application circuitry 805 can use the time data to synchronize operations with other radio base stations (e.g., RAN nodes 111, 112, etc.).

[0157] Figure 8The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry. For the purposes of this document, the term "interface circuitry" can refer to, be part of, or include circuitry that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuitry" can refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, input / output (I / O) interface, peripheral component interface, network interface card, etc. Any suitable bus technology can be used in various implementations, including any number of technologies such as industry standard architecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus can be, for example, a proprietary bus used in a SoC-based system. Other bus systems can be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0158] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more methods discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, Figure 9 A schematic representation of hardware resource 900 is shown, which includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which can be communicatively coupled via bus 940. Hardware resource 900 may be part of a UE, AN, or LMF. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 902 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslices to utilize hardware resource 900.

[0159] Processor 910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 912 and processor 914.

[0160] The memory / storage device 920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage devices, etc.

[0161] Communication resource 930 may include interconnect or network interface components or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 via network 908. For example, communication resource 930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth components (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy), Wi-Fi components, and other communication components.

[0162] Instructions 950 may include software, programs, applications, applets, or other executable code for causing at least any processor 910 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Instructions 950 may reside wholly or partially within processor 910 (e.g., within the processor's buffer memory), memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instructions 950 may be transferred from any combination of peripheral device 904 or database 906 to hardware resource 900. Therefore, the memories of processor 910, memory / storage device 920, peripheral device 904, and database 906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0163] Figure 10 Illustrations of a network 1000 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. The network 1000 can operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications of LTE or 5G / NR systems. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this respect, and the described embodiments can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems, etc.

[0164] Network 1000 may include UE 1002, which may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with RAN 1004 via an over-the-air connection. UE 1002 may be, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablets, wearable computing devices, desktop computers, laptops, in-vehicle infotainment devices, in-vehicle entertainment devices, instrument clusters, head-up displays, in-vehicle diagnostic devices, dashboard mobile devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems, networked appliances, machine-type communication devices, M2M or D2D devices, Internet of Things devices, etc.

[0165] In some embodiments, network 1000 may include multiple UEs that are directly coupled to each other via sidelink interfaces. The UEs may be M2M / D2D devices that communicate using physical sidelink channels (e.g., but not limited to, physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), physical sidelink basic channel (PSFCH), etc.).

[0166] In some embodiments, UE 1002 can also communicate with AP 1006 via an over-the-air connection. AP 1006 manages WLAN connections and can be used to offload some / all network traffic from RAN 1004. The connection between UE 1002 and AP 1006 can be consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 1006 can be Wireless Fibre. Router. In some embodiments, UE 1002, RAN 1004, and AP 1006 may utilize cellular WLAN aggregation (e.g., LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) / Lightweight IP (LWIP)). Cellular WLAN aggregation may involve UE 1002, configured by RAN 1004, utilizing both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0167] RAN 1004 may include one or more access nodes, such as AN 1008. AN 1008 can terminate the air interface protocol of UE 1002 by providing access layer protocols including RRC, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and L1 protocol. In this way, AN 1008 enables data / voice connectivity between CN 1020 and UE 1002. In some embodiments, AN 1008 may be implemented in a discrete device or as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of, for example, a virtual network, which may be referred to as CRAN or a virtual baseband unit pool. AN 1008 may be referred to as a base station (BS), gNB, RAN node, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), Node B (NodeB), roadside unit (RSU), TRxP, TRP, etc. AN 1008 can be a macro cell base station or a low-power base station, used to provide micro cells, pico cells, or other similar cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macro cells.

[0168] In embodiments where RAN 1004 includes multiple ANs, they can be coupled to each other via an X2 interface (in the case of RAN 1004 being an LTE RAN) or an Xn interface (in the case of RAN 1004 being a 5G RAN). In some embodiments, the X2 / Xn interfaces, which can be separated into a control plane interface and a user plane interface, can allow ANs to transmit and handover, data / context transfer, mobility, payload management, interference coordination, and other related information.

[0169] The AN of RAN 1004 can manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide an air interface for network access to UE 1002. UE 1002 can simultaneously connect to multiple cells provided by the same or different ANs of RAN 1004. For example, UE 1002 and RAN 1004 can use carrier aggregation to allow UE 1002 to connect to multiple component carriers, each component carrier corresponding to a primary cell (Pcell) or a secondary cell (Scell). In a dual connectivity scenario, the first AN can be the primary node providing the primary cell group (MCG), and the second AN can be the secondary node providing the secondary cell group (SCG). The first / second AN can be any combination of eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.

[0170] RAN 1004 can provide an air interface on either licensed or unlicensed spectrum. For operation in unlicensed spectrum, nodes can use Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), Enhanced LAA (eLAA), and / or further enhanced LAA (feLAA) mechanisms based on carrier aggregation (CA) technology with PCell / Scell. Before accessing unlicensed spectrum, nodes can perform medium / carrier sensing operations based on, for example, a Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) protocol.

[0171] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, UE 1002 or AN 1008 can be or act as a roadside unit (RSU), which can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable AN or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE. An RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a "UE-type RSU"; an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU"; an RSU implemented in or by a next-generation NodeB (gNB) can be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU"; and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to radio frequency circuitry located on the roadside, providing connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs. The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can provide very low-latency communication required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the RSU can provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. RSU components can be enclosed in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) to traffic signal controllers or backhaul networks.

[0172] In some embodiments, RAN 1004 may be LTE RAN 1010, which includes an evolved Node B (eNB), such as eNB 1012. LTE RAN 1010 can provide an LTE air interface with the following characteristics: 15kHz SCS; CP-OFDM waveforms for DL ​​and SC-FDMA waveforms for UL; turbo codes for data and TBCC for control, etc. The LTE air interface may rely on CSI-RS for CSI acquisition and beam management; rely on PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation; and rely on CRS for cell search and initial acquisition, channel quality measurement, and channel estimation for coherent demodulation / detection at the UE. The LTE air interface can operate in the sub-6GHz band.

[0173] In some embodiments, RAN 1004 may be a next-generation (NG)-RAN 1014 with a gNB (e.g., gNB 1016) or a gn-eNB (e.g., ng-eNB 1018). gNB 1016 can connect to a 5G-enabled UE using a 5G NR interface. gNB 1016 can connect to the 5G core via an NG interface, which may include an N2 interface or an N3 interface. ng-eNB 1018 can also connect to the 5G core via an NG interface, but can connect to the UE via an LTE air interface. gNB 1016 and ng-eNB 1018 can connect to each other via an Xn interface.

[0174] In some embodiments, the NG interface can be divided into two parts: the NG user plane (NG-U) interface and the NG control plane (NG-C) interface. The former carries traffic data between the nodes of NG-RAN 1014 and UPF 1048, while the latter is the signaling interface (e.g., N2 interface) between NG-RAN 1014 and the nodes of Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1044.

[0175] NG-RAN 1014 can provide a 5G-NR air interface with the following characteristics: variable SCS; CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL; polarity, repetition, simplex, and Reed-Muller codes for control, and LDPC for data. The 5G-NR air interface can rely on CSI-RS, PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS similar to those of the LTE air interface. The 5G-NR air interface may not use CRS, but can use PBCH DMRS for PBCH demodulation; PTRS for PDSCH phase tracking; and a tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G-NR air interface can operate on the FR1 band, including the sub-6GHz band, or the FR2 band, including the 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz band. The 5G-NR air interface may include an SSB, which is an area of ​​the downlink resource grid including PSS / SSS / PBCH.

[0176] In some embodiments, the 5G-NR air interface can use BWPs for various purposes. For example, BWPs can be used for dynamic adaptation of SCS. For instance, UE 1002 can be configured with multiple BWPs, each configured with a different SCS. When a BWP is indicated to UE 1002 for a change, the transmitted SCS also changes. Another use case for BWPs relates to power saving. Specifically, multiple BWPs with different numbers of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) can be configured for UE 1002 to support data transmission under different traffic load scenarios. A BWP containing fewer PRBs can be used for data transmission with lower traffic loads, while allowing power saving at UE 1002 and, in some cases, at gNB 1016. A BWP containing more PRBs can be used for scenarios with higher traffic loads.

[0177] RAN 1004 is communicatively coupled to CN 1020, which includes network elements, to provide various functions supporting data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 1002). Components of CN 1020 may be implemented in a single physical node or in different physical nodes. In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the functionality provided by the network elements of CN 1020 onto physical computing / storage resources such as servers, switches, etc. A logical instance of CN 1020 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instantiation of a portion of CN 1020 may be referred to as a network subslice.

[0178] In some embodiments, CN 1020 may be LTE CN 1022, which may also be referred to as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC). LTE CN 1022 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 1024, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 1026, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 1028, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 1030, a Proxy Gateway (PGW) 1032, and a Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 1034, as shown in the figure. These components are coupled to each other through interfaces (or "reference points"). The functions of the elements of LTE CN 1022 can be briefly described below.

[0179] MME 1024 can implement mobility management functions to track the current location of UE 1002, thereby facilitating patrol, bearer activation / deactivation, handover, gateway selection, authentication, etc.

[0180] The SGW 1026 can terminate the S1 interface toward the RAN and route data packets between the RAN and the LTE CN 1022. The SGW 1026 can serve as a local mobility anchor for handover between RAN nodes and can also provide anchoring for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0181] SGSN 1028 can track the location of UE 1002 and perform security functions and access control. Additionally, SGSN 1028 can perform EPC inter-node signaling for mobility between different RAT networks; PDN and S-GW selection specified by MME 1024; MME selection for handover, etc. The S3 reference point between MME 1024 and SGSN 1028 enables the exchange of user and bearer information for 3GPP indirect network access mobility in idle / active states.

[0182] The HSS 1030 may include a database for network users, containing subscription-related information that supports network entities in handling communication sessions. The HSS 1030 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc. An S6a reference point between the HSS 1030 and the MME 1024 enables the transmission of subscription and authentication data to authenticate / authorize user access to the LTE CN 1020.

[0183] PGW 1032 can terminate the SGi interface toward a data network (DN) 1036, which may include an application / content server 1038. PGW 1032 can route data packets between the LTE CN 1022 and the data network 1036. PGW 1032 can be coupled to SGW 1026 via an S5 reference point to facilitate user plane tunneling and tunnel management. PGW 1032 may also include nodes for policy enforcement and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF). Additionally, the SGi reference point between PGW 1032 and the data network 1036 can be, for example, an external public or private PDN or an internal packet data network for providing IMS services. PGW 1032 can be coupled to PCRF 1034 via a Gx reference point.

[0184] PCRF 1034 is the policy and charging control element of LTE CN 1022. PCRF 1034 can be communicatively coupled to application / content server 1038 to determine appropriate QoS and charging parameters for service flows. PCRF 1032 can provide the associated rules to PCEF (via Gx reference point) with appropriate TFT and QCI.

[0185] In some embodiments, CN 1020 may be a 5G core network (5GC) 1040. 5GC 1040 may include an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 1042, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1044, Session Management Function (SMF) 1046, User Plane Function (UPF) 1048, Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 1050, Network Open Function (NEF) 1052, Network NF Storage Function (NRF) 1054, Policy Control Function (PCF) 1056, Unified Data Management (UDM) 1058, and Application Function (AF) 1060, as shown in the figure. These functions are coupled to each other through interfaces (or "reference points"). The functions of the components of 5GC 1040 can be briefly described below.

[0186] The AUSF 1042 can store data for UE 1002 authentication and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF 1042 facilitates a common authentication framework for various access types. In addition to communicating with other components of the 5GC 1040 via a reference point, as shown in the figure, the AUSF 1042 can also demonstrate an interface based on Nausf services.

[0187] AMF 1044 allows other functions of 5GC 1040 to communicate with UE 1002 and RAN 1004 and subscribe to notifications regarding mobility events for UE 1002. AMF 1044 can handle registration management (e.g., registering UE 1002), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 1044 can provide the transmission of Session Management (SM) messages between UE 1002 and SMF 1046 and acts as a transparent broker for routing SM messages. AMF 1044 can also provide the transmission of SMS messages between UE 1002 and the SMSF. AMF 1044 can interact with AUSF 1042 and UE 1002 to perform various security anchoring and context management functions. Furthermore, AMF 1044 can be the termination point of the RANCP interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between RAN 1004 and AMF 1044; AMF 1044 can serve as the termination point for NAS (N1) signaling and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection. AMF 1044 can also support NAS signaling with UE 1002 via the N3 IWF interface.

[0188] SMF 1046 can be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, tunnel management between UPF 1048 and AN 1008); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional licensing); selection and control of UP functions; configuring flow control at UPF 1048 to route traffic to appropriate destinations; termination of interfaces to policy control functions; control of policy enforcement, charging, and QoS as a part; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces to the LI system); termination of the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information (sent to AN 1008 on N2 via AMF 1044); and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM can refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" can refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 1002 and data network 1036.

[0189] The UPF 1048 can be used as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external PDU session point interconnecting with the data network 1036, and a branch point supporting multi-homed PDU sessions. The UPF 1048 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rules, lawful packet interception (UP collection), traffic usage reporting, QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic authentication (e.g., SDF-to-QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 1048 may include an uplink classifier to support traffic flow routing to the data network.

[0190] The NSSF 1050 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 1002. If needed, the NSSF 1050 can also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed individual NSSAI (S-NSSAI). The NSSF 1050 can also determine the set of AMFs to be used to serve UE 1002 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 1054, or determine a list of candidate AMFs. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 1002 can be triggered by the AMF 1044 (which UE 1002 registers with by interacting with the NSSF 1050), resulting in a change of AMF. The NSSF 1050 can interact with the AMF 1044 via the N22 reference point; and can communicate with another NSSF in the visited network via the N31 reference point (not shown). Furthermore, the NSSF 1050 can expose an interface based on NNSSF services.

[0191] The NEF 1052 can securely disclose services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third parties, internal disclosure / redisclosure, AFs (e.g., AF 1060), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In these embodiments, the NEF 1052 can authenticate, license, or suppress AFs. The NEF 1052 can also translate information exchanged with the AF 1060 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 1052 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. The NEF 1052 can also receive information from other NFs based on their public capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 1052 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The NEF 1052 can then redistribute the stored information to other NFs and AFs, or use it for other purposes such as analytics. Additionally, the NEF 1052 can expose interfaces based on Nnef services.

[0192] NRF 1054 supports service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to them. NRF 1054 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the terms "instantiation," "instance," etc., can refer to the creation of an instance, and an "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, such as during program code execution. Furthermore, NRF 1054 can demonstrate interfaces based on NRF services.

[0193] The PCF 1056 can provide policy rules to control plane functions to enforce them, and can also support a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. The PCF 1056 can also implement a frontend to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 1058. In addition to communicating with functions via reference points as shown in the figure, the PCF 1056 also demonstrates an interface based on Npcf services.

[0194] UDM 1058 can process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and can store subscription data for UE 1002. For example, subscription data can be transmitted via the N8 reference point between UDM 1058 and AMF 1044. UDM 1058 may include two parts: an application front-end and a UDR. The UDR may store policy data and subscription data for UDM 1058 and PCF 1056, and / or structured data and application data for disclosure (including PFD for application detection and application request information for multiple UEs 1002) for NEF 1052. UDR 221 may expose a Nudr service-based interface to allow UDM 1058, PCF 1056, and NEF 1052 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and notify of relevant data changes in the subscription UDR. UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends can provide services to the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. In addition to communicating with other NFs via reference points as shown in the figure, the UDM 1058 can also demonstrate interfaces based on Nudm services.

[0195] The AF 1060 can provide application impact on traffic routing, provide access to NEF, and interact with the policy framework for policy control.

[0196] In some embodiments, 5GC 1040 can enable edge computing by selecting an operator / third-party service that is geographically close to the point to which UE 1002 attaches to the network. This can reduce latency and load on the network. To provide edge computing implementation, 5GC 1040 can select a UPF 1048 close to UE 1002 and perform traffic routing from UPF 1048 to data network 1036 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 1060. In this way, AF 1060 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 1060 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 1060 to interact directly with the relevant NF. Additionally, AF 1060 can expose interfaces based on Naf services.

[0197] Data network 1036 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services that can be provided by one or more servers (including, for example, application / content server 1038).

[0198] Figure 11 A wireless network 1100 according to various embodiments is schematically illustrated. The wireless network 1100 may include a UE 1102 that communicates wirelessly with an AN 1104. The UE 1102 and the AN 1104 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with equivalent components described elsewhere herein.

[0199] UE 1102 can be communicatively coupled to AN 1104 via connection 1106. Connection 1106 is shown as an air interface to enable communication coupling and can be consistent with cellular communication protocols operating at millimeter wave (mmWave) or sub-6 GHz frequencies, such as LTE or 5G NR protocols.

[0200] UE 1102 may include a host platform 1108 coupled to a modem platform 1110. Host platform 1108 may include application processing circuitry 1112, which may be coupled to protocol processing circuitry 1114 of modem platform 1110. Application processing circuitry 1112 may run various applications for UE 1102 to process source / receive application data. Application processing circuitry 1112 may also implement one or more layer operations to send / receive application data to / from a data network. These layer operations may include transport (e.g., UDP) and Internet (e.g., IP) operations.

[0201] Protocol processing circuitry 1114 can implement one or more layer operations to facilitate the transmission or reception of data via connection 1106. Layer operations implemented by protocol processing circuitry 1114 may include, for example, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS operations.

[0202] The modem platform 1110 may further include a digital baseband circuit 1116 that can implement one or more layer operations of "below" layer operations performed by the protocol processing circuit 1114 in the network protocol stack. These operations may include, for example, one or more of the following PHY operations: HARQ-ACK function, scrambling / descrambling, encoding / decoding, layer mapping / demapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bit metric determination, and multi-antenna port precoding / decoding. These functions may include one or more of the following: space-time, space-frequency, or spatial coding, reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronization sequence generation / detection, blind decoding of control channel signals, and other related functions.

[0203] The modem platform 1110 may further include transmitting circuitry 1118, receiving circuitry 1120, RF circuitry 1122, and RF front-end (RFFE) circuitry 1124, which may include or be connected to one or more antenna panels 1126. In short, transmitting circuitry 1118 may include a digital-to-analog converter, mixer, intermediate frequency (IF) component, etc.; receiving circuitry 1120 may include an analog-to-digital converter, mixer, IF component, etc.; RF circuitry 1122 may include a low-noise amplifier, power amplifier, power point tracking component, etc.; RFFE circuitry 1124 may include filters (e.g., surface acoustic wave filters), switches, antenna tuners, beamforming components (e.g., phased array antenna components), etc. The selection and arrangement of components of transmitting circuitry 1118, receiving circuitry 1120, RF circuitry 1122, RFFE circuitry 1124, and antenna panels 1126 (collectively, the "transmit / receive components") may be specific to the details of a particular implementation, such as whether the communication is TDM or FDM, at mmWave or sub-6 GHz frequencies, etc. In some embodiments, the transmitting / receiving components may be arranged in multiple parallel transmitting / receiving chains, and may be arranged in the same or different chips / modules, etc.

[0204] In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuit 1114 may include one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the transmitting / receiving components.

[0205] UE reception can be established via and through antenna panel 1126, RFFE circuit 1124, RF circuit 1122, receiving circuit 1120, digital baseband circuit 1116, and protocol processing circuit 1114. In some embodiments, antenna panel 1126 can receive transmissions from AN 1104 by receiving beamforming signals received by a plurality of antennas / antenna elements of one or more antenna panels 1126.

[0206] UE transmission can be established via and through protocol processing circuitry 1114, digital baseband circuitry 1116, transmission circuitry 1118, RF circuitry 1122, RFFE circuitry 1124, and antenna panel 1126. In some embodiments, the transmission components of UE 1104 can apply a spatial filter to the data to be transmitted to form a transmission beam emitted by the antenna elements of antenna panel 1126.

[0207] Similar to UE 1102, AN 1104 may include a host platform 1128 coupled to modem platform 1130. Host platform 1128 may include application processing circuitry 1132 coupled to protocol processing circuitry 1134 of modem platform 1130. Modem platform may also include digital baseband circuitry 1136, transmitting circuitry 1138, receiving circuitry 1140, RF circuitry 1142, RFFE circuitry 1144, and antenna panel 1146. Components of AN 1104 may be similar to their namesake components in UE 1102 and are substantially interchangeable with those in UE 1102. In addition to performing data transmission / reception as described above, components of AN 1108 may also perform various logical functions, including, for example, RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling.

[0208] Figure 12 Example components of a device 1200 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, device 1200 may include at least application circuitry 1202, baseband circuitry 1204, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1206, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1208, one or more antennas 1210, and power management circuitry (PMC) 1212 coupled together as shown. Components of the illustrated device 1200 may be included in a UE or AN. In some embodiments, device 1200 may include fewer components (e.g., the AN may not use application circuitry 1202, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 1200 may include additional components such as memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., for a Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation, the circuitry may be separately included in more than one device).

[0209] Application circuitry 1202 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 1202 may include circuitry, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications and / or operating systems to run on device 1200. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 1202 may process IP packets received from the EPC.

[0210] Baseband circuit 1204 may include circuitry, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuit 1204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuit 1206 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuit 1206. Baseband processing circuitry 1204 may interface with application circuitry 1202 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuit 1206. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1204 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 1204A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 1204B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 1204C, or one or more other baseband processors 1204D for other existing generations, generations under development, or future generations (e.g., sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 1204 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 1204A-D) can handle various radio control functions that support communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 1206. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1204A-D may be included in modules stored in memory 1204G and these functions may be executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 1204E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and / or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, and / or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. Embodiments of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0211] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1204F. The audio DSP(s) 1204F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or arranged on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1204 and the application circuitry 1202 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0212] In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1204 can provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1204 can support communications with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Embodiments of baseband circuitry 1204 configured to support radio communications with more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuitry.

[0213] RF circuit 1206 can support communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation via non-solid-state media. In various embodiments, RF circuit 1206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 1206 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 1208 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 1204. RF circuit 1206 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 1204 and providing an RF output signal to FEM circuit 1208 for transmission.

[0214] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1206 may include a mixer circuit 1206a, an amplifier circuit 1206b, and a filter circuit 1206c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1206 may include a filter circuit 1206c and a mixer circuit 1206a. The RF circuit 1206 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1206d for synthesizing frequencies for use by the mixer circuit 1206a in both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a in the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1206d. The amplifier circuit 1206b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 1206c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal can be provided to the baseband circuit 1204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero-frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a receiving the signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0215] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1206d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 1208. The baseband signal can be provided by the baseband circuit 1204 and can be filtered by the filter circuit 1206c.

[0216] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1206a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and / or upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1206a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1206a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and / or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1206a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0217] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuit 1206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuit 1204 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 1206.

[0218] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0219] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be a fractional N-type synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1-type synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0220] The synthesizer circuit 1206d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 1206a of the RF circuit 1206 based on the frequency input and the divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1206d can be a fractional N / N+1 type synthesizer.

[0221] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1204 or the application processor 1202 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 1202.

[0222] The synthesizer circuit 1206d of the RF circuit 1206 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry output) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to decompose the VCO cycle into at most Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0223] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple phases different from each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 1206 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0224] FEM circuit 1208 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate RF signals received from one or more antennas 1210, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 1206 for further processing. FEM circuit 1208 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by RF circuit 1206 for transmission by one or more antennas of the one or more antennas 1210. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 1206, only in FEM 1208, or in both RF circuit 1206 and FEM 1208.

[0225] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 1208 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 1206). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 1208 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying (e.g., provided by RF circuit 1206) the input RF signal and one or more filters for generating RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., via one or more antennas in one or more antennas 1210).

[0226] In some embodiments, the PMC 1212 can manage the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 1204. Specifically, the PMC 1212 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 1212 is typically included when the device 1200 can be powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 1212 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0227] Although Figure 12 The diagram shows that PMC 1212 is coupled only to baseband circuitry 1204. However, in other embodiments, PMC 1212 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components and perform similar power management operations on those other components, such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 1202, RF circuitry 1206, or FEM 1208.

[0228] In some embodiments, PMC 1212 may control various power-saving mechanisms of device 1200, or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of device 1200. For example, if device 1200 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which device 1200 remains connected to the RAN node when it anticipates receiving traffic soon, it may then enter a state known as Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, device 1200 may power down for short intervals to save power.

[0229] If there is no data service activity during the extended period, device 1200 can transition to the RRC_Idle state. In this state, device 1200 disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 1200 enters a very low-power state and performs paging, during which it periodically wakes up again to listen to the network and then powers off again. Device 1200 can not receive data in this state; to receive data, it can transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0230] An additional power-saving mode allows the device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than the paging interval (ranging from seconds to hours). During this time, the device has no network access whatsoever and may lose power completely. Any data sent during this period will incur significant latency, assuming the latency is acceptable.

[0231] The processors of application circuit 1202 and baseband circuit 1204 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuit 1204 (alone or in combination) can be used to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuit 1204 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the RRC layer. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node.

[0232] The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments.

[0233] Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the message, enable or disable SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE).

[0234] Example 2 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0235] Example 3 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: activate the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; perform an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and encode the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the network element of the 5GC via the interface circuitry.

[0236] Example 4 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: activate the SP SRS transmission of the UE; perform an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and encode the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the network element of the 5GC via the interface circuitry.

[0237] Example 5 includes the apparatus described in Example 1, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: deactivate the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0238] Example 6 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0239] Example 7 includes an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: encode a message for transmission to an access node (AN) via the interface circuit using a New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) activation indication; and, in response to the message, decode a response received from the AN via the interface circuit using the NRPPa protocol to obtain the result of an SRS measurement for a user equipment (UE).

[0240] Example 8 includes the apparatus described in Example 7, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0241] Example 9 includes the apparatus described in Example 7, wherein the response includes an NRPPa measurement response message.

[0242] Example 10 includes the apparatus described in Example 7, wherein the SRS activation indication is used to trigger aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE or to activate semi-persistent (SP) SRS transmission of the UE.

[0243] Example 11 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 7 to 10, wherein the AN includes a next-generation NodeB (gNB).

[0244] Example 12 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 7 to 10, wherein the apparatus is part of a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0245] Example 13 includes an apparatus comprising: a first interface circuit; a second interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to both the first and second interface circuits; wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a first message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the first interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the first message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the first message, encode a second message for transmission to a next-generation NodeB (gNB) distributed unit (DU) via the second interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the second message includes the aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or the SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0246] Example 14 includes the apparatus described in Example 13, wherein the first message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0247] Example 15 includes the apparatus described in Example 13, wherein the second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0248] Example 16 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 13 to 15, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0249] Example 17 includes the device of any one of Examples 13 to 15, wherein the device is part of a gNB-centralized unit (CU).

[0250] Example 18 includes an apparatus comprising: an interface circuit; and a processor circuit coupled to the interface circuit, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a message received from a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-centralized unit (CU) via the interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the message, enable or disable SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE).

[0251] Example 19 includes the apparatus described in Example 18, wherein the message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0252] Example 20 includes the apparatus of Example 18, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: activate the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; perform an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and encode the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU via the interface circuitry.

[0253] Example 21 includes the apparatus of Example 18, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: activate the SP SRS transmission of the UE; perform an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and encode the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU via the interface circuitry.

[0254] Example 22 includes the apparatus described in Example 18, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: deactivate the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0255] Example 23 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 18 to 22, wherein the apparatus is part of a gNB-Distributed Unit (DU).

[0256] Example 24 includes a method comprising: decoding a message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and enabling or disabling SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE) in response to the message.

[0257] Example 25 includes the method described in Example 24, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0258] Example 26 includes the method of Example 24, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: activating the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and encoding the result of the SRS measurement to transmit to the network element of the 5GC.

[0259] Example 27 includes the method of Example 24, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: activating the SP SRS transmission of the UE; performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the network element of the 5GC.

[0260] Example 28 includes the method of Example 24, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: deactivating the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0261] Example 29 includes the method of any one of Examples 24 to 28, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0262] Example 30 includes a method comprising: encoding a message for transmission to an access node (AN) using a New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) activation indication; and, in response to the message, decoding a response received from the AN using the NRPPa protocol to obtain the result of an SRS measurement for a user equipment (UE).

[0263] Example 31 includes the method described in Example 30, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0264] Example 32 includes the method described in Example 30, wherein the response includes an NRPPa measurement response message.

[0265] Example 33 includes the method of Example 30, wherein the SRS activation indication is used to trigger aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE or to activate semi-persistent (SP) SRS transmission of the UE.

[0266] Example 34 includes the method of any one of Examples 30 to 33, wherein the AN includes a next-generation NodeB (gNB).

[0267] Example 35 includes a method comprising: decoding a first message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the first message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and, in response to the first message, encoding a second message for transmission to a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-distributed cell (DU) using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the second message includes the aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or the SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0268] Example 36 includes the method described in Example 35, wherein the first message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0269] Example 37 includes the method described in Example 35, wherein the second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0270] Example 38 includes the method of any one of Examples 35 to 37, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0271] Example 39 includes a method comprising: decoding a message received from a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-centralized unit (CU) using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and enabling or disabling SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE) in response to the message.

[0272] Example 40 includes the method described in Example 39, wherein the message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0273] Example 41 includes the method of Example 39, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: activating the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU.

[0274] Example 42 includes the method of Example 39, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: activating the SP SRS transmission of the UE; performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU.

[0275] Example 43 includes the method of Example 39, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the method further includes: deactivating the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0276] Example 44 includes an apparatus comprising: components for decoding a message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and components for enabling or disabling SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE) in response to the message.

[0277] Example 45 includes the apparatus described in Example 44, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0278] Example 46 includes the apparatus of Example 44, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes: components for activating the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; components for performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and components for encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the network element of the 5GC.

[0279] Example 47 includes the apparatus of Example 44, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes: components for activating the SP SRS transmission of the UE; components for performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and components for encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the network element of the 5GC.

[0280] Example 48 includes the apparatus described in Example 44, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes a component for deactivating the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0281] Example 49 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 44 to 48, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0282] Example 50 includes an apparatus comprising: components for encoding a message for transmission to an access node (AN) using a New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) activation indication; and components for decoding a response received from the AN using the NRPPa protocol in response to the message to obtain the result of an SRS measurement for a user equipment (UE).

[0283] Example 51 includes the apparatus described in Example 50, wherein the message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0284] Example 52 includes the apparatus described in Example 50, wherein the response includes an NRPPa measurement response message.

[0285] Example 53 includes the apparatus of Example 50, wherein the SRS activation indication is used to trigger aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE or to activate semi-persistent (SP) SRS transmission of the UE.

[0286] Example 54 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 50 to 53, wherein the AN includes a next-generation NodeB (gNB).

[0287] Example 55 includes an apparatus comprising: components for decoding a first message received from a network element of a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the first message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and components for encoding a second message in response to the first message for transmission to a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-distributed cell (DU) using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the second message includes the aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or the SP SRS activation / deactivation indication.

[0288] Example 56 includes the apparatus described in Example 55, wherein the first message includes an NRPPa measurement request message or an NRPPa measurement update message.

[0289] Example 57 includes the apparatus described in Example 55, wherein the second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0290] Example 58 includes the apparatus of any one of Examples 55 to 57, wherein the network element includes a location management function (LMF).

[0291] Example 59 includes an apparatus comprising: a component for decoding a message received from a next-generation NodeB (gNB)-centralized unit (CU) using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic probe reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and a component for enabling or disabling SRS transmission of a user equipment (UE) in response to the message.

[0292] Example 60 includes the apparatus described in Example 59, wherein the message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

[0293] Example 61 includes the apparatus of Example 59, wherein the message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes: components for activating the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; components for performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the aperiodic SRS transmission; and components for encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU.

[0294] Example 62 includes the apparatus of Example 59, wherein the message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes: components for activating the SP SRS transmission of the UE; components for performing an SRS measurement for the UE based on the SP SRS transmission; and components for encoding the result of the SRS measurement for transmission to the gNB-CU.

[0295] Example 63 includes the apparatus of Example 59, wherein the message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the apparatus further includes a component for deactivating the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

[0296] Example 64 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein, when executed by processor circuitry, the instructions cause the processor circuitry to perform the method as described in any one of Examples 24 to 29.

[0297] Example 65 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein, when executed by processor circuitry, the instructions cause the processor circuitry to perform the method as described in any one of Examples 30 to 34.

[0298] Example 66 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein, when executed by processor circuitry, the instructions cause the processor circuitry to perform the method as described in any one of Examples 35 to 38.

[0299] Example 67 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by processor circuitry, cause the processor circuitry to perform the method as described in any one of Examples 39 to 43.

[0300] Example 68 includes an access node (AN) as described and shown in the specification.

[0301] Example 69 includes a method performed at the access node (AN) as described and shown in the specification.

[0302] Example 70 includes location management functionality (LMF) as described and shown in the specification.

[0303] Example 71 includes a method performed at the Location Management Function (LMF) as described and shown in the specification.

[0304] Example 72 includes a next-generation NodeB (gNB) - centralized unit (CU) as described and shown in the specification.

[0305] Example 73 includes a method performed at a next-generation NodeB (gNB) centralized unit (CU) as described and shown in the specification.

[0306] Example 74 includes a next-generation NodeB (gNB) - Distributed Unit (DU) as described and shown in the specification.

[0307] Example 75 includes a method performed at a next-generation NodeB (gNB) distributed unit (DU) as described and shown in the specification.

[0308] While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for purposes of description, various alternative and / or equivalent embodiments or implementations devised to achieve the same purpose may replace the illustrated and described embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is readily understood that the embodiments described herein are limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: Interface circuit; and The processor circuit is coupled to the interface circuit. The processor circuit is used for: The message is decoded; the message is received from a network element of the fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol, wherein the message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and In response to the message, enable or disable SRS transmission for the user equipment (UE). The message includes an NRPPa measurement update message to update previously configured measurements, which contains fewer informational elements than an NRPPa measurement request message. Furthermore, the processor circuit is also used for: Before receiving the NRPPa measurement update message, the NRPPa location information request message received from the network element of the 5GC via the interface circuit is decoded; and The NRPPa location information response message, which includes the SRS configuration information of the UE, used in response to the NRPPa location information request message, is encoded. The NRPPa measurement update message includes a Location Management Function (LMF) UE Measurement Identifier (ID) and / or a Radio Access Network (RAN) UE Measurement Identifier, used to identify the previously configured measurement to be updated.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes an aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Activate the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; Based on the aforementioned aperiodic SRS transmission, SRS measurements are performed on the UE; and The results of the SRS measurement are encoded for transmission to the network element of the 5GC via the interface circuit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Activate the SP SRS transmission of the UE; Based on the SP SRS transmission, SRS measurements are performed on the UE; and The results of the SRS measurement are encoded for transmission to the network element of the 5GC via the interface circuit.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Deactivate the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The network element includes a location management function (LMF).

6. A device for communication, comprising: Interface circuit; and The processor circuit is coupled to the interface circuit. The processor circuit is used for: The message is encoded for transmission to the access node (AN) via the interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa), wherein the message includes a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) activation indication; and In response to the message, the response received from the AN via the interface circuit using the NRPPa protocol is decoded to obtain the SRS measurement results for the User Equipment (UE). The message includes an NRPPa measurement update message to update previously configured measurements, which contains fewer informational elements than an NRPPa measurement request message. Furthermore, the processor circuit is also used for: Before encoding the NRPPa measurement update message, an NRPPa location information request message for requesting SRS configuration information of the UE is encoded for transmission to the AN via the interface circuit; and The NRPPa location information response message received from the AN via the interface circuit in response to the NRPPa location information request message is decoded to obtain the SRS configuration information of the UE. The NRPPa measurement update message includes a Location Management Function (LMF) UE Measurement Identifier (ID) and / or a Radio Access Network (RAN) UE Measurement Identifier, used to identify the previously configured measurement to be updated.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The response includes an NRPPa measurement response message.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The SRS activation indication is used to trigger the UE's aperiodic SRS transmission or activate the UE's semi-persistent (SP) SRS transmission.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, The AN includes the next-generation NodeB (gNB).

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein, The device is part of the Location Management Function (LMF).

11. An apparatus for communication, comprising: First interface circuit; Second interface circuit; as well as A processor circuit, wherein the processor circuit is coupled to both the first interface circuit and the second interface circuit; The processor circuit is used for: The first message is decoded. This first message is received from a network element of the fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GC) via the first interface circuit using the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa) protocol. The first message includes an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication; and In response to the first message, a second message is encoded for transmission to the next-generation NodeB (gNB) - Distributed Unit (DU) via the second interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol, wherein the second message includes the aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or the SP SRS activation / deactivation indication. The first message includes an NRPPa measurement update message to update previously configured measurements. This NRPPa measurement update message contains fewer informational elements than the NRPPa measurement request message. Furthermore, the processor circuit is also used for: Before receiving the first message, the NRPPa location information request message received from the network element of the 5GC via the first interface circuit is decoded; and The NRPPa location information response message, which includes the UE's SRS configuration information, used to respond to the NRPPa location information request message, is encoded. The first message includes a Location Management Function (LMF) UE Measurement Identifier (ID) and / or a Radio Access Network (RAN) UE Measurement Identifier, used to identify the previously configured measurement to be updated.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein, The second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message or an F1-AP positioning measurement update message.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The network element includes a location management function (LMF).

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The device is part of a gNB-Centralized Unit (CU).

15. An apparatus for communication, comprising: Interface circuit; and The processor circuit is coupled to the interface circuit. The processor circuit is used for: The first message is decoded. The first message is received from the next-generation NodeB (gNB)-centralized unit (CU) via the interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol. The first message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement request message, which includes the detection reference signal (SRS) configuration information of the user equipment (UE). The F1-AP positioning measurement response message used in response to the first message is encoded and transmitted to the gNB-CU via the interface circuit. The second message is decoded. This second message is received from the gNB-CU via the interface circuit using the F1-AP protocol. The second message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication and / or a semi-persistent (SP) SRS activation / deactivation indication. In response to the second message, enable or disable the SRS transmission of the UE. The second message includes an F1-AP positioning measurement update message, which contains fewer information elements than the F1-AP positioning measurement request message, and is used to update the previously configured measurements established based on the SRS configuration information in the F1-AP positioning measurement request message. The F1-AP positioning measurement update message includes a Location Management Function (LMF) UE Measurement Identifier (ID) and / or a Radio Access Network (RAN) UE Measurement Identifier, used to identify the previously configured measurement to be updated.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The second message includes an aperiodic SRS trigger indication, the SRS transmission includes aperiodic SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Activate the aperiodic SRS transmission of the UE; Based on the aforementioned aperiodic SRS transmission, SRS measurements are performed on the UE; and The results of the SRS measurement are encoded for transmission to the gNB-CU via the interface circuit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The second message includes an SP SRS activation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Activate the SP SRS transmission of the UE; Based on the SP SRS transmission, SRS measurements are performed on the UE; and The results of the SRS measurement are encoded for transmission to the gNB-CU via the interface circuit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The second message includes an SP SRS deactivation indication, the SRS transmission includes an SP SRS transmission, and wherein the processor circuitry is configured to: Deactivate the SP SRS transmission of the UE.

19. The apparatus according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein, The device is part of a gNB-Distributed Unit (DU).

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