Selective Transmission of Power Margin Report

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In one aspect, a UE determines whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for a path loss reference signal (PL-RS). Based on this determination, the UE performs the PHR function for the PL-RS or one or more path loss measurements based on this determination. In some aspects, the determination is based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS. In other aspects, the determination is based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE (e.g., an explicit or implicit indication).

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 972,141, entitled "SELECTIVE TRANSMISSION OF POWER HEADROOM REPORTS", filed on February 10, 2020, and U.S. Non - Provisional Application No. 17 / 168,922, entitled "SELECTIVE TRANSMISSION OF POWER HEADROOM REPORTS", filed on February 5, 2021. Both of the above - mentioned applications are assigned to the assignee of this application and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into this application. Technical Field

[0003] Broadly speaking, aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communication, and more particularly, aspects of the present disclosure relate to the selective transmission of power headroom reports (PHRs). Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first - generation analog wireless telephone services (1G), second - generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including interim 2.5G networks), third - generation (3G) high - speed data, Internet - enabled wireless services, and fourth - generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and personal communication services (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), GSM variants of TDMA, etc.

[0005] The fifth - generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data - transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with data rates of 1 gigabit per second to dozens of employees on an office floor. To support large - scale wireless sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, compared with current 4G standards, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly enhanced. In addition, compared with current standards, the signaling efficiency should be enhanced and the latency should be greatly reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A simplified overview related to one or more aspects disclosed herein is given below. Accordingly, the following overview should not be considered an exhaustive review of all contemplated aspects, and the following overview should neither be considered to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects nor to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the detailed description given below.

[0007] One aspect relates to a method of operating a user equipment (UE), including: determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0008] Another aspect relates to a method of operating a user equipment (UE), including: determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE; and performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0009] Another aspect relates to a user equipment (UE), including: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and perform the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0010] Another aspect relates to a user equipment (UE), including: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE; and perform the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0011] On the other hand, it relates to a user equipment (UE), comprising: a unit for determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and a unit for performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0012] On the other hand, it relates to a user equipment (UE), comprising: a unit for determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE; and a unit for performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0013] On the other hand, it relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to perform the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0014] On the other hand, it relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE; and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to perform the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0015] Based on the drawings and the detailed description, other objectives and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings are provided to assist in describing the various aspects of the present disclosure, and are provided only for illustrative purposes of the aspects and not for limiting them.

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with various aspects.

[0018] Figure 2A and 2B An example wireless network structure is shown in accordance with various aspects.

[0019] Figures 3A to 3C are simplified block diagrams of some example aspects of components that may be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein.

[0020] Figure 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of a frame structure and channels within the frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary PRS configuration for a cell supported by a wireless node.

[0022] Figure 6A illustrates an exemplary process of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6B illustrates an exemplary process of wireless communication in accordance with other aspects of the present disclosure. Detailed Description

[0024] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings that relate to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid obscuring relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0025] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or having an advantage over other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of the present disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the described features, advantages, or modes of operation.

[0026] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0027] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be recognized that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence of these actions described herein can be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored therein, the set of computer instructions when executed will cause or direct an associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, the various aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms, all of which are expected to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each of the aspects described herein, a corresponding form of any such aspect can be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described action".

[0028] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or (e.g., at certain times) can be stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station" or variants thereof. In general, a UE is capable of communicating with a core network via a RAN and, through the core network, can connect the UE to an external network such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are possible for a UE, such as over a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and so on.

[0029] The base station can operate according to one of several RATs in its communication with the UE, which depends on the network in which the base station is deployed, and the base station can alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, the base station can provide only the edge node signaling function, while in other systems, it can provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can send signals to the base station is referred to as the uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can send signals to the UE is referred to as the downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to the UL / reverse traffic channel or the DL / forward traffic channel.

[0030] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP), or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, in the case where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell of the base station. In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system or in the case where the base station employs beamforming). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common resource) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Since, as used herein, the TRP is the point from which the base station transmits and receives radio signals, a reference to a transmission from the base station or a reception at the base station should be understood to refer to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0031] An "RF signal" includes an electromagnetic wave with a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter can send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver can receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and the receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0032] According to various aspects,Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base stations may include eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network) or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network) or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, etc.

[0033] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and are interface-connected to a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) via a backhaul link 122 and are interface-connected to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and transmission of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) through a backhaul link 134 (which may be wired or wireless).

[0034] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 among base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, a base station 102 can support one or more cells in each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource (referred to as carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.)), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), virtual cell identifier (VCI)) for differentiating cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) or other protocol types). Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, within which the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a certain part of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0035] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 can partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 within the geographic coverage area 110 can overlap significantly with a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' can have a coverage area 110' that overlaps significantly with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network including both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include a home eNB (HeNB), which can provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0036] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include an UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, which includes spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 can be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers can be allocated for DL compared to UL).

[0037] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN Station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) or Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure before communicating to determine if the channel is available.

[0038] The small cell base station 102’ may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102’ may employ LTE or NR technologies and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as that used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102’ employing LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum may enhance the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0039] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that communicates with the UE 182 and may operate at mmW frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies. Extremely High Frequency (EHF) is a part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The Super High Frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / near-mmW radio frequency band has high path loss and a relatively short distance. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmission and / or reception) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distance. Additionally, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more of the base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0040] Transmit beamforming is a technique for concentrating RF signals in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal omnidirectionally, i.e., in all directions. With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device. To change the direction of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters that broadcast the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates a beam of RF waves whose points can be "steered" to different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the correct phase relationships such that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction and cancel out in the undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0041] Transmit beams can be quasi - co - located, which means that they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network node are physically co - located. In NR, there are four types of quasi - co - location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters regarding a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived based on information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0042] In receive beamforming, the receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting in a specific direction and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., to increase the gain level of that RF signal). Thus, when it is said that the receiver performs beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gains along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength for the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.).

[0043] Receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that the parameters for the transmit beam used for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about the receive beam used for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. Then, the UE can form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0044] It should be noted that a "downlink" beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam for sending a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0045] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier that operates on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier that operates on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), where the second frequency can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier can contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier because both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. This also holds true for the primary uplink carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether it is a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which a certain base station is communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0046] For example, still referring to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 can be the anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). The simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) (compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier).

[0047] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In Figure 1 the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 that is connected to one of the base stations 102 in the base station 102 (e.g., via the D2D P2P link 192, UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with the WLAN STA 152 that is connected to the WLAN AP 150 (via the D2D P2P link 194, UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.) can be utilized to support the D2D P2P links 192 and 194.

[0048] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 on the communication link 120 and / or communicate with the mmW base station 180 on the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCell for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCell for the UE 164.

[0049] According to various aspects, Figure 2AAn example wireless network structure 200 is shown. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as a control plane functional unit 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane functional unit 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.). The control plane functional unit 214 and the user plane functional unit 212 operate cooperatively to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, and specifically, to the control plane functional unit 214 and the user plane functional unit 212. In an additional configuration, eNB 224 can also be connected to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to the control plane functional unit 214 and NG-U 213 to the user plane functional unit 212. In addition, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 can have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more of both eNB 224 and gNB 222s. gNB 222 or eNB 224 can communicate with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any UE depicted in

[0050] According to various aspects, Figure 2BAnother example wireless network structure 250 is shown. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as a control plane functional unit provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function Unit (AMF) / User Plane Function Unit (UPF) 264, and a user plane functional unit provided by the Session Management Function Unit (SMF) 262, which cooperate to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to NGC 260, and specifically connect to the SMF 262 and the AMF / UPF 264 respectively. In another configuration, the gNB 222 can also be connected to NGC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF / UPF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. In addition, the eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether the gNB has a direct connection to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 can have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both the eNB 224 and the gNB 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 can communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any of the UEs depicted in the UE). The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 on the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 on the N3 interface.

[0051] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmitting session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmitting short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function unit (SMSF) (not shown), and the security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function unit (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives the intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF obtains security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF, where the SCM uses the key to derive an access network-specific key. The functions of the AMF also include location service management for administrative services, transmitting location service messages between the UE 204 and the location management function unit (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interoperability with the evolved packet system (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Additionally, the AMF also supports functions for non-3GPP access networks.

[0052] The functions of the UPF include: acting as an anchor point for mobility within / across radio access technologies (RATs) (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point interconnected to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic utilization reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reactive QoS marking in DL), UL traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end flags" to the source RAN node.

[0053] The functions of the SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuring traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the correct destination, control of parts of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface on which the SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 is referred to as the N11 interface.

[0054] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which may communicate with an NGC 260 to provide location assistance to a UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, and the UE 204 can be connected to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0055] Figure 3A , 3B Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that can be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network functional unit described herein, including a location server 230 and an LMF 270) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Additionally, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0056] UE 302 and base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350 respectively configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc.). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be respectively connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 to communicate with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (such as eNBs, gNBs), etc.) via at least one specified RAT (such as NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on an interested wireless communication medium (for example, a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be differently configured to respectively transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (such as messages, indications, information, etc.) according to the specified RAT and, conversely, respectively receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (such as messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the transceivers 310 and 350 respectively include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, which are respectively used to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, and respectively include one or more receivers 312 and 352, which are respectively used to receive and decode signals 318 and 358.

[0057] At least in some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also respectively include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be respectively connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) via at least one specified RAT (such as WiFi, LTE-D, etc.) on an interested wireless communication medium. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be differently configured to respectively transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (such as messages, indications, information, etc.) according to the specified RAT and, conversely, respectively receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (such as messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, which are respectively used to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368, and respectively include one or more receivers 322 and 322, which are respectively used to receive and decode signals 328 and 368.

[0058] In some implementations, a transceiver circuit including a transmitter and a receiver may include an integrated device (e.g., a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit embodied as a single communication device), in some implementations may include separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376) (such as an antenna array), which allows the corresponding device to perform transmit "beamforming" as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376) (such as an antenna array), which allows the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and the receiver may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than receive and transmit simultaneously. The wireless communication devices of devices 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) and the like for performing various measurements.

[0059] In at least some cases, devices 302 and 304 also include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be respectively connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376 for receiving SPS signals 338 and 378 (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc.). SPS receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as needed, and perform the calculations required to determine the positions of devices 302 and 304 using measurements obtained through any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0060] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each respectively include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired-based backhaul connection or a wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired-based signal communication or wireless signal communication. This communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0061] Devices 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing a processing system 332 that is operative to provide functions related to, for example, false base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein, and to provide other processing functions. Base station 304 includes a processing system 384 that is operative to provide functions related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and to provide other processing functions. Network entity 306 includes a processing system 394 that is operative to provide functions related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and to provide other processing functions. In one aspect, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuits.

[0062] Devices 302, 304, and 306 respectively include memory circuitry implementing memory components 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) operative to maintain information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, device 302 can include a power headroom report (PHR) module 342. PHR module 342 can include hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processing system 332, which when executed causes device 302 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, PHR module 342 can be external to processing system 332 (e.g., as part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, PHR module 342 can be a memory module stored in memory component 340 (as Figure 3A shown), which when executed by processing system 332 (e.g., or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.) causes device 302 to perform the functions described herein.

[0063] UE 302 can include one or more sensors 344 coupled to processing system 332 to provide motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by WWAN transceiver 310, WLAN transceiver 320, and / or SPS receiver 330. By way of example, sensors 344 can include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Additionally, sensors 344 can include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensors 344 can use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0064] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing an indication to the user (e.g., an audible and / or visual indication) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user activates a sensing device such as a keyboard, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the devices 304 and 306 may also include a user interface.

[0065] Referring more specifically to the processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functions for the RRC layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio link control (RLC) layer, and medium access control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide: RRC layer functions associated with the following: broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with the following: header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with the following: transfer of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with the following: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0066] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 can implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel for carrying the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is space precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived based on reference signals transmitted by the UE 302 and / or channel status feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate the RF carrier using the respective spatial streams for transmission.

[0067] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antennas 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on the channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the processing system 332, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0068] In the UL, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover the IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0069] Similar to the functions described in connection with the DL transmission performed by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides: RRC layer functions associated with: system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with: header compression / decompression, and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with: transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0070] The transmitter 314 may use channel estimates derived by the channel estimator based on reference signals or feedback sent by the base station 304 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate the RF carriers using the respective spatial streams for transmission.

[0071] At the base station 304, UL transmissions are processed in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver functions at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives signals via its respective antennas 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carriers and provides the information to the processing system 384.

[0072] In the UL, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover the IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0073] For convenience, in Figure 3A -C, apparatuses 302, 304, and / or 306 are shown as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the blocks shown may have different functions in different designs.

[0074] The various components of apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 may communicate with each other on data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. Figure 3A The components of -C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A The components of -C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide such functionality. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 386 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 396 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as "performed by the UE", "performed by the base station", "performed by the positioning entity", etc. However, it will be understood that such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, PHR module 342, etc.

[0075] Figure 4A FIG. 400 is an example showing a DL frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4B FIG. 430 is an example showing channels within a DL frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0076] LTE (and in some cases, NR) utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, different from LTE, NR can also choose to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are usually also referred to as tones, frequency bands, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, OFDM is used in the frequency domain and SC-FDM is used in the time domain to transmit modulation symbols. The interval between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number (K) of subcarriers can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier interval can be 15 kHz and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT sizes can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands respectively.

[0077] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple numerologies. For example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz or larger can be available. Table 1 below lists some different parameters for different NR numerologies.

[0078]

[0079]

[0080] Table 1

[0081] In Figure 4A and 4B example, the 15 kHz numerology is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 equally-sized subframes, each subframe being 1 ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. In Figure 4A and 4B , the time level is represented (e.g., on the X-axis), time increases from left to right, while the frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), and the frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0082] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, where each time slot includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In Figure 4A and 4B the digital schemes, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL, and SC-FDMA symbols for UL), for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0083] As Figure 4A shown, some of the REs in an RE carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RSs) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS can include demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), and their exemplary locations are marked as "R" in Figure 4A .

[0084] Figure 4B Examples of various channels within the DL subframe of a frame are shown. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), where each CCE includes nine resource element groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data sent to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to 8) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of multiple formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for UL scheduling, non-MIMO DL scheduling, MIMO DL scheduling, and UL power control.

[0085] The UE uses the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) to determine subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The UE uses the Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form the SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and the System Frame Number (SFN). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not sent through the PBCH (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) and paging messages.

[0086] In some cases, Figure 4A the DL RS shown in may be a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Figure 5 An exemplary PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a wireless node (such as base station 102) is shown. Figure 5 Shows how to determine the PRS positioning occasion through the System Frame Number (SFN), the cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) 552 and the PRS period (T PRS ) 520. Generally, the cell-specific PRS subframe configuration is defined by the "PRS Configuration Index" I PRS included in the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) assistance data. The PRS period (T PRS ) 520 and the cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) are defined based on the PRS configuration index I PRS , as shown in Table 2 below.

[0087]

[0088] Table 2

[0089] The PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of the cell transmitting the PRS. For the first subframe in the N PRS th downlink subframes including the first PRS positioning occasion, the PRS instance can satisfy:

[0090]

[0091] where, n f is the SFN, where 0 ≤ n f ≤ 1023, n s is the slot number within the radio frame defined by n f , where 0 ≤ n s ≤ 19, T PRS is the PRS period 520, and ΔPRS is the cell-specific subframe offset 552.

[0092] As Figure 5 shown, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ PRS 552 can be defined by the number of subframes starting from system frame number 0 (time slot "number 0", labeled as time slot 550) to the start of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning occasion. In Figure 5 the example of PRS , the number (N

[0093] of consecutive positioning subframes in each of the consecutive PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c is equal to 4. That is, each shaded block representing the PRS positioning occasions 518a, 518b, and 518c represents four subframes. PRS In some aspects, when the UE receives the PRS configuration index I PRS in the OTDOA assistance data for a specific cell, the UE can use Table 2 to determine the PRS period T PRS 520 and the PRS subframe offset Δ

[0094] Then, when the PRS is scheduled in the cell, the UE can determine the radio frame, subframe, and time slot (e.g., using Equation (1)). The OTDOA assistance data can be determined by, for example, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270), and includes assistance data for the reference cell and multiple neighboring cells supported by various base stations.

[0095] Typically, the PRS occasions from all cells in the network using the same frequency are aligned in time, and can have a fixed known time offset (e.g., the cell-specific subframe offset 552) relative to other cells in the network using different frequencies. In an SFN-synchronized network, all radio nodes (e.g., base station 102) can be aligned on the frame boundary and the system frame number. Therefore, in an SFN-synchronized network, all cells supported by various radio nodes can use the same PRS configuration index for any specific frequency of PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an SFN-asynchronous network, various radio nodes can be aligned on the frame boundary but not on the system frame number. Therefore, in an SFN-asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell can be configured separately by the network so that the PRS occasions are aligned in time.

[0096] Release 15 of 3GPP introduced the Power Headroom Report (PHR) as a MAC Control Element (CE). The PHR reports the headroom between the current UE transmit power (estimated power) and the nominal power. For example, the serving cell can use the PHR to estimate how much uplink bandwidth to allow the UE for a particular subframe. The PHR can be triggered by PHR function configuration or reconfiguration, cell activation, periodically, or by a change in path loss or power backoff (P-MPR c ) before the next cycle trigger for the PHR. As a specific example, regarding path loss PHR triggering, Section 5.4.6 of TS38.321 in Release 15 of 3GPP specifies that the path loss change of a cell evaluated above is between the path loss currently measured on the current path loss reference signal (PL-RS) and the path loss measured at the transmission time of the last PHR transmission on the PL-RS used at that time, regardless of whether the PL-RS changes between PL-RSs. The PL-RS can be an SSB or a CSI-RS, and the UE can maintain up to four (4) PL-RSs per serving cell for all UL transmissions (e.g., Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), SRS, etc.).

[0097] Release 16 of 3GPP extended the number of PL-RSs that can trigger the PHR. For example, in Release 16 of 3GPP, the UL SRS for positioning (which can be characterized by the UL PRS) can be associated with the SSB or the DL PRS as the PL-RS. In addition to the 4 PL-RSs per serving cell as in Release 15 of 3GPP, up to N PL-RSs can be used across all UL PRS sets. N can be configured as UE capability (e.g., via RRC signaling) and can be equal to 0, 4, 8, or 16. The SSB can be from the serving cell or an adjacent cell (e.g., indicating the cell ID). Similarly, the DL PRS can be from any TRP (e.g., indicating the TRP). The SSB and PRS transmit powers are also indicated.

[0098] Applying the path loss-based PHR triggering associated with the 4 traditional PL-RSs from Release 15 of 3GPP to the new PL-RSs introduced in Release 16 of 3GPP increases the overall PHR activity, which increases the interference in the system and also increases the power consumption at the corresponding UE. One or more embodiments of the present disclosure aim to implement the PHR function in a selective manner (e.g., monitoring one or more conditions associated with the PL-RS used to selectively trigger the PHR).

[0099] Figure 6AAn exemplary process 600 for wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, process 600 may be performed by a UE.

[0100] At 610, the UE determines whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS. In one example, the determination at 610 may be based on at least one rule associated with the PHR for the PL-RS. In one example, the at least one rule may be predefined (e.g., defined in a relevant standard). In another example, the at least one rule may be configured dynamically (e.g., via DCI or MAC-CE in some designs, via higher layer signaling (such as RRC signaling) in other designs). In one aspect, operation 610 may be performed by the receiver 312, WWAN transceiver 310, processing system 332, memory 340, PHR module 342, etc.

[0101] At 620, the UE performs the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination. In some designs, the execution of operation 620 performs the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination at 610 is to perform the PHR function). In other designs, the execution only performs one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function). In one example, the PHR function may include monitoring one or more conditions associated with the respective PL-RS for selectively triggering a PHR. As described above, these PHR trigger conditions may include PHR function configuration or reconfiguration, cell activation, periodicity, or a change in path loss or power back-off (P-MPR c ) prior to the next periodic trigger for the PHR. In one aspect, operation 620 may be performed by the transmitter 314, WWAN transceiver 310, processing system 332, memory 340, PHR module 342, etc.

[0102] Referring to operations 610-620, if the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function for the PL-RS, the UE may be characterized as "avoiding" performing the PHR function for the PL-RS, which may be interpreted as the UE avoiding generating and / or transmitting a PHR, regardless of whether one or more PHR trigger conditions are met. Thus, the at least one rule effectively overrides the PHR trigger conditions such that if the determination at 610 determines to perform the PHR function, no PHR is reported in scenarios where the PHR would otherwise be transmitted.

[0103] Referring to Figure 6AAt 620, regardless of whether the PHR function is performed for the PL-RS, in some designs, the UE performs one or more path loss measurements on the PL-RS in association with one or more UL PRSs. At 620, the UE also optionally performs power control for the UL PRS based on one or more path loss measurements. In this case, if the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function, then for PHR-related considerations of the PL-RS, one or more path loss measurements are ignored. Alternatively, if the determination at 610 is to perform the PHR function, one or more of these optional path loss measurements can be used to selectively trigger the PHR.

[0104] In one example, the PL-RS for which the determination at 610 is to perform the PHR function can correspond to a first set of PL-RSs, and the PL-RS for which the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function can correspond to a second set of PL-RSs. In this case, the UL PRS can include or can not include the cell associated with the first set of PL-RSs, and it may be unnecessary to limit the path loss on the second set of PL-RSs (e.g., redundancy with path loss management performed for the first set of PL-RSs involves the same cell), in which case optional path loss measurements may not be performed for the second set of PL-RSs. In some designs, the first set of PL-RSs is used to selectively trigger the PHR, while both the first set of PL-RSs and the second set of PL-RSs are used for UL-PRS.

[0105] Referring to Figure 6A , by way of example, excluding certain PL-RSs from the PHR function provides one or more technical advantages (e.g., compared to simply performing the PHR function for all PL-RSs), such as reduced power consumption at the UE, reduced system overhead and / or interference, scalability (e.g., more PL-RSs can be supported without experiencing PHR-related bottlenecks), etc.

[0106] Now, various rules that can be used to sort PL-RSs as part of the first set of PL-RSs or the second set of PL-RSs will be described. One or more of the above rules can be used as part of the determination at Figure 6A 610. In particular, the following rules are described with respect to the first set of PL-RSs or the second set of PL-RSs, where the PL-RS for which the determination at 610 is to perform the PHR function can correspond to the first set of PL-RSs, and the PL-RS for which the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function can correspond to the second set of PL-RSs.

[0107] Referring to Figure 6A, in the first rule example, at least one rule can be used to characterize four legacy 3GPP Release 15 PLRSs as part of a first PL-RS set, while characterizing any other PL-RS as part of a second PL-RS set. In this case, including additional PL-RSs will have no impact on the PHR.

[0108] Refer to Figure 6A , in the second rule example, at least one rule can include excluding any RS that is a PL-RS used as a UL PRS from participating in the PHR function. As used herein, excluding a PL-RS from the PHR function implies characterizing the excluded PL-RS as part of a second PL-RS set. Additionally, as used herein, "UL PRS" can be any combination of an SRS that is explicitly identified as "SRS for positioning" (or equivalent) or a subset of such an SRS (e.g., an SRS for positioning when further meeting minimum and / or maximum bandwidth thresholds, comb density, duration, comb interleaving conditions (such as whether comb interleaving is enabled / disabled), etc.).

[0109] Refer to Figure 6A , in the third rule example, at least one rule can include excluding any RS that is a PL-RS used only as a UL PRS from participating in the PHR function. For example, a first PL-RS that is common to the UL PRS and other UL channels can be part of the first set (i.e., included for the PHR function), while a second PL-RS that is specific to the UL PRS and not associated with other UL channels can be part of the second set (i.e., excluded for the PHR function).

[0110] Refer to Figure 6A , in the fourth rule example, at least one rule can include excluding any DL PRS that is used as an RS from participating in the PHR function. In one example, a DL-PRS of a PL-RS used as a UL-PRS can be excluded in a more selective manner, e.g., based on the TRP-ID (e.g., DL PRSs associated with certain TRPs are part of the first set, and DL PRSs associated with other TRPs are part of the second set). In a more specific implementation, at least one rule can include excluding any DL PRS associated with a non-serving cell (e.g., determined based on the TRP-ID) from participating in the PHR function. In this case, a first PL of the DL PRS associated with the serving cell can be part of the first set (i.e., included for the PHR function), while a second PL of the DL PRS associated with the non-serving cell can be part of the second set (i.e., excluded for the PHR function).

[0111] Refer to Figure 6A, in the fifth rule example, at least one rule may include any RS of the PL-RS that excludes from participating in the PHR function any DL RS used for a non-serving cell. In one example, a non-serving cell may be identified based on the associated TRP-ID.

[0112] Refer to Figure 6A , in the sixth rule example, at least one rule may include multiple rules implemented in combination, such as any of the rules mentioned above. In this case, there may be multiple rules according to which which PL-RS are excluded from (or included in) participating in the PHR function. For example, at least one rule may include any RS of the PL-RS that excludes from participating in the PHR function any RS used as a UL PRS, any RS of the PL-RS used only as a UL PRS, any DL-PRS of the PL-RS used as a UL-PRS, any RS of the PL-RS used as a DL PRS associated with a non-serving cell, any RS of the PL-RS used for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

[0113] Refer to Figure 6A , in some designs, the path loss change of a cell is between the path loss currently measured on the current path loss reference and the path loss measured at the transmission time of the last transmission of the PHR on the path loss reference used at that time, regardless of whether the path loss reference changes in between. In some designs, the current path loss reference for this purpose does not include any path loss reference configured using pathlossReferenceRS-Pos.

[0114] Figure 6B An exemplary process 650 of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, process 650 may be performed by a UE.

[0115] At 660, the UE determines whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the PL-RS based on an indication associated with a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) received from the UE's serving cell. In one example, the determination at 660 may be based on at least one rule associated with the PHR for the PL-RS. In one example, at least one rule may be predefined (e.g., defined in a relevant standard). In another example, at least one rule may be configured dynamically (e.g., via DCI or MAC-CE in some designs, via higher layer signaling (such as RRC signaling) in other designs). In one aspect, operation 660 may be performed by the receiver 312, the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory 340, the PHR module 342, etc.

[0116] At 670, the UE performs a PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on this determination. In some designs, the execution of operation 670 performs a PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination at 610 is to perform the PHR function). In other designs, the execution only performs one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS (e.g., if the determination at 610 is not to perform the PHR function). In one example, the PHR function may include monitoring one or more conditions associated with the respective PL-RS for selectively triggering a PHR. As described above, these PHR trigger conditions may include PHR function configuration or reconfiguration, cell activation, periodicity, or a change in path loss or power backoff (P-MPR c ) prior to the next periodic trigger for the PHR. In one aspect, operation 670 may be performed by the transmitter 314, the WWAN transceiver 310, the processing system 332, the memory 340, the PHR module 342, etc.

[0117] Referring to operations 660 - 670, if the determination at 660 is not to perform the PHR function for the PL-RS, the UE may be characterized as "avoiding" performing the PHR function for that PL-RS, which may be interpreted as the UE avoiding generating and / or transmitting a PHR, regardless of whether one or more PHR trigger conditions are met. Thus, at least one rule effectively overrides the PHR trigger conditions such that if the determination at 610 determines to perform the PHR function, no PHR is reported in scenarios where the PHR would otherwise be transmitted.

[0118] Referring to Figure 6B 670, regardless of whether the PHR function is performed with respect to the PL-RS, in some designs, the UE performs one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS in association with one or more UL PRSs. At 670, the UE also optionally performs power control for the UL PRS based on one or more path loss measurements. In this case, if the determination at 660 is not to perform the PHR function, the one or more path loss measurements are ignored for PHR-related considerations for the PL-RS. Alternatively, if the determination at 660 is to perform the PHR function, one or more of these optional path loss measurements may be used to selectively trigger the PHR.

[0119] In one example, the determination at 660 for which the PL-RS that performs the PHR function can correspond to a first PL-RS set, and the determination at 660 for which the PL-RS that does not perform the PHR function can correspond to a second PL-RS set. In this case, the UL PRS may or may not include the cell associated with the first PL-RS set, and it may be unnecessary to limit the path loss on the second PL-RS set (e.g., the redundancy of the path loss management performed for the first PL-RS set involves the same cell). In this case, the optional path loss measurement may not be performed for the second PL-RS set. In some designs, the first PL-RS set is used to selectively trigger the PHR, while both the first PL-RS set and the second PL-RS set are used for UL-PRS.

[0120] Referring to Figure 6B , for example, excluding certain PL-RS from the PHR function provides one or more technical advantages (e.g., compared to simply performing the PHR function for all PL-RS), such as reduced power consumption at the UE, reduced system overhead and / or interference, scalability (e.g., more PL-RS can be supported without experiencing PHR-related bottlenecks), etc.

[0121] Now, various rules that can be used to sort PL-RS into a part of the first PL-RS set or the second PL-RS set will be described. One or more of the above rules can be used as Figure 6B part of the determination at 660. In particular, the following rules are described with respect to the first PL-RS set or the second PL-RS set, where the determination at 660 for which the PL-RS that performs the PHR function can correspond to the first PL-RS set, and the determination at 660 for which the PL-RS that does not perform the PHR function can correspond to the second PL-RS set.

[0122] Referring to Figure 6B, in a first rule example, at least one rule may include excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which an explicit indication of the PHR function exclusion is provided (e.g., an explicit "opt-out" rule). As an alternative, at least one rule may include excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which no explicit indication of the PHR function inclusion is provided (e.g., an explicit "opt-in" rule). In some designs, an explicit opt-in rule or an explicit opt-out rule may be implemented for a specific RS type (such as an RS used as a PL-RS for at least one UL PRS or an RS used only as a PL-RS for a UL PRS (e.g., as opposed to a common PL-RS associated with a UL PRS and other channel types)). In some designs, the explicit opt-in rule or the explicit opt-out rule may be applied to one or more of the 4 legacy 3GPP Release 15 PL-RSs.

[0123] Refer to Figure 6B , in a second rule example, at least one rule may include excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which an implicit indication of the PHR function exclusion is provided (e.g., an implicit "opt-out" rule). As an alternative, at least one rule may include excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which no implicit indication of the PHR function inclusion is provided (e.g., an implicit "opt-in" rule). In some designs, an implicit opt-in rule or an implicit opt-out rule may be implemented for a specific RS type (such as an RS used as a PL-RS for at least one UL PRS or an RS used only as a PL-RS for a UL PRS (e.g., as opposed to a common PL-RS associated with a UL PRS and other channel types)). In some designs, the implicit opt-in rule or the implicit opt-out rule may be applied to one or more of the 4 legacy 3GPP Release 15 PL-RSs.

[0124] Refer to Figure 6B, in the third rule example, at least one rule may include multiple rules implemented in combination, such as any of the rules mentioned above. In this case, there may be multiple rules according to which PL-RSs are excluded from (or included in) participating in the PHR function. For example, at least one rule may include: excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which an explicit indication of PHR function exclusion is provided; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which no explicit indication of PHR function inclusion is provided; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which an implicit indication of PHR function exclusion is provided; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, for which no implicit indication of PHR function inclusion is provided; or any combination thereof.

[0125] As can be seen in the detailed description above, different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as intending that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Instead, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer features than all of the individual example clauses disclosed. Accordingly, the following clauses are hereby incorporated into the description, where each clause may itself be a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in the clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to the specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of the aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any feature with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly stated or can be readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., conflicting aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Additionally, it is also contemplated that the aspects of a clause are included in any other independent clause, even if the clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0126] Referring to Figure 6A , in some designs, the path loss change of a particular cell may be measured or calculated between the path loss currently measured on the current path loss reference (e.g., pathlossReferenceRS-Pos in TS 38.331) and the path loss measured at the transmission time of the last transmission of the PHR on the path loss reference used at that time (e.g., pathlossReferenceRS-Pos in TS 38.331), regardless of whether the path loss reference changes.

[0127] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0128] Clause 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0129] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the performing performs the PHR function and the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, or wherein the performing performs only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS.

[0130] Clause 3. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any RS that serves as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS) from participating in the PHR function.

[0131] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any RS that serves only as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS) from participating in the PHR function.

[0132] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) that serves as an RS from participating in the PHR function.

[0133] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) that serves as an RS for an uplink (UL)-PRS associated with a non-serving cell from participating in the PHR function.

[0134] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any RS of a PL-RS that serves as any DLRS associated with a non-serving cell from participating in the PHR function.

[0135] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding from participation in the PHR function any RS that is a PL-RS used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), any RS that is a PL-RS used only as a UL PRS, any DL PRS that is used as an RS, any DL PRS of an RS that is used as a UL-PRS, any DLPRS of an RS that is used as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, any RS of a PL-RS that is used as any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

[0136] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the one or more path loss measurements are associated with one or more uplink (UL) positioning reference signals (PRS), and the method further includes performing power control for the UL PRS based on the one or more path loss measurements.

[0137] Clause 10. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), including: determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from a serving cell of the UE; and performing the PHR function or one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination.

[0138] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein the performing performs the PHR function and the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, or wherein the performing performs only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS.

[0139] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 11, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding from participation in the PHR function any RS that is a PL-RS, and providing an explicit indication of the PHR function exclusion for the PL-RS, or wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding from participation in the PHR function any RS that is a PL-RS, and not providing an explicit indication of the PHR function inclusion for the PL-RS.

[0140] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 12, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and providing an implicit indication of the exclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS; or wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and not providing an implicit indication of the inclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS.

[0141] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 13, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including: excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and providing an explicit indication of the exclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and not providing an explicit indication of the inclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and providing an implicit indication of the exclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS; excluding any RS used as a PL-RS from participating in the PHR function, and not providing an implicit indication of the inclusion of the PHR function for the PL-RS; or any combination thereof.

[0142] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 10 to 14, wherein the one or more path loss measurements are associated with one or more uplink (UL) positioning reference signals (PRSs), and the method further includes performing power control for the UL PRS based on the one or more path loss measurements.

[0143] Clause 16. An apparatus, comprising a memory and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the at least one processor being configured to execute the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15.

[0144] Clause 17. An apparatus, comprising a unit for executing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15.

[0145] Clause 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to execute the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15.

[0146] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0147] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the above has been described generally in terms of the functionality of various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in a flexible manner for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0148] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0149] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module may be located in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The ASIC may be located in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may be discrete components in a user device.

[0150] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. The computer-readable medium can include both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. The storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0151] Although the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The steps and / or acts of the method claims according to aspects of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Moreover, although the elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is contemplated unless expressly stated to be limited to the singular form.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: Determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; And Performing the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or performing only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, Wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: Any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or Any RS of a PL-RS that is only used as a UL PRS, or Any downlink (DL) PRS that is used as an RS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any RS of a PL-RS that is any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any combination thereof.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The one or more path loss measurements are associated with one or more uplink (UL) positioning reference signals (PRS), and the method further includes: Performing power control for the UL PRS based on the one or more path loss measurements.

5. A method for operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: Determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication associated with the PL-RS received from the serving cell of the UE; And Performing the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or performing only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, Wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: Any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or Any RS of a PL-RS that is only used as a UL PRS, or Any downlink (DL) PRS that is used as an RS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any RS of a PL-RS that is any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein The one or more path loss measurements are associated with one or more uplink (UL) positioning reference signals (PRSs), and the method further includes: Performing power control for the UL PRS based on the one or more path loss measurements.

9. A user equipment (UE) includes: A memory; At least one transceiver; And At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: Determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on the PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; And Perform the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or perform only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, Wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: Any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or Any RS of a PL-RS that is only used as a UL PRS, or Any downlink (DL) PRS that is used as an RS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS of a UL-PRS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS of a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any RS of a PL-RS that is any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or Any combination thereof.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

12. A user equipment (UE) includes: A memory; At least one transceiver; And At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: Determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication received from the serving cell of the UE and associated with the PL-RS; And Perform the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or perform only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, Wherein the determination is based on at least one rule, the at least one rule including excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: Any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or Any RS of a PL-RS that is only used as a UL PRS, or Any downlink (DL) PRS that is used as an RS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS of a UL-PRS, or Any DL PRS that is an RS of a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or any RS that is a PL-RS for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein, The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

14. The UE according to claim 12, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

15. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the PL-RS based on a PL-RS type or cell type associated with a path loss reference signal (PL-RS); and a unit for performing the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or for performing only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule that includes excluding from participation in the PHR function: any RS that is a PL-RS serving as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or any RS that is a PL-RS serving only as a UL PRS, or any DL PRS that serves as an RS, or any DL PRS that is an RS serving as a UL-PRS, or any DL PRS that is an RS serving as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or any RS that is a PL-RS for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

16. The UE according to claim 15, wherein The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

17. The UE according to claim 15, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

18. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the PL-RS based on an indication associated with a path loss reference signal (PL-RS) received from the serving cell of the UE; and a unit for performing the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or for performing only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule that includes excluding from participation in the PHR function: any RS that is a PL-RS serving as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or any RS that is a PL-RS serving only as a UL PRS, or any DL PRS that serves as an RS, or any DL PRS that is an RS serving as a UL-PRS, or any DL PRS that is an RS serving as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or any RS that is a PL-RS for any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

19. The UE according to claim 18, wherein, The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

20. The UE according to claim 18, wherein The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction that instructs a user equipment (UE) to determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on a PL-RS type or cell type associated with the PL-RS; and at least one instruction that instructs the UE to perform the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or to perform only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule that includes excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or any RS of a PL-RS that is used only as a UL PRS, or any DL PRS that is used as an RS, or any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS, or any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or any RS of a PL-RS that is any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein, The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 21, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction that instructs a user equipment (UE) to determine whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on an indication received from the UE's serving cell associated with the PL-RS; and at least one instruction that instructs the UE to perform the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS based on the determination, or to perform only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, wherein the determination is based on at least one rule that includes excluding the following from participating in the PHR function: any RS of a PL-RS that is used as an uplink (UL) positioning reference signal (PRS), or any RS of a PL-RS that is used only as a UL PRS, or any DL PRS that is used as an RS, or any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS, or any DL PRS that is an RS used as a UL-PRS associated with a non-serving cell, or any RS of a PL-RS that is any DL RS associated with a non-serving cell, or any combination thereof.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 24, wherein, The at least one rule is predefined according to a communication standard.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 24, wherein, The at least one rule is configured via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

27. A method for operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining whether to perform a power headroom report (PHR) function for the path loss reference signal (PL-RS) based on a PL-RS type or a cell type associated with the PL-RS; and performing, based on the determination, the PHR function and one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, or performing only the one or more path loss measurements for the PL-RS, wherein the determination is based on excluding the PL-RS configured for positioning from the PHR function.

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