Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) Report with Discontinuous Reception (DRX)
By rationally managing the transmission of location measurement reports and UL-PRS in DRX mode, the UE switches between wake-up and sleep states during the DRX cycle, solving the problems of battery consumption and signaling efficiency in DRX mode, and achieving more efficient battery use and signaling management.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202180034817.9
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2021-05-10
- Filing Date
- 2021-05-11
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-31
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-05-11
AI Technical Summary
In Discontinuous Receive (DRX) mode, how can the UE efficiently manage the transmission of location measurement reports and uplink positioning reference signals (UL-PRS) to reduce battery consumption and improve signaling efficiency?
During the DRX cycle, the UE determines whether to wake up to transmit location measurement reports or UL-PRS based on multiple factors, or to enter a sleep state to suppress transmission, through reasonable wake-up and sleep management during the DRX on-duration period.
It improves battery life and signaling efficiency, reduces unnecessary power consumption, and meets positioning and measurement requirements.
Smart Images

Figure CN115669109B_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Cross-references to related applications
[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 024,804, filed May 14, 2020, entitled “Location Reference Signal (PRS) Report with Discontinuous Reception (DRX)”, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 315,821, filed May 10, 2021, entitled “Location Reference Signal (PRS) Report with Discontinuous Reception (DRX)”, both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this application and whose entire contents are expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field
[0003] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Technology
[0004] Wireless communication systems have undergone several generations of development, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services supporting the Internet, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS) and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.
[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), demands higher data delivery speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. Designed according to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC) standard, 5G aims to deliver tens of megabits per second (Mbps) to each of tens of thousands of users, or 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) to dozens of employees on an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, it should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly enhanced compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved, and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The following is a simplified overview relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this overview should not be considered a broad summary relating to all anticipated aspects, nor should it be thought to identify key or important elements relating to all anticipated aspects or to define the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this overview is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects related to the institution disclosed herein, before the specific descriptions presented below.
[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) mode includes: determining that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle; determining, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a location measurement report or an uplink location reference signal (UL-PRS); and based on the determination: waking up during the next DRX on-duration and transmitting the location measurement report or UL-PRS, or remaining in a DRX sleep state and suppressing the transmission of the location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0008] In one aspect, a UE includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to, when operating in DRX mode, determine that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle, determine, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, and based on the determination: wake up during the next DRX on-duration and enable at least one transceiver to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, or remain in a DRX sleep state during the next DRX on-duration and suppress enabling at least one transceiver to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS.
[0009] In one aspect, a UE includes means for determining, when operating in DRX mode, that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle, means for determining, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, and means, based on the determination, to wake up and transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration, or to remain in DRX sleep mode and suppress the transmission of a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0010] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes computer-executable instructions comprising: at least one instruction instructing a UE operating in DRX mode to determine that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle; at least one instruction instructing the UE to determine, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS; and, based on the determination, at least one instruction instructing the UE to wake up during the next DRX on-duration and transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, or at least one instruction instructing the UE to remain in DRX sleep mode and suppress transmission of a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0011] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description
[0012] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting the scope of the subject matter.
[0013] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.
[0014] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network architectures based on various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.
[0015] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C This is a simplified block diagram of several example aspects of components that can be adopted and configured in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities to support the communications taught herein.
[0016] Figures 4A to 4D This is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure and a channel within the frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure.
[0017] Figures 5A to 5C Example discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated.
[0018] Figure 6 An example timeline is illustrated according to various aspects of this disclosure, showing two example DRX timings and their associated wake-up signals (WUS).
[0019] Figure 7A comparison is illustrated between a first WUS that instructs the UE to skip the next DRX timing and a second WUS that does not instruct the UE to skip the next DRX timing, according to various aspects of this disclosure.
[0020] Figure 8 Example configurations for WUS monitoring timing are illustrated according to various aspects of this disclosure.
[0021] Figure 9 Example DCI formats for WUS are illustrated according to various aspects of this disclosure.
[0022] Figure 10 Example methods of wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Detailed Implementation
[0023] Aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and in the accompanying drawings with reference to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.
[0024] The terms “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 being more preferred or advantageous than other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.
[0025] Those skilled in the art will understand that any of a variety of different techniques and skills can be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc., data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description below can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.
[0026] Furthermore, many aspects are described according to a sequence of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence of actions(s) described herein can be considered entirely embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in many different forms, all of which are contemplated within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described, for example, as “logic, configured to” perform the described actions.
[0027] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or (e.g., at certain times) 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 Equipment,” “Wireless Equipment,” “Subscriber Equipment,” “Subscriber Terminal,” “Subscriber Station,” “User Terminal” or “UT,” “Mobile Equipment,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and a UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs through the core network. Of course, for the UE, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.).
[0028] Base stations may depend on the network in which they are deployed, operate according to one of several RATs communicating with the UE, and are alternatively referred to as Access Points (APs), Network Nodes, NodeBs, Evolved NodeBs (eNBs), Next Generation eNBs (ng-eNBs), New Radio (NR) Node Bs (also known as gNBs or gNodeBs), etc. Base stations may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UE. In some systems, base stations may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in others, they may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The UE can send signals to the base station via a communication link, referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse flow channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The base station can send signals to the UE via a communication link, referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward flow channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "flow channel (TCH)" may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward flow channel.
[0029] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may be co-located or non-co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the antenna of a base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transport medium) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to the serving base station). Alternatively, non-co-located physical TRPs may be the serving base station receiving measurement reports from the UE and neighboring base stations where the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because, as used in this article, a TRP is the point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station will be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.
[0030] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the base station may not support radio access by the UE (e.g., it may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement by the UE and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).
[0031] An “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” and it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.
[0032] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (denoted as "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 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 station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB corresponding to an LTE network, or a gNB corresponding to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.
[0033] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and connect to core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and connect to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via core network 170. The location servers (multiple) 172 can be part of core network 170 or can be outside of core network 170. Among other functions, base station 102 can also perform one or more of the following functions: delivery 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, location, and warning message delivery. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) on backhaul link 134, which can be wired or wireless.
[0034] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110 can support one or more cells. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resources, referred to as carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier used to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Global Cell Identifier (CGI), etc.). 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 others). Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports that logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" are used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector), as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within certain parts of the geographical coverage area 110.
[0035] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled as "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs), which can provide service to restricted groups called Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).
[0036] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technologies including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may use one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric relative to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink compared to the uplink).
[0037] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150, which communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a free channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) process to determine whether the channel is available before communication.
[0038] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can 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, which may operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a part of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to a 3 GHz frequency with a wavelength of 100 mmW. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also known as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it will be understood that the foregoing examples are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of disclosure.
[0040] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., a UE) (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 (multiple) receiving devices. To change the directivity 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 broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates RF beams that 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 relationship, causing radio waves from the separate antennas to combine to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling out radiation in undesired directions.
[0041] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to have the same parameters in the receiver (e.g., UE), regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, 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, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase a gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a specific direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase the gain level of that RF signal). Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.
[0043] Transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that parameters of a second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) of a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) of 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. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.
[0044] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, then it is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, then it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, then it is an uplink transmit beam.
[0045] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless 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). The mmW band typically encompasses the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Therefore, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" are often used interchangeably.
[0046] In multi-carrier systems (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," while the remaining carrier frequencies are called "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and the cell. On the anchor carrier, 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 public and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is the carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2). Once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier, the secondary carrier can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, the UE-specific information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that some base stations are communicating on, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" are used interchangeably.
[0047] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers allows the UE 104 / 182 to significantly improve its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, compared to the rate achieved by a single 20MHz carrier, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).
[0048] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 via communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.
[0049] exist Figure 1 In the example, one or more Earth-orbiting Satellite Positioning Information System (SPS) spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites) can be used as any of the illustrated UEs (for simplicity, in... Figure 1 A single source of location information (shown as a single UE 104) is represented. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated SPS receivers specifically designed to receive SPS signals 124 for deriving geographic location information from SV 112. The SPS typically includes a transmitter system (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that receivers (e.g., UE 104) determine their location on or above the earth based at least in part on signals received from that transmitter (e.g., SPS signals 124). Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes using a set number of chips. While typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104.
[0050] The use of SPS signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that can be associated with or otherwise support use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, an SBAS may include augmentation systems(s) ...
[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) point-to-point (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based network connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported using any known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D) or WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). etc.
[0052] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, the 5GC 210 (also known as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate collaboratively to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In another configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to control plane function 214 and via the NG-U 213 to user plane function 212. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. One of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 (or both gNBs 222 and ng-eNBs 224) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein).
[0053] Another optional aspect may include location server 230, which can communicate with 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to (multiple) UEs 204. Location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each server may correspond to a single server. Location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which UE 204 may connect to location server 230 via the core network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).
[0054] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 250.5GC 260 is illustrated (which can correspond to...). Figure 2AThe 5GC210 in the document can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which cooperate to form the core network (i.e., 5GC260). The functions of AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, delivery of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and the Session Management Function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, delivery of short message service (SMS) messages between UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and the Security Anchor Function (SEAF). AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AMF. The AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which are used to derive the specific keys for accessing the network. The AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, delivery of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a location server 230), delivery of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interaction with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Additionally, the AMF 264 supports functions for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.
[0055] The functions of UPF 262 include: serving as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), serving as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point for interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful eavesdropping (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, processing of user plane Quality of Service (QoS) (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Stream (SDF) to QoS stream mapping), delivery-level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the delivery of location service messages on the user plane between UE 204 and a location server such as SLP 272.
[0056] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at UPF 262 to route traffic to appropriate destinations, control of QoS and partial policy enforcement, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.
[0057] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the 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 spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each server may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). The SLP 272 can support similar functionality to the LMF 270, but the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols that intend to convey signaling messages instead of voice or data), while the SLP 272 can communicate with the UE 204 and external clients via the user plane. Figure 2B (not shown) to communicate (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).
[0058] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260 (specifically UPF 262 and AMF 264) to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220, respectively. The interface between (multiple) gNB 222 and / or (multiple) ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, and the interface between (multiple) gNB 222 and / or (multiple) ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The (multiple) gNB 222 and / or (multiple) ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.
[0059] The functionality of gNB 222 is divided between gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as delivering user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, location, and session management, in addition to those functions specifically allocated to gNB-DU 228. More specifically, gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 222. gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, and with gNB-DU 228 via RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.
[0060] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CSeveral example components (represented by corresponding boxes) are illustrated. These components can be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270), or alternatively, can be independent of UE 302. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The illustrated NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a private network) is used to support the file transfer operations taught herein. It will be understood that, in different implementations, these components can be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-a-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. Similarly, a given device may contain one or more of these 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.
[0061] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 310 and 350, providing components (e.g., components for transmitting, receiving, measuring, tuning, suppressing transmission, etc.) for communication via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WLAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communication with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB)) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) through a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). According to the specified RAT, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured differently for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 respectively include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 respectively for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 respectively.
[0062] In at least certain circumstances, UE 302 and base station 304 each also include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.) through the wireless communication medium of interest. Components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communication between PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access for Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) and other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.). According to the specified RAT, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 respectively for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver and / or Transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.
[0063] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may each provide components for receiving and / or measuring 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, respectively. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and perform calculations necessary to determine the positioning of UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained through any suitable SPS algorithm.
[0064] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, providing components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.
[0065] Transceivers can be configured to communicate via wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., the transmitter and receiver circuitry are implemented in a single device); in some embodiments, the transceiver may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry; or in other embodiments, the transceiver may be implemented in other ways. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, that allow corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmission beamforming as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, that allow corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform reception beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the corresponding devices can only receive or transmit at a given time, and cannot receive and transmit simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.
[0066] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) can generally be characterized as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Therefore, whether a particular transceiver is wired or wireless can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers will typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.
[0067] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operation disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functions related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functions. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can therefore provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for transmitting, components for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.
[0068] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide components for storage, retrieval, maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry, which is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other respects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or the modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 342 are illustrated. The positioning component 342 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332 or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations of the positioning component 388 are illustrated. The positioning component 388 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384 or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated. The positioning component 398 may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394 or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.
[0069] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or SPS receivers 330. As an example, the sensors 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or other types of motion detection sensors. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices, and their outputs may be combined to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.
[0070] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346, providing components for providing instructions to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual instructions) and / or receiving user input (e.g., when the user activates a sensing device (such as a keyboard, touchscreen, microphone, etc.)). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.
[0071] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to one or more processors 384. One or more processors 384 can implement the functions of the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting 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 header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.
[0072] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. 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 a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.
[0073] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes separate OFDM symbol streams for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. Symbols on each subcarrier, along with a reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functions.
[0074] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.
[0075] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with downlink transmissions of base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU delivery, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.
[0076] Transmitter 314 can use channel estimates derived from reference signals or feedback transmitted from base station 304 by channel estimator to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 can utilize the corresponding spatial stream to modulate RF carriers for transmission.
[0077] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals through its respective antenna(s) 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to one or more processors 384.
[0078] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.
[0079] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The examples shown herein include various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionalities in different designs.
[0080] The various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, and 392 can form, or be part of, the communication interfaces for UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functions are integrated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, and 392 can provide communication between them.
[0081] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Components can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components can 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 the function. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and(s) memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by properly configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and(s) memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by properly configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and(s) memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by properly configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, behaviors, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE", "by the base station", "by the network entity", etc. However, it will be understood that such operations, behaviors and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.
[0082] In some designs, network entity 306 can be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 can be differentiated from the operation of the network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).
[0083] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4A Figure 400 illustrates an example of a downlink frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4B Figure 430 illustrates an example of a channel within a downlink frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4C Figure 450 illustrates an example of an uplink frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4D Figure 480 illustrates an example of a channel within an uplink frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.
[0084] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR has the option to use OFDM on the uplink as well. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, OFDM is used to transmit modulation symbols in the frequency domain, and SC-FDM is used to transmit modulation symbols in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing 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 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.
[0085] LTE supports a single set of parameters (numerology) (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter sets (μ), such as 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or larger subcarrier spacings are available. Within each subcarrier spacing, each slot has 14 symbols. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 50. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are 4 time slots per subframe, 40 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.25ms, a symbol duration of 16.7μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are 8 time slots per subframe, 80 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.125ms, a symbol duration of 8.33μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 time slots per subframe, 160 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size.
[0086] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4D In the example, a parameter set of 15kHz was used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms in size, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figures 4A to 4D In the diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.
[0087] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to a symbol length in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4A and Figure 4DIn the parameter set, for a normal cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 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.
[0088] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSB), etc. Figure 4A An example location of an RE carrying a PRS (labeled "R") is shown.
[0089] A collection of resource elements (REs) used to transmit a PRS is called a "PRS resource". The collection of resource elements can span multiple PRSs in the frequency domain and "N" (such as one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies a consecutive PRB in the frequency domain.
[0090] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also known as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / frequency modulation spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for a comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol in the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the RE corresponding to every 4th subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS resource. Currently, DL-PRS supports comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12. Figure 4A An example PRS resource configuration for Comb-6 (which spans 6 symbols) is shown. That is, the position of the shaded RE (labeled "R") indicates the Comb-6 PRS resource configuration.
[0091] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a time slot with a fully frequency-domain interleaved mode. DL-PRS resources can be configured in downlink or flexible (FL) symbols in any higher-level configuration of the time slot. For all REs of a given DL-PRS resource, there can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE). Below are the symbol-by-symbol frequency offsets with comb sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4, 10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.
[0092] A “PRS resource set” is a collection of PRS resources used to transmit PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources within a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). Additionally, PRS resources within a PRS resource set share the same periodicity, a common silence mode configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as “PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor”) across time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource in the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource in the next PRS instance. The periodicity can have a length selected from 2^μ*{4,5,8,10,16,20,32,40,64,80,160,320,640,1280,2560,5120,10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor can have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.
[0093] In a PRS resource set, a PRS resource ID is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam; therefore, a "PRS resource," or simply a "resource," can also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this has no impact on whether the UE knows the TRP and the beam transmitting the PRS.
[0094] A “PRS instance” or “PRS timing” is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS timing may also be referred to as a “PRS positioning timing,” “PRS positioning instance,” “positioning timing,” “positioning instance,” “positioning repetition,” or simply “timing,” “instance,” or “repetition.”
[0095] A “positioning frequency layer” (also simply “frequency layer”) is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values for certain parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all parameter sets supported by PDSCH also support PRS), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter “ARFCN-ValueNR” (where “ARFCN” stands for “Absolute Radio Channel Number”) and is an identifier / code specifying a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and each TRP of each frequency layer can be configured with up to two PRS resource sets.
[0096] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth portions (BWPs), but the difference is that component carriers and BWPs are used by a single base station (or a macro cell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit data channels, while a frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit PRS (Positioning Signals). When a UE sends its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session), the UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.
[0097] Figure 4BExamples of various channels within a downlink time slot of a radio frame are illustrated. In NR, the channel bandwidth, or system bandwidth, is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a consecutive set of PRBs selected from a consecutive subset of common RBs of a given parameter set on a given carrier. Typically, a maximum of four BWPs can be specified in both the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured with up to four BWPs in the downlink and up to four BWPs in the uplink. At any given time, only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active, meaning that the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. In the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of the SSB, but it may or may not contain an SSB.
[0098] refer to Figure 4B The UE uses the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) to determine subframe / symbol timing and 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 physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides multiple RBs and system frame numbers (SFNs) in the downlink system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data and broadcast system information not transmitted via the PBCH, such as System Information Blocks (SIBs) and paging messages.
[0099] The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes one or more RE Group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, and each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The physical resource set used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called the Control Resource Set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted using its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.
[0100] exist Figure 4B In the example, each BWP has a CORESET, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it may only have one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is located in a specific region (i.e., the CORESET) in the frequency domain. Therefore, Figure 4B The frequency components of the PDCCH shown are illustrated as smaller than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that although the illustrated CORESET is continuous in the frequency domain, this is not mandatory. Furthermore, the CORESET can span fewer than three symbols in the time domain.
[0101] The DCIs within the PDCCH carry information about uplink resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of downlink data transmitted to the UE, referred to as uplink and downlink grants, respectively. More specifically, the DCI indicates resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transport power control (TPC), etc. The PDCCH can be transmitted using 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.
[0102] The following are the currently supported DCI formats. Format 0-0: Backoff for PUSCH scheduling; Format 0-1: Non-backoff for PUSCH scheduling; Format 1-0: Backoff for PDSCH scheduling; Format 1-1: Non-backoff for PDSCH scheduling; Format 2-0: Notifying a group of UEs of the UE slot format; Format 2-1: Notifying a group of UEs of PRB and OFDM symbols, where UEs can assume no intention to transmit to them; Format 2-2: Transmission of TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH; and Format 2-3: Transmission of a group of SRS requests and TPC commands for SRS transmission. Note that the backoff format is the default scheduling option, has non-configurable fields, and supports basic NR operations. In contrast, the non-backoff format can flexibly adapt to NR features.
[0103] As will be understood, the UE needs to be able to demodulate (also known as “decode”) the PDCCH in order to read the DCI and thus obtain the scheduling of resources allocated to the UE on the PDSCH and PUSCH. If the UE fails to demodulate the PDCCH, the UE will not know the location of the PDSCH resources, and it will continue to try to demodulate the PDCCH using different sets of PDCCH candidates during subsequent PDCCH monitoring. If the UE fails to demodulate the PDCCH after a number of attempts, the UE declares a radio link failure (RLF). To overcome the PDCCH demodulation problem, a search space is configured for effective PDCCH detection and demodulation.
[0104] Typically, the UE will not attempt to demodulate every PDCCH candidate that might be scheduled in a time slot. To reduce the constraints on the PDCCH scheduler and to minimize the number of blind demodulation attempts by the UE, a search space is configured. The search space is indicated by a consecutive set of CCEs, which the UE should monitor to perform scheduling assignment / granting associated with a specific component carrier. There are two types of search spaces used for PDCCH control of each component carrier: the common search space (CSS) and the UE-specific search space (USS).
[0105] A common search space is shared across all UEs, and each UE uses a UE-specific search space (i.e., the UE-specific search space is specific to a particular UE). For the common search space, DCI Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) is scrambled using the System Information Radio Network Temporary Identifier (SI-RNTI), Random Access RNTI (RA-RNTI), Temporary Cell RNTI (TC-RNTI), Paging RNTI (P-RNTI), Interruption RNTI (INT-RNTI), Slot Format Indication RNTI (SFI-RNTI), TPC-PUCCH-RNTI, TPC-PUSCH-RNTI, TPC-SRS-RNTI, Cell RNTI (C-RNTI), or the Scheduling RNTI configured for all common procedures (CS-RNTI). For the UE-specific search space, DCI CRC is scrambled using C-RNTI or CS-RNTI because these are specific to individual UEs.
[0106] The UE uses four UE-specific search space aggregation levels (1, 2, 4, and 8) and two common search space aggregation levels (4 and 8) to demodulate the PDCCH. Specifically, for the UE-specific search space, aggregation level "1" has six PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of six CCEs. Aggregation level "2" has six PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of 12 CCEs. Aggregation level "4" has two PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of eight CCEs. Aggregation level "8" has two PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of 16 CCEs. For the common search space, aggregation level "4" has four PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of 16 CCEs. Aggregation level "8" has two PDCCH candidates per slot, with a size of 16 CCEs.
[0107] Each search space includes a contiguous set of CCEs that can be assigned to the PDCCH, called PDCCH candidates. The UE demodulates all PDCCH candidates in these two search spaces (USS and CSS) to discover the UE's DCI. For example, the UE can demodulate the DCI to obtain uplink grant information scheduled on the PUSCH and downlink resources on the PDSCH. Note that the aggregation level is the number of REs in the CORESET carrying the PDCCH DCI message, and is represented by CCEs. There is a one-to-one mapping between the aggregation level and the number of CCEs at each aggregation level. That is, for aggregation level "4", there are four CCEs. Therefore, as shown above, if the aggregation level is "4" and the number of PDCCH candidates in the slot is "2", then the size of the search space is "8" (i.e., 4 × 2 = 8).
[0108] like Figure 4C As shown, some REs (denoted as "R") carry DMRS for channel estimation at the receiver (e.g., a base station, another UE, etc.). The UE may additionally transmit SRS in, for example, the last symbol of a time slot. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may transmit the SRS on one of the combs. Figure 4C In the example, the illustrated SRS is comb-2 on one symbol. The base station can use the SRS to obtain Channel State Information (CSI) for each UE. The CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation with distance. The system uses the SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.
[0109] Currently, SRS resources can span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 consecutive symbols within time slots of comb size comb-2, comb-4, or comb-8. The following are the symbol-by-symbol frequency offsets for the currently supported SRS comb modes. 1-symbol comb-2: {0}; 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3}; 8-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 4-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6}; 8-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3, 7}; and 12-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3, 7, 0, 4, 2, 6}.
[0110] The set of resource elements used for transmitting SRS is called an "SRS resource" and can be identified by the parameter "SRS-ResourceId". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, SRS resources occupy consecutive PRBs. An "SRS resource set" is the set of SRS resources used for transmitting SRS signals and is identified by the SRS resource set ID ("SRS-ResourceSetId").
[0111] Typically, a UE transmits a SRS to enable the receiving base station (serving base station or neighboring base station) to measure the channel quality between the UE and the base station. However, an SRS can also be specifically configured as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink-based positioning procedures, such as uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), round-trip time (RTT), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), etc. As used herein, the term "SRS" can refer to an SRS configured for channel quality measurement or an SRS configured for positioning purposes. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two types of SRS, the former may be referred to herein as "SRS for communication," and / or the latter may be referred to herein as "SRS for positioning."
[0112] Several enhancements to the previously defined SRS have been proposed for the SRS used for positioning (also known as "UL-PRS"), such as new interleaving patterns within SRS resources (in addition to single-symbol / comb-2), new comb types for SRS, new sequences of SRS, a higher number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a higher number of SRS resources per component carrier. Furthermore, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" will be configured based on the downlink reference signal or SSB from the adjacent TRP. Additionally, an SRS resource can be transmitted outside the active BWP, and an SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Furthermore, SRS can be configured in RRC connected state and transmitted only within the active BWP. Furthermore, there can be no frequency hopping, no repetition factor, a single antenna port, and new lengths for SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). Open-loop power control and non-closed-loop power control are also possible, and comb-8 (i.e., one SRS transmitted every eighth subcarrier in the same symbol) can be used. Finally, for UL-AoA, the UE can transmit via the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources. All of these are additional features of the current SRS framework, which is configured via RRC higher-layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated via the MAC control unit (CE) or DCI).
[0113] Figure 4D Examples of various channels within uplink time slots of a frame according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Based on the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) configuration, the Random Access Channel (RACH), also known as the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), can reside in one or more time slots within a frame. The PRACH can comprise six consecutive RB pairs within a time slot. The PRACH allows the UE to perform initial system access and achieve uplink synchronization. The Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) can be located at the edge of the uplink system bandwidth. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, CSI reports, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) carries data and can also be used to carry buffer status reports (BSR), power headroom reports (PHR), and / or UCI.
[0114] Note that the terms “location reference signal” and “PRS” generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms “location reference signal” and “PRS” can also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc., as defined in LTE and NR. Furthermore, the terms “location reference signal” and “PRS” can refer to downlink or uplink positioning reference signals unless the context otherwise indicates. If further differentiation of the type of PRS is required, a downlink positioning reference signal can be referred to as “DL-PRS”, and an uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS, PTRS used for positioning) can be referred to as “UL-PRS”. Additionally, for signals that can be transmitted in both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), “UL” or “DL” can be added before the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, “UL-DMRS” may differ from “DL-DMRS”.
[0115] NR supports multiple cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD) in NR. During OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of a reference signal (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)) received from a base station, referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports them to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in auxiliary data. The UE then measures the RSTD between each of the non-reference base stations and the reference base station. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location.
[0116] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE, measured by the received signal strength of multiple downlink transmit beams, to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's location based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.
[0117] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurement and the angle of the receive beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base stations. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base stations, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.
[0118] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT"). During RTT, the initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to the responder (UE or base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, known as the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal, known as the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also known as "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder can be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs an RTT procedure with multiple base stations to enable it to determine its location based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateral positioning). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve positioning accuracy.
[0119] The E-CID positioning method is based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, along with estimated timing and signal strength. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.
[0120] To assist in the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP272) can provide auxiliary data to the UE. For example, auxiliary data may include the identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) measuring the reference signal, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning subframes, the periodicity of the positioning subframes, the silence sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a specific positioning method. Alternatively, auxiliary data may be derived directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using auxiliary data.
[0121] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, auxiliary data may also include the expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 8 μs.
[0122] Location estimation can be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, location, positioning, positionfix, fix, etc. Location estimation can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible elevation), or it can be urban and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of the location. Location estimation can also be defined relative to another known location, or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible elevation). Location estimation can include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the expected location is included at a specified or default confidence level).
[0123] Even when no traffic is being transmitted from the network to the UE, the UE is expected to monitor every downlink subframe on the PDCCH. This means the UE must always be "on" or active, even when there is no traffic, because the UE does not know exactly when the network will transmit data to it. However, being constantly active consumes a lot of power for the UE.
[0124] To address this issue, the UE can implement Discontinuous Reception (DRX) and / or Connected Mode Discontinuous Reception (CDRX) technologies. DRX and CDRX are mechanisms where the UE enters a "sleep" mode during scheduled time periods and "wakes up" during other time periods. During the wake-up or active period, the UE checks for any data from the network; if none is found, it returns to sleep mode.
[0125] To implement DRX and CDRX, the UE and network need to be synchronized. In the worst-case scenario, when the UE is in sleep mode, the network may attempt to send some data to the UE, and the UE may wake up when there is no data to receive. To prevent such scenarios, the UE and network should have a clear protocol regarding when the UE can be in sleep mode and when the UE should be awake / active. This protocol has been standardized in various technical specifications. Note that DRX includes CDRX; therefore, unless otherwise indicated, references to DRX refer to both DRX and CDRX.
[0126] The network (e.g., the serving cell) can use an RRC connection reconfiguration message (for CDRX) or an RRC connection establishment message (for DRX) to configure DRX / CDRX timing for the UE. The network can signal the following DRX configuration parameters to the UE:
[0127]
[0128] Table 1
[0129] Figures 5A to 5C Exemplary DRX configurations according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated. Figure 5A Example DRX configuration 500A is shown, in which a long DRX period (the time from the start of one on-duration to the start of the next on-duration) is configured, and no PDCCH is received during that period. Figure 5B Example DRX configuration 500B is illustrated, in which a long DRX period is configured, and a PDCCH is received during the on-duration 510 of the illustrated second DRX period. Note that the on-duration 510 ends at time 512. However, based on the length of the DRX inactivity timer and the time for receiving the PDCCH, the UE's wake-up / active time ("active time") is extended to time 514. Specifically, when the PDCCH is received, the UE starts the DRX inactivity timer and remains in the active state until the timer expires (the timer is reset each time a PDCCH is received during the active time).
[0130] Figure 5C Example DRX configuration 500C is shown, in which a long DRX cycle is configured, and the PDCCH and DRX command MAC control element (MAC-CE) are received during the on-duration of the second DRX cycle shown, which is 520 seconds. Note that, as referenced above... Figure 5B As discussed, since the PDCCH is received at time 522 and the subsequent DRX inactivity timer expires at time 524, the active period that started during the on duration 520 would normally end at time 524. However, in Figure 5CIn the example, based on the time of receiving the DRX command MAC-CE, the active time is shortened to time 526, and the DRX command MAC-CE instructs the UE to terminate the DRX inactivity timer and start the duration timer.
[0131] More specifically, the active time of the DRX cycle is the time during which the UE is considered to be monitoring the PDCCH. The active time can include the time during which the enable duration timer is running, the time during which the DRC inactivity timer is running, the time during which the DRX retransmission timer is running, the time during which the MAC contention resolution timer is running, the time during which a scheduling request has been transmitted on the PUCCH and is pending, the time during which an uplink grant for a pending HARQ retransmission can occur and there is data in the corresponding HARQ buffer, or the time during which a new transmission indicating a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) addressed to the UE has not been received after successfully receiving a Random Access Response (RAR) for a preamble not selected by the UE. Furthermore, in contention-free random access, after receiving the RAR, the UE should be active until a new transmission indicating a C-RNTI addressed to the UE is received.
[0132] Traditional UEs are expected to monitor all DRX on-duration periods in their CDRX mode. However, in NR, the network (e.g., the serving base station) can send a Wake-Up Signal (WUS) to the UE during a monitoring period prior to the DRX on-duration period. The WUS indicates whether the UE should wake up during the next DRX on-duration period. If the UE does not detect the WUS during the monitoring period, it can be pre-configured to skip the upcoming on-duration period or wake up during the upcoming on-duration period. This is in... Figure 6 The example is shown where the UE is configured to skip the next DRX on duration if it does not detect WUS.
[0133] Specifically, Figure 6 The example timeline 600 shows two example DRX opportunities (also known as "DRX instances," "DRX cycle opportunities," "DRX cycle instances," "DRX cycles," etc.) and their associated WUS. Figure 6 In the example, WUS is transmitted and received during the first WUS monitoring time (MO) prior to the first DRX time, waking the UE and allowing it to monitor multiple PDCCH monitoring times (MOs) during the first DRX time. However, no WUS is transmitted or received during the second WUS MO prior to the second DRX time, keeping the UE in DRX sleep mode. Depending on the CDRX settings, using WUS can provide up to 10% additional connectivity mode power savings for UEs that are not frequently scheduled.
[0134] Figure 7 The operation of WUS is illustrated in more detail. Specifically, Figure 7 A comparison is shown between the first WUS that instructs the UE to skip the next DRX timing and the second WUS that does not instruct the UE to skip the next DRX timing. Figure 7 In the example, the first timeline 700 includes a WUS MO 710 separated by a pre-wake gap 712 and a DRX on-time 714, and the second timeline 750 includes a WUS MO 760 separated by a pre-wake gap 762 and a DRX on-time 764. Each DRX on-time is the start of the next DRX cycle. Figure 7 In the diagram, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the frequency range monitored by the UE.
[0135] In timeline 700, during WUS MO 710, a WUS indicating that the UE should not wake up in the next DRX cycle is detected, or no WUS is detected indicating that the UE should not wake up in the next DRX cycle, depending on how the UE has been configured. Therefore, the UE does not wake up to monitor the DRX on duration 714. More specifically, if the MAC entity at the UE is not woken up by the WUS indication, the UE does not start the DRX on duration timer for the next single occurrence of the DRX on duration, i.e., DRX on duration 714.
[0136] However, in timeline 750, during WUS MO 760, a WUS indicating that the UE should wake up in the next DRX cycle is detected, or no WUS is detected indicating that the UE should wake up in the next DRX cycle (again, depending on how the UE has been configured). Therefore, the UE wakes up to monitor the DRX on duration 764. More specifically, if the MAC entity at the UE is woken up by a WUS indication, the UE starts a DRX on duration timer for the next single occurrence of the DRX on duration, i.e., DRX on duration 764. In the example of timeline 750, PDCCH 766 is received during DRX on duration 764, thus starting a DRX inactivity timer.
[0137] WUS can be a PDCCH-based signal, and therefore can be referred to as "PDCCH-WUS". More specifically, WUS essentially refers to the bits in the WUS-specific DCI assigned to the UE. A value "1" can be configured to mean that the UE should monitor the next (i.e., the upcoming) DRX on duration, and a value "0" can be configured to mean that the UE can skip the next on duration.
[0138] like Figure 7As shown, when configured to monitor WUS, the UE performs a two-stage wake-up: a low-power wake-up for WUS detection and a full-power wake-up for PDCCH detection. This two-stage wake-up facilitates a low-power implementation of PDCCH-WUS detection because the following optimizations are feasible during the first-stage wake-up: (1) there is a minimum set of hardware that needs to be online for PDCCH-only processing; (2) the operating point of the hardware in terms of voltage level and clock frequency can be lower; (3) there is a more relaxed PDCCH processing timeline (e.g., offline processing) due to the WUS offset; and (4) the receive bandwidth and number of PDCCH candidate / aggregation levels for PDCCH-WUS can be reduced.
[0139] Various energy-saving channel principles apply to WUS. For example, WUS can be configured only on the PCell or primary / secondary cell (PSCell). Furthermore, more than one monitoring opportunity can be configured per DRX cycle within one or more time slots. Additionally, it is anticipated that the UE will not monitor WUS during DRX active periods. Furthermore, WUS does not affect the parameters “bwp-inactivityTimer”, “dataInactivityTimer”, and “sCellDeactivationTimer”. If the currently active BWP during DRX operation does not have WUS configured, or the WUS monitoring opportunity is invalid, the UE starts a DRX start duration timer for the next DRX opportunity. When WUS is not detected (e.g., due to discontinuous transmission (DTX) from the base station or erroneous detection at the UE), the UE's behavior (whether to start a DRX start duration timer for the next DRX opportunity) is configurable. Finally, if both short and long DRX cycles are configured, WUS can be applied only to long DRX cycles.
[0140] Figure 8 Example configuration 800 illustrates when WUS monitoring will occur. (Example:) Figure 8 The example defines a new per-cell-group parameter, “PS_offset”. This parameter indicates the earliest potential start point for WUS monitoring relative to the start of the DRX cycle. This parameter is provided in milliseconds (ms) and has a range of values selected from {0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, ..., N}, where N is, for example, 15.
[0141] "Minimum time gap" (in) Figure 8The interval (marked as "gap," appearing at n+3) is defined as the duration prior to the start of the DRX cycle. Within the "minimum time gap," UE monitoring of WUS is not required. The minimum time gap is a UE capability and is provided in time slots (making it dependent on the SCS). For UE capability reporting, each SCS supports two candidate values, where the maximum value is no greater than, for example, three milliseconds.
[0142] Existing search space information elements (IEs) can be used for WUS configuration. All parameters of the search space IEs (e.g., duration, "monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot", "monitoringSlotPerioditityAndOffset") can be used without modification. Figure 8 In the example, the duration of WUS is one slot (i.e., duration = 1), which is 14 symbols. “monitoringSymbolsWithinSlot” indicates that the first two symbols should be monitored. “monitoringSlotPeriodityAndOffset” indicates that the WUS monitoring timing has a periodicity of two slots.
[0143] Monitor the first "full duration" of WUS only at or after PS_offset, but before the DRX start duration. This is in Figure 8 This is illustrated by the fact that everything except the highlighted WUS monitoring timing that appears at time slot n is grayed out. For example... Figure 8 As can be seen, the first WUS monitoring opportunity at time slot n-2 begins before PS_offset and is therefore not monitored. The third WUS monitoring opportunity at time slot n+2 is not monitored because, although it is after PS_offset and before the minimum time slot, it is not the first complete WUS monitoring opportunity after PS_offset. The fourth WUS monitoring opportunity at time slot n+4 is not monitored because it occurs during DRX activity time.
[0144] A new DCI format and power-saving RNTI (PS-RNTI) have been defined for WUS. PS-RNTI is used to determine whether the UE needs to monitor the PDCCH at the next occurrence of the connected mode DRX on duration. The new DCI format supports multiplexing by one or more UEs. The UE only monitors the new DCI format in the CSS (typically assumed to be type 3CSS). For the new DCI format, UE-specific configurations similar to DCI formats 2-0, 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3 are used, such as positioning by the total DCI payload size per bit and the start bit of the UE-specific field in the DCI.
[0145] Figure 9 An example DCI format 900 for WUS is shown. (e.g.) Figure 9 As shown, the UE-specific fields in DCI format 900 begin with a one-bit wake-up indicator, followed by an "X" bit of additional information (configurable) (labeled "Content Field"). At the end of DCI format 900 is a CRC with PS-RNTI. Note that NR supports SCell dormancy behavior indication in the "X" bit information.
[0146] In some cases, certain uplink transmissions, such as periodic CSI reports on the PUCCH, semi-persistent CSI reports on the PUCCH / PUSCH, and persistent or semi-persistent SRS, can be scheduled to occur outside of DRX active time. Without WUS, the configured behavior is that the UE will cancel these transmissions when they are scheduled outside of DRX active time. If the UE can receive WUS, the UE can optionally be configured via RRC to exempt the release (i.e., exempt the aforementioned cancellation) of all CSI reports on the PUCCH for a certain duration, or selectively release only Layer 1 RSRP (L1-RSRP) CSI reports on the PUCCH. For example, there may be two separate RRC flags, one for "all" and one for "L1-RSRP only". The duration is defined as follows.
[0147] Depending on the "skip" / "don't skip" bit in the detected WUS payload prior to the DRX timing, WUS normally causes the receiving UE to skip the entire DRX cycle timing (as described above). Note that if no WUS payload is detected (e.g., because it was not transmitted or is undetectable), the UE can be configured to skip or not skip. As a result of WUS instructing the UE to skip the next DRX timing, the normal DRX activity time that will occur during that DRX instance is skipped.
[0148] The duration of CSI exemption (as described above) can be the initial portion of a DRX cycle instance that is skipped due to the WUS behavior described above. This initial portion is counted by a DRX enable duration timer. Note that during the normal DRX cycle when the WUS commands the UE to wake up, the actual DRX activity time can be longer than this initial portion, because if an award is received during that cycle, the DRX activity time is further extended (as referenced above). Figures 5A to 5C (as stated above). However, the duration of the CSI exemption only covers this initial portion.
[0149] Because DL-PRS is typically scheduled by location servers (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272), while DRX cycles are typically configured by the serving base station, there may be times when DL-PRS is scheduled during DRX sleep periods. Therefore, if DL-PRS will be cancelled during DRX off periods (i.e., outside of DRX active periods), similar exception rules can be defined for DL-PRS reception, SRS transmissions for positioning, and location reports (e.g., L1, MAC-CE, RRC). These different reference signals can have their own RRC configuration enable and disable signals, or even dynamically enable and disable signals carried in the WUS payload.
[0150] Therefore, this disclosure describes UE behavior when the UE is instructed (e.g., by detecting or not detecting WUS) not to wake up during the DRX-enabled duration, during which the UE is otherwise configured / triggered / activated to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS. A location measurement report is an uplink report containing measurements of DL-PRS (e.g., ToA, RSTD, Rx-Tx time difference, AoD, AoA, etc.) acquired during a downlink or downlink and uplink location session (such as a DL-TDOA location session, a multi-RTT location session, etc.). A location measurement report may also be referred to as a "measurement report," "PRS report," "report," etc. A UL-PRS can be scheduled to be transmitted as part of an uplink, or downlink and uplink location session, such as a multi-RTT location session, a UL-TDOA location session, etc.
[0151] As a first option, the UE can simply not wake up to transmit a PRS report or UL-PRS. As a second option, the UE can wake up to transmit a PRS report or UL-PRS, but may still expect not to receive DCI or data as indicated by WUS's reception or non-reception. As a third option, the UE can wake up to transmit a PRS report or UL-PRS, and further expect to receive DCI or data as indicated by WUS's reception or non-reception.
[0152] For location measurement reports, which of the three options to use may depend on various factors. The first factor could be whether the PRS report is associated with a periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic DL-PRS. For example, if the measured DL-PRS is aperiodic, the UE can wake up (options two and three), while if the DL-PRS is periodic or semi-persistent, the UE will not wake up (option one).
[0153] Another factor could be whether the PRS report itself is periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic; whether the report is transmitted via Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 3 (L3); and / or the content of the report (e.g., TDOA, RSRP, Rx-Tx, AoD, AoA, etc.). For example, if the PRS report is aperiodic, the UE can wake up to send the report, while if the PRS report is periodic, the UE can send the report without waking up. As another example, if the PRS report is aperiodic, whether to wake up can depend on the indicator in the DCI or RRC signaling that triggers / configures the report. These factors can be combined with other conditions to create flexible reporting patterns.
[0154] Another factor could be whether the PRS report includes PRS measurements from either the serving base station or neighboring base stations. For example, during an AoD location process, the UE may not wake up to report to neighboring base stations.
[0155] Another factor could be whether the PRS report is necessary to meet the link requirements of the positioning method (i.e., the minimum number of base stations for which the UE measures DL-PRS), where PRS measurements are being reported for that positioning method. For example, if the location servers (e.g., location servers 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) already have PRS measurements for two links before the next DRX cycle, but not the third PRS measurement required for DL-TDOA, the UE can wake up in the next DRX cycle to transmit the PRS report.
[0156] Another factor could be whether the PRS report will contain outdated measurements if the UE does not wake up to transmit the report within the next DRX-enabled duration. For example, if the UE sleeps for too long, earlier PRS measurements may no longer be valid due to the UE's mobility. Reporting earlier measurements would lead to inaccurate location estimates. Therefore, the UE can be configured to report PRS measurements within a certain time limit, and if that time limit is about to expire if the UE does not wake up within the next DRX-enabled duration, the UE should wake up to transmit the PRS report.
[0157] Another factor could be the RRC configuration. For example, similar to the RRC configurations defined for CSI reporting (e.g., "ps-Periodic_CSI_Transmit" IE, "ps-TransmitPeriodicL1-RSRP" IE), there might be RRC IEs designed for PRS reporting, such as "ps-Periodic_PRS_Transmit" IE and "ps-PRS_Transmit_semi-pesistent" IE. In this case, the PRS reporting mode can be activated (deactivated) based on the configuration in these RRC IEs.
[0158] Another factor could be whether a particular PRS report is related to a configuration subset of the TRP for which the DL-PRS resource, DL-PRS resource set, positioning frequency layer, and / or the expected UE selects one of the three options instead of the others. In this case, the UE should follow the configuration options for the relevant subset of the DL-PRS resource, DL-PRS resource set, positioning frequency layer, and / or TRP.
[0159] Another factor could be the information included in the WUS DCI (i.e., the DCI that configures the UE for WUS operation). For example, the DCI received during a DRX active slot could indicate whether the UE should wake up to report any DL-PRS measurements performed during that DRX active slot. As a first approach, the DCI bits for WUS could be a combined bit field with bits for triggering aperiodic CSI reporting. This means that if the bit field for aperiodic CSI reporting indicates that the UE is not expected to wake up and monitor CSI-RS and / or report CSI parameters, then the UE is also not expected to transmit PRS reports. As a second approach, additional fields in the WUS DCI could include DCI bits dedicated to positioning and could indicate whether the UE is expected to wake up to perform DL-PRS measurements and reports.
[0160] For UL-PRS, which of the three options mentioned above to use may also depend on various factors. A first factor could be whether the UL-PRS is associated with a periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic DL-PRS (for RTT positioning procedures). For example, if the DL-PRS is aperiodic, the UE may wake up to transmit the corresponding UL-PRS (second and third options), while if the DL-PRS is periodic or semi-persistent, the UE may not wake up (first option).
[0161] Another factor could be whether the UL-PRS is configured as periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. For example, if the UL-PRS is aperiodic, the UE can wake up to transmit the corresponding UL-PRS (second and third options), while if the UL-PRS is periodic or semi-persistent, the UE may not wake up (first option).
[0162] Another factor could be whether the UL-PRS is necessary to meet the link requirements of the positioning method (i.e., the minimum number of base stations to which the UE is expected to transmit the UL-PRS), where the UL-PRS is being transmitted for that positioning method. For example, if the location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) already has UL-PRS measurements for two links (i.e., UL-PRS measurements from two base stations) before the next DRX cycle, but no third UL-PRS measurement required for DL-TDOA, then the UE can wake up at the next DRX activation time to transmit the UL-PRS.
[0163] Another factor could be whether the UL-PRS is targeted at the serving base station or a neighboring base station. The choice of option can be based on factors such as time intervals and power consumption. For example, based on power consumption considerations (e.g., low battery), the UE may not wake up to transmit the UL-PRS.
[0164] Another factor could be whether UL-PRS transmissions from neighboring base stations are scheduled during DRX activity periods. For example, if UL-PRS transmissions from neighboring base stations are only scheduled during non-DRX activity periods, transmissions can be permitted to avoid conflicts with the serving base station.
[0165] Another factor could be whether a particular UL-PRS is associated with a subset of the TRP configuration of the UL-PRS resource, the UL-PRS resource set, the positioning frequency layer, and / or the option the UE is expected to choose between one of the three options and the other.
[0166] On one hand, the UE can be configured by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) to wake up to transmit a PRS report regardless of whether the UE has received WUS to skip the next DRX cycle. However, whether the UE monitors DCI and / or other downlink data (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH) during the next DRX cycle may depend on the configuration received from the serving base station. This can lead to conflicts. In this case, several options are available.
[0167] As a first option, the location server can notify the serving base station about the PRS configuration, especially if the PRS report (or UL-PRS transmission) contains PRS related to a non-serving cell. The serving base station can then attempt to schedule DRX cycles accordingly. However, in case of conflict, the UE should fully comply with the instructions from the serving base station (due to the base station's scheduling of uplink resources). This is also the case for emergency traffic, where the UE should also follow the serving base station's guidance.
[0168] As a second option, the serving base station can signal the location server to notify the WUS configuration. The serving base station can separately signal to the location server for each UE (e.g., by adding a timestamp with a timeslot / subframe / frame number) the time the UE is configured to monitor the WUS, and the time the WUS indicates whether to wake up during the next DRX-enabled duration. The location server can then assign / configure PRS resources and PRS reports accordingly.
[0169] As a third option, the location server can configure PRS, and the serving base station can configure DRX and WUS. Which one the UE follows can depend on the received configuration. For example, if the UE receives RRC configuration (i.e., from the serving base station), then the UE should follow the configuration from the serving base station. If the UE receives WUS, then it should follow the configuration from the serving base station. If the UE receives aperiodic PRS, then it should follow the configuration from the location server, and so on.
[0170] Figure 10 An example method 1000 for wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, method 1000 can be performed by a UE (e.g., any UE described herein).
[0171] At 1010, the UE determines (e.g., based on the detection of WUS, or the absence of WUS) that it expects the UE not to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of the DRX cycle. In one aspect, operation 1010 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any one or all of which can be considered as components for performing the operation.
[0172] At 1020, the UE determines, based on one or more factors described in detail above and below, whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS. In one aspect, operation 1020 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any one or all of which can be considered as components for performing this operation.
[0173] At 1030, based on this determination, the UE either wakes up and transmits a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration period, or remains in DRX sleep mode and suppresses the transmission of a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration period. In one aspect, operation 1030 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, any one or all of which can be considered as components for performing this operation.
[0174] As will be understood, the technical advantage of Method 1000 is that it enables the UE to determine how to handle the transmission of location measurement reports or UL-PRS when the UE is not scheduled to wake up during the next DRX on duration, thereby providing flexibility to choose between energy saving (no transmission) or better location performance.
[0175] 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 an intention to have more features than are expressly mentioned in each clause. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those of the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered as combined in the description, where each clause can be considered a separate example on its own. Although each dependent clause may be referenced in its respective clause to a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects(s) of that dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It will be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations(s) of aspects of a dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or any feature combined with other dependent and independent clauses. The aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations unless expressly stated or it can be readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, even if a clause does not directly depend on an independent clause, it may be intended to include aspects of the clause in any other independent clause.
[0176] Examples of implementation methods are described in the following numbered clauses:
[0177] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) mode includes: determining that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle; determining, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) measurement report or an uplink PRS (UL-PRS); and based on said determination: waking up during the next DRX on-duration and transmitting the DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS, or remaining in a DRX sleep state and suppressing the transmission of the DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0178] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein determining includes determining whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration period to transmit the DL-PRS measurement report.
[0179] Clause 3. The method described in Clause 2, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report includes periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic DL-PRS measurements.
[0180] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 3, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic.
[0181] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 4, wherein one of the factors, including whether the DL-PRS measurement report is transmitted via Layer 1 or Layer 3.
[0182] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 5, wherein one of one or more factors includes the type of positioning session for which the DL-PRS measurement report is transmitted.
[0183] Clause 7 The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 6, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report is a PRS measurement that includes DL-PRS transmitted by the serving base station or a neighboring base station.
[0184] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 7, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report is necessary to meet the link requirements of the positioning method for which the DL-PRS measurement report is being transmitted.
[0185] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 8, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report will contain outdated measurements if the UE does not wake up to transmit the DL-PRS measurement report during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0186] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 9, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration from the serving base station instructs the UE to wake up during the next DRX-enabled duration.
[0187] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 10, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the DL-PRS measurement report is associated with a subset of DL-PRS resources, DL-PRS resource sets, positioning frequency layers and / or expected UE to transmit DL-PRS measurement reports or suppress transmission of DL-PRS measurement reports by a Transmitting and Receiving Point (TRP).
[0188] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 11, wherein: one of one or more factors includes information received in downlink control information (DCI) received in a previous DRX activity slot, and the information includes an indication of whether to report the DL-PRS measurement performed in the previous DRX activity slot during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0189] Clause 13. The method according to Clause 12, wherein: the information includes one or more bits configuring the UE to wake up to transmit or monitor a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or the information includes one or more bits configuring the UE to wake up to transmit a DL-PRS measurement report.
[0190] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 13, wherein determining includes determining whether to wake up to transmit UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0191] Clause 15. The method described in Clause 14, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is associated with a periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic DL-PRS.
[0192] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 15, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic.
[0193] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 16, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether UL-PRS is necessary to meet the link requirements of the positioning method for which the UL-PRS measurement report is being transmitted.
[0194] Clause 18. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 17, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is targeted toward the serving base station or a neighboring base station.
[0195] Clause 19. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 18, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether UL-PRS of neighboring base stations is scheduled only outside of DRX activity time.
[0196] Clause 20. The method according to any one of Clauses 14 to 19, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is associated with a subset of the configuration of UL-PRS resources, UL-PRS resource sets, positioning frequency layers and / or TRPs that are intended for the UE to transmit UL-PRS or suppress the transmission of UL-PRS.
[0197] Clause 21. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20, wherein, based on the UE waking up and transmitting a DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration period: it is expected that the UE will not receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0198] Clause 22. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20, wherein, based on the UE waking up and transmitting a DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration period: it is expected that the UE will receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0199] Clause 23. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 22, further comprising: receiving from a location server a configuration for waking up and transmitting a DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS regardless of a determination that the expected UE will not be woken up during the next DRX on-duration period; and receiving from a serving base station a configuration for monitoring DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period based on waking up to transmit a DL-PRS measurement report or UL-PRS.
[0200] Clause 24. The method described in Clause 23, wherein, based on a conflict between the configuration from the location server and the configuration from the serving base station, the UE follows the configuration from the serving base station.
[0201] Clause 25. The method according to any one of Clauses 23 to 24, wherein configuration from a location server is provided to the serving base station to enable the serving base station to schedule DRX cycles accordingly.
[0202] Clause 26. The method according to any one of Clauses 23 to 25, wherein configuration from the base station is provided to the location server to enable the location server to schedule PRS resources and DL-PRS measurement reports accordingly.
[0203] Clause 27. The method according to any one of Clauses 23 to 26, wherein the location server is configured with DL-PRS and the serving base station is configured with DRX cycles and wake-up signals (WUS) associated with the DRX mode.
[0204] Clause 28. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 27, wherein determining that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration includes: receiving a wake-up signal (WUS) during a pre-wake-up gap prior to the next DRX on-duration.
[0205] Clause 29. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 27, wherein determining that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration includes: failing to detect WUS during the pre-wake-up gap prior to the next DRX on-duration.
[0206] Clause 30. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 27, wherein determining that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period comprises: receiving an RRC information element (IE) indicating that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period during a previous DRX activity period.
[0207] Clause 31. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 27, wherein determining that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period comprises: receiving a DCI indicating that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period during a previous DRX activity period.
[0208] Clause 32. An apparatus comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the memory, transceiver, and processor being configured to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 31.
[0209] Clause 33. An apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 31.
[0210] Clause 34: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer being executable including at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 31.
[0211] Additional implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:
[0212] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) operating in discontinuous reception (DRX) mode includes: determining that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration of a DRX cycle; determining, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration to transmit a location measurement report or an uplink location reference signal (UL-PRS); and based on the determination: waking up during the next DRX on-duration and transmitting the location measurement report or UL-PRS, or remaining in a DRX sleep state and suppressing the transmission of the location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration.
[0213] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein determining whether to wake up based on one or more factors includes determining whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit a location measurement report.
[0214] Clause 3. The method described in Clause 2, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the positioning measurement report contains measurements derived from periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS).
[0215] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 3, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the positioning measurement report is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic.
[0216] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 4, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the positioning measurement report is transmitted via Layer 1 or Layer 3.
[0217] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 5, wherein one of one or more factors includes the type of positioning session for which the positioning measurement report is transmitted.
[0218] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 6, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the location measurement report contains PRS measurements of DL-PRS transmitted by the serving base station or by neighboring base stations.
[0219] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 7, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the location measurement report will contain outdated measurements if the UE does not wake up to transmit the location measurement report during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0220] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 8, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration from the serving base station instructs the UE to wake up during the next DRX-enabled duration.
[0221] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 2 to 9, wherein: one of one or more factors includes information received in downlink control information (DCI) received in a previous DRX activity slot, and the information includes an indication of whether to report the DL-PRS measurement performed in the previous DRX activity slot during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0222] Clause 11. The method according to Clause 10, wherein: the information includes one or more bits of configuring the UE to wake up to transmit or monitor the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or the information includes one or more bits of configuring the UE to wake up to transmit a location measurement report.
[0223] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11, wherein determining whether to wake up based on one or more factors includes determining whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duty period to transmit UL-PRS.
[0224] Clause 13. The method described in Clause 12, wherein one of one or more factors, including whether the UL-PRS is associated with a periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic DL-PRS, is...
[0225] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 13, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic.
[0226] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 14, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is associated with spatial transmission relationship from the serving base station or a neighboring base station, path loss reference, or both.
[0227] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 15, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether UL-PRS of neighboring base stations is scheduled only outside of DRX activity time.
[0228] Clause 17. The method according to any one of Clauses 12 to 16, wherein one of one or more factors includes whether the UL-PRS is associated with a subset of the configuration of UL-PRS resources, UL-PRS resource sets, positioning frequency layers and / or TRPs that are intended for the UE to transmit UL-PRS or suppress the transmission of UL-PRS.
[0229] Clause 18. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 17, wherein, based on the UE waking up and transmitting a location measurement report or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-duration period: it is expected that the UE will not receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period, or it is expected that the UE will receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period.
[0230] Clause 19. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 18 further comprises: receiving from a location server a configuration for waking up and transmitting a location measurement report or UL-PRS regardless of a determination that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period; and receiving from a serving base station a configuration for monitoring DCI or downlink data during the next DRX on-duration period based on waking up to transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, wherein the UE follows the configuration from the serving base station based on a conflict between the configuration from the location server and the configuration from the serving base station.
[0231] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein: configuration from the location server is provided to the serving base station to enable the serving base station to schedule DRX cycles accordingly, and configuration from the serving base station is provided to the location server to enable the location server to schedule PRS resources and location measurement reports accordingly.
[0232] Clause 21. An apparatus comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and at least one transceiver, the memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor being configured to perform the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20.
[0233] Clause 22. An apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20.
[0234] Clause 23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer being executable including at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 20.
[0235] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description below can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.
[0236] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can all be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, the various exemplary components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application; however, such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.
[0237] The various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a DSP core combined with one or more microprocessors, or any other such configuration.
[0238] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Example storage media are coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative aspect, the storage medium can be integrated with the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In an alternative aspect, the processor and storage medium can reside as discrete components in the user terminal.
[0239] In one or more examples, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that facilitates the delivery of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium can be any available medium that is accessible to a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices 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 is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are all included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disks and optical discs include compact optical discs (CDs), laser optical discs, optical discs, digital multifunction optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0240] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms are contemplated unless explicitly stated otherwise.
Claims
1. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) operating in discontinuous reception DRX mode, comprising: Determine that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period of the DRX cycle; Whether to wake up to transmit a positioning measurement report or uplink positioning reference signal UL-PRS during the next DRX on-time duration is determined based on one or more factors; and Based on the determination regarding whether to wake up: Wake up during the next DRX on duration and transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS, or Remain in DRX sleep mode for the next DRX on duration and suppress the transmission of location measurement reports or UL-PRS.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining whether to wake up based on one or more factors includes determining whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit location measurement reports.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors mentioned above includes whether the positioning measurement report contains measurements derived from a periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS).
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors mentioned includes whether the location measurement report is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic.
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors is whether the positioning measurement report is transmitted via Layer 1 or Layer 3.
6. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the one or more factors includes the type of location session for which the location measurement report is being transmitted.
7. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors mentioned above includes the location measurement report containing PRS measurements of DL-PRS transmitted by the serving base station or by neighboring base stations.
8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors includes whether the location measurement report will contain outdated measurements if the UE does not wake up during the next DRX on duration.
9. The method according to claim 2, wherein, One of the factors includes whether the Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration from the serving base station instructs the UE to wake up during the next DRX-enabled duration.
10. The method according to claim 2, wherein: One of the one or more factors includes information received in the downlink control information (DCI) received in a previous DRX activity slot, and The information includes an indication of whether to report DL-PRS measurements performed in the previous DRX activity slot during the next DRX on-duration period.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein: The information includes one or more bits of configuring the UE to wake up to transmit or monitor the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or The information includes one or more bits configuring the UE to wake up and transmit a location measurement report.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Determining whether to wake up based on one or more of the factors includes determining whether to wake up during the next DRX on-duration period to deliver UL-PRS.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS is associated with periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic DL-PRS.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein, One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS is periodic, semi-permanent, or aperiodic.
15. The method according to claim 12, wherein, One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS is associated with spatial transmission relationships from the serving base station or neighboring base stations, path loss reference, or both.
16. The method according to claim 12, wherein, One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS of neighboring base stations is scheduled only outside of DRX activity time.
17. The method according to claim 12, wherein, One of the factors includes whether UL-PRS is associated with a subset of the configuration of UL-PRS resources, UL-PRS resource sets, location frequency layers, and / or the TRPs that are intended for the UE to transmit UL-PRS or suppress the transmission of UL-PRS.
18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Based on the UE waking up during the next DRX on-duration period and transmitting a location measurement report or UL-PRS: The UE does not expect to receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX activation duration, or The UE expects to receive DCI or downlink data during the next DRX enabled duration.
19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receive configuration from the location server to wake up and transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS regardless of whether the expected UE will wake up during the next DRX on duration; as well as Receive configuration from the serving base station regarding whether to monitor DCI or downlink data during the next DRX-enabled duration for transmitting location measurement reports or UL-PRS based on wake-up. In cases where there is a conflict between the configuration from the location server and the configuration from the serving base station, the UE follows the configuration from the serving base station.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein: The configuration from the location server is provided to the serving base station so that the serving base station can schedule DRX cycles accordingly, and The configuration from the serving base station is provided to the location server so that the location server can schedule PRS resources and location measurement reports accordingly.
21. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor, communicatively coupled to a memory and at least one transceiver, said at least one processor being configured to operate in a discontinuous reception DRX mode: Determine that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period of the DRX cycle; Whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit a positioning measurement report or uplink positioning reference signal UL-PRS is determined based on one or more factors. as well as Based on the determination regarding whether to wake up: Wake up during the next DRX on duration and cause at least one transceiver to transmit a positioning measurement report or UL-PRS, or Remain in DRX sleep state for the next DRX on duration and suppress at least one transceiver from transmitting a positioning measurement report or UL-PRS.
22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to determine whether to wake up based on one or more factors, including the at least one processor being configured to determine whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit a location measurement report.
23. The UE according to claim 22, wherein: One of the one or more factors includes whether the positioning measurement report includes measurements of periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), or One of the one or more factors includes whether the location measurement report is periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic, or One of the one or more factors includes whether the positioning measurement report is transmitted via Layer 1 or Layer 3, or One of the one or more factors includes the type of location session, the location measurement report being transmitted for the location session, or One of the factors mentioned above includes the location measurement report containing PRS measurements of DL-PRS transmitted by the serving base station or by neighboring base stations, or One of the one or more factors includes whether the location measurement report will contain outdated measurements if the UE does not wake up to transmit the location measurement report during the next DRX on duration, or One of the factors includes whether the Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration from the serving base station instructs the UE to wake up during the next DRX-enabled duration, or Any combination of them.
24. The UE according to claim 22, wherein: One of the one or more factors includes information received in the downlink control information (DCI) received in a previous DRX activity slot, and The information includes an indication of whether to report DL-PRS measurements performed in the previous DRX activity slot during the next DRX on-duration period.
25. The UE according to claim 24, wherein: The information includes one or more bits of configuring the UE to wake up to transmit or monitor the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), or The information includes one or more bits configuring the UE to wake up and transmit a location measurement report.
26. The UE according to claim 21, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to determine whether to wake up based on the one or more factors, including the at least one processor being configured to determine whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to deliver UL-PRS.
27. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS is associated with periodic, semi-permanent, or non-periodic DL-PRS, or One of the factors mentioned includes whether UL-PRS is periodic, semi-permanent, or aperiodic, or One of the factors mentioned above includes whether the UL-PRS is targeted towards the serving base station or a neighboring base station, or One of the one or more factors includes whether UL-PRS of neighboring base stations is scheduled only outside of DRX activity time, or One of the one or more factors includes whether UL-PRS is related to a configuration subset of UL-PRS resources, UL-PRS resource sets, positioning frequency layers, and / or the TRPs that are expected to transmit UL-PRS or suppress UL-PRS transmission by the UE, or Any combination of them.
28. The UE according to claim 21, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: The configuration for receiving from the location server via the at least one transceiver to wake up and transmit a location measurement report or UL-PRS regardless of the determination that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on duration; as well as The at least one transceiver receives configuration from the serving base station regarding whether to monitor DCI or downlink data during the next DRX-enabled duration based on wake-up-based transmission of location measurement reports or UL-PRS. In this context, based on the conflict between the configuration from the location server and the configuration from the serving base station, the at least one processor follows the configuration from the serving base station.
29. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A component used to determine, when operating in discontinuous reception DRX mode, that the expected UE will not wake up during the next DRX on-duration period of the DRX cycle; Components used to determine, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on-time duration to transmit a positioning measurement report or an uplink positioning reference signal UL-PRS; and Based on the determination regarding whether to wake up: Components used to wake up and transmit positioning measurement reports or UL-PRS during the next DRX on-time duration, or Components used to keep the DRX in sleep mode during the next DRX on duration and to suppress the transmission of positioning measurement reports or UL-PRS.
30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising: At least one instruction instructing a user equipment (UE) operating in discontinuous reception DRX mode to determine that the UE is not expected to wake up during the next DRX on-duration period of the DRX cycle; The instruction instructs the UE to determine, based on one or more factors, whether to wake up during the next DRX on duration to transmit a positioning measurement report or an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS); and Based on the determination regarding whether to wake up: Instructing the UE to wake up during the next DRX on duration and transmit at least one instruction, or Instructing the UE to remain in DRX sleep mode for the next DRX on duration and suppressing the transmission of at least one location measurement report or UL-PRS.
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