indication of an activation time extension of a drx on-duration period

Abstract

In an embodiment, the UE determines a maximum duration that the UE should remain active after a DRX ON period to transmit or / and process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session. The UE transmits an indication of the maximum value to the BS. The UE and the BS each selectively transmit and / or process the one or more reference signals (e.g., DL PRS and / or UL SRS-P) based at least in part on the maximum duration.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 047,625, filed July 2, 2020, entitled “INDICATION OF ACTIVE TIME EXTENSION FOR DRX ON PERIOD,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 326,053, filed May 20, 2021, entitled “INDICATION OF ACTIVE TIME EXTENSION FOR DRX ON PERIOD,” both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications, and more specifically, to an indication of an extension of the activation time for a discontinuous reception (DRX) enable period. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephony (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephony (including the transitional 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data and network-connected wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE or WiMax). Today, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular 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), and TDMA variants of the Global System for Mobile Access (GSM).

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transmission speeds, greater connection capacity, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second of data to each of tens of thousands of users, or 1 gigabit per second to dozens of employees in an office building. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale wireless sensor deployments. Therefore, 5G mobile communications should have significantly improved spectral efficiency compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered a broad overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered as identifying key or essential elements relating to all contemplated aspects or defining the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein before presenting the detailed descriptions below.

[0007] One aspect relates to a method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals associated with a positioning session for positioning, transmitting an indication of the maximum duration to a base station, and selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

[0008] On the other hand, a method of operating a base station includes: receiving from a user equipment (UE) an indication of a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session, and selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

[0009] On the other hand, a user equipment (UE) is provided, comprising: means for determining a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; means for transmitting an indication of the maximum duration to a base station; and means for selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0010] On the other hand, a base station is provided, comprising: means for receiving from a user equipment (UE) an indication of the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; and means for selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0011] On the other hand, a user equipment (UE) is involved, comprising: 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: determine the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation segment to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals associated with a positioning session for positioning, transmit an indication of the maximum duration to a base station, and selectively transmit and / or process one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0012] On the other hand, a base station is provided, comprising: 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: receive from a user equipment (UE) an indication of the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session, and to selectively transmit and / or process one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0013] On the other hand, it relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon for causing at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to: determine the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals associated with a positioning session for positioning, transmit an indication of the maximum duration to a base station, and selectively transmit and / or process one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0014] On the other hand, it relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions stored thereon for instructing at least one processor in a base station to: receive from a user equipment (UE) an indication of a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session, and to selectively transmit and / or process one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0015] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objectives and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure, and are provided solely for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is illustrated according to various aspects.

[0018] Figure 2A and Figure 2B The diagram illustrates an example wireless network architecture based on various aspects.

[0019] Figures 3A to 3C This is a simplified block diagram of several example aspects of components that can be adopted in wireless communication nodes and configured to support communications as taught in this article.

[0020] Figure 4A and Figure 4B This is a diagram illustrating examples of frame structures and channels within a frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure.

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

[0022] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 7 An exemplary wireless communication system according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 8A It is a graph showing the RF channel response at the receiver over time according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 8B This is a diagram illustrating this separation of clusters in AoD.

[0026] Figures 9 to 16 The illustration shows DRX sequences according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0027] Figures 17 to 18 The illustration shows a method of wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0028] Figures 19 to 20 The illustration shows a DRX sequence according to other aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0029] For illustrative purposes, aspects of the invention are provided in the following description and in the accompanying drawings with reference to various examples. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, 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.

[0030] The terms “exemplary” and / or “example” as used herein mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to 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. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated, references to “or” are intended to be interpreted as “and / or.” Thus, “A or B” is intended to be interpreted as A or B or A+B, unless otherwise stated.

[0031] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a wide variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips 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, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0032] Furthermore, many aspects are described in relation to sequences of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It should be understood that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the sequences of actions(one or more) described herein can be considered entirely embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored therein, which, when executed, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be embodied in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, for each aspect described herein, any corresponding form of this aspect can be described herein as, for example, "configured" to perform the described actions "logic".

[0033] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). 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, tracking 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 can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Typically, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.).

[0034] A base station can operate based on one of several RATs (Regional Access Points) communicating with the UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed. Base stations can be alternatively referred to as Access Points (APs), Network Nodes, NodeBs, Evolved NodeBs (eNBs), New Radio (NR) NodeBs (also known as gNBs or gNodeBs), etc. Furthermore, in some systems, a base station may simply provide edge node signaling functions, while in others it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. In some systems, a base station may correspond to a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) or a Roadside Unit (RSU). In some designs, a base station may correspond to a high-power UE (e.g., a vehicle UE or VUE) that provides limited infrastructure functionality. The communication link through which a UE signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term Traffic Channel (TCH) can refer to either the UL / Reverse Traffic Channel or the DL / Forward Traffic Channel.

[0035] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may be co-located or disjoint. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or in the case where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple disjoint physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to the serving base station). Alternatively, disjoint physical TRPs may be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station from which the UE is measuring its reference RF signal. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0036] An “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information across space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send 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.

[0037] According to various aspects, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 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 in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0038] Base stations 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or next-generation core (NGC)) via backhaul link 122, and connect to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. Among other functions, base stations 102 can perform one or more of the following related functions: transmitting 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 equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / NGC) via backhaul link 134, which can be wired or wireless.

[0039] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, base station 102 in each 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 (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or 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 it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term “cell” can also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, provided that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0040] 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' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the 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) that can provide service to restricted groups referred to as Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0041] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include downlink (UL) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 (also referred to as the reverse link) and / or downlink (DL) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104 (also referred to as the forward link). 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 with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL).

[0042] 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 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. 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 before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0043] 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 technologies and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve coverage to increase and / or increase access network capacity. 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.

[0044] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that carries the radio frequency (RF). EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW RF bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range by utilizing beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) through the mmW communication link 184. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting any aspect of the disclosure herein.

[0045] 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 (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. 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 generates RF beams that can be "manipulated" to be pointed in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the separate antennas are added together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling out radiation in undesired directions.

[0046] Transmit beams can be quasi-collocate, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) as having the same parameters regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-collocate (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the 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 of type QCL D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0047] 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 the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., to increase its gain level). 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 in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains of all other receive beams available to the receiver. 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.

[0048] The receive beam can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that the parameters of the transmit beam used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam used for the first reference signal. For example, the 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UE 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCell.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, not always). A secondary carrier is a 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. The secondary carrier may contain only the necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier, as both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. 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. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., are used interchangeably.

[0051] For example, still refer to Figure 1One 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 increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20MHz carrier, the aggregation of two 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically double the data rate (i.e., 40MHz).

[0052] 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) peer-to-peer (P2P) 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., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through this link); and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through this link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D) or WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). etc.

[0053] 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.

[0054] According to various aspects, Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can functionally be considered as control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which work together to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, and specifically to control plane function 214 and user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, eNB 224 can also connect to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane function 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane function 212. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more of both eNB 224 and gNB 222. The gNB 222 or eNB 224 can be used with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The location server 230 can communicate with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, can be located outside the core network.

[0055] According to various aspects, Figure 2BAnother example wireless network architecture 250 is illustrated. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally viewed as a control plane function provided by Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 264 and a user plane function provided by Session Management Function (SMF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect eNB 224 to NGC 260, and specifically to SMF 262 and AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB 222 can also connect to NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF / UPF 264 and user plane interface 263 to SMF 262. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, with or without utilizing the gNB direct connection to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more of both eNB 224 and gNB 222. The gNB 222 or eNB 224 can be used with UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base station of the new RAN 220 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N3 interface.

[0056] The AMF's functions include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) message transmission between UE 204 and SMF 262, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) message transmission between UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and Security Anchor Functionality (SEAF). The AMF 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 UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF retrieves security material from the AUSSF. The AMF's functions also include Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF, which it uses to derive an access network-specific key. The functionality of AMF also includes location service management for regulatory services, location service message transmission between UE 204 and Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and LMF 270, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interoperability with Evolved Packet System (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, AMF also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0057] The functions of the UPF 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 interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflected QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and issuing and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0058] The functions of SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic redirection at the UPF to route traffic to appropriate destinations, partial policy enforcement and QoS control, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0059] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance to UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which may connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0060] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe illustrations depict several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that 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) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It should be understood that, in different implementations, these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, 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 to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0061] UE 302 and base station 304 each include a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350 configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating 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 time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) according to a designated RAT. Specifically, transceivers 310 and 350 each 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 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 respectively.

[0062] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, for use via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.) through the wireless communication medium of interest. (etc.) communicate with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc. WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) according to a specified RAT respectively. Specifically, transceivers 320 and 360 each 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 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 respectively.

[0063] Transceiver circuitry, including a transmitter and a receiver, may in some implementations include an integrated device (e.g., transmitter and receiver circuitry embodied as a single communication device), in some implementations include separate transmitter and receiver devices, or in other implementations may be embodied in other ways. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device to perform transmit "beamforming" as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which allows the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, and cannot both receive and transmit simultaneously. The wireless communication devices of devices 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or transceivers 350 and 360) may also include network eavesdropping modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0064] In at least some cases, devices 302 and 304 also include Satellite Positioning System (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, to receive 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 appropriately request information and operation from other systems and use measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm to perform calculations necessary to determine the positions of devices 302 and 304.

[0065] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) can be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, network interfaces 380 and 390 can be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired or wireless signal communication. For example, such communication may involve, for instance, sending and receiving messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0066] Apparatus 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302 includes processor circuitry implementing processing system 332 for providing functionality related to, for example, spurious base station (FBS) detection disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Base station 304 includes processing system 384 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Network entity 306 includes processing system 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. In one aspect, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

[0067] Devices 302, 304, and 306 include memory circuitry that respectively implement memory components 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, devices 302, 304, and 306 may include positioning assist data (AD) modules 342, 388, and 389. Positioning AD modules 342, 388, and 389 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which, when executed, causes devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, positioning AD modules 342, 388, and 389 may be memory modules (e.g., memory devices) stored in memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively. Figures 3A to 3C As shown), the memory module enables devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394.

[0068] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to processing system 332 to provide motion and / or orientation information, which provides motion and / or orientation information independently of motion data derived from signals received by WWAN transceiver 310, WLAN transceiver 320, and / or GPS receiver 330. For example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in 2D and / or 3D coordinate systems.

[0069] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing instructions to the user (e.g., auditory and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keyboard, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, devices 304 and 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0070] Referring more specifically to processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processing system 384. Processing system 384 can implement the functionality of the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 can provide RRC layer functionality 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 functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with upper-layer packet data unit (PDU) delivery, error correction via 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 functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0071] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer 1 functionality 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) decoding / 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 decoded and modulated symbols can then be divided 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 time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation scheme, 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. Transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0072] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality 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 all 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 consists of separate OFDM symbol streams for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The 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 decision is then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals initially transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to processing system 332, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0073] In the UL, processing system 332 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets originating from the core network. Processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0074] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with DL transmissions performed by base station 304, processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality 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 functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority ordering.

[0075] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0076] UL transmission is processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 384.

[0077] In the UL, processing system 384 provides 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 processing system 384 can then be provided to the core network. Processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0078] For convenience, devices 302, 304 and / or 306 are... Figures 3A to 3C The blocks shown are illustrated as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the blocks illustrated may have different functionalities in different designs.

[0079] The various components of devices 302, 304 and 306 can communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382 and 392, respectively. Figures 3A to 3C Components can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figures 3A to 3C The components can be implemented as one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or combine at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide such functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 389 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 396 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE", "by the base station", "by the positioning entity", etc. However, it should be understood that this operation, action and / or function can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory components 340, 386 and 396, positioning AD modules 342, 388 and 389, etc.

[0080] Figure 4A Figure 400 is an example of a DL frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 4B Figure 430 is an example of a channel within a DL frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0081] LTE, and in some cases NR, uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, the modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM 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. System bandwidth can also be divided into sub-bands. For example, a sub-band 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 sub-bands, respectively.

[0082] LTE supports a single set of parameters (numerology) (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple sets of parameters; for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 204kHz or greater may be available. Table 1 below lists some of the different parameters for different NR parameter sets.

[0083]

[0084] Table 1

[0085] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the example, a parameter set of 15kHz was used. Therefore, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10ms) is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms long, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4A and Figure 4BIn this representation, time is horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis) as time increases from left to right, while frequency is vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis) as frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0086] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more temporally 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 4B In the parameter set, for the nominal cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL; SC-FDMA symbols for UL), for a total of 84 REs. For the 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.

[0087] like Figure 4A As illustrated, some REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS may include demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), exemplarily located in... Figure 4A It is marked as "R".

[0088] Figure 4B The diagram illustrates examples of various channels within a DL subframe of a frame. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DL Control Information (DCI) within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE comprises nine RE Groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in OFDM symbols. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data sent to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, different DCI formats exist for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.

[0089] The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identifiers. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identifier group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identifier and physical layer cell identifier 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 the number of RBs and the system frame number (SFN) in the DL system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as the System Information Block (SIB), and paging messages.

[0090] In some cases, Figure 4A The DL RS shown in the diagram can be the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Figure 5 An exemplary PRS configuration 500 of a cell supported by a wireless node (such as base station 102) is illustrated. Figure 5 This demonstrates how to use the system frame number (SFN), cell-specific subframe offset (Δ) PRS )552 and PRS periodicity (T PRS )520 determines the PRS positioning timing. Typically, cell-specific PRS subframe configuration is determined by the "PRS configuration index" included in the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) auxiliary data. PRS Defined by. PRS periodicity (T PRS )520 and cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) is based on PRS configuration index I PRS The definitions are as shown in Table 2 below.

[0091]

[0092] Table 2

[0093] The PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of the cell that sent the PRS. For N including the timing of the first PRS location... PRS In the first subframe of a downlink subframe, the PRS instance can satisfy:

[0094]

[0095] Where, n f It is SFN, 0≤n f ≤1023, n s It is composed of n f The number of time slots within a defined radio frame, 0 ≤ n s ≤19, T PRS It is a PRS periodicity of 520, and ΔPRS It is a cell-specific subframe offset of 552.

[0096] like Figure 5 As shown, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ PRS 552 can be defined based on the number of subframes sent from system frame number 0 (slot "number" 0, marked as slot 550) to the beginning of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning timing. Figure 5 In the example, consecutive positioning subframes (N) in each of the consecutive PRS positioning times 518a, 518b and 518c PRS The number of ) is equal to 4. That is, each shadow block representing the PRS positioning time 518a, 518b and 518c represents four subframes.

[0097] In some aspects, when the UE receives PRS configuration index I in the OTDOA auxiliary data of a specific cell... PRS At that time, the UE can use Table 2 to determine the periodicity T of the PRS. PRS 520 and PRS subframe offset Δ PRS Then, the UE can determine the radio frame, subframe, and time slot when the PRS is scheduled in the cell (e.g., using equation (1)). The OTDOA auxiliary data can be determined by, for example, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) and includes auxiliary data of the reference cell and the number of neighboring cells supported by various base stations.

[0098] Typically, PRS timings from all cells using the same frequency in the network are time-aligned and can have a fixed, known time offset relative to other cells using different frequencies in the network (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset 552). In a synchronous SFN network, all radio nodes (e.g., base station 102) can be aligned on both frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Therefore, in a synchronous SFN network, all cells supported by various radio nodes can use the same PRS configuration index for any specific frequency used for PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an asynchronous SFN network, various radio nodes can be aligned on frame boundaries but not on system frame numbers. Therefore, in an asynchronous SFN network, the PRS configuration index for each cell can be configured separately by the network to ensure that PRS timings are time-aligned.

[0099] If the UE can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one cell (e.g., a reference cell or serving cell), the UE can determine the timing of the PRS timings of the reference cell and neighboring cells for OTDOA positioning. The timings of other cells can then be derived by the UE based on, for example, the assumption that PRS timings from different cells overlap.

[0100] The set of resource elements used to transmit a PRS is called a "PRS resource". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols 460 within a time slot 430 in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol 460, the PRS resource occupies a consecutive PRB. A PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, start time slot and start symbol, number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). In some designs, a single antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers carrying the PRS in each symbol. For example, a comb size of 4 means that every fourth subcarrier in a given symbol carries the PRS.

[0101] A “PRS resource set” is a set of PRS resources used to transmit PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same Transmitter-Receiver Point (TRP). The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam 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, and therefore a “PRS resource” can also be referred to as a “beam.” Note that this has no effect on whether the TRP or the beam on which the PRS is transmitted is known to the UE. A “PRS timing” is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) on which the PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS timing can also be referred to as a “PRS positioning timing,” “positioning timing,” or simply “timing.”

[0102] Note that the terms “Location Reference Signal” and “PRS” can sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Location Reference Signal” and “PRS” refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS), transmitter reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), SSB, etc. in 5G.

[0103] SRS is an uplink-only signal transmitted by the UE to help the base station obtain Channel State Information (CSI) for each user. Channel State Information describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and distance-dependent power decay. The system uses SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, and more.

[0104] Several enhancements to the previously defined SRS have been proposed for SRS-P used for positioning, such as new interleaving patterns within SRS resources, new comb types for SRS, new sequences for 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 DL RS from neighboring TRPs. Additionally, an SRS resource can be transmitted outside the active bandwidth portion (BWP), and an SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Finally, the UE can transmit using the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources used for UL-AoA. All of these are additional features of the current SRS framework, which is configured via higher-level RRC signaling (and potentially triggered or activated via MAC control elements (CE) or downlink control information (DCI)).

[0105] As noted above, in NR, the SRS is a UE-specific reference signal used by the UE to probe the uplink radio channel transmission. Similar to CSI-RS, this probe provides various levels of understanding of the radio channel characteristics. At one extreme, the SRS can be simply used at the gNB to obtain signal strength measurements, for example, for UL beam management purposes. At the other extreme, the SRS can be used at the gNB to obtain detailed amplitude and phase estimates based on frequency, time, and space. In NR, compared to LTE, channel probes utilizing SRS support a more diverse set of use cases (e.g., downlink CSI acquisition for reciprocal gNB-based beamforming (downlink MIMO); uplink CSI acquisition for link adaptation; and codebook-based / non-codebook-based precoding, uplink beam management, etc., for uplink MIMO).

[0106] SRS can be configured using various options. The time / frequency mapping of SRS resources is defined by the following properties.

[0107] Duration N symb SRS —The duration of SRS resources, which can be one, two or four consecutive OFDM symbols within a time slot, unlike LTE, which only allows a single OFDM symbol per time slot.

[0108] • Start symbol position l0 — The start symbol of the SRS resource, which can be located anywhere within the last 6 OFDM symbols of the time slot, as long as the resource does not cross the end boundary of the time slot.

[0109] • Repetition factor R – Used to configure SRS resources with frequency hopping, where repetition allows the same set of subcarriers to be detected in R consecutive OFDM symbols before the next hop (as used herein, "hop" specifically refers to frequency hopping) occurs. For example, the value of R is 1, 2, or 4, where R ≤ N. symb SRS .

[0110] • Transmission comb-shaped interval K TC and comb-like offset k TC —SRS resources, which can occupy resource elements (REs) in a frequency domain comb structure, with the comb teeth spaced between 2 or 4 REs, as in LTE. This structure allows frequency domain multiplexing of different SRS resources for the same or different users on different comb teeth, where the different comb teeth are offset from each other by an integer number of REs. The comb offset is defined relative to the PRB boundary and can be 0, 1…K. TC The value takes values ​​within the range of -1 RE. Therefore, for the comb tooth spacing K... TC =2, if needed, there are 2 different comb teeth that can be reused, and for the comb tooth spacing K TC =4, meaning there are 4 different comb teeth available.

[0111] • Periodicity and slot offset for use in periodic / semi-persistent SRS cases.

[0112] • Detection bandwidth within the bandwidth section.

[0113] For low-latency positioning, the gNB can trigger UL SRS-P via DCI (e.g., the transmitted SRS-P may include repetition or beam sweep to enable several gNBs to receive the SRS-P). Alternatively, the gNB can send information to the UE regarding aperiodic PRS transmissions (e.g., this configuration may include information about PRS from multiple gNBs to enable the UE to perform timing calculations for positioning (UE-based) or reporting (UE-assisted)). While various embodiments of this disclosure relate to DL PRS-based positioning procedures, some or all of these embodiments may also be applicable to UL SRS-P-based positioning procedures.

[0114] Note that the terms “probe reference signal,” “SRS,” and “SRS-P” can sometimes refer to a specific reference signal used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “probe reference signal,” “SRS,” and “SRS-P” refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, SRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, transmitter reference signals (TRS), random access channel (RACH) signals used for positioning (e.g., RACH preambles, such as Msg-1 in a 4-step RACH process or Msg-A in a 2-step RACH process), etc.

[0115] 3GPP Rel.16 introduced various NR positioning aspects aimed at improving the location accuracy of positioning schemes involving measurements associated with one or more UL or DL ​​PRS (e.g., higher bandwidth (BW), FR2 beam sweep, angle-based measurements such as angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) measurements, multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) measurements, etc.). If latency reduction is a priority, UE-based positioning techniques (e.g., DL-only techniques without UL location measurement reports) are typically used. However, if latency is less critical, UE-assisted positioning techniques can be used, whereby data measured by the UE is reported to network entities (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, etc.). By implementing LMF in the RAN, the latency associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques can be reduced to some extent.

[0116] Layer 3 (L3) signaling (e.g., RRC or Location Positioning Protocol (LPP)) is typically used to transmit location-based data, including data associated with UE-assisted positioning technologies. Compared to Layer 1 (L1, or PHY layer) signaling or Layer 2 (L2, or MAC layer) signaling, L3 signaling is associated with relatively high latency (e.g., more than 100 ms). In some cases, lower latency (e.g., less than 100 ms, less than 10 ms, etc.) for location-based reporting between the UE and RAN may be desired. In such cases, L3 signaling may not be able to achieve these lower latency levels. L3 signaling for positioning measurements may include combinations of the following:

[0117] • One or more TOA, TDOA, RSRP, or Rx-Tx measurements,

[0118] • One or more AoA / AoD measurements (e.g., currently only agreed upon for gNB->LMF reporting DL AoA and UL AoD)

[0119] • One or more multipath reporting measurements, such as per-path ToA, RSRP, AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only per-path ToA is allowed in LTE).

[0120] • One or more motion states (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and trajectories (e.g., current for the UE), and / or

[0121] • One or more report quality indicators.

[0122] Recently, the use of L1 and L2 signaling in conjunction with PRS-based reporting has been envisioned. For example, L1 and L2 signaling are currently used in some systems to transmit CSI reports (e.g., Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), Layer Indicator (LIS), L1-RSRP, etc.). CSI reports may include a predefined set of fields (e.g., defined by relevant standards). A single UL transmission (e.g., on PUSCH or PUCCH) may include multiple reports, referred to herein as “sub-reports,” arranged according to a predefined priority (e.g., defined by relevant standards). In some designs, the predefined order may be based on the associated sub-report periodicity (e.g., aperiodic / semi-persistent / periodic (A / SP / P) on PUSCH / PUCCH), measurement type (e.g., L1-RSRP or non-L1-RSRP), serving cell index (e.g., in the case of carrier aggregation (CA),) and reportconfigID. Using a partial 2CSI report, Part 1 of all reports is grouped together, and Part 2 is grouped separately, with each group encoded separately (e.g., Part 1 payload size is fixed based on configuration parameters, while Part 2 size is variable and depends on the configuration parameters and the associated Part 1 content). The number of decoded bits and symbols to be output after encoding and rate matching is calculated according to relevant standards based on the number of input bits and a β (beta) factor. A relationship (e.g., time offset) is defined between the instance of the measured RS and the corresponding report. In some designs, CSI-like reporting of PRS-based measurement data using L1 and L2 signaling can be implemented.

[0123] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system 600 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Figure 6 In the example, it corresponds to the above regarding Figure 1UE 604 of any UE described (e.g., UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assisting another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. UE 604 can use RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets to wirelessly communicate with multiple base stations 602a-602d (collectively referred to as base station 602), which can correspond to... Figure 1 Any combination of base station 102 or 180 and / or WLAN AP 150. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., base station location, geometry, etc.), the UE 604 can determine its position in a predefined reference coordinate system, or assist in determining its position. In one aspect, the UE 604 can use a two-dimensional coordinate system to specify its position; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited to this, and a three-dimensional coordinate system can also be used to determine the position if additional dimensions are desired. Furthermore, although Figure 6 The illustration shows one UE 604 and four base stations 602, but it should be understood that there can be more UEs 604 and more or fewer base stations 602.

[0124] To support location estimation, base stations 602 can be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal, etc.) to UEs 604 within their coverage area. This enables UEs 604 to measure the timing difference of the reference RF signals between pairs of network nodes (e.g., OTDOA or RSTD) and / or identify beams that optimally excite the LOS or shortest radio path between UE 604 and transmitting base station 602. Identifying LOS / shortest path beams is of interest, not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between pairs of base stations 602, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some location information based on beam direction. Furthermore, these beams can subsequently be used for other location estimation methods requiring accurate ToA, such as methods based on round-trip time estimation.

[0125] As used herein, a “network node” can be base station 602, a cell of base station 602, a remote radio head, an antenna of base station 602 (where the location of the antenna of base station 602 differs from the location of base station 602 itself), or any other network entity capable of transmitting reference signals. Furthermore, as used herein, a “node” can refer to a network node or a UE.

[0126] A location server (e.g., location server 230) may send auxiliary data to UE 604, which includes identifiers of one or more neighboring cells of base station 602 and configuration information of reference RF signals transmitted by each neighboring cell. Alternatively, the auxiliary data may be derived directly from base station 602 itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, UE 604 may detect neighboring cells of base station 602 itself without using auxiliary data. UE 604 (e.g., based in part on auxiliary data, if provided) may measure and (optionally) report the OTDOA from individual network nodes and / or the RSTD between reference RF signals received from pairs of network nodes. Using these measurements and the known locations of the measured network nodes (i.e., base station 602 or antennas transmitting the reference RF signals measured by UE 604), UE 604 or the location server may determine the distance between UE 604 and the measured network nodes, and thus calculate the location of UE 604.

[0127] As used herein, the term "location estimation" refers to an estimation of the location of UE 604, which can be geographical (e.g., may include latitude, longitude, and possible altitude) or urban (e.g., may include street address, building name, or a precise point or area within or near a building or street address, such as a specific entrance to a building, a specific room or suite within a building, or a landmark such as a town square). Location estimation may also be referred to as "location," "position," "fixed point," "location fixed point," "location estimation," "fixed point estimation," or some other term. The means of obtaining a location estimation may generally be referred to as "location," "location determination," or "location fixing." A specific solution used to obtain a location estimation may be referred to as a "location solution." A specific method used as part of a location solution to obtain a location estimation may be referred to as a "location method" or "location method."

[0128] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmission point, or multiple physical transmission points that may be co-located or disjoint. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point may be the antenna of a base station corresponding to a cell of a base station (e.g., base station 602). When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be the antenna array of a base station (e.g., as in a MIMO system or where the base station employs beamforming). When the term "base station" refers to multiple disjoint physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a spatially separated network of antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, a disjoint physical transmission point may be the serving base station receiving measurement reports from a UE (e.g., UE 604) and neighboring base stations where the UE is measuring its reference RF signal. Therefore, Figure 6 The diagram illustrates one aspect of a DAS / RRH 620 formed by base stations 602a and 602b. For example, base station 602a may be the serving base station of UE 604, and base station 602b may be a neighboring base station of UE 604. Therefore, base station 602b may be the RRH of base station 602a. Base stations 602a and 602b may communicate with each other via a wired or wireless link 622.

[0129] To accurately determine the location of UE 604 using the OTDOA and / or RSTD between the RF signals received from the paired network nodes, UE 604 needs to measure the reference RF signal received through the LOS path (or the shortest NLOS path where the LOS path is unavailable) between UE 604 and the network node (e.g., base station 602, antenna). However, the RF signal travels not only through the LOS / shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, but also through several other paths, because the RF signal is dispersed from the transmitter and reflected from other objects such as mountains, buildings, and water on its way to the receiver. Therefore, Figure 6 The diagram illustrates several LOS paths 610 and several NLOS paths 612 between base station 602 and UE 604. Specifically, Figure 6 The diagram illustrates that base station 602a transmits via LOS path 610a and NLOS path 612a, base station 602b transmits via LOS path 610b and two NLOS paths 612b, base station 602c transmits via LOS path 610c and NLOS path 612c, and base station 602d transmits via two NLOS paths 612d. Figure 6As illustrated, each NLOS path 612 is reflected from an object 630 (e.g., a building). It should be understood that each LOS path 610 and NLOS path 612 transmitted by base station 602 can be transmitted by different antennas of base station 602 (e.g., as in a MIMO system), or it can be transmitted by the same antenna of base station 602 (thus illustrating the propagation of RF signals). Furthermore, as used herein, the term "LOS path" refers to the shortest path between the transmitter and receiver, and may not be the actual LOS path, but rather the shortest NLOS path.

[0130] In one aspect, one or more base stations 602 can be configured to transmit RF signals using beamforming. In this case, some available beams can concentrate the transmitted RF signals along the LOS path 610 (e.g., the beam produces the highest antenna gain along the LOS path), while other available beams can concentrate the transmitted RF signals along the NLOS path 612. A beam with high gain along a certain path and therefore concentrates the RF signal along that path may still have some RF signals propagating along other paths; the strength of these RF signals naturally depends on the beam gain along these other paths. An “RF signal” includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information through space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter can transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, as further described below, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver can receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal.

[0131] When base station 602 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beam of interest for data communication between base station 602 and UE 604 will be the beam carrying the RF signal arriving at UE 604 with the highest signal strength (as indicated by, for example, Received Signal Received Power (RSRP) or SINR present in directional interference signals), while the beam of interest for location estimation will be the beam carrying the RF signal that triggers the shortest path or LOS path (e.g., LOS path 610). In some frequency bands and for antenna systems typically used, these beams will be the same. However, in other frequency bands, such as mmW, where a large number of antenna elements can typically be used to create narrow transmit beams, these beams may not be the same. See below for reference. Figure 7 In some cases, the signal strength of the RF signal on the LOS path 610 may be weaker than that of the RF signal on the NLOS path 612 (the RF signal through the NLOS path 612 arrives later due to propagation delay) (e.g., due to obstacles).

[0132] Figure 7An exemplary wireless communication system 700 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Figure 7 In the example, it can be with Figure 6 In this context, UE 704, corresponding to UE 604, is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assisting another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating its location estimate. UE 704 can wirelessly communicate with base station 702 using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. Base station 702 can correspond to... Figure 6 One of the base stations in the country, number 602.

[0133] like Figure 7 As illustrated, base station 702 is using beamforming to transmit multiple beams 711-715 of RF signals. Each beam 711-715 can be formed and transmitted by the antenna array of base station 702. Although Figure 7 The illustration shows that base station 702 transmits five beams 711-715, but it should be understood that there may be more or fewer than five beams, and the beam shapes, such as peak gain, width and sidelobe gain, may be different among the transmitted beams, and some beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0134] For the purpose of distinguishing RF signals associated with one beam from those associated with another, a beam index can be assigned to each of the multiple beams 711-715. Furthermore, the RF signal associated with a specific beam among the multiple beams 711-715 can carry a beam index indicator. The beam index can also be derived from the transmission time of the RF signal (e.g., frame, time slot, and / or OFDM symbol number). For example, the beam index indicator can be a three-bit field used to uniquely distinguish up to eight beams. If two different RF signals with different beam indices are received, this indicates that these RF signals were transmitted using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this indicates that the different RF signals were transmitted using the same beam. Another way to describe two RF signals as being transmitted using the same beam is to say that the antenna port used to transmit the first RF signal is quasi-co-located spatially with the antenna port used to transmit the second RF signal.

[0135] exist Figure 7 In the example, UE 704 receives NLOS data stream 723 of RF signals transmitted on beam 713 and LOS data stream 724 of RF signals transmitted on beam 714. Although Figure 7The NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 are illustrated as single lines (dashed and solid lines, respectively). However, it should be understood that the NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 may each comprise multiple rays (i.e., “clusters”) at their arrival time at UE 704 due to, for example, the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. For example, when electromagnetic waves are reflected from multiple object surfaces and the reflections arrive at the receiver (e.g., UE 704) from approximately the same angle, each reflection travels a few wavelengths (e.g., centimeters) more or less than the others, forming an RF signal cluster. A “cluster” of received RF signals typically corresponds to a single transmitted RF signal.

[0136] exist Figure 7 In the example, NLOS data stream 723 is not initially directed to UE 704, as should be understood, although it may be directed to UE 704, as... Figure 6 The RF signal on NLOS path 612 is reflected from reflector 740 (e.g., building) and reaches UE 704 without obstruction, and therefore may still be a relatively strong RF signal. Conversely, LOS data stream 724 is directed towards UE 704, but passes through obstructions 730 (e.g., vegetation, buildings, hills, destructive environments such as clouds or smoke, etc.), which may significantly weaken the RF signal. As should be understood, although LOS data stream 724 is weaker than NLOS data stream 723, LOS data stream 724 will reach UE 704 before NLOS data stream 723 because it follows the shorter path from base station 702 to UE 704.

[0137] As noted above, the beam of interest for data communication between the base station (e.g., base station 702) and the UE (e.g., UE 704) is the beam carrying the RF signal arriving at the UE with the highest signal strength (e.g., the highest RSRP or SINR), while the beam of interest for location estimation is the beam carrying the RF signal that excites the LOS path and has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams (e.g., beam 714). That is, even if beam 713 (NLOS beam) weakly excites the LOS path (due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals, even if not concentrated along the LOS path), the weak signal (if any) of the LOS path of beam 713 may not be reliably detected (compared to the signal from beam 714), thus leading to a larger error when performing positioning measurements.

[0138] While beams of interest for data communication and beams of interest for position estimation may be the same beam in some frequency bands, they may not be the same beam in other frequency bands, such as mmW. Therefore, reference Figure 7When UE 704 is involved in a data communication session with base station 702 (e.g., where base station 702 is the serving base station for UE 704) and is not simply attempting to measure a reference RF signal transmitted by base station 702, the beam of interest for the data communication session could be beam 713, as it carries an unobstructed NLOS data stream 723. However, the beam of interest for position estimation would be beam 714, as it carries the strongest LOS data stream 724, despite being obstructed.

[0139] Figure 8A This is a graph 800A illustrating the RF channel response over time at a receiver (e.g., UE 704) according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 8A In the channel diagram, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals from the channel tap at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals from the channel tap at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals from the channel tap at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals from the channel tap at time T4. Figure 8A In the example, since the first cluster of RF signals arrives first at time T1, it is assumed to be a LOS data stream (i.e., a data stream arriving via LOS or the shortest path) and can correspond to LOS data stream 724. The third cluster at time T3 consists of the strongest RF signal and can correspond to NLOS data stream 723. From the transmitter's perspective, each cluster of received RF signals can include portions of the RF signal transmitted at different angles, and therefore it can be said that each cluster has a different angle of origin (AoD) than the transmitter. Figure 8B This is a diagram 800B illustrating this separation of clusters in an AoD. The RF signals transmitted within the AoD range 802a can correspond to... Figure 8A One of the clusters (e.g., "cluster 1"), and the RF signals transmitted in the AoD range 802b can correspond to Figure 8A Different clusters within (e.g., "cluster 3"). Note that, although Figure 8B The AoD ranges of the two clusters depicted are spatially isolated, but the AoD ranges of some clusters may not completely overlap, even if the clusters are temporally separated. This can occur, for example, when two separate buildings reflect signals toward the receiver at the same AoD as the transmitter. Note that although... Figure 8A Clusters with two to five channel taps (or “spikes”) are illustrated, but it should be understood that clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than illustrated.

[0140] The RAN1 (or radio layer) objectives of NR include downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) reference signals to support NR positioning technologies, some of which have already been described above (e.g., DL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-TDOA, UL-AoA, multi-cell RTT, and enhanced cell ID (E-CID)). For example, RAN1 NR can support E-CID downlink measurements based on RRM measurements, can identify whether and which 3GPP Rel-15 NR reference signals can be used for different NR positioning technologies, can define new DL positioning reference signals that are at least applicable to DL-TDOA, DL-AoD, and / or RTT, and can define UL SRS with possible positioning enhancements that are at least applicable to RTT, UL-TDOA, and / or UL-AoA.

[0141] RAN1 NR can define UE measurements for DL ​​reference signals applicable to NR positioning (e.g., for serving, reference, and / or neighboring cells), including DL reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements for NR positioning, DLRSRP measurements for NR positioning, and UE Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the UE receiver to response signal transmission at the UE transmitter, such as time difference measurements for NR positioning, such as RTT).

[0142] RAN1 NR can define gNB measurements based on UL reference signals applicable to NR positioning, such as relative UL time of arrival (RTOA) for NR positioning, UL AoA measurements for NR positioning (e.g., including azimuth and zenith angles), UL RSRP measurements for NR positioning, and gNB Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the gNB receiver to response signal transmission at the gNB transmitter, such as time difference measurements for NR positioning, such as RTT).

[0143] Physical layer procedures can also be defined in RAN1 NR to facilitate UE and / or gNB measurements for NR positioning.

[0144] Discontinuous reception (DRX) is a mechanism where the UE enters sleep mode for a period of time (referred to as the "DRX off period" or inactive time) and wakes up for another period of time (referred to as the "DRX on period" or active time). In normal operation, the UE must remain awake and monitor the PDCCH for each subframe (meaning the UE must always be awake because it doesn't know exactly when the network will send DL data targeted at the UE). A disadvantage of this approach is the power consumption on the UE side. DRX modes can be implemented based on varying DRX parameters, as shown in Table 3 below:

[0145]

[0146]

[0147] Table 3: DRX Parameters

[0148] Figure 9 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 900 according to one aspect of this disclosure. Figure 9 In the diagram, DRX activation period 902 is followed by DRX activation period 904, with DRX deactivation periods in between. The offset from the start point of DRX activation period 902 to the start point of DRX activation period 904 corresponds to the periodicity of the DRX activation periods, and can be referred to as the DRX cycle in this paper. Figure 9 In this configuration, a long DRX period was set, and no PDCCH was received during either DRX enable period 902 or 904. Figure 9 In the diagram, the thick border associated with the DRX activation period 902-904 indicates the activation time of the corresponding UE, where the UE is in a wake-up state and monitors each subframe.

[0149] Figure 10 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1000 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 10 In the diagram, DRX activation period 1002 is followed by DRX activation period 1004, with DRX deactivation periods in between. Figure 10 During the DRX enable period 1004 at point 1006, a long DRX period was configured and a PDCCH was received. The reception of the PDCCH at point 1006 initiated a DRX inactivity timer period 1008, which extended through the DRX enable period 1004 and expired at point 1010. Figure 10 In the diagram, the thick border associated with the DRX activation period 1002-1004 indicates the activation time of the corresponding UE, where the UE is in a wake-up state and monitors each subframe. For DRX activation period 1004, the activation time ends at 1010 due to the DRX inactivity timer.

[0150] Figure 11 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1100 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 11 In the diagram, DRX activation period 1102 is followed by DRX activation period 1104, with DRX deactivation periods in between. Figure 11In the process, a long DRX period is configured during the DRX enable period 1104 at 1106, and a PDCCH is received. The reception of the PDCCH at 1106 begins a DRX inactivity timer period 1108, which extends through the DRX enable period 1104. The DRX inactivity timer period 1108 will normally expire at 1110. However, in... Figure 10 In the process, at 1112, a DRX command MAC CE was received to prematurely stop the DRX inactive timer. Figure 11 In the diagram, the thick border associated with the DRX activation period 1102-1104 indicates the activation time of the corresponding UE, where the UE is in a wake-up state and monitors each subframe. For the DRX activation period 1104, the activation time ends at 1112 due to the reception of the DRX command MAC CE that stops the DRX inactivity timer.

[0151] In NR, regarding CSI-RS for mobility, if the UE is configured with DRX, then the UE is not required to perform CSI-RS resource measurements except during the active period of CSI-RS-resource-mobility measurements. If the UE is configured with DRX and the in-use DRX period is greater than 80ms, then the UE may not expect CSI-RS resources to be available except during the active period of CSI-RS-resource-mobility measurements. Otherwise, the UE can assume that CSI-RS is available for measurement based on CSI-RS-resource-mobility.

[0152] In NR, regarding CSI acquisition and feedback, when DRX is configured, the UE only reports a CSI report if it receives at least one CSI-RS transmission opportunity for channel measurement and a CSI-RS and / or CSI-IM opportunity for interference measurement no later than the DRX activation time of the CSI reference resource; otherwise, the report is discarded. If the UE is configured with DRX, the most recent CSI measurement opportunity occurs within the DRX activation time of the CSI to be reported.

[0153] In LTE, regarding PRS reception, in some scenarios, it is expected that the UE will measure externally active DRXs. When an LPP request arrives, any DRX can be configured at the UE (the eNB is unaware of the LPP), and the UE is expected to meet these requirements. Therefore, the UE may need to measure externally active DRXs. Otherwise, there is a risk that the PRS timing from the eNB may always fall within a DRX inactive period (or a DRX off period).

[0154] Figures 12 to 17 Exemplary DRX sequences 1200-1700 are illustrated, which describe specific PRS-DRX options (or rules) that can be implemented according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0155] Figure 12 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1200 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 12 In the DRX activation period 1202, there is a DRX activation period 1204, with DRX deactivation periods in between. PRS resource 1 includes timings 1 to 4. Figure 12 The PRS resource is represented as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] via [PRS resource #, timing #]. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occur during the DRX start time period 1202, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] occur outside the DRX start time period 1202. In the DRX sequence 1200, the PRS-DRX rule is implemented, thus, if at least one timing of a PRS resource is received during the DRX start time (or activation time), the UE is expected to remain in the activation time so as to receive all PRS timings of that specific PRS resource after the DRX start time.

[0156] Figure 13 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1300 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 13 In the diagram, DRX start time 1302 is followed by DRX start time 1304, with DRX stop time in between. PRS resources 1 and 2 are each associated with the same PRS resource set and each includes times 1 to 4. Figure 13 In this context, [PRS resource #, timing #] are represented as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04], respectively. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occurs during the DRX activation period 1302, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] occur outside the DRX activation period 1302. In the DRX sequence 1300, a PRS-DRX rule is implemented, whereby if at least one timing of a PRS resource is received during the DRX activation time (or activation time), the UE is expected to remain in the activation time to receive all PRS timings of all PRS resources associated with a specific PRS resource set after the DRX activation time.

[0157] Figure 14 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1400 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 14 In the diagram, DRX start time 1402 is followed by DRX start time 1404, with DRX stop time in between. PRS resources 1 and 2 are associated with PRS resource sets 1 and 2 respectively, and each includes times 1 to 4. Figure 14The PRS resource # and timing # are represented as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04], respectively. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occurs during the DRX start time period 1402, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] occur outside the DRX start time period 1402. In the DRX sequence 1400, a PRS-DRX rule is implemented, whereby if at least one timing of a PRS resource is received within the DRX start time (or activation time), the UE is expected to remain in the activation time to receive all PRS within the current time slot and any subsequent time slots containing the PRS, until a time slot where no PRS is configured for reception is reached.

[0158] Figure 15 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1500 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 15 In the process, DRX start time 1502 is followed by DRX start time 1504, with DRX stop time periods in between. PRS resources 1 and 2 are associated with at least one PRS resource set (same or different) and each includes times 1 to 4. Figure 15 The PRS resource #, timing # is represented as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04], respectively. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occurs during the DRX activation period 1402, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] occur outside the DRX activation period 1402. In the DRX sequence 1500, the PRS-DRX rule is implemented, thus expecting the UE to only process PRS timings that are entirely within the DRX activation period (or activation duration). Therefore, the UE does not process / receive [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04].

[0159] Figure 16 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1600 according to another aspect of this disclosure. Figure 16 In the process, DRX start time 1602 is followed by DRX start time 1604, with DRX stop time in between. PRS resources 1 and 2 are associated with at least one PRS resource set (same or different) and each includes times 1 to 4. Figure 16The PRS resource #, timing # is represented as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] respectively. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occurs during the DRX on-time period 1402, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] occur outside of the DRX on-time period 1402. In DRX sequence 1600, the PRS-DRX rule is implemented, thus the UE is "always on" and never actually enters sleep mode or inactive time. In this case, [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] are all received / processed at the UE. However, this method has high UE power consumption.

[0160] One or more embodiments of this disclosure relate to an indication from a UE to a base station specifying the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after the endpoint of a corresponding DRX activation period (e.g., in some cases, the maximum duration for which the UE is permitted or able to remain active). In some designs, the maximum duration indicated in this manner can be used as described above regarding... Figures 12 to 16 The upper limit or constraint of any of the described PRS-DRX schemes, and can provide various technical advantages, including but not limited to reducing power consumption at the UE (e.g., in particular, power-constrained UEs, such as UEs experiencing low battery conditions).

[0161] Figure 17 An exemplary process 1700 of wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, process 1700 may be performed by a UE (such as...) Figure 3A UE 302) is used to execute.

[0162] In 1710, UE 302 (e.g., processing system 332, etc.) determines the maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after the DRX activation period to transmit or process one or more reference signals associated with the positioning session (e.g., transmitting reference signals, processing reference signals, or transmitting reference signals and processing other reference signals) (e.g., in some cases, the maximum duration for which the UE is permitted or able to remain active). In some designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include DL signals, such as DL PRS. In other designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include UL signals, such as UL SRS-P. In some designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include a combination of UL SRS-P and DL PRS. In this case, the maximum duration for UL SRS-P and DL PRS may be the same, or alternatively, the maximum duration may be a first maximum duration for DL ​​PRS and a second maximum duration for UL SRS-P. As will be described in detail below, the maximum duration can be defined in a variety of ways (e.g., discrete time units, relative to another time period, etc.) and can be applied relative to a specific DRX on-time period or multiple DRX on-time periods (e.g., the duration used to locate a session).

[0163] At 1720, UE 302 (e.g., transmitter 314, transmitter 324, etc.) sends an indication of the maximum duration to the base station. In one example, the indication at 1720 is sent in association with a UE capability procedure, or the indication at 1720 is sent as part of a MAC CE, or the indication at 1720 is sent as part of an RRC communication, or a combination thereof.

[0164] At 1730, UE 302 (e.g., transmitter 314, transmitter 324, processing system 332, etc.) selectively transmits or processes one or more reference signals (e.g., transmits a reference signal, processes a reference signal, or transmits a reference signal and processes other reference signals) at least in part based on the maximum duration. For example, selective transmission / processing at 1730 may include transmitting (or skipping transmission) one or more UL SRS-Ps, receiving (or skipping reception) one or more DL PRSs, or a combination thereof.

[0165] Figure 18 An exemplary process 1800 of wireless communication according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, process 1800 may be performed by a BS (such as...) Figure 3B BS 304) to execute.

[0166] At 1810, BS 304 (e.g., receiver 352, receiver 362, etc.) receives from the UE an indication of the maximum duration (e.g., in some cases, the maximum duration for which the UE is permitted or able to remain active after the DRX activation period to transmit or process one or more reference signals associated with the positioning session (e.g., transmitting reference signals, processing reference signals, or transmitting reference signals and processing other reference signals) for positioning. In some designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include DL signals, such as DL PRS. In other designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include UL signals, such as UL SRS-P. In some designs, the one or more reference signals for positioning may include a combination of UL SRS-P and DL PRS. In this case, the maximum duration may be the same for UL SRS-P and DL PRS, or alternatively, the maximum duration may be a first maximum duration for DL ​​PRS and a second maximum duration for UL SRS-P. As will be described in detail below, the maximum duration can be defined in a variety of ways (e.g., discrete time units, relative to another time period, etc.) and can be applied relative to a specific DRX activation period or multiple DRX activation periods (e.g., the duration for a location session). In one example, it indicates that the signal at 1810 was received in association with a UE capability procedure, or indicates that the signal at 1810 was received as part of a MAC CE, or indicates that the signal at 1810 was received as part of RRC communication, or a combination thereof.

[0167] At 1820, BS 304 (e.g., transmitter 354, transmitter 364, processing system 384, etc.) selectively transmits or processes one or more reference signals (e.g., transmits a reference signal, processes a reference signal, or transmits a reference signal and processes other reference signals) at least in part based on the maximum duration. For example, selective transmission / processing at 1820 may include receiving (or skipping reception) one or more UL SRS-Ps, transmitting (or skipping transmission) one or more DL PRSs, or combinations thereof.

[0168] Figure 19 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 1900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the DRX sequence 1900 is based on... Figures 17 to 18 The example implementation of process 1700-1800. Figure 19 In the process, DRX start time 1902 is followed by DRX start time 1904, with DRX stop time in between. PRS resources 1 and 2 are associated with at least one PRS resource set (same or different) and each includes times 1 to 4. Figure 19The values ​​are represented by [PRS resource #, timing #] as [P1, 01]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04], respectively. [P1, 01]-[P1, 02] occurs during the DRX activation period 1902, while [P1, 03]-[P1, 04] and [P2, 01]-[P2, 04] occur outside the DRX activation period 1902. Figure 19 The text further describes the extended time period 1906 corresponding to the maximum duration indicated at 1720 or 1810. In the DRX sequence 1900, the PRS-DRX rule is implemented, thereby expecting the UE to only process PRS timings that fall entirely within the DRX on-time or the extended time period 1906 (e.g., similar in some respects to...). Figure 15 Except for the extended period 1906). Therefore, the UE does not process / receive [P1, 01]-[P1, 04], and skips [P2, 01]-[P2, 04].

[0169] Figure 20 The illustration shows a DRX sequence 2000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the DRX sequence 2000 is based on... Figures 17 to 18 The example implementation of process 1700-1800. Figure 20 In the diagram, DRX activation period 2002 is followed by DRX activation period 2004, with DRX deactivation periods in between. Figure 20 The document further depicts extended time periods corresponding to the maximum duration indicated at 1720 or 1810 in 2006. PRS resources 1 and 2 are associated with at least one PRS resource set (same or different) and each has one or more timings ( Figure 20 (Not explicitly shown). SRS-P resources 1 and 2 are associated with at least one SRS-P resource set (same or different), and each has one or more occasions ( Figure 20 (Not explicitly shown in the text). Figure 20 In this context, PRS resources 1 and 2 are denoted as P1-P2, and SRS-P resources 1 and 2 are denoted as S1-S2.

[0170] In one example, a location procedure (e.g., an RTT location procedure) can be associated with both PRS resources and SRS-P resources. For instance, it might be necessary to use both PRS and SRS-P resources separately to perform Rx-Tx measurements (at the UE or BS). Figure 20 In this embodiment, it is assumed that S1 and P1 share this association, and S2 and P2 also share the association. In this case, if S1 or S2 cannot be processed / sent, their corresponding associated PRS resources become less relevant because the association location process (or measurement) cannot be completed.

[0171] In DRX sequence 2000, the PRS-DRX rule is implemented, thus expecting the UE to process / transmit only SRS-P resources associated with non-skipped non-skipped PRS resources, and / or process / transmit PRS resources associated with non-skipped non-skipped SRS-P resources. Accordingly, S1 and S2 each occur within DRX start period 2002 or the extended period 2006, and are therefore both processed / transmitted. However, S2 falls outside both DRX start period 2002 and the extended period 2006, and is therefore skipped. P2 shares an association with S2, causing P2 to also be skipped, even though P2 occurs within the extended period 2006.

[0172] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, the maximum duration can extend from the end of the DRX activation period to the beginning of the next DRX activation period (e.g., in an "always-on" activation mode, at least temporarily), or the maximum duration can include a defined amount of time (e.g., a discrete number of symbols or seconds, etc.), a defined portion of the DRX cycle (e.g., 50% of the DRX cycle length, etc.), or a combination thereof (e.g., 70% of the DRX cycle length plus / minus X ms). In a specific example where the maximum duration includes a defined amount of time, the defined amount of time corresponds to the time offset from downlink control information (DCI) communication (e.g., PDCCH).

[0173] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, the maximum duration can be based on the UE's battery state, the UE's charging state, or a combination thereof. For example, if the UE is charging or has sufficient power (e.g., above a threshold), the maximum duration can be set to a higher value. Alternatively, in another example, if the UE is not charging and has limited power (e.g., below a threshold), the maximum duration can be set to a lower value.

[0174] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, the maximum duration can be specific to a UE or group of UEs, or to a specific frequency band. In some designs, the maximum duration can be specific to the AP, SP, or P DL PRS and / or UL SRS-P. In one example, for AP PRS or SRS-P, the maximum value can be defined relative to DCI communication (e.g., PDCCH) rather than the end of the corresponding DRX on period.

[0175] refer to Figures 17 to 18In some designs, selective transmission and / or processing at 1730 and / or 1820 may include: transmitting or processing one or more reference signals used for positioning on a first timing set during the DRX on period or while remaining active during the DRX on period for a maximum duration, and skipping a second timing set associated with the one or more reference signals used for positioning after the maximum duration. This aspect is... Figure 19 As shown in the image.

[0176] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, selective transmission and / or processing at 1730 and / or 1820 may include: detecting that a first timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning will be skipped after a maximum duration; and, in response to this detection, skipping a second timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning during the DRX on period or while the DRX on period remains active during the maximum duration. This aspect is... Figure 20 As shown in the image.

[0177] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency band for which a positioning reference signal (PRS) and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured, or the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency range (FR) for which a PRS and / or SRS is configured, or the maximum duration is based at least in part on the combination of frequency bands for which the UE is configured to operate, or a combination thereof.

[0178] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, the maximum duration is configured by the UE's serving network. In other designs, the maximum duration is configured at the UE independently of the UE's serving network. In a specific example, if the maximum duration is not configured by the UE's serving network, the maximum duration may (e.g., by default) extend from the end of the DRX activation period to the beginning of the next DRX activation period (e.g., "always on" mode).

[0179] refer to Figures 17 to 18 In some designs, if the PRS and SRS-P are jointly triggered (e.g., a joint MAC-CE command or joint DCI field for AP PRS / SRS-P), the maximum value can correspond to the maximum gap that can be configured between the latest triggered PRS and the first (or last) triggered SRS-P. In one example, each SRS resource defines the slot offset of the SRS resource, and triggering can occur for the entire SRS resource set. That is, the entire SRS set can be triggered, containing SRS resources spanning multiple slots. The maximum value is then defined relative to the "last" or "first" SRS-P.

[0180] 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 for the example clauses to have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those in the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered incorporated into the description herein, where each clause may be considered a separate example. Although each dependent clause may be referenced in the clause as a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspect of that dependent clause is not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of a dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or combinations of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. These combinations are expressly included in the aspects disclosed herein unless expressly stated or it can be readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as limiting an element to be both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, aspects of an intended clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0181] The following numbered clauses describe examples of implementation methods:

[0182] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a wide variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips described throughout the above text can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0183] Clause 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; transmitting an indication of the maximum duration to a base station; and selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

[0184] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein one or more reference signals used for positioning include one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS).

[0185] Clause 3. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein one or more reference signals for positioning include one or more uplink (UL) probe reference signals (SRS-P) for positioning.

[0186] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the one or more reference signals used for positioning include one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS) and one or more uplink (UL) detection reference signals (SRS-P) used for positioning.

[0187] Clause 5. The method pursuant to Clause 4, wherein the maximum duration is the same for one or more DL PRS and one or more UL SRS-P, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a first maximum duration for one or more DL PRS and a second maximum duration for one or more UL SRS-P.

[0188] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 4 to 5, wherein one or more DL PRS and one or more ULSRS-P are associated with a round-trip time (RTT) positioning procedure, wherein one or more DL PRS fall within the DRX activation period, and wherein one or more DL PRS are discarded if one or more SRS-P extends beyond the maximum duration.

[0189] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, wherein the maximum duration extends from the end of the DRX opening period to the beginning of the next DRX opening period, or wherein the maximum duration includes a defined amount of time, or wherein the maximum duration includes a defined portion of the DRX cycle, or a combination thereof.

[0190] Clause 8. The method of Clause 7, wherein the maximum duration includes a defined amount of time corresponding to the time offset from the downlink control information (DCI) communication.

[0191] Clause 9. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein the maximum duration is specific to a DRX activation period, or wherein the maximum duration is associated with multiple DRX activation periods.

[0192] Clause 10. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein the maximum duration is based on the UE’s battery state, the UE’s charging state, or a combination thereof.

[0193] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein selective transmission or processing comprises: transmitting or processing the one or more reference signals used for positioning on a first timing set during the DRX on period or during the DRX on period remaining active for a maximum duration, and skipping a second timing set associated with the one or more reference signals used for positioning after the maximum duration.

[0194] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11, wherein selective transmission and / or processing includes: detecting that a first timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning will be skipped after a maximum duration; and in response to the detection, skipping a second timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning during the DRX on period or during the DRX on period remaining active during the maximum duration.

[0195] Clause 13. The method pursuant to any one of Clauses 1 to 12, wherein the instruction is sent in connection with a UE capability procedure, or wherein the instruction is sent as part of a Media Access Control (MAC) Command Element (CE), or wherein the instruction is sent as part of Radio Resource Control (RRC) communications, or a combination thereof.

[0196] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 13, wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency band for which a positioning reference signal (PRS) and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency range (FR) for which a PRS and / or SRS is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the combination of frequency bands for which the UE is configured to operate, or a combination thereof.

[0197] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 14, wherein the maximum duration is configured by the UE's serving network, or wherein the maximum duration is configured at the UE independently of the UE's serving network.

[0198] Clause 16. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 15, wherein the maximum duration is not configured by the UE's serving network, and wherein the maximum duration extends from the end of the DRX activation period to the beginning of the next DRX activation period.

[0199] Clause 17. A method of operating a base station, comprising: receiving from a user equipment (UE) an indication of a maximum duration for which the UE should remain active after a DRX activation period to transmit and / or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; and selectively transmitting and / or processing one or more reference signals at least in part based on the maximum duration.

[0200] Clause 18. The method according to Clause 17, wherein one or more reference signals for positioning include one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS), or wherein one or more reference signals for positioning include one or more uplink (UL) detection reference signals (SRS-P), or one or more reference signals for positioning include at least one DL PRS and at least one UL SRS-P.

[0201] Clause 19. The method pursuant to any one of Clauses 17 to 18, wherein the maximum duration extends from the end of the DRX opening period to the beginning of the next DRX opening period, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a defined amount of time, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a defined portion of the DRX cycle, or a combination thereof.

[0202] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19, wherein the maximum duration includes a defined amount of time corresponding to the time offset from the downlink control information (DCI) communication.

[0203] Clause 21. The method pursuant to any one of Clauses 17 to 20, wherein the maximum duration is specific to a DRX activation period, or wherein the maximum duration is associated with multiple DRX activation periods.

[0204] Clause 22. The method of any one of Clauses 17 to 21, wherein the maximum duration is based on the UE’s battery state, the UE’s charging state, or a combination thereof.

[0205] Clause 23. The method according to any one of Clauses 17 to 22, wherein selective transmission and / or processing comprises: transmitting or processing one or more reference signals for positioning on a first timing set during a DRX-enabled period or during a DRX-enabled period that remains active for a maximum duration, and skipping a second timing set associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning after the maximum duration.

[0206] Clause 24. The method according to any one of Clauses 17 to 23, wherein selective transmission and / or processing includes: detecting that a first timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning will be skipped after a maximum duration; and in response to the detection, skipping a second timing set associated with one or more reference signals for positioning during the DRX on period or during the DRX on period remaining active during the maximum duration.

[0207] Clause 25. The method pursuant to any one of Clauses 17 to 24, wherein the instruction is received in connection with a UE capability procedure, or wherein the instruction is received as part of a Media Access Control (MAC) Command Element (CE), or wherein the instruction is received as part of Radio Resource Control (RRC) communications, or a combination thereof.

[0208] Clause 26. The method according to any one of Clauses 17 to 25, wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency band for which a positioning reference signal (PRS) and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the frequency range (FR) for which a PRS and / or SRS is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on the combination of frequency bands for which the UE is configured to operate, or a combination thereof.

[0209] Clause 27. The method pursuant to any one of Clauses 17 to 26, wherein the maximum duration is configured by the UE's serving network, or wherein the maximum duration is configured at the UE independently of the UE's serving network.

[0210] Clause 28. The method of any one of Clauses 17 to 27, wherein the maximum duration is not configured by the UE's serving network, and wherein the maximum duration extends from the end of the DRX activation period to the beginning of the next DRX activation period.

[0211] Clause 29. 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 a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0212] Clause 30. An apparatus comprising: a component for performing a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0213] Clause 31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform a method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 28.

[0214] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0215] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0216] 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 in 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. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium can reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0217] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions may 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 transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible to a computer. For example, and not limitingly, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may 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 technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (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 versatile optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where 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.

[0218] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates 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 need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is also considered unless expressly stated as limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a maximum duration that the UE is permitted to remain active to transmit or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session after a discontinuous reception (DRX) on-duration period; transmitting, to a network node, an indication of the maximum duration; and selectively transmitting or processing the one or more reference signals for positioning based at least in part on the maximum duration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The one or more reference signals for positioning comprise one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The one or more reference signals for positioning comprise one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signals for positioning (SRS-P).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The one or more reference signals for positioning comprise one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs) and one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signals for positioning (SRS-P).

5. The method of claim 4, wherein The maximum duration is the same for the one or more DL PRSs and the one or more UL SRS-P, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a first maximum duration for the one or more DL PRSs and a second maximum duration for the one or more UL SRS-P.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein The one or more DL PRSs and the one or more UL SRS-P are associated with a round trip time (RTT) positioning procedure, wherein the one or more DL PRSs fall within the DRX on-duration period, and wherein the one or more DL PRSs are dropped if the one or more SRS-P extend beyond the maximum duration.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein The maximum duration extends from an end of the DRX on-duration period to a beginning of a next DRX on-duration period, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a defined amount of time, or wherein the maximum duration comprises a defined portion of a DRX cycle, or a combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The maximum duration comprises a defined amount of time that corresponds to a time offset from a downlink control information (DCI) communication.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The maximum duration is specific to the DRX on-duration period, or wherein the maximum duration is associated with a plurality of DRX on-duration periods.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The maximum duration is based on a battery state of the UE, a charging state of the UE, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, The selectively transmitting or processing comprises: transmitting or processing, for a maximum duration, the one or more reference signals for positioning on a first set of occasions during the DRX on-duration period or during the DRX on-duration period remaining active, and skipping, after the maximum duration, a second set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, The selectively transmitting or processing comprises: detecting that a first set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning will be skipped after the maximum duration; and in response to the detecting, skipping a second set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning during the DRX on-duration or during a stay-activated period of the DRX on-duration for a maximum duration.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, the indication is transmitted in association with a UE capability procedure, or wherein the indication is transmitted as part of a medium access control (MAC) command element (CE), or wherein the indication is transmitted as part of a radio resource control (RRC) communication, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency band for which a positioning reference signal (PRS) or a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency range (FR) for which a PRS or a SRS is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency band combination for which the UE is configured for operation, or a combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum duration is configured by a serving network of the UE, or wherein the maximum duration is configured at the UE independently of a serving network of the UE.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the maximum duration is not configured by a serving network of the UE, and wherein the maximum duration extends from an end of the DRX on-duration to a beginning of a next DRX on-duration.

17. A method of operating a network node, comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a maximum duration for which the UE is permitted to remain activated after a discontinuous reception (DRX) on-duration to transmit or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; and selectively transmitting or processing the one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, the one or more reference signals for positioning comprise one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRSs), or wherein the one or more reference signals for positioning comprise one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signals for positioning (SRS-Ps), or wherein the one or more reference signals for positioning comprise at least one DL PRS and at least one UL SRS-P.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the maximum duration extends from an end of the DRX on-duration to a beginning of a next DRX on-duration, or wherein the maximum duration is a defined amount of time, or wherein the maximum duration is a defined portion of a DRX cycle, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, the maximum duration comprises a defined amount of time corresponding to a time offset from a downlink control information (DCI) communication.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the maximum duration is specific to the DRX on-duration, or wherein the maximum duration is associated with a plurality of DRX on-durations.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein, The maximum duration is based on a battery status of the UE, a charging status of the UE, or a combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein, The selectively transmitting or processing includes: transmitting or processing the one or more reference signals for positioning during a first set of occasions during the DRX ON period or during a remaining active time of the DRX ON period for a maximum duration, and skipping a second set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning after the maximum duration.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein, The selectively transmitting or processing includes: detecting that a first set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning will be skipped after the maximum duration; and in response to the detecting, skipping a second set of occasions associated with the one or more reference signals for positioning during the DRX ON period or during a remaining active time of the UE after the DRX ON period for the maximum duration.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein, the indication is received in association with a UE capability procedure, or wherein the indication is received as part of a medium access control (MAC) command element (CE), or wherein the indication is received as part of a radio resource control (RRC) communication, or a combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein, the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency band for which a positioning reference signal (PRS) or a sounding reference signal (SRS) is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency range (FR) for which a PRS or a SRS is configured, or wherein the maximum duration is based at least in part on a frequency band combination for which the UE is configured for operation, or a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the maximum duration is configured by a serving network of the UE, or wherein the maximum duration is configured at the UE independently of a serving network of the UE.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the maximum duration is not configured by a serving network of the UE, or wherein the maximum duration extends from an end of the DRX ON period to a beginning of a next DRX ON period.

29. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: determine a maximum duration for which the UE is permitted to remain active after a discontinuous reception (DRX) ON period to transmit or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; transmit, to a network node, an indication of the maximum duration; and selectively transmit or process the one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

30. A network node, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: determine a maximum duration for which a user equipment (UE) is permitted to remain active after a discontinuous reception (DRX) ON period to transmit or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session; and receive, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of a maximum duration that the UE is permitted to remain activated to transmit or process one or more reference signals for positioning associated with a positioning session after a discontinuous reception (DRX) on period; and selectively transmit or process the one or more reference signals based at least in part on the maximum duration.

31. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising means for performing a method of any of claims 1-16.

32. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, the apparatus comprising means for performing a method of any of claims 17-28.

33. A computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program code, wherein, The program code can be executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) to cause the processor to perform a method of any of claims 1-16.

34. A computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program code, wherein, The program code can be executed by one or more processors of a network node to cause the processor to perform a method of any of claims 17-28.

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