Uplink sounding reference signal carrier aggregation

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for sounding reference signal (SRS) carrier aggregation are provided. A target device is configured with N (N≥2) SRSs, including a reference SRS and N-1 target SRSs. The N-1 target SRSs are activated using low layer signaling such as MAC-CE or DCI message, so that each of the N SRSs is transmitted on a respective carrier component from a common antenna port. The low layer signaling for activating the target SRSs can identify configuration parameters of the target SRSs to be overridden by corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS. Embodiments of the present application increase the effective SRS bandwidth, which can improve the accuracy of positioning measurements, while also reducing the high layer configuration signaling by activating the target SRSs in the low layer signaling and overriding some configuration parameters of the target SRSs with corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 070,358, filed August 26, 2020, entitled "Uplink Sounding Reference Signal Signal Aggregation," and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 410,470, filed August 24, 2021, entitled "Uplink Sounding Reference Signal Signal Aggregation," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0002] This application generally relates to wireless communication, and in certain embodiments, to systems and methods for generating and utilizing carrier aggregation sounding reference signals (SRS) for uplink-based measurements. Background Technology

[0003] In many wireless communication networks, uplink channel measurements are performed based on sounding reference signals (SRS) transmitted by the user equipment (UE). For example, SRS can be used for various purposes, including location, channel state information (CSI) acquisition, beam management, and uplink (UL)-based radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0004] In wireless communication networks, positioning is the process of determining the geographical location of a device, such as a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, laptop, tablet, or personal digital assistant (PDA)) or a navigation / tracking device. The device whose location needs to be determined can be called the target device. Once the coordinates of the target device are established, they can be mapped to locations (e.g., road, building address, etc.) and then reported to the requesting service or device. The function of transmitting and mapping location information can be called a location service (LCS), and various other services may rely on location services. Services that utilize location data can be called location-based services (LBS). LBS can be used to provide users of devices with location-aware applications (e.g., delivering localized weather forecasts, location-specific targeted advertising, navigation applications, emergency services, etc.), optimize network performance, and / or enhance automated services (e.g., network self-learning, self-optimization, etc.).

[0005] With the increasing development of applications relying on accurate and timely wireless device positioning, the demand for more accurate and reliable positioning is growing. Uplink-based positioning solutions rely on the transmission of an uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) from the target device, and measurements of the UL SRS received at network nodes in the radio access network (RAN). For example, measurements performed by network nodes based on the received UL SRS may include UL Reference Time of Arrival (UL RTOA), UL Angle of Arrival (UL AoA), and / or network node Reception-Transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference measurements. The accuracy of such UL-based measurements is directly related to the bandwidth of the measured SRS, which in many wireless communication networks is limited to the active bandwidth part (BWP) of the carrier component (CC). For example, in current new radio (NR) standards, the maximum size of the active BWP of the CC is limited to 400 MHz. However, to achieve positioning accuracy on the order of 10 centimeters, at least 1 GHz of measurement SRS bandwidth (BW) may be required.

[0006] SRS carrier aggregation (CA) has been proposed as a candidate method to increase SRS bandwidth, which aggregates multiple carriers (CCs) for SRS transmission. However, existing SRS CA configuration mechanisms suffer from problems such as high signaling overhead, high UE battery consumption, high latency, and unnecessary SRS transmission opportunities.

[0007] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus for improving SRS carrier aggregation configuration in wireless communication networks. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This application provides a method and apparatus for implementing a new uplink sounding reference signal carrier aggregation technology. This new uplink sounding reference signal carrier aggregation technology utilizes low-layer signaling such as medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE) messages or dynamic control information (DCI) messages to activate and / or update the carrier aggregation SRS without requiring reconfiguration via higher-layer signaling.

[0009] For example, a first generalized aspect of this application provides a method for SRS carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network, wherein a user equipment (UE) receives higher-layer signaling including SRS configuration information of multiple SRSs and lower-layer signaling including information associating N-1 target SRSs among the multiple SRSs with a reference SRS among the multiple SRSs, where N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. The UE can also transmit N SRSs, including a reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, on N different corresponding carrier components (CCs) on the same set of one or more antenna ports, such that the N SRSs transmitted on the N CCs are coherently combinable, thereby effectively increasing the total effective bandwidth of the SRSs to the sum of the active bandwidths (BWP) of the same or more different carrier components on which the SRSs are transmitted.

[0010] In some embodiments, higher-layer signaling includes radio resource control (RRC) messages, and lower-layer signaling includes medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) messages or downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0011] In some embodiments, sending N SRSs includes, at least in part, overriding the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRSs, based on information that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs.

[0012] In some embodiments, the reference SRS is a first reference SRS among a plurality of SRSs, and the UE receives low-layer signaling including information associating P-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with a second reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs, where P is an integer greater than or equal to two, and the P-1 target SRSs include at least one of N-1 target SRSs. In such embodiments, the configuration parameters of the associated P-1 target SRSs can be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the second reference SRS, at least in part, based on the information associating the P-1 target SRSs with the second reference SRS. Furthermore, after transmitting the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, the UE can transmit P SRSs including the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs on P different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the P SRSs transmitted on the P CCs are coherently combinable.

[0013] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers (IDs). In such embodiments, information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and a reference SRS may include information identifying N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as N-1 target SRSs to be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS. Such embodiments enable the activation / updating of groups of target SRSs in MAC-CE / DCI for each reference SRS resource (or resource set) without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. Therefore, a reference SRS resource (or resource set) can have a flexible set of target SRS resources (resource sets) that can be updated by MAC-CE / DCI. Similarly, target SRS resources (sets) can be activated / triggered with new reference SRS resources (sets) via MAC-CE / DCI messages without requiring any RRC reconfiguration.

[0014] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling may include a corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for one or more target SRS candidates comprising N-1 target SRSs. In such embodiments, information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs may include information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for each of the N-1 target SRSs. Such embodiments enable the activation / updating of reference SRS resources (or resource sets) for each target SRS resource (set) in MAC-CE / DCI based on a pre-configured list of reference SRS resource (set) candidates without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. It should be noted that an SRS resource (set) may be a reference SRS resource (set) for more than one target SRS resource (set). In some such embodiments, higher-layer signaling may include information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each reference SRS candidate.

[0015] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling may include a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including a reference SRS. In such embodiments, information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs may include information identifying the N-1 target SRSs in the corresponding list of target SRS candidates for the reference SRS. Such embodiments enable the activation / updating of a group of N-1 SRS resources (or resource sets) for each reference SRS resource (set) in MAC-CE / DCI based on a pre-configured list of target SRS resource (set) candidates without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. It should be noted that an SRS resource (set) may be a target candidate for more than one reference SRS resource (set), as long as it is not activated / triggered for more than one reference SRS resource (set) within any time interval. In some such embodiments, higher-layer signaling may include information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each target SRS candidate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes N lists L1,…L1 consisting of M serving cell indices. N M ≥ N. In such embodiments, the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs may include a list L1,…L from N serving cell indices consisting of M indices. N The K-group serving cell index is identified by its name. S1,…,S K Information. In some such embodiments, each group of serving cell indexes S k(k = 1, ..., K) can include N serving cell indices, where the same group S k No two serving cell indexes belong to the same list L. j (j = 1, ..., N), the reference SRS and N-1 target SRS can be identified in the K groups of serving cell indices S1, ..., S1 identified in the information received via lower-layer signaling. K A set of serving cell indexes includes N serving cell indexes corresponding to N serving cells with the same SRS ID. Such embodiments enable the activation / update or triggering of SRS resources (resource sets) in multiple sets of cells using a single MAC-CE or DCI message.

[0017] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling may include target SRS configuration information identifying a reference SRS for each of N-1 target SRSs. In such embodiments, during the time interval in which a reference SRS is active, the original configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs can be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS, including the N SRSs of the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, which can be transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group. Such embodiments can associate target SRS resources(sets) with reference SRS resources(sets), such that a reference SRS resource(set) can be included in the configuration of N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resources(sets). Furthermore, a target SRS resource(set) can be transmitted based on its own configuration unless its reference SRS resource(set) is active. This may facilitate using the target SRS resources for other purposes outside the active time of the reference SRS resource(set). In some such embodiments, outside the time interval at which the reference SRS is activated, the N-1 target SRSs can be sent based on their original configuration parameters. In some such embodiments, the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS may include information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRS. For example, in some cases, the target SRS configuration information may identify the reference SRS using at least its serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS ID.

[0018] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of N-1 target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including a reference SRS. In such embodiments, during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS can be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS. This includes the N SRSs of the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS being transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group. Such embodiments enable the indication of N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resource sets in the configuration of the reference SRS resource set. In some such embodiments, outside the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, these N-1 target SRSs can be transmitted based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS. In some such embodiments, the information received via low-level signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRSs.

[0019] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a sequence of M IDs, and the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information indicating one of the IDs in the sequence of M IDs for each of the plurality of SRSs, such that the N SRSs of the plurality of SRSs have the same indicated ID in the sequence of M IDs. In such embodiments, the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs may be N SRSs having the same ID indicated by the information received via lower-layer signaling. Such embodiments may be advantageous in using a shared ID value to indicate a group of N SRS resources (resource sets) that can be transmitted on the same set of antenna ports, wherein the ID may be different from the resource (set) ID of the corresponding SRS resource (resource set).

[0020] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit SRS capability information, which indicates that the UE is able to transmit N SRS on N carrier components, with each SRS transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group.

[0021] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit SRS capability information indicating that the UE is capable of transmitting N SRSs on N carrier components, with each SRS transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group. For example, the SRS capability information may include information indicating one or more of the following: support for an N-amplifier architecture; support for phase continuity; support for phase continuity of SRS; support for transmission on the same antenna port; support for transmission on the same group of antenna ports; support for transmission of SRS on the same antenna port; or support for transmission of SRS on the same group of antenna ports. In some cases, the SRS capability information may be transmitted to the serving base station using the radio resource control (RRC) protocol and / or to the location management function (LMF) in the wireless communication network using the long-term evolution positioning protocol (LPP).

[0022] A second broad aspect of this application provides an apparatus for SRS carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network. For example, the apparatus may include at least one processor and a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor. The computer-readable storage medium may store a program executable by the at least one processor, the program including instructions for implementing the method according to the first broad aspect of this application.

[0023] The third generalized aspect of this application provides another method for SRS carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network, wherein the BS sends higher-layer signaling to the UE including SRS configuration information of multiple SRSs, and sends lower-layer signaling including information associating N-1 target SRSs among the multiple SRSs with a reference SRS among the multiple SRSs, where N is an integer and N≥2. The BS can also receive N SRSs from the UE on N different corresponding carrier components (CCs), including a reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, which have been transmitted by the UE on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the N SRSs received on the N CCs are coherently combinable at the BS.

[0024] In some embodiments, higher-layer signaling includes radio resource control (RRC) messages, and lower-layer signaling includes medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) messages or downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0025] In some embodiments, the BS coherently combines N SRS received on N CCs and performs at least one uplink channel measurement based on the coherent combination of the N SRS received on N CCs.

[0026] In some embodiments, the BS sends low-level signaling, which includes information that associates N-1 target SRSs among a plurality of SRSs with a reference SRS among a plurality of SRSs such that the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS override the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs.

[0027] In some embodiments, the reference SRS is a first reference SRS among a plurality of SRSs. The BS also sends low-layer signaling to the UE including information that associates P-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with a second reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs, where P is an integer, P≥2, and the P-1 target SRSs include at least one of N-1 target SRSs. The low-layer signaling including the information that associates the P-1 target SRSs with the second reference SRS causes the configuration parameters of the associated P-1 target SRSs to be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the second reference SRS. In such embodiments, the BS can receive P SRSs from the UE on P different corresponding carrier components (CCs), including the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs, which have been transmitted by the UE on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the P SRSs transmitted on the P CCs are coherently combinable at the BS.

[0028] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers (IDs). In such embodiments, information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with a reference SRS may include information identifying N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as N-1 target SRSs to be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS.

[0029] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for one or more target SRS candidates comprising N-1 target SRSs. In such embodiments, information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates the N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs may include information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for each of the N-1 target SRSs.

[0030] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including a reference SRS. In such embodiments, the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying the reference SRS among the N-1 target SRSs in the corresponding list of target SRS candidates.

[0031] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a list of M serving cell indexes, where M ≥ N. In such embodiments, the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs may include information identifying N serving cell IDs from a list of M serving cell IDs. In some such embodiments, the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs may be N SRSs with the same ID among the N serving cells corresponding to the N serving cell IDs identified in the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling.

[0032] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information sent via higher-layer signaling may include N lists L1,…L1 consisting of M serving cell indices. N M ≥ N. In such embodiments, the information transmitted via low-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs may include a list L1,…L from N serving cell indices consisting of M. N The K-group serving cell index is identified by its name. S1,…,S K Information such as the index S for each serving cell group. k (k = 1, ..., K) can include N serving cell indices, where the same group S k No two serving cell indexes belong to the same list L. j (j = 1, ..., N). In some such embodiments, the reference SRS and N-1 target SRS may be K groups of serving cell indices S1, ..., S1 identified in information transmitted via lower-layer signaling. K The N serving cell indexes in the set of serving cell indexes include N serving cell indexes corresponding to N serving cells with the same ID and N SRS.

[0033] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include target SRS configuration information identifying a reference SRS for each of N-1 target SRSs. In such embodiments, sending lower-layer signaling to the UE may include sending lower-layer signaling to the UE to activate a reference SRS, such that during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, the original configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS, including the reference SRS and the N SRSs associated with the N-1 target SRSs, which are received by the BS on N different corresponding CCs. In such embodiments, outside the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, the BS may receive N-1 target SRSs from the UE based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs. In some such embodiments, the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling may include information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRS.

[0034] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a corresponding list of N-1 target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including a reference SRS. In such embodiments, sending lower-layer signaling to the UE may include sending lower-layer signaling to the UE to activate the reference SRS, such that during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRS in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS, including the reference SRS and the N SRS of the N-1 target SRS in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS being received by the BS on N different corresponding CCs. In such embodiments, outside the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, the BS may receive these N-1 target SRS based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRS in the list of the N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS. In some such embodiments, the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling may include information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRS.

[0035] In some embodiments, SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling may include a sequence of M IDs. In such embodiments, information transmitted via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and a reference SRS may include information indicating one of the IDs in the sequence of M IDs for each of the plurality of SRSs, such that N SRSs have the same indicated ID in the sequence of M IDs. In some such embodiments, the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs may be N SRSs having the same ID indicated by the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling.

[0036] In some embodiments, the BS may receive SRS capability information from the UE, indicating that the UE is capable of transmitting N SRSs on N carrier components, with each SRS transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group. For example, the SRS capability information may include information indicating one or more of the following: support for an N-amplifier architecture; support for phase continuity; support for phase continuity of SRS; support for transmission on the same antenna port; support for transmission on the same group of antenna ports; support for transmission on the same antenna port of SRS; or support for transmission on the same group of antenna ports of SRS. In such embodiments, the SRS capability information may be received by the BS from the UE using a radio resource control (RRC) protocol and / or from location management functions in the wireless communication network using a new radio positioning protocol a.

[0037] A fourth broad aspect of this application provides another apparatus for SRS carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network. For example, the apparatus may include at least one processor and a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor. The computer-readable storage medium may store a program executable by the at least one processor, the program including instructions for implementing the method according to a third broad aspect of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0038] The accompanying drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of this application, will now be shown by way of example, in which:

[0039] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system in which embodiments of this application may be implemented is shown;

[0040] Figure 2 Two adjacent cells of an exemplary communication system in which embodiments of this application can be implemented are shown;

[0041] Figure 3A and 3B These are block diagrams of an exemplary electronic device (ED) and a base station that can implement the methods and teachings of this application;

[0042] Figure 4 It is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system that can implement the methods and teachings of this application;

[0043] Figure 5 An example of carrier aggregation of the probe reference signal is shown;

[0044] Figure 6 An example of carrier aggregation of a probe reference signal according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0045] Figure 7An exemplary signal flow diagram according to an embodiment of this application is shown;

[0046] Figure 8 An exemplary technique is shown according to an embodiment of this application for configuring K groups of N sounding reference signal resources (or resource sets) for carrier aggregation using K groups of N serving cell indexes selected from N lists of M serving cell indexes.

[0047] Similar reference numerals can be used to denote similar components in different accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0048] For illustrative purposes, specific exemplary embodiments are explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] The embodiments described herein illustrate information sufficient to practice the claimed subject matter and explain methods for practicing such subject matter. Those skilled in the art will understand the concept of the claimed subject matter and recognize the application of these concepts, which are not specifically mentioned herein, after reading the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these concepts and applications are within the scope of this application and the appended claims.

[0050] Furthermore, it should be understood that any module, component, or device disclosing the executable instructions herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media for storing information, such as computer / processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media includes magnetic tape cassettes, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video discs or digital versatile discs (DVDs), and Blu-ray discs. TM Optical discs or other optical storage devices, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any way or by any technology, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, or other storage technologies. Any of these non-transitory computer / processor storage media may be part of a device or may be accessed or connected to a device. Computer / processor-readable / executable instructions used to implement the applications or modules described herein may be stored or otherwise preserved by such non-transitory computer / processor-readable storage media.

[0051] The following Figure 1 , 2 3A, 3B, and 4 provide the context of a network and devices that may be in the network and can implement various aspects of this application.

[0052] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as wireless system 100) in which embodiments of this application can be implemented is illustrated. Generally, wireless system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired components to transmit data and other content. Wireless system 100 can enable content (e.g., voice, data, video, text, etc.) to be transmitted between entities of system 100 (e.g., via broadcast, narrowcast, user equipment to user equipment, etc.). Wireless system 100 can operate by sharing resources such as bandwidth. Wireless system 100 can be adapted for wireless communication using 5G technology and / or next-generation wireless technologies (e.g., 6G or above). In some examples, wireless system 100 may also be compatible with some legacy wireless technologies (e.g., 3G or 4G wireless technologies).

[0053] In the example shown, wireless system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110e (generally referred to as ED 110), radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b (generally referred to as RAN 120), a location management function (LMF) 180, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. In some examples, one or more networks may be omitted or replaced with networks of different types. Other networks may be included in wireless system 100. Although Figure 1 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but the communication system 100 may include any number of these components or elements.

[0054] ED 110 is used for operation and / or communication in wireless system 100. For example, ED 110 can be used to send and / or receive messages via wireless or wired communication channels. Each ED 110 represents any suitable end-user equipment for wireless operation and may include (or be referred to as) devices such as: user equipment (UE / userdevice), wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, tablet, wireless sensor, consumer electronics device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, wearable device, or vehicle device (or vehicle-mounted device, in-vehicle device), etc. Next-generation ED 110 may be referred to using other terms.

[0055] exist Figure 1In this RAN 120, base stations (BS) 170a to 170f (generally referred to as BS170) are included. Each BS 170 is used to establish a wireless connection with one or more ED 110s to enable access to any other BS170, LMF 180, core network 130, PSTN 140, Internet 150, and / or other networks 160. For example, a BS 170 may include one or more well-known devices such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a wireless base station, a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a home eNodeB, a gNodeB (sometimes called a next-generation NodeB), a transmission point (TP), a transmit and receive point (TRP), a site controller, an access point (AP), or a wireless router, etc. Next-generation BS 170 may be referred to using other terms. Alternatively, any ED 110 can be used to connect, access, or communicate with any other BS 170, Internet 150, core network 130, PSTN 140, other network 160, or any combination thereof. The wireless system 100 may include a RAN, such as RAN 120b, wherein corresponding BSs 170d to 170f access the core network 130 via Internet 150, as shown in the figure.

[0056] ED 110 and BS 170 are examples of communication devices that can be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, BSs 170a to 170c form part of RAN 120a, which may include other BSs, base station controllers (BSCs), radio network controllers (RNCs), relay nodes, components, and / or devices. Any BS 170 may be a single component as shown, or multiple components distributed within a corresponding RAN, etc. Furthermore, BSs 170d to 170f form part of RAN 120b, which may include other BSs, components, and / or devices. Each BS 170 transmits and / or receives radio signals within a specific geographical area or region, sometimes referred to as a “cell” or “coverage area.” Cells may also be divided into cell sectors, and BS 170 may, for example, employ multiple transceivers to provide services to multiple sectors. In some embodiments, established picocells or femtocells supported by radio access technologies may exist. Macrocells may include one or more smaller cells. In some embodiments, multiple transceivers may be used for each cell using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, etc. The number of RANs 120 shown is merely exemplary. Any number of RANs can be considered when designing the wireless system 100.

[0057] BS 170 communicates with one or more ED 110s via one or more air interfaces 190a using wireless communication links (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), etc.). ED 110s can also communicate directly with each other via one or more sidechain air interfaces 190b. Interfaces 190a and 190b are generally referred to as air interface 190. BS-ED communication via interface 190a and ED-ED communication via interface 190b can use similar communication technologies. Air interface 190 can use any suitable wireless access technology. For example, wireless system 100 can implement one or more channel access methods in air interface 190, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA). Air interface 190 can utilize other high-dimensional signal spaces, which may involve combinations of orthogonal and / or non-orthogonal dimensions.

[0058] RAN 120 communicates with core network 130 to provide various services to ED 110, such as voice, data, and other services. RAN 120 and / or core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by core network 130, and may or may not use the same radio access technology as RAN 120a and / or RAN 120b. Core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) RAN 120 and / or ED 110 and (ii) other networks (e.g., PSTN 140, Internet 150, and other networks 160). Additionally, some or all of ED 110 may include the ability to communicate with different wireless networks via different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. ED 110 can communicate with a service provider or exchange (not shown) via a wired communication channel and with the Internet 150, rather than wirelessly (or also wirelessly). PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 150 may include a network of computers and / or subnets (internal networks) and incorporate protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). ED 110 may be a multimode device capable of operating according to various wireless access technologies and incorporates multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0059] LMF 180 is a physical or logical element that manages the positioning of target devices such as ED 110. For example, LMF 180 can collect measurement results and / or other location information to assist the target device in calculating the measurement results and estimating the target device's location, as will be discussed in further detail herein. Wireless system 100 may include one or more LMF clients (not shown) that interact with LMF 180 to obtain location information of the target device. For example, the LMF client may be implemented as a software and / or hardware element and may reside in the target device. The LMF client may send a request to LMF 180 to obtain location information. For example, the location request may originate from the target device or from another device within the network, which may be another user equipment (e.g., another ED 110) or a network node (e.g., BS 170). For example, LTE operates two positioning protocols over the wireless network: the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) and the LPP Annex (LPPa). LPP is a point-to-point protocol used for communication between an LMF server (e.g., LMF 180) and a target device (e.g., ED 110), and is used for locating the target device. In LTE, LPPa is a communication protocol used between an eNodeB (e.g., BS 170) and an LMF (e.g., LMF 180) for control plane positioning. In some cases, LPPa communication can assist user plane positioning by querying the eNodeB to obtain information and measurement results. Although LMF 180... Figure 1 The LMF 180 is shown as a separate element communicating with the core network 130, but in some implementations, the LMF 180 can be implemented within the core network 130, for example, as an Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location Platform (SLP).

[0060] It is conceivable that, for example Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown can support New Radio (NR) cells, also known as supercells. Each NR cell includes one or more TRPs using the same NR cell ID. The NR cell ID is a logical assignment of all physical TRPs in the NR cell and can be carried in the broadcast synchronization signal. NR cells can be dynamically configured. The boundaries of NR cells can be flexible, with the system dynamically adding or removing TRPs from NR cells.

[0061] Clearly, any number of NR cells can be implemented in communication system 100. For example, Figure 2 Two adjacent NR cells are shown in an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0062] like Figure 2 As shown, NR cells 282 and 284 each include multiple TRPs assigned the same NR cell ID. For example, NR cell 282 includes TRPs 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, and 292, of which TRPs 290 and 292 communicate with UE 294 and other EDs. Clearly, the other TRPs in NR cell 282 can communicate with UE 294. NR cell 284 includes TRPs 270, 272, 274, 276, 278, and 280. TRP 296 is assigned to NR cells 282 and 284 at different times, frequencies, or spatial directions, and the system can switch the NR cell ID of transmitting point 296 between the two NR cells 282 and 284. It is conceivable that any number (including zero) of shared TRPs between NR cells can be implemented in the system.

[0063] In one embodiment, the system dynamically updates the NR cell topology to adapt to changes in network topology, load distribution, and / or UE distribution. In some implementations, if UE density increases in a region, the system can dynamically expand NR cells to include TRPs closer to higher-density UEs. For example, if the density of EDs located at the edge of an NR cell increases above a certain threshold, the system can expand the NR cell to include additional TRPs. As another example, the system can expand NR cells to include denser UEs located between two supercells. In some implementations, if traffic load increases significantly in a region, the system can also expand the NR cells associated with that region to include TRPs for the increased traffic load. For example, if the traffic load of a portion of the network exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system can change the NR cell ID of one or more TRPs being transmitted to the affected portion of the network.

[0064] In another embodiment, the system can change the NR cell ID associated with TRP 296 from the NR cell ID of NR cell 282 to the NR cell ID of NR cell 284. In one implementation, the system can periodically change the association of the TRP with different NR cells, for example, every 1 millisecond. Through this flexible NR cell formation mechanism, all UEs can be served by the optimal TRP, thus essentially eliminating UEs considered to be at the cell edge.

[0065] In another embodiment, the shared TRP 296 can reduce interference to UEs located at the boundary between two NR cells 282 and 284. UEs located near the boundary between the two NR cells 282 and 284 experience less handover because the shared TRP is associated with either NR cell at different times, frequencies, or spatial orientations. Furthermore, the transition is a smoother experience for the user when the UE moves between NR cells 282 and 284. In one embodiment, the network changes the NR cell ID of the TRP 296 to transition UEs moving between NR cells 282 and 284.

[0066] The system can apply TRP selection techniques to minimize intra-NR and inter-NR interference. In one embodiment, the TRP transmits downlink channel state information (CSI)-reference signal (RS). Pilot (also called reference signal) ports can be defined so that the UE can measure channel state information and report it back to the network. A CSI-RS port is a pilot port, defined as a set of known symbols in a sequence transmitted on a known resource element (e.g., an OFDM resource element) to allow the UE to measure the channel state. UEs assigned to measure a specific CSI-RS port can measure the transmitted CSI-RS sequence, measure the associated channel state, and report it back to the network. The network, such as the controller, can select the optimal TRP for all serving UEs based on downlink measurements. In another embodiment, the TRP detects uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) sequences from the UE in configured time-frequency resources. For example, a Constant Amplitude Zero Auto Correlation (CAZAC) sequence (e.g., a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence) can be used as the base sequence for the SRS. The TRP reports the measured results of the detected uplink SRS sequence to the controller and other network components. The controller then selects the optimal TRP for all serving UEs based on the measurement results.

[0067] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Exemplary devices that can implement the methods and instructions according to this application are shown. In particular, Figure 3A An example ED 110 is shown. Figure 3B An exemplary base station 170 is shown. These components can be used in communication system 100 or any other suitable system.

[0068] like Figure 3AAs shown, ED 110 includes at least one processing unit 200. The processing unit 200 implements various processing operations of ED 110. For example, the processing unit 200 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function that enables ED 110 to operate within communication system 100. The SRS processing unit 200 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments detailed elsewhere herein. Each processing unit 200 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. For example, each processing unit 200 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit.

[0069] ED 110 also includes at least one transceiver 202. Transceiver 202 is used to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna or Network Interface Controller (NIC) 204. Transceiver 202 is also used to demodulate data or other content received through at least one antenna 204. Each transceiver 202 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission and / or for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly. Each antenna 204 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. For example, each antenna 204 may have a set of one or more antenna ports through which the antenna receives signals to be transmitted. One or more transceivers 202 may be used in ED 110. One or more antennas 204 may be used in ED 110. Although transceiver 202 is shown as a single functional unit, it may also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0070] ED 110 also includes one or more input / output devices 206 or interfaces (e.g., connected to...). Figure 1 (Wired interface of Internet 150 in the network). Input / output device 206 supports interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device 206 includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from the user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touchscreen, including network interface communication.

[0071] Furthermore, ED 110 includes at least one memory 208. Memory 208 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by ED 110. For example, memory 208 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein, and executed by one or more processing units 200. Each memory 208 includes any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval device. Any suitable type of memory can be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, etc.

[0072] like Figure 3B As shown, base station 170 includes at least one processing unit 250, at least one transmitter 252, at least one receiver 254, one or more antennas 256, at least one memory 258, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 266. Transceivers (not shown) may be used instead of transmitter 252 and receiver 254. Scheduler 253 may be coupled to processing unit 250. Scheduler 253 may be included within base station 170 or may operate separately from base station 170. Processing unit 250 implements various processing operations of base station 170, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other function. Processing unit 250 may also be used to implement some or all of the functions and / or embodiments detailed herein. Each processing unit 250 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. For example, each processing unit 250 may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field-programmable gate array, or application-specific integrated circuit.

[0073] Each transmitter 252 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission to one or more EDs or other devices. Each receiver 254 includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or wiredly from one or more EDs or other devices. Although at least one transmitter 252 and at least one receiver 254 are shown as separate components, they can be combined into a transceiver. Each antenna 256 includes any suitable structure for transmitting and / or receiving wireless or wired signals. Although a common antenna 256 is shown herein coupled to transmitter 252 and receiver 254, one or more antennas 256 can be coupled to one or more transmitters 252, and one or more individual antennas 256 can be coupled to one or more receivers 254. Each memory 258 includes any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval device, such as those described above. Figure 3A The devices described in ED 110. Memory 258 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by base station 170. For example, memory 258 may store software instructions or modules for implementing some or all of the functions and / or embodiments described herein and executed by one or more processing units 250.

[0074] Each input / output device 266 supports interaction with users or other devices in the network. Each input / output device 266 includes any suitable structure for providing or receiving information from a user, including network interface communication.

[0075] It should be understood that one or more steps of the methods provided in the embodiments herein can be derived from... Figure 4 The corresponding unit or module performs the operation. For example, a signal can be transmitted by a transmitting unit or transmitting module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or processing module. Other steps, such as those related to the uplink probe reference signal carrier aggregation solution described herein, can be performed by the uplink reference signal module. The corresponding unit / module can be implemented using hardware, one or more components or devices executing software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more units / modules can be integrated circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). It should be understood that if the above modules are implemented using software for execution by a processor, etc., these modules can be retrieved by the processor, in whole or in part, individually or collectively, for processing, or in one or more instances as needed, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0076] Further details regarding EDs such as ED 110 and base stations such as base station 170 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these details are omitted here.

[0077] As mentioned earlier, an increasing number of applications rely on accurate and timely wireless device positioning, thus creating a growing demand for more precise and reliable positioning. Uplink-based positioning solutions rely on the transmission of the uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) from the target device, and measurements of the UL SRS received at network nodes in the radio access network (RAN), such as the UL Reference Time of Arrival (RTOA), UL Angle of Arrival (AoA), and / or the network node Reception-Transmission (Rx-Tx) time difference. The accuracy of such UL-based measurements is directly related to the bandwidth of the measured SRS. For example, in the current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 16 New Radio (NR) standard (hereinafter referred to as "Rel-16NR"), the maximum size of the active BWP for a CC is limited to 400MHz. However, to achieve positioning accuracy on the order of 10 centimeters, a measurement SRS bandwidth of at least 1 GHz may be required.

[0078] SRS carrier aggregation (CA) has been proposed as a potential candidate method for increasing the "effective" SRS bandwidth. SRS CA involves transmitting SRS on multiple different carrier components, effectively increasing the total effective SRS bandwidth to the sum of the active bandwidths (BWPs) of the same or more different carrier components on which SRS is transmitted. However, in practice, for CA to be used to increase the effective SRS bandwidth for positioning purposes, the following two conditions may be met. Otherwise, network nodes such as gNB (next-generation NodeB, which in one example could be a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol endpoints to the UE), NG-RAN nodes, BS, TP, TRP, RP, positioning TRP, or cells cannot coherently combine SRS from different CCs, thus preventing the increase of the "effective" SRS bandwidth.

[0079] Condition 1: The UE is able to transmit SRS on different carrier components on the same antenna port.

[0080] However, UEs typically cannot or do not expect to ensure that "phase continuity" is maintained across different CCs, or even within a CC but across different time slots, or even within a single time slot of a CC when there is a UL transmission interruption or when one or more transmission parameters (e.g., transmit power) change.

[0081] Unless the UE has the capability to maintain "phase continuity", it cannot transmit SRS from the same antenna port on different CCs. As discussed in further detail later, one aspect of this application provides a capability signaling mechanism by which the UE can indicate to the network its capability to maintain phase continuity, or equivalently, its capability to transmit SRS from the same antenna port on different CCs.

[0082] Condition 2: Some transmission characteristics of SRS in different CCs (such as subcarrier spacing, spatial transmission filter, or other parameters discussed later in this paper) can be the same so that SRS can be transmitted on the same antenna port.

[0083] However, in the current 3GPP Rel-16 NR standard, the only way to satisfy condition 2 is to configure / reconfigure SRS using the same set of RRC configuration parameters on different CCs. This method requires a large amount of higher-layer signaling, consumes a lot of UE battery, has high latency, and makes SRS transmission unnecessary. Figure 5 An example of this situation is shown in the figure. Figure 5 The example shown includes three CCs, namely CC1 to CC3, and four SRSs, namely SRS1 to SRS4. The three CCs and four SRSs are configured via RRC signaling such that SRS1 in CC1 and SRS3 in CC2 are transmitted on one common antenna port, and SRS2 in CC3 and SRS4 in CC2 are transmitted on another common antenna port.

[0084] like Figure 5As shown, if SRS1 in CC1 and SRS2 in CC3 require bandwidth boosting, then two additional SRSs are configured and sent (SRS3 and SRS4 in CC2 in this example). Therefore, in this example, essentially, four SRSs must be configured and sent across three CCs. Generally, if N SRSs only require bandwidth boosting from one other CC, then in total, 2N SRSs must be configured and sent, where N is a positive integer. This will result in significant higher-layer signaling overhead, UE battery consumption, and UL RS overhead. Note that in the example above, it would be possible to configure only SRS3 to boost the bandwidth of SRS1, and then reconfigure SRS3 as SRS4 to boost the bandwidth of SRS2, thereby reducing UE battery consumption. However, this does not reduce higher-layer signaling overhead and introduces latency, as there is no response time requirement for the UE application to receive the SRS reconfiguration message in the RRC.

[0085] This application addresses one or more technical problems associated with achieving condition 1 or condition 2 above.

[0086] First, turning to the implementation of condition 1, the basic concept of this application regarding the technical problem of solving condition 1 is to provide capability signaling from the UE to the network (e.g., to gNB / BS or LMF) to indicate the UE's capability to support SRS CA.

[0087] As described above, to effectively increase SRS BW, the UE can have the following capability (hereinafter referred to as "Capability A"): Transmitting N SRS resources (resource sets) on N (N>=2) carrier components (cells), with each SRS resource (resource set) transmitted on a different carrier component, such that the N SRS resources (or resource sets) are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports. It is important to note that a resource set consists of several resources typically transmitted in different directions. For example, in Rel-16 NR, there exists an SRS resource set that includes multiple SRS resources, each transmitted in a different direction. SRS resources are transmitted in a specific direction, while an SRS resource set covers multiple directions through the multiple SRS resources included within the SRS resource set.

[0088] In some embodiments of this application, the UE can signal to the network that capability A is supported by signaling at least one of the following capabilities or features:

[0089] C1) Supports N-power amplifier architecture;

[0090] C2) supports phase continuity;

[0091] C3) Supports phase continuity of SRS;

[0092] C4) Supports transmission from the same antenna port;

[0093] C5) Supports transmission from the same set of antenna ports;

[0094] C6) Supports SRS transmission via the same antenna port; or

[0095] C7) supports the same set of antenna ports for SRS transmission.

[0096] The aforementioned capability signals can be used for in-band UL CA or inter-band UL CA. These capabilities can be emitted by frequency band, by combination of frequency bands, by frequency bands within a combination of frequency bands (by feature set), by combination of frequency bands in the case of a single frequency band, or by the CC signal of a frequency band within a combination of frequency bands.

[0097] If the network notifies the UE that it supports capability A, the network can instruct the UE to transmit N SRS resources (resource sets) on N (N>=2) different carrier components, such that the N SRS resources (resource sets) are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports. Note that this feature may depend on the presence (or enabling or supporting) of an RRC parameter that indicates that SRS on different carrier components can be transmitted from the same set of antenna ports. For example, the instruction from the network to the UE can be performed using at least one of the exemplary embodiments 1 to 8 discussed below.

[0098] Now turning to the technical problem of Condition 2, the basic concept of this application regarding the technical problem of Condition 2 is to use low-level signaling, such as medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) or dynamic control information (DCI) messaging, to activate / update or trigger one or more SRSs that have been configured using higher-level signaling, such as RRC signaling, such that the activated / updated or triggered SRSs are transmitted on one or more antenna ports in the same group (a group of antenna ports may be only one antenna port). The common group of antenna ports may be the same group of antenna ports on which the reference SRS is transmitted. The reference SRS may be one of the activated / updated or triggered SRSs, or it may be an SRS that does not belong to a group of SRSs activated / updated or triggered by low-level signaling (e.g., via MAC-CE or DCI messaging).

[0099] To further clarify this aspect of the basic conception regarding the solution of the technical problem in condition 2, Figure 6 An example of an SRS CA according to a simple embodiment of this application is shown, which provides a connection with... Figure 5 The comparison with the traditional method of SRS CA shown in the figure.

[0100] in particular, Figure 6 An example of an SRS CA involving three CCs, namely CC1 to CC3, and three SRSs, namely SRS1 to SRS3, according to an embodiment of this application is shown. In this embodiment, SRS1 and SRS2 are reference SRSs, and SRS3 is a target SRS. The target SRS3 in CC2 is activated in the MAC-CE using the reference SRS1 in CC1, and then updated in the MAC-CE using the reference SRS2 in CC3 after time interval T1. Note that the target SRS and the reference SRS are transmitted on the same antenna port, which means that SRS1 and SRS3 are transmitted on the same antenna port during time interval T1, and SRS2 and SRS3 are transmitted on the same antenna port during time interval T2. In this example, three SRSs are configured and transmitted on three CCs. Generally, if N SRSs only require a BW boost from another CC, then in total, N+1 SRSs can be configured and transmitted (with...). Figure 5 (Compare the 2N SRS configured and sent in the middle).

[0101] Please note that activation / update messages will override some target SRS configuration parameters with the corresponding reference RS configuration parameters. For example, this means that activating SRS3 in MAC-CE will cause some SRS3 configuration parameters to be overridden by the corresponding configuration parameters of SRS1 during time interval T1. A similar overriding of SRS3 configuration parameters with the corresponding configuration parameters of SRS2 is caused by updating SRS3 in MAC-CE during time interval T2. Non-limiting examples of configuration parameters that may be overridden will be discussed in more detail later.

[0102] It should be noted that Figure 6 The exemplary embodiment shown is a very simple embodiment of one aspect of this application. Reference is made below. Figure 7 and 8 Further detailed embodiments are discussed in Exemplary Examples 1 to 8.

[0103] However, before proceeding further, the following notes are provided regarding aspects that generally apply to this application:

[0104] Note 1: A group of antenna ports may consist of only one antenna port.

[0105] Note 2: To support capability A, phase continuity can be maintained among N SRS resources (resource sets).

[0106] Note 3: For ease of presentation, an extended definition of transmitting two different SRS resource sets on the same set of antenna ports is used. In this application, if SRS resource set 1 and SRS resource set 2 are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports, this means:

[0107] • Both SRS resource set 1 and SRS resource set 2 have M SRS resources;

[0108] • SRS resource j of SRS resource set 1 and SRS resource j of SRS resource set 2 are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports, j = 1,...,M. Different SRS resources of the same SRS resource set can be transmitted on the same set of antenna ports or not on the same set of antenna ports.

[0109] Note 4: The term SRS can mean SRS resource or SRS resource set. Furthermore, in this document, SRS can refer to an SRS used for positioning or an SRS used for MIMO purposes. In Rel-16 NR, SRS resources and resource sets used for positioning are configured by SRS-PosResource-r16 and SRS-PosResourceSet-r16, respectively. SRS resources and resource sets used for MIMO purposes are configured by SRS-Resource and SRS-ResourceSet, respectively.

[0110] Note 5: In embodiments involving reference SRS resource(sets) and target SRS resource(sets), there is one reference SRS resource(set) and N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resources(sets). The target SRS resources(sets) and the reference SRS resource(sets) are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports. Both the reference SRS and the target SRS are either SRS resource(sets) or both are SRS resources. That is, a target (reference) SRS cannot be both an SRS resource(set) and an SRS resource(set).

[0111] Note 6: It should be understood that the exemplary communication protocols mentioned in conjunction with the following exemplary embodiments (e.g., radio resource control (RRC), LTE positioning protocol (LPP), and new radio positioning protocol a (NRPPa)) are merely examples of communication protocols that may be used in some embodiments, and other protocols may be used in other embodiments now and / or in the future. For example, RRC may be replaced by any other protocol that terminates between the BS (e.g., gNB) and the target device (e.g., UE) to transmit radio resource messages, wherein the BS itself may be replaced by any node connected to the core network and providing user plane and control plane protocol termination to the target device. LPP may be replaced by any other protocol that terminates between the target device and the positioning server (e.g., LMF). It may use either a control plane or user plane protocol as the underlying transport. In turn, NRPPa may be replaced by any other protocol that carries information between the BS and the positioning server. Finally, note that in the future, SRS configuration may be provided using LPP from the LMF instead of RRC from the serving gNB.

[0112] It is important to note that when two SRS resources (resource sets) (e.g., a target SRS resource (set) and a reference SRS resource (set)) are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports, they are transmitted with the same values ​​for some configuration parameters (information elements (IEs) / fields). In some embodiments, the same value is used for the configuration parameter "Param" for the target SRS resource (set) and the reference SRS resource (set) based on one of the following two methods:

[0113] The UE wants the "Param" configuration to be the same in both the target SRS resource(set) and the reference SRS resource(set).

[0114] • Replace the “Param” value in the target SRS resource (set) configuration with the “Param” value in the reference SRS resource (set) configuration.

[0115] In one example, the target SRS resource(set) and the reference SRS resource(set) are sent with the same value for one or any subset or all of the following configuration parameters (IE / fields):

[0116] ·Parameter α O,SRS,b,f,c (q sThis parameter is multiplied by the downlink (DL) path loss estimate in the SRS transmit power expression, as described in Clause 7.3 of 3GPP technical specification (TS) 38.213. In Rel-16 NR, this parameter is provided in the RRC configuration as alpha (α) or alpha-r16 (α-r16).

[0117] Parameters in the SRS transmit power expression As described in Clause 7.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213. In Rel-16 NR, this parameter is provided in the RRC configuration as p0 or p0-r16.

[0118] Path loss reference RS q d The path loss reference signal (PRS) is used to obtain the DL path loss estimate. As explained in Clause 7.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213, it can be a synchronization signal-physical broadcast channel block (SS-PBCH block, SSB), CSI-RS, or a DL positioning reference signal (PRS). In Rel-16NR, the path loss reference RS is provided in the RRC configuration as an IE of the path loss reference RS, such as PathlossReferenceRS, pathlossReferenceRS-Pos-r16, or pathlossReferenceRS-List-r16.

[0119] The spatial relation reference RS can be an SSB, CSI-RS, DL PRS, or SRS resource, and a spatial transmission filter is determined for SRS resource transmission. If the spatial relation reference RS provided in the configuration of SRS resource "A" is an SSB, CSI-RS, or DL ​​PRS, the UE can transmit SRS resource "A" using the same spatial transmission filter used to receive the reference SSB, CSI-RS, or DL ​​PRS, respectively. If the spatial relation reference RS provided in the configuration of SRS resource "A" is another SRS resource, the UE can transmit SRS resource "A" using the same spatial transmission filter used to transmit the reference SRS resource. In Rel-16 NR, the ID or configuration of the spatial relation reference RS (SSB, CSI-RS, DL PRS, or SRS resource) is provided in the RRC configuration of the SRS resource as spatialRelationInfo or spatialRelationInfoPos-r16. In some examples, the spatial relation reference RS provided in the target SRS resource configuration is a reference RS resource.

[0120] • The temporal behavior of an SRS resource (set) can be periodic, semi-static, or aperiodic. In Rel-16NR, the temporal behavior of an SRS resource (set) is indicated by the RRC parameter resourceType or resourceType-r16.

[0121] • Number of SRS ports. In Rel-16 NR, the number of SRS ports is defined by the RRC parameter nrofSRS-Ports.

[0122] • Transmission comb value. In Rel-16 NR, the transmission comb value is defined by the higher-level parameter transmissionComb or transmissionComb-r16.

[0123] • Cyclic shift. In Rel-16 NR, cyclic shift is defined by the higher-level parameters cyclicShift-n2-r16, cyclicShift-n4-r16, cyclicShift-n8-r16, cyclicShift-n2, or cyclicShift-n4.

[0124] • Number of OFDM symbols in SRS resources. In Rel-16 NR, the number of OFDM symbols in SRS resources is provided by the higher-level parameter resourceMapping-r16 nrofSymbols-r16 or the higher-level parameter resourceMapping nrofSymbols.

[0125] • The starting OFDM symbol for SRS resources within a time slot. In Rel-16 NR, the starting OFDM symbol for SRS resources within a time slot is provided by either startPosition-r16 in the higher-level parameter resourceMapping-r16 or startPosition in the higher-level parameter resourceMapping.

[0126] • Repetition factor R. In Rel-16 NR, the repetition factor is provided as repetitionFactor.

[0127] • Group or sequence hopping. In Rel-16 NR, group or sequence hopping is provided as groupOrSequenceHopping or groupOrSequenceHopping-r16.

[0128] • Slot-level period. In Rel-16 NR, for periodic SRS resources, the period is provided by the higher-level parameter periodicityAndOffset-p or periodicityAndOffset-p-r16, or for semi-static SRS resource sets, the period is provided by periodicityAndOffset-sp or periodicityAndOffset-sp-r16.

[0129] • Slot-level offset. In Rel-16 NR, for periodic SRS resources, the offset is provided as the higher-level parameter periodicityAndOffset-p or periodicityAndOffset-p-r16; for semi-static SRS resources, the offset is provided as periodicityAndOffset-sp or periodicityAndOffset-sp-r16; or for aperiodic SRS resource sets or aperiodic SRS resources, the offset is provided as slotOffset or slotOffset-r16.

[0130] • SRS Sequence ID. In Rel-16 NR, the SRS sequence ID is defined by the higher-level parameter sequenceId or sequenceId-r16.

[0131] • In one example, the target SRS resource(set) and the reference SRS resource(set) are transmitted at the same transmit power as shown in Clause 7.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213.

[0132] • For in-band CA cases where the reference SRS resource(set) and the target SRS resource(set) are located on adjacent carrier components c1 and c2 respectively, the UE can transmit SRS on at least a portion of the guard band between c1 and c2.

[0133] • The SRS on the guard band between c1 and c2 is transmitted on the same set of antenna ports as the reference resource (set) and the target SRS resource (set).

[0134] • In one example, the starting PRB and bandwidth of the reference SRS resource(set) are configured such that a portion of the reference SRS resource(set) is transmitted in at least a portion of the guard band between c1 and c2.

[0135] • In one example, the starting PRB and bandwidth of the target SRS resource(set) are configured such that a portion of the target SRS resource(set) is transmitted in at least a portion of the guard band between c1 and c2.

[0136] Figure 7 This is a signal flow diagram 300, which is an example of an over-the-air information exchange process based on UL positioning using an SRS CA configured and activated according to an embodiment of this application.

[0137] In signal flow diagram 300, the target device, its serving BS (BS1), and LMF participate in the exchange of information for UL-based positioning of the target device, which in this example is the UE. A serving BS can be defined as a BS to which the target device is connected and which provides data and control signaling to the target device. In contrast, there may be no direct data or control signaling between adjacent (non-serving) BSs and the target device. Typically, the target device, such as the UE, can perform measurements on some DL reference signals (RS) transmitted from the non-serving BS, which can receive and measure some uplink (UL) RS from the UE. RS configuration information can be exchanged to assist / configure the target device and / or adjacent BSs in transmitting such transmissions (DL RS / UL RS) at the sending device (BS / target device) and / or performing corresponding measurements at the receiving device (target device / BS). However, RS configuration information cannot be directly transmitted between adjacent BSs and the target device. Instead, these configurations can be indirectly transmitted between the target device and adjacent BSs through third-party network nodes such as the serving BS or other network functions such as the LMF.

[0138] Although Figure 5Only one UE, one serving BS, and one LMF are shown in the diagram to avoid congestion, but data collection or information sharing during location, and similar operations of the communication network, can involve any number of UEs, any number of serving BSs and non-serving BSs, and any number of LMFs. For example, in some embodiments, location can be accomplished through the collaborative efforts of multiple network devices and multiple UEs, and location can be performed on a per-UE basis.

[0139] The information exchange process begins with the UE sending information indicating its SRS capabilities to the BS at 301 and / or to the LMF at 302. For example, the SRS capability information sent by the UE may indicate whether the UE can transmit N SRSs (N≥2) on N carrier components, with each SRS transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group. In some embodiments, the SRS capability information may include information identifying one or more of the capabilities or features discussed above (C1) to (C7). In some embodiments, the SRS capability information may be sent to the serving BS and / or LMF in response to a request received from the BS and / or LMF (not shown). In some embodiments, the SRS capability information may be sent by the UE to the serving base station using the RRC protocol and / or to the LMF using the LPP protocol.

[0140] At 303, the LMF can send a message to the serving BS, which includes SRS capability information received by the LMF from the UE. In some embodiments, for example, message passing between the LMF and the serving base station at 303 can be sent using the NRPPa protocol. In some embodiments, this step can be omitted if the UE provides its SRS capability information directly to the serving BS. In some embodiments, the serving BS and / or the LMF can share the UE's SRS capability information with one or more non-serving BSs (not shown).

[0141] After receiving the UE's SRS capability information, wherein the SRS capability information indicates that the UE can transmit N SRSs on N carrier components and each SRS is transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group, the BS sends higher-layer signaling including SRS configuration information for the multiple SRSs to the UE at 304. In some embodiments, for example, the higher-layer signaling at 304 can be transmitted using the RRC protocol. In some other embodiments, after receiving the UE's SRS capability information, wherein the SRS capability information indicates that the UE can transmit N SRSs on N carrier components and each SRS is transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group, the LMF sends higher-layer signaling including SRS configuration information for the multiple SRSs to the UE. In some embodiments, for example (not shown in the figures), the higher-layer signaling can be transmitted using LPP.

[0142] At 305, the BS sends low-layer signaling to the UE including information that associates N-1 target SRSs among a plurality of SRSs with reference SRSs among a plurality of SRSs, where N is an integer and N≥2. The low-layer signaling sent by the BS at 305 causes the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs to be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS. For example, these configuration parameters may include one or more configuration parameters discussed above. It should be noted that the term "SRS" as used herein can refer to an SRS resource or a set of SRS resources that includes a plurality of SRS resources. In some embodiments, the low-layer signaling at 305 may include, for example, a MAC-CE message or a DCI message. In some embodiments, the low-layer signaling from the BS to the UE is based on a request from the LMF to the BS (this request is not shown in the figure). In some embodiments, the above request is sent, for example, using the NRPPa protocol.

[0143] At 306, the UE sends a reference SRS and N-1 associated target SRSs to the serving BS. The N SRSs sent by the UE at 306, including the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, are transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the N SRSs transmitted on the N CCs are coherently combined. For example, again referencing... Figure 6 In some embodiments, N equals 2, and transmitting N SRSs at 306 may include transmitting a reference SRS1 on CC1 and a target SRS3 on CC2 during a first time interval T1.

[0144] In some embodiments, at 307, the serving BS may send measurement results obtained from the received SRS to the LMF for processing and deriving the UE's location. In some embodiments, the measurement results may include one or more of the previously discussed measurement results, such as UL RTOA, UL AoA, and / or BS Rx-Tx time difference measurements. In some embodiments, for example, the NRPPa protocol may be used to send the measurement information to the LMF.

[0145] In some embodiments, at 308, the serving BS sends further low-level signaling to the UE to update the UE's SRS CA configuration. This may involve changing the reference SRS and / or the associated target SRS. For example, referencing again... Figure 6In some embodiments, the low-layer signaling transmitted at 305 may have already activated the target SRS3 in CC2 using reference SRS1 in CC1, and the low-layer signaling transmitted at 308 may update the SRS CA configuration to activate the target SRS3 in CC2 using reference SRS2 in CC3 after time interval T1. The target SRS and reference SRS are transmitted on one or more antenna ports in the same group, meaning that in such embodiments, SRS1 and SRS3 will be transmitted on one or more antenna ports in the same group during time interval T1, and SRS2 and SRS3 will be transmitted on one or more antenna ports in the same group during time interval T2. Although in this example, the number of target SRSs associated with the reference SRS is the same in both SRS CA configurations (i.e., one target SRS (SRS3) is associated with reference SRS1 during time interval T1, and one target SRS (SRS3) is associated with reference SRS2 during time interval T2), more generally, the number of target SRSs associated with the reference SRS of the SRS CA may be the same or different in different SRS CA configurations.

[0146] For example, in some embodiments, low-layer signaling sent to the UE at 305 can associate N-1 target SRSs out of a plurality of SRSs with a first reference SRS out of a plurality of SRSs, and low-layer signaling sent to the UE at 308 can associate P-1 target SRSs out of a plurality of SRSs with a second reference SRS out of a plurality of SRSs, where P is an integer, P≥2, and P may be different from N. In such embodiments, the configuration parameters of the associated P-1 target SRSs can be overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the second reference SRS, at least in part, based on the information included in the low-layer signaling at 308. At 309, the UE transmits P SRSs, including the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs, on P different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the P SRSs transmitted on the P CCs are coherently combinable. In some embodiments, the P-1 target SRSs include at least one of the N-1 target SRSs.

[0147] In some embodiments, at 310, the serving BS can send the measurement results obtained from the received SRS to the LMF for processing and deriving the UE's location.

[0148] It should be noted that in some embodiments, some of the steps described above are optional and may only exist in some positioning sessions. For example, the target device may not need to signal its SRS CA capability in every positioning session.

[0149] In some embodiments, the same message can be used for two different steps in the execution process. For example, the low-level signaling for steps 305 and 308 can use the same MAC-CE message or DCI command. As another example, measurement information reporting messages 307 and 310 can be provided in the same IE.

[0150] Figure 7 The potential technical benefits / advantages of the exemplary embodiments shown include, but are not limited to, increasing the effective SRS BW by transmitting N SRSs on the same antenna port (or the same group of antenna ports) on N (N>=2) carrier components, which can improve the accuracy of positioning measurement results. Furthermore, this embodiment reduces higher-layer (RRC) configuration signaling by activating / updating or triggering the target SRS in lower-layer signaling (e.g., MAC-CE or DCI) and overriding some configuration parameters of the target SRS with corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS. Moreover, this reduces UL RS overhead and battery consumption by updating or triggering one active SRS in lower-layer signaling instead of transmitting multiple SRS configurations in higher-layer signaling.

[0151] In general, aspects of this application improve the accuracy of RAT-related positioning solutions based on UL (e.g., UL-AoA / UL-TDoA) and combined UL / DL (multi-RTT), thus potentially providing a viable alternative for positioning even in macro-urban scenarios. Furthermore, while this application offers benefits for positioning applications, it can be used with any other technology requiring SRS bandwidth greater than the bandwidth of the configured BWP or carrier components. This includes SRS for MIMO purposes (including SRS for beamforming, beam management, and CSI acquisition) and SRS for mobility purposes.

[0152] Non-limiting examples of techniques that can be used to indicate a target SRS and a reference SRS to a UE will now be described with reference to several exemplary embodiments. These techniques can be used to determine, for example... Figure 7 The configuration / activation information included in the messaging in steps 304, 305 and / or 308.

[0153] In a first exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0154] A) Provide a list of target SRS resource (resource set) candidates or their corresponding serving cell IDs in the RRC.

[0155] B) A set of SRS resources (resource sets) transmitted on the same set of antenna ports as its corresponding reference SRS resource(set) is indicated / updated in MAC-CE or DCI directly or by indicating its corresponding serving cell. In some embodiments, a set of SRS resources (resource sets) of B) is selected from a list of provided target SRS resource(set) candidates or their corresponding serving cell IDs. In some embodiments, the group size excluding the reference SRS resource(set) is N-1 (N≥2).

[0156] The potential technical benefits / advantages of Exemplary Example 1 include, but are not limited to, enabling the activation / updating of a set of target SRSs for each reference SRS resource(s) in the MAC-CE / DCI without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. Therefore, the reference SRS resource(s) can have a flexible set of target SRS resources(s) that can be updated by the MAC-CE / DCI. Similarly, target SRS resources(s) can be activated / triggered with a new reference SRS resource(s) via MAC-CE / DCI messages without requiring any RRC reconfiguration.

[0157] In a second exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0158] A) Provide a list of reference SRS resource (set) candidates in the target SRS resource (set) configuration in the RRC. Each reference SRS resource (set) candidate is indicated in the RRC at least by its serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS resource (set) ID.

[0159] B) MAC-CE indicates or updates one of the candidate SRS resource(set) as a reference to the target SRS resource(set).

[0160] The potential technical benefits / advantages of Exemplary Example 2 include, but are not limited to, enabling the activation / updating of reference SRS resources (sets) for each target SRS resource (set) in MAC-CE / DCI based on a pre-configured list of reference SRS resource (set) candidates without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. It should be noted that an SRS resource (set) can be a reference SRS resource (set) for more than one target SRS resource (set).

[0161] In the third exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0162] A) Provide a list of target SRS resource (set) candidates in the reference SRS resource (set) configuration in the RRC. Each target SRS resource (set) is indicated in the RRC at least by its serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS resource (set) ID.

[0163] B) MAC-CE indicates or updates N-1 target SRS resource (set) candidates as targets of reference SRS resource (set).

[0164] The potential technical benefits / advantages of Exemplary Example 3 include, but are not limited to, enabling the activation / updating of a set of N-1 SRS resources (resource sets) for each reference SRS resource (set) in MAC-CE / DCI based on a pre-configured list of target SRS resource (set) candidates, without requiring any RRC reconfiguration. It should be noted that an SRS resource (set) can be a target candidate for more than one reference SRS resource (set), as long as it is not activated / triggered for more than one reference SRS resource (set) within any time interval.

[0165] In the fourth exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0166] A) Provide a list of M serving cell indexes in the RRC (M>=N).

[0167] B) N out of M cells indicated by MAC-CE or DCI. SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID in the N serving cells that are activated / updated or triggered and transmitted on the same set of antenna ports. Of these SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID, one is a reference SRS resource (set), and the rest are target SRS resources (resource sets). The reference SRS resource (set) is implicitly or explicitly indicated in MAC-CE or DCI. In one example of implicit indication, the first indicated SRS resource (set) (corresponding to the first indicated cell in MAC-CE or DCI) is the reference SRS resource set for that group of indicated SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID. In an example of explicit indication, the reference SRS resource (set) is explicitly indicated by indicating the corresponding cell ID of the reference SRS resource (set) for each group of indicated SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID.

[0168] The potential technical benefits / advantages of Exemplary Example 4 include, but are not limited to, enabling the MAC-CE or DCI to activate / update or trigger SRS resources (resource sets) in multiple cells via a single message, wherein each cell has multiple activated / updated or triggered SRS resources (resource sets). Activated / updated or triggered SRS resources (resource sets) of different cells with the same ID are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports.

[0169] In the fifth exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0170] A) Provide N lists (M>=N) in the RRC, each consisting of an index of M serving cells. These lists can be named L1,…L N .

[0171] B) MAC-CE or DCI indicates the K groups of serving cell indexes in the above N lists. These groups can be referred to as S1,…,S… K .

[0172] Each group of serving cell indexes S k (k = 1, ..., K) includes N serving cell indices, where the same group S k No two serving cell indexes belong to the same list L. j (j = 1, ..., N). For each group S k It activates / updates or triggers a group of SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID in N serving cells and transmits them on the same antenna port.

[0173] For each group S k In MAC-CE or DCI, the reference SRS resource(s) for each group are implicitly or explicitly indicated. In the example of implicit indication, for groups of SRS resources(resource sets) with the same indicated ID, the first indicated SRS resource(s) (corresponding to S...) k The first indicating cell in the reference SRS resource set is the reference SRS resource set for that group. In the example of explicit indication, for each group of indicated SRS resources (resource sets) with the same ID, the reference SRS resource (set) is explicitly indicated by the corresponding cell ID of the indicated reference SRS resource (set).

[0174] Figure 8 An illustrative example of exemplary embodiment 5 with K=3 is shown.

[0175] Exemplary Example 5 can be considered an extension of Exemplary Example 4, wherein a single MAC-CE or DCI message is used to activate / update or trigger SRS resources (resource sets) in multiple cell groups, instead of using a single MAC-CE or DCI message to activate / update or trigger SRS resources (resource sets) in a single cell group.

[0176] In a sixth exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA includes: providing the reference SRS resource(set) in the target SRS resource(set) configuration in the RRC. The reference SRS resource(set) is indicated in the RRC at least by its serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS resource(set) ID. During the time interval when the reference SRS resource(set) is activated, the target SRS resource(set) is transmitted on the same set of antenna ports as the reference SRS resource(set). If the target SRS resource(set) is also transmitted outside the time interval when the reference SRS resource(set) is activated, then during the duration when the reference SRS resource(set) is not activated, the target SRS resource(set) is transmitted according to its own configuration. If the reference SRS resource(set) is a semi-static SRS resource(set), its activation and deactivation are indicated in the MAC-CE.

[0177] The potential technical benefits / advantages of Example 6 include, but are not limited to, associating a target SRS resource(set) with a reference SRS resource(set). It should be noted that a reference SRS resource(set) can be included in a configuration of N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resources(sets) to be associated with all target SRS resources(sets).

[0178] Furthermore, the target SRS resource(set) is sent according to its own configuration unless its reference SRS resource(set) is active. This facilitates the use of the target SRS resource(set) for other purposes outside the active period of the reference SRS resource(set).

[0179] In the seventh exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA includes: providing a list of N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resources (resource sets) in the reference SRS resource (set) configuration in the RRC. In this embodiment, each target SRS resource (set) is indicated in the RRC at least by its serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS resource (set) ID. During the time interval when the reference SRS resource (set) is activated, the target SRS resource (resource set) is transmitted on the same set of antenna ports as the reference SRS resource (set). If the target SRS resource (set) is also transmitted outside the time interval when the reference SRS resource (set) is activated, then during the duration when the reference SRS resource (set) is not activated, the target SRS resource (set) is transmitted according to its own configuration. If the reference SRS resource (set) is a semi-static SRS resource (set), its activation and deactivation are indicated in the MAC-CE.

[0180] Exemplary Example 7 can be considered as the dual of Exemplary Example 6, wherein N-1 (N>=2) target SRS resource sets are indicated in the configuration of the reference SRS resource set, rather than the reference SRS resource set being indicated in the configuration of one or more target SRS resources (sets).

[0181] In the eighth exemplary embodiment, the higher-layer signaling and lower-layer signaling used to instruct the UE to use the target SRS and reference SRS for SRS CA include:

[0182] A) Provide a sequence of M IDs (1,...,M) in the configuration of the SRS resource (resource set).

[0183] B) MAC-CE or DCI can indicate one of the IDs for each SRS resource(set). N (N>=2) SRS resources(resource sets) with the same indication ID are transmitted on the same set of antenna ports. The UE expects that the N (N>=2) SRS resources(resource sets) with the same indication ID are located on N different carrier components (cells).

[0184] The reference SRS resource(set) is indicated implicitly or explicitly. In the example of implicit indication, for a group of reference SRS resources(sets) with the same indication ID, the first reference SRS resource(set) in the MAC-CE or DCI, or the SRS resource(set) with the lowest serving cell ID, is the reference SRS resource(set). In the example of explicit indication, for each group of reference SRS resources(sets) with the same indication ID, the reference SRS resource(set) is explicitly indicated in the MAC-CE or DCI.

[0185] In exemplary embodiment 8, a shared ID value is used to indicate a group of N SRS resources (resource sets) that can be transmitted on the same set of antenna ports, wherein the ID may be different from the resource (set) ID of the corresponding SRS resource (resource set).

[0186] Some of the embodiments and examples described above can also be applied to other applications and scenarios, such as in satellite communications and the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). For example, a key aspect of satellite communications is the ability to communicate with devices and non-ground stations, as narrowband communications can be severely hampered by ionospheric loss characteristics. To achieve such broadband communication, broadband reference signal transmission in both the uplink and downlink may be required. The methods disclosed herein are enablers for such broadband RS transmissions, which can be used for various purposes, such as, but not limited to, precise device positioning and broadband channel estimation. Furthermore, IoV is a technology that enables efficient, secure, and high-speed information exchange between vehicles that may use vehicle ad hoc networks. To provide such high data rates for vehicle-to-vehicle communication, accurate broadband channel estimates and the relative distance between each vehicle may be required at adjacent vehicles. The efficient broadband SRS transmission mechanism described in this application facilitates this relative positioning and broadband channel estimation.

[0187] The following is a non-limiting list of additional exemplary embodiments of this application:

[0188] Exemplary Example 9. A method for sounding reference signal carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: a user equipment (UE) receiving higher-layer signaling including SRS configuration information of a plurality of sounding reference signals (SRS); the UE receiving lower-layer signaling including information relating N-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs to a reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs, wherein N is an integer and N≥2; the UE transmitting the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, wherein the N SRSs including the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs are transmitted on N different corresponding carrier components (CCs) on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the N SRSs transmitted on the N CCs are coherently combinable.

[0189] Exemplary Example 10. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes radio resource control (RRC) messages, and the lower-layer signaling includes medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) messages or downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0190] Exemplary Example 11. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein N SRSs are transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the N SRSs transmitted on the N CCs are coherently combinable, comprising: at least in part based on the information that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs, overriding the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRSs.

[0191] Exemplary Example 12. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein the reference SRS is a first reference SRS among a plurality of SRSs, the method further comprising: the UE receiving low-layer signaling including information associating P-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with a second reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs, wherein P is an integer, P≥2, and the P-1 target SRSs include at least one of N-1 target SRSs; at least in part based on the information associating the P-1 target SRSs with the second reference SRS, overwriting the configuration parameters of the associated P-1 target SRSs with corresponding configuration parameters of the second reference SRSs; after transmitting the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, the UE transmitting the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs, wherein the P SRSs including the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs are transmitted on P different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the P SRSs transmitted on the P CCs are coherently combinable.

[0192] Exemplary Example 13. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers (IDs); the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and a reference SRS includes information identifying N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as N-1 target SRSs to be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS.

[0193] Exemplary Example 14. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for one or more target SRS candidates including N-1 target SRSs; the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for each of the N-1 target SRSs.

[0194] Exemplary Example 15. The method according to Exemplary Example 14, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each reference SRS candidate.

[0195] Exemplary Example 16. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates including a reference SRS; the information received via lower-layer signaling and associating N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of target SRS candidates for N-1 target SRSs.

[0196] Exemplary Example 17. The method according to Exemplary Example 14, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each target SRS candidate.

[0197] Exemplary Example 18. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a list of M serving cell indices, M≥N; and the information received via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying N serving cell IDs in a list of M serving cell IDs; the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs are N SRSs with the same ID among the N serving cells corresponding to the N serving cell IDs identified in the information received via lower-layer signaling.

[0198] Exemplary Example 19. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes N lists L1,…L1 consisting of M serving cell indices. N M≥N; The information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes a list L1,…L of N serving cell indices. N The K-group serving cell index is identified by its name. S1,…,S K Information; index S for each serving cell group k(k = 1, ..., K) includes N serving cell indices, where the same group S k No two serving cell indexes belong to the same list L. j (j = 1, ..., N); the reference SRS and N-1 target SRS are identified in the K groups of serving cell indices S1, ..., S1 identified in the information received via lower-layer signaling. K The N serving cell indexes in the set of serving cell indexes include N serving cell indexes corresponding to N serving cells with the same ID and N SRS.

[0199] Exemplary Example 20. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes target SRS configuration information for each of the N-1 target SRSs that identifies a reference SRS;

[0200] During the time interval when the reference SRS is activated: the original configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS; N SRSs, including the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, are transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group.

[0201] Exemplary Example 21. The method according to Exemplary Example 20 further includes sending the N-1 target SRSs based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs outside the time interval during which the reference SRS is activated.

[0202] Exemplary Example 22. The method according to Exemplary Example 20 or 21, wherein the information received via low-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes information for selectively activating or deactivating reference SRSs.

[0203] Exemplary Example 23. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 12 to 14, wherein the target SRS configuration information identifies the reference SRS using at least the serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS ID of the reference SRS.

[0204] Exemplary Example 24. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of N-1 target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates including a reference SRS; during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated: the original configuration parameters of N-1 target SRS in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS; and N SRS including the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRS in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS are transmitted on N different corresponding CCs on one or more antenna ports in the same group.

[0205] Exemplary Example 25. The method according to Exemplary Example 24 further includes, outside the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated, sending the N-1 target SRS based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRS in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS.

[0206] Exemplary Example 26. The method according to Exemplary Example 24 or 25, wherein the information received via low-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes information for selectively activating or deactivating reference SRSs.

[0207] Exemplary Example 27. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 24 to 26, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each target SRS candidate.

[0208] Exemplary Example 28. The method according to Exemplary Example 9, wherein: the SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a sequence of M IDs; the information received via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and a reference SRS includes information indicating one of the IDs in the sequence of M IDs for each of the plurality of SRSs such that N SRSs of the plurality of SRSs have the same indicating ID in the sequence of M IDs; the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs are N SRSs having the same ID indicated by the information received via lower-layer signaling.

[0209] Exemplary Example 29. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 9 to 28 further includes: the UE transmitting SRS capability information, the SRS capability information indicating that the UE is capable of transmitting N SRS on N carrier components, and each SRS is transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group.

[0210] Exemplary Example 30. The method according to Exemplary Example 29, wherein transmitting SRS capability information includes transmitting information indicating one or more of the following: supporting N-amplifier architecture; supporting phase continuity; supporting phase continuity of SRS; supporting transmission at the same antenna port; supporting transmission at the same group of antenna ports; supporting transmission at the same antenna port of SRS; or supporting transmission at the same group of antenna ports of SRS.

[0211] Exemplary Example 31. The method according to Exemplary Example 29 or 30, wherein the UE uses the radio resource control (RRC) protocol to send SRS capability information to the serving base station and / or uses the long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) to send SRS capability information to the location management function (LMF) in the wireless communication network.

[0212] Exemplary Example 32. A method for sounding reference signal carrier aggregation in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: a base station (BS) sending higher-layer signaling to user equipment (UE) including SRS configuration information of a plurality of sounding reference signals (SRS); the BS sending to the UE lower-layer signaling including information of associating N-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with reference SRSs among the plurality of SRSs, wherein N is an integer and N≥2; the BS receiving from the UE N SRSs including reference SRSs and associated N-1 target SRSs on N different corresponding carrier components (CCs), the N SRSs having been transmitted by the UE on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the N SRSs received on the N CCs are coherently combinable on the BS.

[0213] Exemplary Example 33. The method according to Exemplary Example 32, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes radio resource control (RRC) messages, and the lower-layer signaling includes medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) messages or downlink control information (DCI) messages.

[0214] Exemplary Example 34. The method according to Exemplary Example 32 or 33 further includes: the BS coherently combining N SRS received on N CCs; and the BS performing at least one uplink channel measurement based on the coherent combination of the N SRS received on N CCs.

[0215] Exemplary Example 35. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein the BS sends low-layer signaling, the low-layer signaling including information that associates N-1 target SRSs among a plurality of SRSs with a reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs such that the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overridden by the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRSs.

[0216] Exemplary Example 36. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 35, wherein the reference SRS is a first reference SRS among a plurality of SRSs, the method further comprising: the BS transmitting to the UE low-layer signaling including information associating P-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with a second reference SRS among the plurality of SRSs, wherein P is an integer, P≥2, and the P-1 target SRSs include at least one of N-1 target SRSs, wherein the low-layer signaling including information associating the P-1 target SRSs with the second reference SRS causes the configuration parameters of the associated P-1 target SRSs to be overridden by the corresponding configuration parameters of the second reference SRS; the BS receiving from the UE P SRSs including the second reference SRS and the associated P-1 target SRSs on P different corresponding carrier components (CCs), the P SRSs having been transmitted by the UE on one or more antenna ports in the same group, such that the P SRSs transmitted on the P CCs are coherently combinable at the BS.

[0217] Exemplary Example 37. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers (IDs); the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with a reference SRS includes information identifying N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as N-1 target SRSs to be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS.

[0218] Exemplary Example 38. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for one or more target SRS candidates including N-1 target SRSs; the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling and associating the N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of reference SRS candidates for each of the N-1 target SRSs.

[0219] Exemplary Example 39. The method according to Exemplary Example 38, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each reference SRS candidate.

[0220] Exemplary Example 40. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates including a reference SRS; the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling that associates N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of target SRS candidates for N-1 target SRSs.

[0221] Exemplary Example 41. The method according to Exemplary Example 40, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each target SRS candidate.

[0222] Exemplary Example 42. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a list of M serving cell indices, M ≥ N; the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling and associating N-1 target SRSs with reference SRSs includes information identifying N serving cell IDs in a list of M serving cell IDs; the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs are N SRSs with the same ID among the N serving cells corresponding to the N serving cell IDs identified in the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling.

[0223] Exemplary Example 43. According to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes N lists L1, ... L1 consisting of M serving cell indices. N M≥N; The information transmitted via low-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and reference SRSs includes a list L1,…L of N serving cell indices. N The K-group serving cell index is identified by its name. S1,…,S KInformation; index S for each serving cell group k (k = 1, ..., K) includes N serving cell indices, where the same group S k No two serving cell indexes belong to the same list L. j (j = 1, ..., N); the reference SRS and N-1 target SRS are identified in the K groups of serving cell indices S1, ..., S1 identified in the information sent via lower-layer signaling. K The N serving cell indexes in the set of serving cell indexes include N serving cell indexes corresponding to N serving cells with the same ID and N SRS.

[0224] Exemplary Example 44. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes target SRS configuration information identifying a reference SRS for each of the N-1 target SRSs; transmitting lower-layer signaling to the UE includes transmitting lower-layer signaling to the UE to activate the reference SRS, such that during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated: the original configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS; and the N SRSs, including the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRSs, are received by the BS on N different corresponding CCs.

[0225] Exemplary Example 45. The method according to Exemplary Example 44 further includes, outside the time interval during which the reference SRS is activated, the BS receiving the N-1 target SRSs from the UE based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs.

[0226] Exemplary Example 46. The method as described in Exemplary Example 44 or 45, wherein the information transmitted via low-layer signaling includes information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRS.

[0227] Exemplary Example 47. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 44 to 46, wherein the target SRS configuration information identifies the reference SRS using at least the serving cell ID, BWP ID, and SRS ID of the reference SRS.

[0228] Exemplary Example 48. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of N-1 target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates including a reference SRS; transmitting lower-layer signaling to the UE includes transmitting lower-layer signaling to the UE to activate the reference SRS, such that during the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated: the original configuration parameters of N-1 target SRSs in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS are overwritten with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS; and N SRSs including the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS are received by the BS on N different corresponding CCs.

[0229] Exemplary Example 49. The method according to Exemplary Example 48 further includes receiving the N-1 target SRSs based on the original configuration parameters of the N-1 target SRSs in the list of N-1 target SRS candidates corresponding to the reference SRS, outside of the time interval in which the reference SRS is activated.

[0230] Exemplary Example 50. The method as described in Exemplary Example 48 or 49, wherein the information transmitted via low-layer signaling includes information for selectively activating or deactivating the reference SRS.

[0231] Exemplary Example 51. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 48 to 50, wherein the higher-layer signaling includes information indicating at least its serving cell ID, bandwidth portion ID, and SRS ID for each target SRS candidate.

[0232] Exemplary Example 52. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 34, wherein: the SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a sequence of M IDs; the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling and associated with N-1 target SRSs and a reference SRS includes information indicating one of the IDs in the sequence of M IDs for each of the plurality of SRSs such that N of the plurality of SRSs have the same indicated ID in the sequence of M IDs; the reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs are N SRSs having the same ID indicated by the information transmitted via lower-layer signaling.

[0233] Exemplary Example 53. The method according to any one of Exemplary Examples 32 to 52 further includes: the BS receiving SRS capability information of the UE, the SRS capability information indicating that the UE is capable of transmitting N SRS on N carrier components, each SRS being transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group.

[0234] Exemplary Example 54. The method according to Exemplary Example 53, wherein the SRS capability information includes information indicating one or more of the following: support for N-amplifier architecture; support for phase continuity; support for phase continuity of SRS; support for transmission at the same antenna port; support for transmission at the same group of antenna ports; support for transmission at the same antenna port of SRS; or support for transmission at the same group of antenna ports of SRS.

[0235] Exemplary Example 55. The method according to Exemplary Example 53 or 54, wherein the SRS capability information is received by the BS from the UE using the radio resource control (RRC) protocol and / or from the location management function (LMF) in the wireless communication network using the new radio positioning protocol a (NRPPa).

[0236] Exemplary Example 56. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and a computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by the at least one processor, the program including instructions for performing any of the methods of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0237] Although this application describes methods and processes having steps in a certain order, one or more steps in the methods and processes may be omitted or changed as appropriate. Where appropriate, one or more steps may be performed in an order other than that described.

[0238] Although this application has been described at least in part from a methodological perspective, those skilled in the art will understand that this application also relates to various components for performing at least some aspects and features of the methods, whether by hardware components, software, or any combination of both. Accordingly, the technical solutions of this application can be implemented in the form of a software product. Suitable software products can be stored in pre-recorded storage devices or other similar non-volatile or non-transitory computer-readable media, including DVDs, CD-ROMs, USB flash drives, removable hard drives, or other storage media. The software product includes instructions tangibly stored thereon that cause a processing device (e.g., a personal computer, server, or network device) to perform examples of the methods disclosed herein. Machine-executable instructions can be in the form of code sequences, configuration information, or other data that, when executed, cause a machine (e.g., a processor or other processing device) to perform the steps in the methods according to the examples of this application.

[0239] This application may be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the subject matter of the claims. The exemplary embodiments described are merely illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. Features selected from one or more of the above embodiments may be combined to create alternative embodiments not explicitly described, and features suitable for such combinations will be understood within the scope of this application.

[0240] All values ​​and sub-ranges within the scope of the disclosure are also disclosed. Furthermore, although the systems, devices, and processes disclosed and shown herein may include a specific number of elements / components, the systems, devices, and components may be modified to include more or fewer of such elements / components. For example, although any element / component disclosed may be referenced as a single quantity, embodiments disclosed herein may be modified to include multiple such elements / components. The subject matter described herein is intended to cover and encompass all appropriate technical changes.

Claims

1. A method for carrier aggregation of a sounding reference signal (SRS) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: User equipment (UE) receives higher-layer signaling that includes SRS configuration information for multiple SRSs; The UE receives low-layer signaling including information that associates N-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with reference SRSs among the plurality of SRSs, where N is an integer, and N 2; Based at least in part on the information that associates the N-1 target SRSs with the reference SRS, the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overridden with the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRS; and The UE transmits the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRS, including the N SRS of the reference SRS and the associated N-1 target SRS, which are transmitted on N different corresponding carrier components (CC) on one or more antenna ports in the same group.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers; and The information received via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying the N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as the N-1 target SRSs that will be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including the reference SRS. and The information received via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying the reference SRS among the N-1 target SRSs in the corresponding list of target SRS candidates.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a list of M serving cell indexes, M N; and The information received via low-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying N serving cell IDs from a list of M serving cell IDs; The reference SRS and the N-1 target SRS are N SRSs with the same ID among the N serving cells corresponding to the N serving cell IDs identified in the information received via lower-layer signaling.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SRS configuration information received via higher-layer signaling includes a sequence of M IDs; The information received via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information indicating one of the M IDs in a sequence for each of the plurality of SRSs such that the N SRSs have the same indication ID in the sequence of the M IDs; and The reference SRS and the N-1 target SRS are N SRSs with the same ID indicated by the information received via lower-layer signaling.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: The UE transmits SRS capability information, which indicates that the UE can transmit N SRS on N carrier components, with each SRS transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group.

7. A method for carrier aggregation of a probe reference signal in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: The base station (BS) sends higher-layer signaling to the user equipment (UE) including SRS configuration information for multiple sounding reference signals (SRS); The BS sends low-layer signaling to the UE including information that associates N-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with reference SRSs among the plurality of SRSs, where N is an integer, and N 2; The BS receives N SRS from the UE on N different corresponding carrier components CC, including the reference SRS and N-1 associated target SRS, the N SRS having been transmitted by the UE on one or more antenna ports in the same group; Wherein, the BS sends the low-layer signaling, the low-layer signaling including information that associates N-1 target SRSs among the plurality of SRSs with reference SRSs among the plurality of SRSs so that the configuration parameters of the associated N-1 target SRSs are overridden by the corresponding configuration parameters of the reference SRSs.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a list of target SRS candidates or their corresponding serving cell identifiers; and The information transmitted via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying the N-1 target SRSs in the list of target SRS candidates as the N-1 target SRSs to be transmitted on at least one antenna port in the same group as the reference SRS.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The SRS configuration information sent via higher-layer signaling includes a corresponding list of target SRS candidates for each of a plurality of reference SRS candidates, including the reference SRS; and The information transmitted via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying the reference SRS in the corresponding list of the N-1 target SRSs in the target SRS candidate.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The SRS configuration information transmitted via higher-layer signaling includes a list of M serving cell indexes, M N; and The information transmitted via low-layer signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information identifying N serving cell IDs from a list of M serving cell IDs; and The reference SRS and the N-1 target SRS are N SRSs with the same ID among the N serving cells corresponding to the N serving cell IDs identified in the information sent via lower-layer signaling.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The SRS configuration information sent via higher-level signaling includes a sequence of M IDs; The information transmitted via low-level signaling and associated with the N-1 target SRSs and the reference SRS includes information indicating one of the M IDs in a sequence for each of the plurality of SRSs such that the N SRSs have the same indication ID in the sequence of the M IDs; and The reference SRS and the N-1 target SRSs are N SRSs with the same ID indicated by the information sent via low-level signaling.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, the method further comprising: The BS receives the SRS capability information of the UE, which indicates that the UE can transmit N SRS on N carrier components, and each SRS is transmitted on different carrier components on at least one antenna port in the same group.

13. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as A computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by the at least one processor, the program comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

14. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as A computer-readable storage medium operatively coupled to the at least one processor, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program executable by the at least one processor, the program comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

15. A communication system comprising a communication device for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, and a communication device for performing the method of any one of claims 7 to 12.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

18. A computer program product comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

20. A computing device comprising a processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions, such that the computing device implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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