Positioning measurement report

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer readable media for positioning measurement reporting. The method comprises: performing, at a first device, a positioning measurement based on a set of measurement parameters; and reporting, to a second device, a first part of the positioning measurement and an indication about whether the first part of the positioning measurement is to be used jointly with a second part of the positioning measurement to estimate a position of the first device at a reporting instant, the second part of the positioning measurement being previously reported to the second device. In this way, the UE is able to provide assistance information about a change in position, which can improve the positioning accuracy. Furthermore, unnecessary measurements on all PRS resources can be avoided, and thus this reporting mechanism can reduce the power consumption at the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for location measurement reporting. Background Technology

[0002] In fifth-generation new radio (e.g., 5G NR) networks, location tracking of UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state is supported. Specifically, network nodes responsible for location management functions (e.g., LMF) can request the UE to report location measurements, such as downlink location reference signal (DL PRS) measurements and SRS transmission measurements, during the period used for location measurement reporting. The UE can also report location measurements via inactive state data transmission (e.g., small data transmission (SDT)).

[0003] Typically, there are reporting overhead constraints for inactive state data transmission. That is, only a limited number of measurements can be reported for each inactive state data transmission. To provide complete measurement information, the UE may have to report a corresponding portion of the entire measurement information through several data transmissions spanning multiple time slots; this is also known as a partial reporting process. During these time slots, the UE's location may have changed, meaning the measurement to be reported may not correspond to the UE's current location. Furthermore, new positioning measurements may be acquired before the partial reporting process completes; however, the UE may not be able to report new measurement information before the ongoing partial reporting process is finished, which will affect positioning accuracy. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Overall, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide solutions for location measurement reports.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to: perform positioning measurements based on a set of measurement parameters; and report, at a current reporting moment, a first portion of the positioning measurements to a second device, and an indication regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurements should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurements to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurements having previously been reported to the second device.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to: receive from a first device a first portion of positioning measurements, and an indication regarding whether the first portion of positioning measurements is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of positioning measurements previously reported from the first device; and to estimate the position of the first device at least in part based on the indication.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: performing a positioning measurement at a first device based on a set of measurement parameters; and reporting a first portion of the positioning measurement to a second device at a current reporting time, and an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported to the second device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a second device, a first portion of a positioning measurement from a first device, and an indication regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurement is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported from the first device; and estimating the position of the first device based at least in part on the indication.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: components for performing positioning measurements at the first apparatus based on a set of measurement parameters; and components for reporting a first portion of the positioning measurements and an indication to a second apparatus at a current reporting time, the indication being regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurements should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurements to estimate the position of the first apparatus, the second portion of the positioning measurements having previously been reported to the second apparatus.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: a component for receiving, at the second apparatus, a first portion of a positioning measurement from a first apparatus and an indication regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurement is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first apparatus, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported from the first apparatus; and a component for estimating the position of the first apparatus based at least in part on the indication.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. This non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to perform the method according to the third aspect.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided. This non-transitory computer-readable medium includes program instructions for causing a device to perform the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0013] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 An example communication network in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a positioning measurement reporting process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 A flowchart is shown of an example method for positioning measurement reporting implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown of an example method for positioning measurement reporting implemented at a first device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0020] Figure 6 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described are for illustration only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways besides those described below.

[0023] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0024] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed that in conjunction with other embodiments (whether explicitly described or not) affecting such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0025] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0028] (a) Pure hardware circuit implementation (such as implementation using only analog and / or digital circuit systems), and

[0029] (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable):

[0030] (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0031] (ii) Any part of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory (a plurality of) having software, which work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions, and (c) a plurality of hardware circuits and / or a plurality of processors, such as a plurality of microprocessors or a portion thereof, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when operation is not required.

[0032] The definition of "circuit system" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also covers implementations of only hardware circuitry or processors (or processors in general) or portions thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For instance, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit system" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0033] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will naturally be communication technologies and systems that embody future types of this disclosure. This disclosure should not be construed as limiting its scope to the systems described above.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Network devices can refer to base stations (BS) or access points (APs), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR next-generation Node B (gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header (RH), Remote Radio Header End (RRH), Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, relay, low-power nodes (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. It is permissible to define a network device as part of a gNB, for example, in a CU / DU split, in which case the network device is defined as gNB-CU or gNB-DU.

[0035] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image acquisition terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0036] Location technologies can be used to estimate the physical location of a UE. For example, in NR, the following location technologies can be used: Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDoA), Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UL-TDoA), Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD), Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA), and / or Multi-Cell Round-Trip Time (Multi-RTT). Location Reference Signal (PRS) and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) can be used as reference signals for estimating the UE's location. PRS is the reference signal used for location in the downlink (DL). In downlink location technologies such as DL-TDoA and DL-AoD, the UE can measure PRS from multiple gNBs. For example, the UE can measure Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) and / or Reference Signal Received Power (PRS-RSRP). These measurements can then be used to help estimate the UE's location. If the Location Management Function (LMF) is the entity estimating the location, the UE can report these measurements to the LMF. In downlink and uplink positioning technologies, the UE can measure the time difference between the PRS reception time and the SRS transmission time, where the PRS can be received from multiple Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs) or gNBs, and the SRS can be transmitted to multiple TRPs or gNBs. The UE can report these measurements to the LMF.

[0037] When a UE enters or is about to enter the RRC_INACTIVE state, the last serving base station (e.g., gNB) configures time and frequency resources allocated for inactive state data transmission (such as SDT) for the UE. Additionally, the LMF can provide auxiliary information, including the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resource configuration and the period (e.g., T ms) for location measurement reporting. The UE can measure the PRS resources configured by the LMF to obtain a certain number of location measurements. Due to constraints on the maximum amount of data to be transmitted in the SDT (e.g., 1000 bits), the UE can perform incremental (delta) reporting or partial reporting across multiple time slots (also known as multiple reporting times). Partial reporting refers to reporting a portion of the total location measurements obtained for the entire configured PRS resources.

[0038] However, a situation may arise where the UE's location has changed, but a certain number of previous location measurements need to be reported to the LMF. If the UE continues to report normally, and the LMF estimates the UE's location based on these measurements, positioning accuracy may degrade. On the other hand, the UE may acquire new positioning information at the changed location, and the ongoing reporting process may actually prevent the reporting of this new positioning information.

[0039] To address the aforementioned and other potential problems, embodiments of this disclosure provide an enhanced solution for location measurement reporting. According to the proposed solution, location measurement reporting can be implemented via inactive state data transmission, thereby reducing the overhead of reporting location measurements to the LMF at each reporting time. In this way, the UE can save power / processing by reducing the number of resources to be measured at a given time. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state, but UEs in both the RRC_CONNECTED and RRC_INACTIVE states will be able to benefit from the proposed solution.

[0040] Furthermore, the UE can provide additional indications using the reported positioning measurements. These additional indications are associated with the UE's mobility and can instruct the LMF whether to combine the positioning measurements with previously reported positioning measurements to estimate the UE's location. This reporting mechanism takes into account both UE mobility and the overhead / capacity of measurement reporting. Therefore, positioning accuracy can be improved while reducing UE power consumption.

[0041] Figure 1 An example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 includes a first device 110, a second device 120, and a set of third devices 130-1 and 130-2. The first device 110 can be implemented as a terminal device, and the second device 120 can be an LMF device in the core network. The third devices 130-1 and 130-2 can be base stations or transmission and reception points (TRPs) for providing radio coverage to the first device 110, and these base stations or transmission and reception points (TRPs) can be collectively referred to as the third device 130.

[0042] The first device 110 is capable of operating in various RRC states, including RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_IDLE, and RRC_INACTIVE. In the RRC_INACTIVE state, the first device 110 operates in a low-power manner, such as a "sleep" mode, and infrequent and small data traffic is allowed to be received or transmitted. The context of the first device 110 is maintained at the last serving base station (e.g., the third device 130-1), and the first device 110 can move within a notification area (e.g., RNA) based on a radio access network (e.g., RAN) without notifying the RAN. Therefore, the RRC_INACTIVE state allows for a trade-off between transmission delay, power consumption, and signaling overhead. The RNA can cover several cells provided by multiple base stations, and in some cases, the terminal device can even move outside the RNA.

[0043] The second device 120 can provide auxiliary data to the first device 110, including PRS configuration and the period of the positioning measurement report (e.g., T ms). The third device 130-1 (as the last serving base station) can configure time-frequency resources for the first device 110 to perform inactive state transmissions when the first device 110 is in the RRC_INACTIVE state. Furthermore, the third device 130-1 can indicate the size of the SDT, i.e., the maximum number of bits (e.g., L bits) that the first device can report in one SDT moment.

[0044] In the context of this disclosure, PRS and SDT are given as one of various possible configurations for implementing measurement reporting in the RRC_INACTIVE state. It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to PRS and SDT, but applies to any other reference signal and data transmission procedures supported in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0045] The first device 110 can determine the number (e.g., N) of reporting times required to report the total X positioning measurements configured by the LMF 120, where Where X i This represents the number of positioning measurements to be reported at the i-th reporting time.

[0046] The first device 110 can perform measurements on PRS and / or SRS (e.g., RSRD, Rx-Tx time difference, or RTT, etc.) and acquire X during (i-1)×T≤t<i×T. i A positioning measurement. The first device 110 can report X at the i-th reporting time. i Positioning measurement.

[0047] In an example embodiment, during the reporting process, the first device 110 monitors and estimates its movement or change of position. As previously mentioned, if the first device 110 has moved compared to its position at reporting time (i-1), the previously acquired measurements may not be meaningful information, and the first device 110 can acquire new X... i One measurement is used to report at the (i-1)th reporting time.

[0048] For example, most UEs are equipped with multiple sensors, such as accelerometers, orientation sensors, gyroscopes, magnetic field sensors, pressure sensors, gravity sensors, proximity sensors, distance sensors, etc. Therefore, the first device 110 can use one or more of its sensors to estimate its movement. For example, the first device 110 can use an accelerometer to detect changes in device displacement, orientation, and tilt angle around three axes. As another example, the first device 110 can estimate RS measurements, such as propagation times from multiple cells or TRPs, and / or RSRPs, to see if there are any discrepancies between two reported times. Additionally or alternatively, the first device 110 can determine changes in position based on RS measurements from third devices 130-1 and 130-2.

[0049] Then, the first device 110 can report X to the second device 120. i A location measurement, and a specific indication associated with the mobility of the first device 110. In this way, the second device 110 can know the currently reported X. i Whether the measurements can be used in combination to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0050] In some example embodiments, once it is determined that the first device 110 has moved compared to its position at the previously reported time, the first device 110 may stop reporting the remaining measurements. Furthermore, the first device 110 may provide motion parameters associated with the position change to the second device 120 for estimating the position of the first device 110.

[0051] When all positioning measurements have been reported, or alternatively, when the last reported measurement X... N Once a report has been submitted, the first device 110 can transmit a completion message to the second device 120.

[0052] It should also be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. For example, network 100 may include any suitable number of terminal devices and network devices suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0053] For ease of discussion only, the first device 110 and the third device 130 are shown as a UE and a base station. It should be understood that the UE and the base station are merely example implementations of the first device 110 and the third device 130, respectively, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this application. Any other suitable implementation is also possible.

[0054] Communication in Network 100 can conform to any suitable standard, including but not limited to LTE, Evolved LTE, LTE-A Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). Furthermore, communication can be performed according to any generation of communication protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Examples of communication protocols include, but are not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols.

[0055] The following is combined with Figures 2 to 4 The principles and implementation of this disclosure are explained in detail. Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a positioning measurement reporting process 200 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Process 200 is described. Process 200 may involve a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130.

[0056] like Figure 2 As shown, the third device 130-1 transmits 205 a configuration for reporting inactive state transmission of positioning measurements to the first device 110. This configuration may include resources, time periods (e.g., P ms), and data volume (e.g., L bits) for the inactive state transmission. As an example, the inactive state transmission may include SDT.

[0057] The second device 120 transmits 210 auxiliary information to the first device 110 for reporting positioning measurements. The auxiliary information may include, for example, a PRS configuration and a time period (e.g., T ms) for reporting positioning measurements. The PRS configuration may include PRS resources and the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device 110 (e.g., X).

[0058] The first device 110 determines 215 a set of measurement parameters based on the configuration of auxiliary information and inactive state transmission. For example, this set of measurement parameters may include the number (e.g., N) of reporting times for reporting X positioning measurements, and the number of positioning measurements to be reported in a corresponding reporting time, wherein... X i It is a positive integer, representing the number of measurements to be reported at the i-th reporting time.

[0059] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 can calculate how many positioning measurements it can report at each reporting time, and calculate the total number of reporting times, i.e., N. This calculation is based on the data size of the SDT and the total data size of the measurement reports. Specifically, when the time period used for reporting positioning measurements is longer than the time period of the SDT (i.e., T>P) and T=nP, the number of reporting times required can be determined to be N=[Q / nL], where Q represents the bits of the entire positioning measurement, and Q>L. When the time period used for reporting positioning measurements is no greater than the SDT (i.e., T≤P) and P=kT, the number of reporting times required can be determined as follows:

[0060] The first device 110, in the RRC_INACTIVE state, performs a 220 positioning measurement based on the measurement parameter set. During the measurement, the first device 110 can acquire X during the time period (i-1)×T≤t<i×T. i Positioning measurements. For example, the first device 110 can measure the PRS and / or SRS configured by the second device 120, and the measurements can be based on RSRD, Rx-Tx time difference, or RTT, etc.

[0061] In some example embodiments, since the first device 110 does not report all X measurements at every reporting time, the first device 110 may only measure a portion of the PRS / SRS resources to obtain X. i A measurement. For example, X1, X2, ..., X N Each of these can be measured with a specific TRP. For example, measurements X1 and X2 could be positioning measurements for TRPs #1 / #2 / #3 and for TRPs #4 / #5 / #6, respectively. In another example, X1, X2, ..., X... N Each of these measurements can be for a specific PRS / SRS resource(s) from different or the same TRP and / or gNB. By reducing the number of resources to be measured at a given time, power consumption and / or processing load at the UE can be reduced.

[0062] The first device 110 reports 225 a first portion of the positioning measurement, and an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a previously reported second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device. For example, for the i-th reporting time, the first portion of the positioning measurement could refer to X. i Measurement, and the second part of the positioning measurement can refer to X reported at the (i-1)th reporting time. i-1 Measurement.

[0063] After receiving the first part of the positioning measurement, the second device 120 performs 230 positioning on the first device based at least in part on the instruction.

[0064] As previously described, to improve positioning accuracy, the first device 110 can monitor and estimate its mobility during the measurement and reporting of positioning measurements. For example, the first device 110 can use its sensors (such as accelerometers, orientation sensors, gyroscopes, magnetic field sensors, pressure sensors, gravity sensors, proximity sensors, distance sensors, etc.) to estimate its movement or positional changes during the time period (i-1)×T≤t<i×T. For example, the first device 110 can use accelerometers to detect changes in device displacement, orientation, and tilt angles around three axes.

[0065] For another example, the first device 110 can estimate RS measurements, such as propagation time and / or RSRP measured from multiple cells or TRPs (such as third devices 130-1 and 130-2), to see if there are any differences during the time period (i-1)×T≤t<i×T.

[0066] If the first device 110 determines that it is stationary (e.g., a smartphone on a table) or that its position has not changed, then the first device 110 can report X. i (i≥2) Measurements and specific indicators enable the second device 120 to know the currently reported X when the second device 120 estimates the position of the first device 110. i Measurement can be compared with X i-1 Measurements are used in combination. In this case, the second device 120 can estimate the position of the first device 110 by combining positioning measurements reported at multiple reporting times.

[0067] Otherwise, if the first device 110 determines that it is moving or has moved, and therefore its position has changed, then the first device 110 can report X. i (i≥2) Measurements and another specific indicator, such that the second device 120 knows the currently reported X when the second device 120 estimates the position of the first device 110. i Measurement not with X i-1 The measurements are used in conjunction. Alternatively or concurrently, the first device 110 can further acquire new X-rays. i Measure and report them at the i-th reporting time. UE Report X i Measurements and specific indicators enable the LMF to know the currently reported X. i Measurements cannot be used in conjunction with previously reported measurements.

[0068] Based on a specific indicator, the second device 120 can simply cache the first part of the positioning measurement without using it in conjunction with estimating the position of the first device 110.

[0069] Alternatively, in the above scenario, even if the first device 110 has indicated that it has moved, the second device 120 can still use the first and second portions of the measurement together. This may degrade positioning accuracy, but it can be compensated for by using motion data or parameters provided from the first device 110. Specifically, if the first device 110 determines that its position has changed, it reports X at the i-th reporting time. i Before measurement, the first device 110 can adjust X based on motion parameters. i Measurement. For example, the first device 110 can correct the RSTD report during operation, that is, change the measured RSTD by the amount of movement.

[0070] Alternatively, the first device 110 may not be calibrated and may still report unchanged X. i The measurement is performed, but the first device 110 further transmits motion parameters to the second device 120, including but not limited to the motion direction, amount of motion, displacement, azimuth, and tilt angle of the first device 110. The second device 120 can adjust the first part of the measurement based on the motion parameters and estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the adjusted measurement. To this end, the second device 120 can further apply a motion model (e.g., a Kalman filter), or simply use the known position of the gNB (e.g., the third device 130) and the estimated position of the first device 110 to further update the RSTD report, and then process the RSTD report.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the line-of-sight (LOS) conditions associated with the first device 110 have changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time. The first device 110 may then generate an indication based on the determination result.

[0072] For example, if the first device 110 detects that the LOS condition has not changed during the time period, the first device 110 can set the indication to a first value that indicates that the first and second parts of the positioning measurement should be used together to locate the first device.

[0073] Otherwise, if the first device 110 detects a change in the LOS condition, for example, from LOS to NLOS (non-line-of-sight) or from NLOS to LOS, the first device 110 can set the indication to a second value that indicates that the first portion of the positioning measurement is not used in conjunction with the second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device 110. In this case, the indication set to the second value can further indicate that one of the first and second portions associated with the higher LOS parameter is to be used to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0074] The indication can take various forms. In some example embodiments, the indication can be a one-bit indicator that uses a first value (e.g., 1) to indicate that the position has not moved or changed, and uses a second value (e.g., 0) to indicate that the position has moved or changed.

[0075] In some other embodiments, the indication may be an indicator comprising multiple bits, with each bit corresponding to a specific portion of a plurality of portions of the positioning measurement. For each bit, a first value (e.g., 1) may indicate that the corresponding portion can be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions to estimate the position of the first device 110, and a second value (e.g., 0) may indicate that the corresponding portion cannot be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions.

[0076] For example, the indication is a 4-bit indicator capable of representing the possibility of joint use of measurements reported at four different reporting times. For instance, if the first device reports the bit sequence "1111", the second device 120 knows that measurements reported at the four most recent reporting times can be used together for position estimation. However, if the first device 110 reports the bit sequence "1101", the second device 120 knows that the positioning measurement reported at the third reporting time out of the four most recent reporting times cannot be used together for position estimation. It can provide the second device 120 with additional information, such as indicating that before the fourth reporting time out of the four most recent reporting times, the first device 110 should return to a position similar to the positions at the first and second reporting times, such as on a table. Therefore, even if the second device 120 cannot use the positioning measurements together after the third reporting time out of the four most recent reporting times, the second device 120 can still cache the reported measurements.

[0077] After confirming that all X positioning measurements have been reported, or alternatively, when the last reported measurement X... N When the report has been submitted, the first device 110 transmits a 235 completion message to the second device 120.

[0078] In some example embodiments, even if all X location measurements have been reported, the first device 110 may not transmit a completion message to the second device 120; that is, a completion message may not be necessary for process 200. For example, the first device 110 may have been stationary for an extended period, such as exceeding the configured reporting period T. Even if all measurements obtained from the configured PRS resource have been reported, the first device 110 may not send a completion message. This can be used as an implicit indication or signaling to notify the second device 120 that the location of the first device 110 is the same or similar.

[0079] In some other example embodiments, instead of a completion message, an LMF counter is introduced to indicate whether the measurement process is complete. Specifically, if the first device 110 reports the positioning measurement X at the i-th reporting time... i And with an indication set to a first value (e.g., 1), the second device 120 knows the currently reported measurement X. i It can be compared with the previously reported measurement X i-1 When used in conjunction, and in this case, the second device 120 can increase the counter. Otherwise, if the reported measurement X... i If the second device 120 is given an indication that a completion message has been implicitly sent, and in this case, the second device 120 can reset the counter.

[0080] Upon receiving a completion message or implicitly confirming that the reporting process is complete, the second device 120 determines that 240 does not cache the reported measurements.

[0081] Although the example implementation is described in conjunction with a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state and via inactive state data transmission such as SDT, it should be noted that the provided reporting mechanism also applies to a UE in the RRC_CONNECTED state. Utilizing indicators regarding UE mobility can improve positioning accuracy.

[0082] It should be understood that the reporting mechanism provided in this embodiment applies not only to positioning measurement reports, but also to other information to be transmitted between the terminal device and the LMF in the RRC_INACTIVE state. Furthermore, this mechanism is applicable to both UE-based positioning and UE-assisted positioning.

[0083] According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, an enhanced measurement reporting mechanism is provided for a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state. By employing this enhanced reporting mechanism, the UE can provide auxiliary information about location changes, which in turn improves positioning accuracy at the LMF. Furthermore, unnecessary measurements of all PRS resources can be avoided at each reporting time, thereby saving power for the UE and reducing reporting overhead at each reporting time.

[0084] Corresponding to combination Figure 2 The described process, embodiments of which provide a solution for measurement reporting, involves location management function nodes, network devices / TRPs, and terminal devices. These methods will be referenced below. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Describe it.

[0085] Figure 3A flowchart is shown of an example method 300 for location measurement reporting implemented at a terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 300 can be... Figure 1 The first device 110 shown is implemented. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Method 300 is described. It should be understood that method 300 may also include additional boxes not shown and / or omit some boxes shown, and this does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0086] like Figure 3 As shown, at 310, the first device 110 performs location measurements based on a set of measurement parameters. For example, the first device 110 may perform measurements on PRS resources from a set of TRPs such as network devices 130-1 and 130-2. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be in the RRC_INACTIVE state. In some other example embodiments, the first device 110 may be in the RRC_CONNECTED state. For purposes of discussion, the embodiments are described in the context of the RRC_INACTIVE state, but the reporting mechanism also applies to measurement reporting in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0087] Specifically, before entering the RRC_INACTIVE state, the first device 110 can receive auxiliary information from the second device 120 for reporting positioning measurements. In some example embodiments, the auxiliary information may include at least one of the following: a PRS configuration, which includes PRS resources and the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device; and a time period for reporting the positioning measurements.

[0088] Furthermore, the first device 110 can receive the configuration of the SDT for reporting location measurements from the network device 130-1, which serves as the last serving base station. The SDT configuration may include the data volume, the SDT time period, etc. The SDT data volume may indicate the maximum number of bits allowed to be transmitted via the SDT.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the set of measurement parameters may include the number of reporting times for reporting the number of positioning measurements configured by the second device, and the number of positioning measurements to be reported in a corresponding reporting time within the reporting times.

[0090] Location measurements are transmitted via SDT. In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the time period used to report the location measurements exceeds the time period used for the SDT. If the first device 110 determines that the time period used to report the location measurements exceeds the time period of the SDT, the first device 110 may determine the number of reporting moments based on the number of location measurements to be reported by the first device 110, the amount of data in the SDT, the time period of the SDT, and the time period used to report the location measurements. Otherwise, if the first device 110 determines that the time period used to report the location measurements does not exceed the time period of the SDT, the first device 110 may determine the number of reporting moments based on the number of location measurements to be reported by the first device 110 and the amount of data in the SDT.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 measures a set of reference signals on at least a portion of the pre-configured resources used for positioning at each reporting time. Positioning measurements for each reporting time can be taken from the same Transmit and Receive Point (TRP) or different TRPs. Since the UE may only measure and report a portion of the PRS resources for each reporting time, unnecessary power consumption can be avoided.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether its position has changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time. The first device 110 may then generate an indication based on the determination. This indication may be set to indicate whether a first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a second portion of a previously reported positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0093] The change in the position of the first device 110 can be determined based on one of the following: positioning measurements, RS measurements from a set of TRPs, or data acquired from one or more sensors of the first device 110.

[0094] Most UEs are equipped with multiple sensors, such as accelerometers, orientation sensors, gyroscopes, magnetic field sensors, pressure sensors, gravity sensors, proximity sensors, distance sensors, etc. The first device 110 can use one or more of its sensors to estimate its movement. For example, the first device 110 can use an accelerometer to detect changes in device displacement, orientation, and tilt angle around three axes. As another example, the first device 110 can estimate RS measurements, such as propagation time and / or RSRP measured from multiple cells or TRP, to see if there are any discrepancies between two reported times.

[0095] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the position of the first device 110 has not changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time, the first device 110 may set the indication to a first value, the first value indicating that a first part and a second part of the positioning measurement shall be used together to locate the first device 110.

[0096] Otherwise, if the first device 110 determines that the position of the first device 110 has changed during the time period, the first device 110 may set the indication to a second value different from the first value, and the second value indicates that the first part of the positioning measurement is not used in conjunction with the second part of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the line-of-sight conditions associated with the first device 110 have changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time. The first device 110 may then generate an indication based on the determination result.

[0098] For example, if the first device 110 detects that the LOS condition has not changed during the time period, the first device 110 can set the indication to a first value that indicates that the first and second parts of the positioning measurement should be used together to locate the first device.

[0099] Otherwise, if the first device 110 detects a change in the LOS condition, for example, from LOS to NLOS (non-line-of-sight) or from NLOS to LOS, the first device 110 can set the indication to a second value that indicates the first portion of the positioning measurement is not used in conjunction with the second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device 110. In this case, the indication set to the second value can further indicate that the one of the first and second portions associated with the higher LOS parameter should be used to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0100] At 320, the first device 110 reports to the second device 120 at the current reporting time a first portion of the positioning measurement, and an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with the second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device.

[0101] The indication can take various forms. In some example embodiments, the indication can be a single-bit indicator that uses a first value to indicate that the position of the first device 110 did not change during the time period between the previous reporting time and the current reporting time, and uses a second value to indicate that the position of the first device 110 changed during that time period.

[0102] Alternatively, in some other example embodiments, the indication may be an indicator comprising multiple bits, with each bit corresponding to a specific portion of a plurality of portions of the positioning measurement. For each bit, a first value may indicate that the corresponding portion is to be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions to estimate the position of the first device 110, and a second value may indicate that the corresponding portion is not to be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions.

[0103] In some other example embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that its position has changed during the time period, the first device 110 can determine motion parameters of the first device 110. Additionally, the first device 110 can transmit motion parameters to the second device 120 to estimate the position of the first device 110. Motion parameters may include at least one of the following: direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, azimuth, and tilt angle of the first device 110.

[0104] In some other example embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that its position has changed during the time period, the first device 110 can determine motion parameters of the first device 110. Additionally, before reporting to the second device 120, the first device 110 can adjust a first portion of the positioning measurement based on the motion parameters.

[0105] In some other example embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that all positioning measurements have been reported, the first device 110 may transmit a completion message to the second device 120.

[0106] In some other example embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the location of the first device 110 has changed during the time period, the first device 110 may discard the remaining positioning measurements that have not yet been reported in the positioning measurements.

[0107] The example embodiments of this disclosure provide an enhanced measurement reporting mechanism. According to this enhanced mechanism, a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state can report RS measurements at each reporting time while reducing overhead, such as limiting the maximum data amount allowed in the SDT. Therefore, power consumption on the UE side is reduced. The UE also considers its mobility, as any movement or change of location can affect measurement accuracy. At each reporting time, the UE reports an indicator, allowing the LMF to determine whether to combine measurements reported across multiple time slots. This improves positioning accuracy.

[0108] Figure 4 A flowchart is shown of an example method 400 for positioning measurement reports implemented at an LMF node according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 400 can... Figure 1 The second device shown is implemented at location 120. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1Method 400 is described. It should be understood that method 400 may also include additional boxes not shown and / or omit some boxes shown, and this does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0109] The second device 120 can transmit auxiliary information for reporting positioning measurements to the first device 110. The auxiliary information may include at least one of a PRS configuration and a time period for reporting positioning measurements. For example, the PRS configuration may include PRS resources and the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device 110.

[0110] At 410, the second device 120 receives from the first device 110 a first portion of the positioning measurement and an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a second portion of a previously reported positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device 110.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may be in the RRC_INACTIVE state. In some other example embodiments, the first device 110 may be in the RRC_CONNECTED state. For the purposes of discussion, the embodiments are described in the context of the RRC_INACTIVE state, but the reporting mechanism also applies to measurement reporting in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0112] At 420, the second device 120 estimates the position of the first device 110 based at least in part on the indication.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the indication may include a single-bit indicator that uses a first value to indicate that the position of the first device 110 did not change during the time period between the previous reporting time and the current reporting time, and uses a second value to indicate that the position of the first device 110 changed during the time period.

[0114] In some example embodiments, if the indication is set to a first value, the second device 120 can estimate the position of the first device 110 based on a first portion and a second portion of the positioning measurement.

[0115] Otherwise, if the indication is set to the second value, the second device 120 can discard the first portion of the positioning measurement. In this case, the second device 120 can then receive the third portion of the positioning measurement from the inactive first device 110. The second device 120 can estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the third portion of the positioning measurement.

[0116] Alternatively, if the indication is set to a second value, the second device 120 may estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the one associated with the higher LOS parameter in the first and second portions of the positioning measurements.

[0117] In some example embodiments, a counter may be introduced for the second device. Specifically, if the indication is set to a first value, the second device 120 may increment the counter to indicate that the positioning measurement is not complete. Otherwise, if the indication is set to a second value, the second device 120 may reset the counter to indicate that the positioning measurement is complete.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the indication may be an indicator comprising multiple bits. Each of the multiple bits corresponds to a corresponding part of a plurality of parts of the positioning measurement, and for each bit, a first value indicates that the corresponding part is to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts to estimate the position of the first device 110, and a second value indicates that the corresponding part is not to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts.

[0119] In the above embodiment, if the last bit of the indicator is set to the second value, indicating that the first part of the currently reported positioning measurement will not be used in conjunction, the second device 120 can discard the first part of the positioning measurement. The second device 120 can then receive the third part of the positioning measurement from the inactive first device 110. The second device 120 can then estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the third part of the positioning measurement.

[0120] Otherwise, if the last bit of the indicator is set to the first value, the second device 120 can estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the first portion of the positioning measurement and the previously received portion of the positioning measurement, which corresponds to the bit in the indicator that is set to the first value.

[0121] In embodiments where the indication specifies that the first and second portions are to be used together, the second device 120 may receive motion parameters from the first device 110 to estimate the position of the first device 110. For example, the motion parameters may include the direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, azimuth, and tilt angle of the first device 110. The second device 120 may adjust the reported first portion of the positioning measurement based on the motion parameters. The second device 120 may then estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the adjusted first portion of the positioning measurement. In this case, the second device 120 may ignore the indicated value.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may receive a completion message from the first device 110 indicating that a positioning measurement has been completed.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may store positioning measurements in, for example, a buffer until a completion message is received from the first device 110.

[0124] In some example embodiments, if an indication specifies that the first portion of the positioning measurement will not be used in conjunction, the second device 120 may estimate the position of the first device 110 based on the first portion of the positioning measurement, the second portion of the previously received positioning measurement, the estimated position of the first device, and the location information of the TRP used for positioning.

[0125] According to an example embodiment of this disclosure, an enhanced measurement reporting mechanism is provided. By employing this enhanced reporting mechanism, the LMF can be provided with additional indications regarding the mobility of the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state. These indications are configured to indicate whether partial measurements can be used in conjunction with previously reported measurements to estimate the UE's location. This improves the positioning accuracy of the UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0126] In some example embodiments, a first means (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing any method 300 may include components for performing corresponding steps of method 300. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: components for performing positioning measurements at the first device based on a set of measurement parameters; and components for reporting a first portion of the positioning measurements and an indication to the second device at a current reporting time, the indication being regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurements should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurements to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurements having previously been reported to the second device.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: components for receiving auxiliary information for reporting positioning measurements from the second device; components for receiving a configuration of a small data transmission protocol (SDT) for reporting positioning measurements from a network device; and components for determining the set of measurement parameters based on the auxiliary information and the configuration of the SDT.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: resources allocated for inactive state data transmission, the number of location measurements to be reported by the first device, and the time period for reporting the location measurements.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the measurement parameter set includes at least one of the following: the number of reporting times for reporting the number of positioning measurements configured by the second device; and the number of positioning measurements to be reported in a corresponding reporting time among the reporting times.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the location measurement is transmitted via Small Data Transmission (SDT), and the components for determining the measurement parameter set include: components for determining the number of reporting times based on the number of location measurements to be reported by the first device, the amount of data in the SDT, the duration of the SDT, and the duration of the reporting of the location measurement, based on a determination that the time period for reporting the location measurement exceeds the duration of the SDT; and components for determining the number of reporting times based on the number of location measurements to be reported by the first device and the amount of data in the SDT, based on a determination that the time period for reporting the location measurement does not exceed the duration of the SDT.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the components for performing positioning measurements include: components for measuring a set of reference signals on at least a portion of the pre-configured resources for positioning at each reporting time, wherein the positioning measurements for each reporting time are taken from the same transmission and reception point (TRP) or from different TRPs.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining whether the position of the first device has changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time; and a component for generating an indication based on the determination result.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the change in position is determined based on at least one of the following: positioning measurements, reference signal measurements from a set of transmission and reception points, or data acquired from one or more sensors of the first device.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the components for generating the indication include: components for setting the indication to a first value based on determining that the position of the first device has not changed during the time period, the first value indicating that a first portion and a second portion of the positioning measurement are to be used in combination to locate the first device; and components for setting the indication to a second value different from the first value based on determining that the position of the first device has changed during the time period, the second value indicating that the first portion and the second portion of the positioning measurement are not used in combination to estimate the position of the first device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the indication includes one of the following: a single-bit indicator that uses a first value to indicate that the position of the first device has not changed and uses a second value to indicate that the position of the first device has changed; or an indicator comprising multiple bits, each bit corresponding to a corresponding part of a plurality of parts of positioning measurement, and for each bit, a first value indicating that the corresponding part is to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts to estimate the position of the first device, and a second value indicating that the corresponding part is not to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining motion parameters of the first device based on determining that the position of the first device changes during the time period; and a component for transmitting motion parameters to a second device to estimate the position of the first device, the motion parameters including at least one of the first device's direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, orientation, and tilt angle.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: components for determining motion parameters of the first device based on determining that the position of the first device changes during the time period; and components for adjusting a first portion of the positioning measurement based on the motion parameters before reporting to the second device.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes components for transmitting a completion message to the second device based on the determination that all positioning measurements have been reported.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first device also includes components for discarding any remaining positioning measurements that have not yet been reported in the positioning measurements based on the determination that the position of the first device has changed during the time period.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: components for determining whether the line-of-sight (LOS) conditions associated with the first device have changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time; and components for generating an indication based on the determination result.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the components for generating the indication include: components for setting the indication to a first value based on determining that the LOS condition has not changed during the time period, the first value indicating that a first portion and a second portion of the positioning measurement are to be used in conjunction to locate the first device; and components for setting the indication to a second value different from the first value based on determining that the LOS condition has changed, the second value indicating that the first portion of the positioning measurement will not be used in conjunction with the second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the components for generating the indication include: components for setting the indication to a first value based on determining that the LOS condition has not changed during the time period, the first value indicating that a first portion and a second portion of the positioning measurement are to be used in conjunction to locate the first device; and components for setting the indication to a second value different from the first value based on determining that the LOS condition has changed, the second value indicating that one of the first portion and the second portion associated with a higher LOS parameter is to be used to estimate the position of the first device.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a location management function node.

[0145] In some example embodiments, a second means (e.g., second device 120) capable of performing any method 400 may include components for performing corresponding steps of method 400. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for receiving, at the second device, a first portion of a positioning measurement from the first device and an indication regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurement is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported from the first device; and a component for estimating the position of the first device based at least in part on the indication.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes components for transmitting auxiliary information for reporting positioning measurements to the first device, the auxiliary information including at least one of the following: resources allocated for inactive state data transmission, the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device, and the time period for reporting the positioning measurements.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the indication includes a single-bit indicator that uses a first value to indicate that the position of the first device did not change during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time, and uses a second value to indicate that the position of the first device changed during that time period.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for estimating the position of the first device based on a first portion and a second portion of positioning measurements, according to determining that the indication is set to a first value.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for discarding a first portion of the positioning measurement based on determining that the indication is set to a second value; components for receiving a third portion of the positioning measurement from the inactive first device; and components for estimating the position of the first device based on the third portion of the positioning measurement.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for estimating the position of the first device based on one of the first and second portions of the positioning measurements associated with the higher LOS parameter, based on determining that the indication is set to a second value.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for incrementing the value of a counter to indicate that the positioning measurement is incomplete based on determining that the indication is set to a first value; and a component for resetting the value of the counter to indicate that the positioning measurement is complete based on determining that the indication is set to a second value.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the indication includes an indicator having multiple bits, each bit corresponding to a corresponding part of a plurality of parts of the positioning measurement, and for each bit, a first value indicating that the corresponding part is to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts to estimate the position of the first device, and a second value indicating that the corresponding part is not to be used in conjunction with the rest of the plurality of parts.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for discarding a first portion of the positioning measurement based on the determination that the last bit of the indicator is set to a second value; components for receiving a third portion of the positioning measurement from the inactive first device; and components for estimating the position of the first device based on the third portion of the positioning measurement.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for estimating the position of the first device based on a first portion of the positioning measurement and a previously received portion of the positioning measurement, wherein the last bit of the determination indicator is set to a first value, the previously received portion corresponding to the bit set to the first value in the indication.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the position of the first device include: components for receiving motion parameters from the first device to estimate the position of the first device, the motion parameters including at least one of the first device's direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, orientation, and tilt angle; components for adjusting a first portion of the positioning measurement based on the motion parameters; and components for estimating the position of the first device based on the adjusted first portion of the positioning measurement.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes a component for receiving from the first device a completion message indicating that a positioning measurement has been completed.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes a component for storing positioning measurements until a completion message is received from the first device.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the components for estimating the location of the first device include: components for estimating the location of the first device based on the first portion of the positioning measurements, a second portion of previously received positioning measurements, the estimated location of the first device, and location information of the transmission and reception point (TRP) for positioning, based on determining that the indication indicates that a first portion of the positioning measurements will not be used in conjunction.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a location management function node.

[0161] Figure 5 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The first device 110 and the second device 120 are shown. As shown, device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to processor 510, and one or more transmitters and receivers (TX / RX) 540 coupled to processor 510.

[0162] The TX / RX 540 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network components.

[0163] Processor 510 can be any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 500 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0164] Memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0165] Computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. Program 530 may be stored in ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

[0166] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 530, enabling device 600 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 3 to 4 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0167] In some example embodiments, program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 500 (such as memory 520) or other storage device accessible to device 500. Device 500 may load program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 6 An example of a computer-readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. A program 530 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0168] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented using hardware, while others can be implemented using firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0169] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which execute in a device targeting a real or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figures 3 to 4 Methods 300 and 400 are described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions of a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0170] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0171] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier, enabling a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0172] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0173] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or to perform all shown operations to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0174] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that this disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the first device: Perform positioning measurements based on the set of measurement parameters; as well as The first part of the positioning measurement is reported to the second device at the current reporting time, along with an indication of whether the first part of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with the second part of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second part of which was previously reported to the second device.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, also cause the first device to: Receive auxiliary information from the second device for reporting the positioning measurements; Receive configuration from the network device for reporting the small data transmission (SDT) of the positioning measurements; as well as The set of measurement parameters is determined based on the auxiliary information and the configuration of the SDT.

3. The first device according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Resources allocated for inactive data transmission, and the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device, and The time period used to report the location measurement.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the set of measurement parameters includes at least one of the following: The number of reporting times used to report the number of positioning measurements configured by the second device, and The number of positioning measurements to be reported at a corresponding reporting time within the reporting time.

5. The first device of claim 2, wherein the positioning measurements are transmitted via Small Data Transmission (SDT), and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to determine the set of measurement parameters in such a way as: Based on the determined time period for reporting the positioning measurements exceeding the SDT, and based on the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device, the data volume of the SDT, the time period of the SDT, and the time period for reporting the positioning measurements, the number of reporting times is determined, and The number of reporting times is determined based on the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device and the amount of data in the SDT, since the time period for reporting the positioning measurements does not exceed the time period of the SDT.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to perform the positioning measurement in such a way as: During the duration between different reporting times, a set of reference signals are measured on at least a portion of the pre-configured resources used for positioning. The positioning measurements for each reporting time are taken from the same transmission and reception point (TRP) or from different TRPs.

7. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the first device to: Determine whether the location of the first device changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time; and The instruction is generated based on the determined result.

8. The first device of claim 7, wherein the change in the position of the first device is determined based on at least one of the following: The positioning measurement, Reference signal measurements from a set of transmission and reception points, or Data acquired from one or more sensors of the first device.

9. The first device of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to generate the instruction in such a way as: Based on the determination that the position of the first device did not change during the time period, the indication is set to a first value, the first value indicating that the first and second portions of the positioning measurement are to be used in conjunction to locate the first device; and Based on the determination that the location of the first device changed during the time period, the indication is set to a second value different from the first value, the second value indicating that the first portion of the positioning measurement and the second portion of the positioning measurement are not used together to estimate the location of the first device.

10. The first device of claim 1, wherein the indication includes one of the following: A single-bit indicator, using a first value to indicate that the position of the first device has not changed and using a second value to indicate that the position of the first device has changed, or The indicator includes multiple bits, each bit corresponding to a specific part of the multiple parts of the positioning measurement, and for each bit, a first value indicates that the corresponding part is to be used in conjunction with the remaining parts of the multiple parts to estimate the position of the first device, and a second value indicates that the corresponding part is not to be used in conjunction with the remaining parts of the multiple parts.

11. The first device of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the first device to: Based on the determination that the position of the first device changed during the time period, the motion parameters of the first device are determined; and The motion parameters are transmitted to the second device to estimate the position of the first device, the motion parameters including at least one of the first device's direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, orientation, and tilt angle.

12. The first device of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the first device to: Based on the determination that the position of the first device changed during the time period, the motion parameters of the first device are determined; and Before reporting to the second device, the first portion of the positioning measurement is adjusted based on the motion parameters.

13. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the first device to: Once all the positioning measurements have been reported, a completion message is transmitted to the second device.

14. The first device of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, also cause the first device to: Based on the determination that the location of the first device changed during the time period, the remaining positioning measurements that have not yet been reported are discarded.

15. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the first device to: Determine whether the line-of-sight (LOS) condition associated with the first device changed during the time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time; and The instruction is generated based on the determined result.

16. The first device of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to generate the instruction in such a way as: Based on the determination that the LOS condition did not change during the time period, the indication is set to a first value, the first value indicating that the first and second portions of the positioning measurement are to be used in conjunction to locate the first device; and Based on the determination that the LOS condition has changed, the indication is set to a second value different from the first value, the second value indicating that the first portion of the positioning measurement is not used in conjunction with the second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device.

17. The first device of claim 15, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the first device to generate the instruction in such a way as: Based on the determination that the LOS condition did not change during the time period, the indication is set to a first value, the first value indicating that the first and second portions of the positioning measurement are to be used in conjunction to locate the first device; and Based on the determination that the LOS condition has changed, the indication is set to a second value different from the first value, the second value indicating that one of the first and second portions associated with the higher LOS parameter should be used to estimate the position of the first device.

18. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a location management function node.

19. A second device for communication, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory, including computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the second device: A first portion of a positioning measurement is received from a first device that is inactive, and an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the location of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported from the first device; as well as The position of the first device is estimated at least in part based on the indication.

20. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, also cause the second device to: Transmit auxiliary information for reporting the positioning measurements to the first device. The auxiliary information includes at least one of the following: Resources allocated for inactive data transmission, and the number of positioning measurements to be reported by the first device, and The time period used to report the location measurement.

21. The second device of claim 19, wherein the indication includes a single-bit indicator that uses a first value to indicate that the position of the first device has not changed during a time period between the current reporting time and the previous reporting time, and uses a second value to indicate that the position of the first device has changed during the time period.

22. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the location in such a way that: Based on the determination that the indication is set to a first value, the position of the first device is estimated based on the first and second portions of the positioning measurement.

23. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the position of the first device in such a way that: If the indication is determined to be set to a second value, the first portion of the positioning measurement is discarded; Receive the third part of the positioning measurement from the first device, which is in the inactive state; as well as The third part, based on the positioning measurement, estimates the position of the first device.

24. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the location of the first device in such a way that: Based on the determination that the indication is set to a second value, the position of the first device is estimated based on the one associated with the higher LOS parameter in the first and second portions of the positioning measurement.

25. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to also cause the second device: Based on the determination that the indication is set to a first value, the counter value is incremented to indicate that the positioning measurement is incomplete; and If the indication is determined to be set to a second value, the value of the counter is reset to indicate that the positioning measurement is complete.

26. The second device of claim 19, wherein the indication comprises an indicator having a plurality of bits, each bit corresponding to a corresponding portion of the plurality of portions of the positioning measurement, and for each bit, a first value indicating that the corresponding portion is to be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions to estimate the position of the first device, and a second value indicating that the corresponding portion is not to be used in conjunction with the remaining portions of the plurality of portions.

27. The second device of claim 26, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the position of the first device in such a way that: If the last bit of the indicator is determined to be set to the second value, the first portion of the positioning measurement is discarded; Receive the third part of the positioning measurement from the first device, which is in the inactive state; as well as The third part, based on the positioning measurement, estimates the position of the first device.

28. The second device of claim 26, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the position of the first device in such a way that: Based on the determination that the last bit of the indicator is set to the first value, the position of the first device is estimated based on the first portion of the positioning measurement and the previously received portion of the positioning measurement, the previously received portion corresponding to the bit in the indicator that is set to the first value.

29. The second device of claim 19, wherein the indication specifies that the first portion and the second portion are to be used in conjunction, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the position of the first device in such a way that: Motion parameters are received from the first device to estimate the position of the first device, the motion parameters including at least one of the first device's direction of movement, amount of movement, displacement, orientation, and tilt angle; The first part of the positioning measurement is adjusted based on the motion parameters; as well as The position of the first device is estimated based on the first portion of the adjusted positioning measurement.

30. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, also cause the second device to: Receive a completion message from the first device indicating that the report for the positioning measurement for the configured PRS is complete.

31. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, also cause the second device to: The positioning measurements are stored until a completion message is received from the first device.

32. The second device of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the second device to estimate the position of the first device in such a way that: Based on the determination that the first part of the positioning measurement is not used in conjunction with the indication, the position of the first device is estimated based on the first part of the positioning measurement, the second part of the previously received positioning measurement, the estimated position of the first device, and the location information of the Transmit and Receive Point (TRP) used for positioning.

33. The second device according to claim 19, wherein the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a location management function node.

34. A method for communication, comprising: At the first inactive device, positioning measurements are performed based on the set of measurement parameters. as well as The first part of the positioning measurement is reported to the second device at the current reporting time, along with an indication of whether the first part of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with the second part of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second part of which was previously reported to the second device.

35. A method for communication, comprising: At the second device, a first portion of a positioning measurement is received from the inactive first device, along with an indication of whether the first portion of the positioning measurement is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of which was previously reported from the first device. as well as The position of the first device is estimated at least in part based on the indication.

36. A first device for communication, comprising: Components for performing positioning measurements at the first device based on a set of measurement parameters; as well as Components for reporting a first portion of the positioning measurement and an indication to a second device at the current reporting time, the indication relating whether the first portion of the positioning measurement should be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of the positioning measurement having previously been reported to the second device.

37. A second means for communication, comprising: Components for receiving, at the second device, a first portion of a positioning measurement from a first device that is inactive, and an indication regarding whether the first portion of the positioning measurement is to be used in conjunction with a second portion of the positioning measurement to estimate the position of the first device, the second portion of which was previously reported from the first device. as well as A component for estimating the position of the first device based at least in part on the indication.

38. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to claim 34 or 35.

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