User Equipment (UE) positioning during a positioning session for Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle and inactive states

Abstract

Techniques for wireless positioning are disclosed. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) participates in a positioning procedure with a location server, sends a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure, receives a configuration from the network entity in response to the recommendation to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state, transitions to the first RRC state or remains in the first RRC state to perform the positioning procedure based on the configuration, and performs one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure while in the first RRC state.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 202041045027, filed on October 16, 2020, entitled “User Equipment (UE) Positioning Recommendation in Radio Resource Control (RRC) Idle and Inactive States during Positioning Session,” which patent application is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, more connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS procedures and technologies, and high-density deployments of 5G, enable highly accurate 5G-based positioning. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following presents a brief summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or important elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope of any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a wireless positioning method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: participating in a positioning process with a location server; sending a suggestion to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning process; receiving a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state in response to the suggestion; transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform the positioning process; and while in the first RRC state, performing one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning process.

[0008] In one aspect, a communication method performed by a base station includes: receiving a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0009] In one aspect, a communication method performed by a location server includes participating in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and sending a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0010] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: participate in a positioning process with a location server; send, via the at least one transceiver, a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning process; receive, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state in response to the recommendation; transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform the positioning process; and when in the first RRC state, perform one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning process.

[0011] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning process between the UE and a location server; and configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning process.

[0012] In one aspect, a location server includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: participate in a positioning process with a user equipment (UE); and send, via the at least one transceiver, to a base station serving the UE a recommendation for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0013] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for participating in a positioning procedure with a location server; means for sending a recommendation to a network entity for transitioning to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remaining in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure; means for receiving a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state in response to the recommendation; means for transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform the positioning procedure; and means for performing one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure while in the first RRC state.

[0014] In one aspect, a base station includes: a component for receiving a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and a component for configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0015] In one aspect, a location server includes means for participating in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and means for sending a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0016] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: participate in a positioning procedure with a location server; send a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure; receive a configuration from the network entity in response to the recommendation to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state; transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state to perform the positioning procedure based on the configuration; and, while in the first RRC state, perform one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure.

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: receive a recommendation for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for a duration of the positioning procedure.

[0018] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a location server, cause the location server to: participate in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and send a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0019] Other objects and advantages associated with the various aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for purposes of illustration of these aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0023] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0024] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 An example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) call flow is shown between a UE and a location server for performing positioning operations.

[0026] Figure 6 Different radio resource control (RRC) states available in New Radio (NR) are shown, according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 7Example message flows for RRC idle state to RRC connected state transition are shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 8 Example message flows for RRC Inactive state to RRC Connected state transition are shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 9 is a diagram of allowable RRC state transitions during a positioning session for certain types of UEs, according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figures 10 to 12 Example communication methods according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which are directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid confusing the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0032] As used herein, the words "exemplary" and / or "example" mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0034] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. In addition, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic that is configured to" perform the described actions.

[0035] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a consumer asset locator device, a wearable (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be fixed and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station" or variations thereof. Typically, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0036] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs for communicating with the UE and may be referred to interchangeably as an access point (AP), a network node, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily be used to support wireless access for UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication link over which a UE may send signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link over which a base station may send signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). The term traffic channel (TCH) used herein may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0037] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be the antenna array of the base station (for example, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station at which the UE is measuring a reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because a TRP is a point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from a base station or receptions at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0038] In some implementations supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access for the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead send a reference signal to the UE for measurement by the UE, and / or may receive and measure signals sent by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when sending a signal to the UE) and / or a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0039] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal," where the context clearly indicates that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0040] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 is shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or the macrocell base stations may include gNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or the macrocell base stations may include a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0041] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul links 122, and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or external to the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be integrated with the base stations 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location servers 172 via another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), and so forth. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intermediate nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0042] Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) via a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0043] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, the base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110 can support one or more cells. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish between cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station supporting it, depending on the context. Furthermore, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (eg, sector) of a base station, so long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0044] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0045] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen before talk (LBT) procedure prior to communication to determine whether a channel is available.

[0047] The small cell base station 102' can operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' adopts LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum to expand the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) or Multiple Access (MulteFire).

[0048] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate at millimeter wave frequencies and / or near-millimeter wave frequencies for communicating with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. The EHF range is 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-millimeter waves can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also known as centimeter waves. Communications using millimeter wave / near-millimeter wave radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The millimeter wave base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the millimeter wave communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distance. In addition, it will be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using millimeter waves or near-millimeter waves and beamforming. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0049] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location (relative to the transmitting network node) of a given target device (e.g., a UE) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To change the directionality of an RF signal while transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates an RF beam that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to separate antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0050] The transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning that they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE) regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0051] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level) the RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest relative to the beam gain in the directions of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0052] The transmit and receive beams may be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) of the second reference signal may be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0053] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam that receives downlink reference signals. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0054] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, the two initial operating bands are identified by the frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. FR2 sometimes presents a similar naming issue, and although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz), which the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) identifies as the "millimeter wave" band, FR2 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the millimeter wave band in documents and articles.

[0055] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz–24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation above 52.6 GHz. For example, the three higher operating bands are identified as the frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz–71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz–114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz–300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0056] In view of the above, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that the term "sub-6 GHz" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies below 6 GHz, which may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise stated, it should be understood that the term "millimeter wave" and the like, if used herein, can broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, which may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0057] In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, those UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier, because both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0058] For example, still referring to Figure 1One of the frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), while the other frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmWave base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with the mmWave base station 180 via a mmWave communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmWave base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0060] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may be able to perform sidelink communications. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) may communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) may also communicate directly with each other via a wireless sidelink 160 using a PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of a core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows two or more UEs to communicate directly with each other without going through a base station. Sidelink communications may be unicast or multicast and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, and the like. One or more of the group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, the group of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates scheduling resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the SL-UEs without involving the base station 102.

[0061] In one aspect, the sidelink 160 can operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as with other wireless communications between other RATs. A "medium" can consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In one aspect, the medium of interest can correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared between various RATs. While various licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems, particularly those employing small cell access points, have recently expanded their operation into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies, most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi." Example systems of this type include different variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0062] Note that although Figure 1 Only two UEs are shown as SL-UEs (i.e., UEs 164 and 182), but any of the UEs shown may be SL-UEs. Furthermore, although only UE 182 is depicted as capable of beamforming, any of the UEs shown, including UE 164, may be capable of beamforming. Where SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward a base station (e.g., base station 102, 180, small cell 102', access point 150), and so forth. Thus, in some cases, UEs 164 and 182 may utilize beamforming on sidelink 160.

[0063] exist Figure 1 In the example of Figure 1104) can receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SVs 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that can be used by UEs 104 as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., UEs 104) to determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code for a set number of chips. While typically located in SVs 112, transmitters can sometimes be located in ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UEs 104 can include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signals 124 from SVs 112 for deriving geographic location information.

[0064] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which can be associated with or capable of being used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS can include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Assisted Geographic Augmentation Navigation, or the GPS and Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), etc. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system can include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0065] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also known as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, will provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately provide access to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet network servers and other user devices. In this way, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112 instead of or in addition to receiving communication signals from terrestrial base station 102.

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). Figure 1 In the example of FIG, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In the example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported by any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), wait.

[0067] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as a network consisting of control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.) operating in conjunction to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNBs 222 to 5GC 210, specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In alternative configurations, ng-eNBs 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215, to control plane functions 214 via NG-C 215, and to user plane functions 212 via NG-U 213. Furthermore, ng-eNBs 224 can communicate directly with gNBs 222 via backhaul connections 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0068] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the location server 230 via the core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0069] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 250 is shown. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the 5GC 210 can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, and a user plane function provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which it uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interworking with EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0070] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gateway, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport layer packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 can also support the transmission of location service messages on the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server (such as the SLP 272).

[0071] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuring traffic steering at the UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, controlling partial policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0072] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide positioning assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 via a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data), the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) via a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0073] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) of the UE 204. As such, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0074] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, specifically the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, and the interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via the backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface, referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0075] The functionality of a gNB 222 can be divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RUs) 229. In addition to functions specifically assigned to the gNB-DU 228, the gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as transferring user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols for the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers for the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functions of the gNB 222 are typically hosted by one or more independent gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0076] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3CSeveral example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are shown that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270), or alternatively, may be independent of Figure 2A and Figure 2B The depicted NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure, such as a dedicated network, is provided to support the file transfer operations taught herein. It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.). The components shown may also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Similarly, a given device may include one or more components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate and / or communicate on multiple carriers via different technologies.

[0077] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, that provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a particular spectrum). Depending on the designated RAT, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358.

[0078] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also each include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communicating over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, PC5, dedicated short range communication (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environment (WAVE), near field communication (NFC), etc.) and other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc. (e.g., components for sending, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for suppressing sending, etc.). Depending on the specified RAT, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to send and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for sending and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver, e and / or transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0079] At least in some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request appropriate information and operations from other systems and, at least in some cases, perform calculations to determine the positions of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0080] Each of the base station 304 and the network entity 306 includes one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0081] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., embodying transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations, a transceiver can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other implementations, a transceiver can be embodied in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not simultaneously. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM), etc., for performing various measurements.

[0082] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0083] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, as well as for providing other processing functionality. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can thus provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for sending, means for indicating, and the like. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0084] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively, include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are shown for a positioning component 342, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3BPossible locations are shown for a positioning component 388, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations are shown for a location component 398, which can be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0085] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received from the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensor(s) 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0086] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing indications to the user (e.g., auditory and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user activates a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0087] Referring in more detail to the one or more processors 384, in a downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement the functions of the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0088] The transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. The channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0089] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna(s) 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on this information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, receiver 312 can combine them into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. By determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304, the symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0090] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0091] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the downlink transmission of the base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling and logical channel prioritization.

[0092] The transmitter 314 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 304. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antenna(s) 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0093] At the base station 304, the uplink transmission is processed in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0094] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0095] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 may be configured to: Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The illustrative embodiment of the present invention is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the components shown can have different functions in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components in are optional in alternative configurations, and the various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of , a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit the sensor(s) 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, a particular implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, illustrations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but are readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0096] The various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of a communication interface for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are combined into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0097] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or be combined with at least one memory component to store information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). In addition, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed by a "UE," a "base station," a "network entity," or the like. However, it should be understood that such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0098] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be distinct from the operation of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0099] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 4 FIG4 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0100] LTE, and in some cases NR, uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly called tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0101] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter sets (μ), for example, 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or larger subcarrier spacings are available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, the slot duration is 1 millisecond (ms), the symbol duration is 66.7 microseconds (μs), and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 50. For 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.5ms, the symbol duration is 33.3μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 100. For 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are 4 slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are 8 slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 800.

[0102] exist Figure 4 In the example, a 15kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4 , the horizontal axis represents time (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and the vertical axis represents frequency (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0103] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (pRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4In the parameter set of

[15] , for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0104] Some REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). Depending on whether the frame structure shown is for uplink or downlink communication, the reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc. Figure 4 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R") are shown.

[0105] A set of resource elements (REs) used to transmit PRS is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (such as one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0106] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also known as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of the symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, and 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, DL-PRS supports comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12. Figure 4 An example PRS resource configuration for Comb-4 (which spans four symbols) is shown. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate a Comb-4 PRS resource configuration.

[0107] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot with a fully frequency-domain interleaved pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in any higher-layer configured downlink or flexible (FL) symbol of a slot. There can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the frequency offsets of the symbols with comb sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-Symbol Comb-2: {0,1}; 4-Symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1}; 6-Symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1}; 12-Symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}; 4-Symbol Comb-4: {0,2,1,3} (e.g. Figure 4 ); 12-Symbol Comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 6-Symbol Comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5}; 12-Symbol Comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}; and 12-Symbol Comb-12: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0108] A "PRS resource set" is a collection of PRS resources used to transmit a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same period, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor") across time slots. A period is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. A period may have a length selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} time slots.

[0109] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource," or simply a "resource," can also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not imply anything about whether the UE is aware of the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted.

[0110] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive time slots) during which PRS transmission is expected. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning opportunity," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply "opportunity," "instance," or "repetition."

[0111] A "positioning frequency layer" (also simply referred to as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for certain parameters. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all parameter sets supported by the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported by PRS), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies the pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and each TRP of each frequency layer can be configured with up to two PRS resource sets.

[0112] The concept of frequency layer is somewhat similar to the concept of component carrier and bandwidth part (BWP), but the difference is that component carrier and BWP are used by one base station (or macro cell base station and small cell base station) to send data channels, while frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to send PRS. When the UE sends its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session, the UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0113] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc., as defined in LTE and NR. In addition, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to either downlink or uplink positioning reference signals, unless the context indicates otherwise. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRS, downlink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "DL-PRS," and uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., SRS, PTRS used for positioning) may be referred to as "UL-PRS." In addition, for signals that can be transmitted in both the uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), "UL" or "DL" may be prefixed to the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" may be different from "DL-DMRS."

[0114] NR supports many cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process, the UE measures the difference between the arrival times (TOA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (TDOA) measurements) and reports them to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the UE's position.

[0115] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses measurement reports of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams from the UE to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0116] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE sends one or more uplink reference signals measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of receipt of the reference signal (referred to as the relative time of arrival (RTOA) of the reference signal) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known location of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the position of the UE.

[0117] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle of the receive beams to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position.

[0118] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell identity (E-CID) positioning and multiple round-trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), and the second entity sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundaries of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities can then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined (e.g., using multilateration) based on the distance to the second entities and the known locations of the second entities. RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve positioning accuracy.

[0119] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0120] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots including PRS, the period of consecutive time slots including PRS, a muting sequence, a frequency hopping sequence, a reference signal identifier, a reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes on its own without using assistance data.

[0121] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning processes, the assistance data may also include an expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resource used for positioning measurements is in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 8 μs.

[0122] A position estimate may be referred to by other names such as a position estimate, position, position fix, position fix, fix, etc. A position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be citometric and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. A position estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location, or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0123] Figure 5 An example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) process 500 is shown between a UE 504 and a location server (shown as a Location Management Function (LMF) 570) for performing positioning operations. Figure 5As shown, positioning of UE 504 is supported via the exchange of LPP messages between UE 504 and LMF 570. LPP messages can be exchanged between UE 504 and LMF 570 via the serving base station of UE 504 (shown as serving gNB 502) and the core network (not shown). LPP process 500 can be used to locate UE 504 in order to support various location-related services, such as navigation for UE 504 (or a user of UE 504), or for routing, or for providing an accurate location to a public safety answering point (PSAP) in association with an emergency call from UE 504 to the PSAP, or for some other reason. LPP process 500 can also be referred to as a positioning session, and there can be multiple positioning sessions for different types of positioning methods (e.g., downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), round trip time (RTT), enhanced cell identity (E-CID), etc.).

[0124] Initially, at stage 510, the UE 504 may receive a request for its positioning capabilities (e.g., an LPP Request Capabilities message) from the LMF 570. At stage 520, the UE 504 provides its positioning capabilities with respect to the LPP protocol to the LMF 570 by sending an LPP Offer Capabilities message to the LMF 570, which indicates the positioning methods and features of those positioning methods supported by the UE 504 using LPP. In some aspects, the capabilities indicated in the LPP Offer Capabilities message may indicate the types of positioning supported by the UE 504 (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) and may indicate the ability of the UE 504 to support those types of positioning.

[0125] After receiving the LPP Provide Capability message, the LMF 570 determines, based on the indicated positioning type supported by the UE 504 and the determination of the set of one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs), whether the UE 504 will measure downlink positioning reference signals from the set of one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs) or whether the UE 504 will transmit uplink positioning reference signals toward the set of one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs) using a specific type of positioning method (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) at stage 520. At stage 530, the LMF 570 sends an LPP Provide Assistance Data message to the UE 504 identifying the set of one or more Transmission Reception Points (TRPs).

[0126] In some implementations, in response to an LPP request assistance data message ( Figure 55 (not shown), an LPP provide assistance data message at stage 530 may be sent by the LMF 570 to the UE 504. The LPP request assistance data message may include an identifier of the serving TRP of the UE 504 and a request for positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration of a neighboring TRP.

[0127] At stage 540, the LMF 570 sends a request for location information to the UE 504. The request may be an LPP Request Location Information message. This message typically includes information elements that define the type of location information, the desired accuracy of the location estimate, and the response time (i.e., the desired latency). Note that a low latency requirement allows for a longer response time, while a high latency requirement requires a shorter response time. However, a long response time is referred to as high latency, while a short response time is referred to as low latency.

[0128] Note that in some implementations, if, for example, UE 504 sends a request for assistance data to LMF 570 after receiving the request for location information at stage 540 (e.g., in an LPP Request Assistance Data message, Figure 5 (not shown in the figure), the LPP provide assistance data message sent in stage 530 may be sent after the LPP request location information message in stage 540.

[0129] At stage 550, the UE 504 utilizes the assistance information received at stage 530 and any additional data received at stage 540 (e.g., desired position accuracy or maximum response time) to perform positioning operations for the selected positioning method (e.g., measurement of DL-PRS, transmission of UL-PRS, etc.).

[0130] At stage 560, UE 504 may send an LPP Provide Location Information message to LMF 570 that conveys the results of any measurements (e.g., time of arrival (ToA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), receive-transmit (Rx-Tx), etc.) obtained at stage 550 and before or at the expiration of any maximum response time (e.g., the maximum response time provided by LMF 570 at stage 540). At stage 560, the LPP Provide Location Information message may also include the time at which the positioning measurement was obtained and the identity of the TRP that obtained the positioning measurement. Note that the time between the request for location information at 540 and the response at 560 is the "response time" and indicates the latency of the positioning session.

[0131] Based at least in part on the measurements received in the LPP Provide Location Information message at stage 560, LMF 570 calculates an estimated location of UE 504 using an appropriate positioning technique (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.).

[0132] With further reference to DL-PRS, DL-PRS has been defined for NR positioning to enable UEs to detect and measure more neighboring TRPs. Multiple configurations are supported to enable various deployments (e.g., indoor, outdoor, sub-6, mmWave). The following table illustrates the various types of reference signals that can be used for the various positioning methods supported in NR.

[0133]

[0134] Table 1

[0135] After the random access procedure, the UE is in the RRC CONNECTED state. The RRC protocol is used on the air interface between the UE and the base station. The main functions of the RRC protocol include connection establishment and release functions, broadcast of system information, radio bearer establishment, reconfiguration and release, RRC connection mobility procedures, paging notification and release, and outer loop power control. In LTE, the UE can be in one of two RRC states (CONNECTED or IDLE), but in NR, the UE can be in one of three RRC states (CONNECTED, IDLE, or INACTIVE). Different RRC states have different radio resources associated with them, which the UE can use when it is in a given state. In NR, positioning is supported in the RRC CONNECTED, IDLE, and INACTIVE states. Note that the different RRC states are usually capitalized, as mentioned above; however, this is not required and the states can also be written in lower case.

[0136] Figure 6 6 is a diagram of different RRC states (also referred to as RRC modes) available in NR according to aspects of the present disclosure. When a UE is powered on, it is initially in the RRC DISCONNECTED / IDLE state 610. After a random access procedure, it moves to the RRC CONNECTED state 620. If the UE is inactive for a short period of time, it can suspend its session by moving to the RRC INACTIVE state 630. The UE can resume its session by performing a random access procedure to transition back to the RRC CONNECTED state 620. Therefore, regardless of whether the UE is in the RRC IDLE state 610 or the RRC INACTIVE state 630, the UE needs to perform a random access procedure to transition to the RRC CONNECTED state 620.

[0137] The operations performed in the RRC IDLE state 610 include public land mobile network (PLMN) selection, broadcast of system information, cell reselection mobility, paging of mobile terminated data (initiated and managed by 5GC), discontinuous reception (DRX) of core network paging (configured by non-access stratum (NAS)). The operations performed in the RRC CONNECTED state 620 include 5GC (e.g., 5GC 260) and NG-RAN (e.g., NG-RAN 220) connection establishment (both control plane and user plane), UE context storage at NG-RAN and UE, NG-RAN knowledge of the cell to which the UE belongs, transmission of unicast data to / from the UE, and network-controlled mobility. Operations performed in the RRC INACTIVE state 630 include broadcast of system information, cell reselection for mobility, paging (initiated by the NG-RAN), RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) management (performed by the NG-RAN), DRX for RAN paging (configured by the NG-RAN), 5GC and NG-RAN connection establishment for the UE (both control and user plane), storage of UE context in the NG-RAN and UE, and NG-RAN knowledge of the RNA to which the UE belongs.

[0138] Figure 7 An example message flow 700 for RRC idle state to RRC connected state transition according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Message flow 700 can be performed between a UE 704 (e.g., any UE described herein), a RAN 702 (which can be any base station in an LTE RAN or NR RAN described herein), and a core network (CN) 780 (e.g., 5GC 260). At the beginning of message flow 700, UE 704 can be in an RRC idle state (e.g., RRC idle state 610).

[0139] At 705, UE 704 and RAN 702 perform an initial radio synchronization procedure. At 710, UE 704 sends an RRC Connection Request to RAN 702 (more specifically, to a base station within the RAN). At 715, RAN 702 responds with an RRC Connection Setup message. At 720, UE 704 sends an RRC Connection Complete message including a service request to RAN 702. At 725, RAN 702 sends an Initial UE Message (including the service request) to core network 780. At 730, core network 780 responds with a UE Context Setup message including keys and radio bearers for UE 704. At 735, RAN 702 sends an RRC Security Setup message to UE 704. At 740, UE 704 sends an RRC Security Complete message to RAN 702. At 745, RAN 702 sends an RRC Reconfiguration message including radio bearer setup information to UE 704. At 750, UE 704 sends an RRC reconfiguration complete message to RAN 702. At 755, RAN 702 sends a UE context setup complete message to core network 780. At 760, UE 704 is now in an RRC connected state and can exchange uplink and downlink user data with core network 780.

[0140] Figure 8 An example message flow 800 for RRC inactive state to RRC connected state transition according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. Message flow 800 can be performed between a UE 804 (e.g., any UE described herein), a RAN 802 (which can be any base station in an LTE RAN or NR RAN described herein), and a core network (CN) 880 (e.g., 5GC 260). At the beginning of message flow 800, UE 804 can be in an RRC inactive state (e.g., RRC inactive state 630).

[0141] At 810, UE 804 and RAN 802 perform an initial radio synchronization procedure. At 820, UE 804 sends an RRC resume request to RAN 802. At 830, RAN 802 sends an RRC resume message to UE 804. At 840, UE 804 sends an RRC resume complete message to RAN 802. At 850, UE 804 is now in an RRC connected state and is able to exchange uplink and downlink user data with core network 880.

[0142] from Figure 7 and Figure 8As can be seen, there is significantly more signaling overhead and associated power consumption for the UE to transition from the RRC idle state (e.g., RRC idle state 610) to the RRC connected state (e.g., RRC connected state 620) than for transitioning from the RRC inactive state (e.g., RRC inactive state 630) to the RRC connected state.

[0143] Since positioning operations can be performed while the UE is in the RRC connected, idle, or inactive states, one of these states may be better than the other for performing positioning operations, depending on the requirements of the positioning session (e.g., LPP process 500). For example, performing positioning operations (e.g., measuring and processing PRS, sending SRS, etc.) while in RRC idle mode will be more energy-efficient. However, RRC connected mode will provide better (lower) latency (due to higher power consumption). The RRC inactive state will provide a mix of benefits for both energy saving and latency. More specifically, in the RRC inactive state, the UE will have the energy saving advantages of the RRC idle state and the low latency advantages of the RRC connected state. The following table shows a comparison of the power consumption (columns) and latency requirements (rows) of the different RRC states in which positioning can be performed.

[0144]

[0145] Table 2

[0146] Currently, a base station only considers the UE's traffic pattern (e.g., the presence or absence of downlink or uplink data) and certain standard-defined timers (e.g., an RRC inactive state timer or an RRC idle state timer) to move a UE from an RRC connected state (e.g., RRC connected state 620) to an RRC inactive state (e.g., RRC inactive state 630). Therefore, the present disclosure provides a technique for signaling between a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) and a serving base station to enable determination of maintaining the UE's RRC state during a positioning session.

[0147] In one aspect, the serving base station may consider the power consumption and latency requirements (referred to as "power mode" and "latency mode," respectively) of a positioning session (e.g., LPP procedure 500) when configuring (e.g., via direct instructions, DRX configuration, RRC configuration, inactivity timer configuration, etc.) the UE to perform RRC state transitions. To accomplish this, the location server may provide the serving base station with certain information regarding the positioning session. Specifically, the location server may inform the serving base station of the power and latency modes of the positioning session. For example, the indication of the power mode may be a value indicating "low" (e.g., "1"), "medium" (e.g., "2"), or "high" (e.g., "3"). Similarly, the indication of the latency mode may be a value indicating "low" (e.g., "1"), "medium" (e.g., "2"), or "high" (e.g., "3"). The location server may also provide a response time, the time of the location request, the start and / or end time of the positioning session, QoS requirements regarding location accuracy (e.g., horizontal and / or vertical accuracy), whether the positioning session is in high-power or low-power mode depending on the RAT, or any combination thereof. The location server may provide this information to the serving base station in one or more NR Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) or LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPa) messages.

[0148] Based on the positioning session parameters received from the location server, the base station can configure the UE to enter the appropriate RRC state if the opportunity arises. For example, given the received power and delay mode, the base station can use the above table to select the appropriate RRC state for the positioning session and configure the UE accordingly. For example, for a positioning session with a "medium" power mode and a "low" delay mode, meaning that the positioning session will require a medium level of power consumption and have low delay requirements (e.g., the response time may be longer), the base station is allowed to transition the UE from the RRC connected state to the RRC inactive state (if it is not already in the RRC inactive state). As another example, for a positioning session with a "medium" power mode and a "high" delay mode, meaning that the positioning session will require a medium level of power consumption and have high delay requirements (e.g., the response time is shorter), the base station is expected to transition the UE to the RRC connected state (if it is not already in the RRC connected state).

[0149] For a downlink-only positioning procedure (or positioning session), the UE is expected to be able to receive and process DL-PRS in connected, inactive or idle mode. However, for an uplink-only positioning procedure or a downlink and uplink positioning procedure, the UE may be configured to send UL-PRS (e.g., SRS for positioning) in RRC inactive mode or RRC connected mode (but not RRC idle mode). This may depend on the UE's ability to handle receiver (Rx) and / or transmitter (Tx) timing errors when in RRC connected and RRC inactive states. In addition, the serving base station may need to be informed of any uplink-related accuracy requirements for the positioning session so that it can determine whether to keep the UE in the RRC connected state or the RRC inactive state. This information may be provided by the location server in one or more NRPPa or LPPa messages.

[0150] For a UE-initiated location request (referred to as a mobile-originated location request (MO-LR)) or a positioning SIB request, the UE may indicate to the serving base station which RRC state it will prefer to remain in to perform positioning operations for the positioning session. The UE may include its current power state (e.g., normal mode, energy-saving mode, etc.) or available power consumption (e.g., battery level).

[0151] As a specific example, the positioning delay for a positioning session (e.g., LPP process 500) can be defined as T seconds. This can also be referred to as the response time. The positioning session can be a one-shot (i.e., once, on-demand) positioning session or a periodic positioning session. In the first scenario, when the positioning session starts, the UE being positioned may be in an RRC inactive state. For large T values, in the absence of the techniques of the present disclosure, the serving base station may configure the UE to transition to an RRC idle state during the positioning session because, due to the higher latency for large T values, there may not be any traffic for the UE or positioning reports from the UE for a longer amount of time. However, for positioning purposes, the UE should remain in an RRC inactive state during the entire positioning session. Thus, according to the techniques of the present disclosure, the serving base station will not transition the UE to an RRC idle state, but will instead instruct it to remain in an RRC inactive state.

[0152] In the second scenario, when the positioning session begins, the UE being positioned may be in the RRC connected state. For very small values ​​of T, without the techniques of the present disclosure, the serving base station may configure the UE to remain in the RRC connected state throughout the positioning session, as there will be periodic traffic or multiple consecutive position reports in a shorter amount of time. However, according to the techniques of the present disclosure, for positioning purposes, the serving base station may instead transition the UE to the RRC inactive state for a certain maximum time period, based on the power and delay mode configured for the positioning session. For example, despite having a small value of T, a positioning session may not require high power consumption.

[0153] In some cases, the serving base station may only be allowed (e.g., by a location server, applicable wireless communication standards, etc.) to move the UE into certain RRC states due to the UE being involved in an ongoing positioning session. For example, in IoT use cases, there may be IoT UEs that are dedicated to positioning (e.g., asset trackers) or have very little uplink and / or downlink data traffic (e.g., "smart" watches, sensors, etc.). Figure 9 FIG900 is a diagram illustrating allowable RRC state transitions for such a UE during a positioning session according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the illustrated state transitions may be applicable to an IoT UE or other UE dedicated to positioning or with very little uplink and downlink data traffic.

[0154] refer to Figure 9 If the UE is in RRC Idle state 910 when a positioning session is initiated (by the UE or the location server), the UE may have the option of performing the associated positioning operation in any of the RRC Idle state 910, the RRC Inactive state 930, or the RRC Connected state 920. For example, the base station serving the UE may have the option of configuring the UE to remain in the RRC Idle state 910 or to transition to the RRC Inactive state 930 or the RRC Connected state 920. However, if the UE is in RRC Inactive state 930 when the positioning session is initiated, there are two options. The UE may perform the associated positioning operation in either the RRC Inactive state 930 or the RRC Connected state 920. The UE may not transition (or be transitioned) to the RRC Idle state 910. If the UE is in the RRC Connected state 920 when the positioning session is initiated, the UE may only perform the associated positioning operation in the RRC Connected state 920. The UE may not transition (or be transitioned) to the RRC Idle state 910 or the RRC Inactive state 930.

[0155] In each of the above scenarios, once the positioning session is completed, the serving base station may transition the UE to any other RRC state. The base station may do so based on the UE's service needs or a standard-defined timer.

[0156] Figure 10 An example method 1000 of wireless positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, the method 1000 may be performed by a UE (eg, any UE described herein).

[0157] At 1010, the UE participates in a positioning process (e.g., based on UE or UE-assisted DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) with a location server (e.g., LMF 270). In one aspect, operation 1010 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0158] At 1020, the UE sends a recommendation to a network entity (e.g., a location server, a serving base station of the UE) to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning process. In one aspect, operation 1020 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0159] At 1030, in response to the suggestion, the UE receives a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state. In one aspect, operation 1030 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0160] At 1040, the UE switches to (eg, as described above with reference to) based on the configuration. Figure 7 and Figure 8 In one aspect, operation 1040 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0161] At 1050, while in the first RRC state, the UE performs one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning process (e.g., measurement of DL-PRS, transmission of UL-PRS, etc.). In one aspect, operation 1050 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0162] Figure 11 An example communication method 1100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The method 1100 may be performed by a base station (eg, any base station described herein).

[0163] At 1110, the base station receives a recommendation for a UE (e.g., any UE described herein) to transition to or remain in a first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server (e.g., LMF 270). In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0164] At 1120, the base station configures the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure. In one aspect, operation 1120 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0165] Figure 12 An example communication method 1200 is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1200 may be performed by a location server (eg, location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272).

[0166] At 1210, a location server engages in a positioning process with a UE (e.g., any UE described herein). In one aspect, operation 1210 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0167] At 1220, the location server sends a recommendation to a base station (e.g., any base station described herein) serving the UE for the UE to transition to or remain in the first RRC state. In one aspect, operation 1220 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0168] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of methods 1000 to 1200 is improved efficiency of positioning operations because the UE being positioned transitions to the most efficient (or at least more efficient) RRC state for the positioning process, thereby improving latency, power consumption and / or accuracy.

[0169] In the detailed description above, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in the examples. This disclosure should not be interpreted as meaning that the exemplary clauses have more features than are explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the disclosure may include fewer than all the features of the individual exemplary clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be combined in the specification, wherein each clause itself may serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may be referenced in a clause in a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other exemplary clauses may also include combinations of various aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an insulator and a conductor). In addition, it is also intended that various aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0170] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0171] Clause 1. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: participating in a positioning process with a location server; based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process, transitioning to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remaining in the first RRC state to perform the positioning process, wherein, when in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE satisfies at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process; and performing one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning process while in the first RRC state.

[0172] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state is in response to receiving a configuration at the UE from a serving base station to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0173] Clause 3. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the transition to the first RRC state or maintaining the first RRC state is based on the UE determining that at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process satisfies the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE when in the first RRC state.

[0174] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, further comprising: sending a request to the serving base station to transition to the first RRC state.

[0175] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein the request includes a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0176] Clause 6. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising: sending a report including results of the one or more positioning operations to a location server.

[0177] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, further comprising: after performing the one or more positioning operations and before sending the report, transitioning to a second RRC state.

[0178] Clause 8. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the UE transitions from the second RRC state to the first RRC state.

[0179] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0180] Clause 10. The method of clause 8, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state.

[0181] Clause 11. The method of clause 8, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0182] Clause 12. The method of clause 8, wherein: the second RRC state is one of an RRC connected state or an RRC idle state, and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

[0183] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the positioning procedure comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) positioning procedure.

[0184] Clause 14. A wireless communication method performed by a base station, comprising: receiving at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process between a location server and a user equipment (UE); and configuring the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a duration of the positioning process based on when the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE in a first RRC state satisfies the at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0185] Clause 15. A method according to clause 14, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0186] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0187] Clause 17. The method of any one of clauses 14 to 16, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning procedure, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning procedure, a power consumption type of the positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0188] Clause 18. The method of clause 17, wherein the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0189] Clause 19. The method of any one of clauses 17 to 18, wherein the power consumption type is one of a high power consumption positioning procedure or a low power consumption positioning procedure.

[0190] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 14 to 19, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0191] Clause 21. A method as described in any of clauses 14 to 20, further comprising receiving a request from the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0192] Clause 22. The method of clause 21, wherein the request includes a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0193] Clause 23. A method according to any one of clauses 14 to 22, wherein the base station receives at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process from a location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0194] Clause 24. A method according to any one of clauses 14 to 22, wherein the base station receives at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning procedure from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages, or one or more medium access control control element (MAC-CE) messages.

[0195] Clause 25. A method as described in any of clauses 14 to 24, further comprising configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state only after completing the positioning procedure.

[0196] Clause 26. A method as set forth in any of clauses 14 to 25, further comprising refraining from configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure, regardless of expiration of any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer.

[0197] Clause 27. A method as described in any of clauses 14 to 26, wherein configuring comprises configuring the UE to transition from the second RRC state to the first RRC state.

[0198] Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state.

[0199] Clause 29. The method of clause 27, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state.

[0200] Clause 30. The method of clause 27, wherein the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0201] Clause 31. A method of wireless communication performed by a location server, comprising: participating in a positioning process with a user equipment (UE); sending at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process to a base station serving the UE, so that the base station can select a radio resource control (RRC) state for the UE based on the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE when in an RRC state satisfying the at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process; and receiving a report from the UE including a result of the positioning process.

[0202] Clause 32. A method according to clause 31, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0203] Clause 33. The method of clause 32, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0204] Clause 34. The method of any one of clauses 31 to 33, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0205] Clause 35. The method of clause 34, wherein the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0206] Clause 36. The method of any one of clauses 34 to 35, wherein the power consumption type is one of a high power consumption positioning procedure or a low power consumption positioning procedure.

[0207] Clause 37. The method of any of clauses 31 to 36, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0208] Clause 38. A method according to any one of clauses 31 to 37, wherein the location server sends at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, or both for the positioning process to the base station in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0209] Clause 39. A method as described in any of clauses 31 to 38, wherein the positioning procedure comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) positioning procedure.

[0210] Clause 40. An apparatus comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 39.

[0211] Clause 41. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any one of clauses 1 to 39.

[0212] Clause 42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to perform the method of any one of clauses 1 to 39.

[0213] Additional implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0214] Clause 1. A wireless positioning method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: participating in a positioning procedure with a location server; sending a suggestion to a network entity for transitioning to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remaining in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure; receiving a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state in response to the suggestion; transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state to perform the positioning procedure based on the configuration; and performing one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure while in the first RRC state.

[0215] Clause 2. A method according to clause 1, wherein: based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process, transitioning to a first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state, and when in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE meets at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0216] Clause 3. The method according to Clause 2 further includes: determining that at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process satisfies the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof when the UE is in the first RRC state, wherein the transition to the first RRC state or the maintenance in the first RRC state is based on the determination.

[0217] Clause 4. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the recommendation includes a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0218] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising: sending a report including results of the one or more positioning operations to a location server.

[0219] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, further comprising: after performing the one or more positioning operations and before sending the report, transitioning to a second RRC state.

[0220] Clause 7. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6 further includes: transitioning from a second RRC state to a first RRC state, wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is one of the RRC connected state or the RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

[0221] Clause 8. A communication method performed by a base station, comprising: receiving a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0222] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0223] Clause 10. A method according to clause 9, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0224] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0225] Clause 12. The method of any one of clauses 9 to 11, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning procedure, a QoS parameter of the positioning procedure, a power consumption type of the positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0226] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein: the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high, and the power consumption type is one of a high power positioning procedure or a low power positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0227] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 9 to 13, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0228] Clause 15. A method according to any of clauses 8 to 14, wherein the suggestion is received from: from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages, or one or more medium access control control element (MAC-CE) messages, or from the location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0229] Clause 16. A method as described in any of clauses 8 to 15, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0230] Clause 17. A method as described in any of clauses 8 to 16, further comprising configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state only after completing the positioning procedure.

[0231] Clause 18. A method as described in any of clauses 8 to 17, further comprising refraining from configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure, regardless of whether any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer has expired.

[0232] Clause 19. A method according to any of clauses 8 to 18, wherein: configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state includes configuring the UE to transition from a second RRC state to the first RRC state, the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0233] Clause 20. A method of communication performed by a location server, comprising: participating in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and sending a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0234] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0235] Clause 22. A method according to clause 21, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0236] Clause 23. The method of any one of clauses 21 to 22, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0237] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 21 to 23, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0238] Clause 25. A method according to any one of clauses 20 to 24, further comprising receiving a suggestion from: from the UE in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages, or from the base station in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) or LPPa Type A (LPPa) messages.

[0239] Clause 26. A method as described in any of clauses 20 to 25, further comprising: receiving a report from the UE including the results of the positioning procedure.

[0240] Clause 27. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: participate in a positioning process with a location server; send, via the at least one transceiver, a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning process; in response to the recommendation, receive a configuration from the network entity via the at least one transceiver to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state; transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform the positioning process; and when in the first RRC state, perform one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning process.

[0241] Clause 28. A UE according to clause 27, wherein: based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process, the UE transitions to the first RRC state or remains in the first RRC state, and when in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE meets the at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0242] Clause 29. A UE according to clause 28, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine whether at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process satisfies the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE when in a first RRC state, wherein the at least one processor is configured to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state based on the determination.

[0243] Clause 30. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 27 to 29, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0244] Clause 31. A UE as described in any of clauses 27 to 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send a report including results of one or more positioning operations to a location server via the at least one transceiver.

[0245] Clause 32. The UE of clause 31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: after performing the one or more positioning operations and before sending the report, transition to a second RRC state.

[0246] Clause 33. A UE according to any one of clauses 27 to 32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transition from a second RRC state to a first RRC state, and wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is one of the RRC connected state or the RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

[0247] Clause 34. A base station comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a recommendation for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0248] Clause 35. The base station of clause 34, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0249] Clause 36. A base station according to clause 35, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0250] Clause 37. The base station of clause 36, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0251] Clause 38. The base station of any of clauses 35 to 37, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a QoS parameter of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0252] Clause 39. The base station of clause 38, wherein: the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high, and the power consumption type is one of a high power consumption positioning procedure or a low power consumption positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0253] Clause 40. The base station of any of clauses 35 to 39, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0254] Clause 41. A base station according to any of clauses 34 to 40, wherein the suggestion is received from: from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages, or one or more medium access control control element (MAC-CE) messages, or from a location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0255] Clause 42. The base station of any of clauses 34 to 41, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0256] Clause 43. The base station of any of clauses 34 to 42, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to configure the UE to transition to the second RRC state only after completing a positioning procedure.

[0257] Clause 44. A base station according to any of clauses 34 to 43, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: refrain from configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure regardless of whether any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer has expired.

[0258] Clause 45. A base station according to any of clauses 34 to 44, wherein the at least one processor configured to configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state includes at least one processor configured to configure the UE to transition from a second RRC state to the first RRC state, wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0259] Clause 46. A location server comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: participate in a positioning process with a user equipment (UE); and send, via the at least one transceiver, to a base station serving the UE a recommendation for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0260] Clause 47. The location server of clause 46, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0261] Clause 48. A location server according to clause 47, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0262] Clause 49. The location server of any one of clauses 47 to 48, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0263] Clause 50. The location server of any of clauses 47 to 49, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0264] Clause 51. A location server according to any of clauses 46 to 50, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, a suggestion from: a UE in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages, or from a base station in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) or LPPa Type A (LPPa) messages.

[0265] Clause 52. The location server of any of clauses 46 to 51, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a report comprising a result of a positioning procedure from the UE via the at least one transceiver.

[0266] Clause 53. A user equipment (UE), comprising: components for participating in a positioning procedure with a location server; components for sending a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure; components for receiving a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state in response to the recommendation; components for transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state to perform the positioning procedure based on the configuration; and components for performing one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure while in the first RRC state.

[0267] Clause 54. A UE according to clause 53, wherein: based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter or a combination thereof for a positioning process, the UE transitions to a first RRC state or remains in the first RRC state, and when in the first RRC state, the UE's power consumption, delay, accuracy or a combination thereof meets at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter or a combination thereof for a positioning process.

[0268] Clause 55. The UE according to clause 54 further includes: a component for determining that at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter or a combination thereof for a positioning process satisfies the power consumption, delay, accuracy or a combination thereof of the UE when in the first RRC state, wherein, based on the determination, the transition to the first RRC state is performed or the transition to the first RRC state is maintained in the first RRC state.

[0269] Clause 56. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 53 to 55, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0270] Clause 57. A UE as defined in any of clauses 53 to 56, further comprising means for sending a report comprising results of the one or more positioning operations to a location server.

[0271] Clause 58. The UE of clause 57, further comprising means for transitioning to a second RRC state after performing one or more positioning operations and before sending the report.

[0272] Clause 59. A UE according to any one of clauses 53 to 58, further comprising: a component for transitioning from a second RRC state to a first RRC state, wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is one of the RRC connected state or the RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

[0273] Clause 60. A base station comprising: means for receiving a recommendation for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and means for configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0274] Clause 61. The base station of clause 60, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0275] Clause 62. A base station according to clause 61, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0276] Clause 63. The base station of clause 62, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0277] Clause 64. The base station of any of clauses 61 to 63, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a QoS parameter of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0278] Clause 65. The base station of clause 64, wherein: the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high, and the power consumption type is one of a high power consumption positioning procedure or a low power consumption positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0279] Clause 66. The base station of any of clauses 61 to 65, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0280] Clause 67. A base station according to any of clauses 60 to 66, wherein the recommendation is received from: from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages or one or more medium access control control element (MAC-CE) messages, or from a location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0281] Clause 68. The base station of any of clauses 60 to 67, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0282] Clause 69. A base station as described in any of clauses 60 to 68, further comprising means for configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state only after completion of the positioning procedure.

[0283] Clause 70. A base station as set forth in any of clauses 60 to 69, further comprising means for refraining from configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure, irrespective of expiration of any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer.

[0284] Clause 71. A base station according to any of clauses 60 to 70, wherein the means for configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state includes means for configuring the UE to transition from a second RRC state to the first RRC state, and wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0285] Clause 72. A location server comprising: means for participating in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and means for sending a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0286] Clause 73. The location server of clause 72, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0287] Clause 74. A location server according to clause 73, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process or any combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 75. The location server of any one of clauses 73 to 74, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0289] Clause 76. The location server of any of clauses 73 to 75, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0290] Clause 77. A location server according to any of clauses 72 to 76, further comprising means for receiving a suggestion from: from a UE in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages, or from a base station in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) or LPP Type A (LPPa) messages.

[0291] Clause 78. The location server of any of clauses 72 to 77, further comprising means for receiving a report including a result of the positioning procedure from the UE.

[0292] Clause 79. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: participate in a positioning procedure with a location server; send a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for the positioning procedure; in response to the recommendation, receive a configuration from the network entity to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state; transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state to perform the positioning procedure based on the configuration; and, while in the first RRC state, perform one or more positioning operations associated with the positioning procedure.

[0293] Clause 80. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 79, wherein: based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process, transitioning to a first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state, and when in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE meets at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0294] Clause 81. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 80 further includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: determine whether at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process satisfies the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE when in the first RRC state, wherein, based on the determination, transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0295] Clause 82. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 79 to 81, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0296] Clause 83. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 79 to 82, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: send a report including results of one or more positioning operations to a location server.

[0297] Clause 84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 83, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: after performing one or more positioning operations and before sending the report, transition to a second RRC state.

[0298] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 79 to 84, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: transition from a second RRC state to a first RRC state, wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is one of the RRC connected state or the RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

[0299] Clause 86. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: receive a recommendation for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure.

[0300] Clause 87. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 86, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one latency requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0301] Clause 88. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 87, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time, or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0302] Clause 89. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 88, wherein the delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

[0303] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 87 to 89, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a QoS parameter of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0304] Clause 91. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 90, wherein: the power consumption mode is one of low, medium, or high, and the power consumption type is one of a high power positioning procedure or a low power positioning procedure, or any combination thereof.

[0305] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 87 to 91, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0306] Clause 93. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 86 to 92, wherein the suggestion is received from: from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages, or one or more medium access control control element (MAC-CE) messages, or from the location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol Type A (LPPs) messages.

[0307] Clause 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 86 to 93, wherein the recommendation comprises a power state of the UE, an amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

[0308] Clause 95. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 86 to 94, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: configure the UE to transition to the second RRC state only after completing the positioning procedure.

[0309] Clause 96. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 86 to 95, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: refrain from configuring the UE to transition to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure, regardless of whether any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer has expired.

[0310] Clause 97. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 86 to 96, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the base station, cause the base station to configure the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the base station, cause the base station to configure the UE to transition from the second RRC state to the first RRC state, and wherein: the second RRC state is an RRC idle state and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, the second RRC state is an RRC inactive state and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or the second RRC state is an RRC connected state and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

[0311] Clause 98. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a location server, cause the location server to: participate in a positioning procedure with a user equipment (UE); and send a recommendation to a base station serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state.

[0312] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 98, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

[0313] Clause 100. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 99, wherein at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time, or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0314] Clause 101. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 99 to 100, wherein the at least one power consumption parameter comprises a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

[0315] Clause 102. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 99 to 101, wherein the at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

[0316] Clause 103. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 98 to 102, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a location server, cause the location server to receive a recommendation from: a UE in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages, or from a base station in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) or LPPa Type A (LPPa) messages.

[0317] Clause 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 98 to 103, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to: receive a report from the UE including a result of the positioning procedure.

[0318] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0319] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints on the overall system. A skilled person may implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0320] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in combination with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0321] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0322] In one or more example aspects, the functions described can be implemented with hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not a limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Similarly, any connection is properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are used to transmit software from a website, server, or other remote source, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0323] Although the foregoing disclosure shows the illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although the elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is also contemplated unless expressly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A wireless positioning method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: Participate in the positioning process with the location server; sending a recommendation to a network entity to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure; receiving, in response to the suggestion, a configuration from a network entity to transition to a first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state; Transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform a positioning procedure; as well as When in the first RRC state, performing one or more positioning operations associated with a positioning procedure; The transition to the first RRC state or the maintenance in the first RRC state is based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: When in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE satisfies the at least one power consumption parameter, the at least one delay requirement parameter, the at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning procedure.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: determining that at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning procedure satisfies power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof for the UE when in the first RRC state, Wherein, based on the determination, the state is switched to the first RRC state or maintained in the first RRC state.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The recommendation includes the power state of the UE, the amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A report including results of one or more positioning operations is sent to a location server.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: After performing the one or more positioning operations and before sending the report, transitioning to a second RRC state.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: transitioning from the second RRC state to the first RRC state, in: The second RRC state is an RRC idle state, and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC connected state, and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or The second RRC state is one of an RRC connected state or an RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

8. A method of communication performed by a network entity, comprising: receiving a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and Configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure; The suggestion includes at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The delay mode is one of low, medium, or high.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein The at least one power consumption parameter includes a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a QoS parameter of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein: The power consumption mode is one of low, medium or high, The power consumption type is one of a high power consumption positioning process or a low power consumption positioning process, or Any combination thereof.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein The at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein The suggestions were received from: from the UE in one or more uplink control information (UCI) messages, one or more RRC messages, or one or more medium access control element (MAC-CE) messages, or From a location server in one or more New Radio Positioning Protocol type A NRPPa messages or one or more LTE Positioning Protocol type ALPPs messages.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein The recommendation includes the power state of the UE, the amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

16. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The UE is configured to transition to the second RRC state only after completing the positioning procedure.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: Regardless of whether any RRC inactive state or RRC idle state timer has expired, the UE is refrained from transitioning to the second RRC state during the positioning procedure.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein: Configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or to remain in the first RRC state includes configuring the UE to transition from the second RRC state to the first RRC state, The second RRC state is an RRC idle state, and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or The second RRC state is an RRC connected state, and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

19. A method of communication performed by a location server, comprising: Participate in the positioning process of user equipment UE; and Sending a suggestion to a network entity serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state, wherein the suggestion includes at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning procedure.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein The at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein The at least one power consumption parameter includes a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein The at least one accuracy requirement parameter comprises a QoS parameter specifying an accuracy requirement for the positioning process.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving the suggestion from: From the UE in one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising: A report including the results of the positioning procedure is received from the UE.

25. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: Participate in the positioning process with the location server; sending, via at least one transceiver, a recommendation to a network entity for a positioning procedure to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or to remain in the first RRC state; receiving, in response to the suggestion, a configuration from a network entity via at least one transceiver to transition to a first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state; Transitioning to the first RRC state or remaining in the first RRC state based on the configuration to perform a positioning procedure; as well as When in the first RRC state, performing one or more positioning operations associated with a positioning procedure; The transition to the first RRC state or the maintenance in the first RRC state is based on at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter or a combination thereof for the positioning process.

26. The UE according to claim 25, wherein: When in the first RRC state, the power consumption, delay, accuracy, or a combination thereof of the UE satisfies the at least one power consumption parameter, the at least one delay requirement parameter, the at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for the positioning procedure.

27. The UE according to claim 25, wherein: The recommendation includes the power state of the UE, the amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

28. The UE according to claim 25, wherein The at least one processor is further configured to: transitioning from the second RRC state to the first RRC state, and wherein: The second RRC state is an RRC idle state, and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC connected state, and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state, or The second RRC state is one of an RRC connected state or an RRC idle state, the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the one or more positioning operations include sending one or more uplink positioning reference signals.

29. A network entity comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receiving, via at least one transceiver, a suggestion for a user equipment (UE) to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state for a positioning procedure between the UE and a location server; and Configuring the UE to transition to the first RRC state or remain in the first RRC state for the duration of the positioning procedure; The suggestion includes at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning process.

30. The network entity according to claim 29, wherein: The at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

31. The network entity according to claim 29, wherein: The at least one power consumption parameter includes a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a QoS parameter of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

32. The network entity according to claim 29, wherein: The recommendation includes the power state of the UE, the amount of power consumption available to the UE, or both.

33. The network entity according to claim 29, wherein: The at least one processor configured to configure the UE to transition to or remain in the first RRC state includes the at least one processor configured to configure the UE to transition from the second RRC state to the first RRC state, wherein: The second RRC state is an RRC idle state, and the first RRC state is an RRC idle state, an RRC inactive state, or an RRC connected state, The second RRC state is an RRC inactive state, and the first RRC state is an RRC inactive state or an RRC connected state, or The second RRC state is an RRC connected state, and the first RRC state is an RRC connected state.

34. A location server comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: Participate in the positioning process of user equipment UE; and The method further comprises sending, via the at least one transceiver, a recommendation to a network entity serving the UE for the UE to transition to a first radio resource control (RRC) state or remain in the first RRC state, wherein the recommendation comprises at least one power consumption parameter, at least one delay requirement parameter, at least one accuracy requirement parameter, or a combination thereof for a positioning procedure.

35. The location server of claim 34, wherein: The at least one delay requirement parameter includes a delay pattern of the positioning process, a response time of the positioning process, a start time, an end time or both of the positioning process, a quality of service (QoS) parameter of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

36. The location server of claim 34, wherein: The at least one power consumption parameter includes a power consumption mode of the positioning process, a power consumption type of the positioning process, or any combination thereof.

37. A user equipment (UE), comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

38. A network entity comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 8-18.

39. A location server comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 19-24.

40. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions, the processor-readable instructions causing a processor of a user equipment (UE) to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

41. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions, the processor-readable instructions causing a processor of a network entity to execute the method according to any one of claims 8-18.

42. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions that cause a processor of a location server to perform the method of any one of claims 19-24.

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