Methods and apparatus for positioning enhancements for conditional reconfiguration and handover feature support

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) uses conditional reconfiguration during positioning to improve positioning performance. The UE receives conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station, which includes a list of one or more candidate target base stations and their associated resources for handover. During a positioning session, the UE receives assistance data and determines a target base station for handover based on the list of candidate target base stations and the assistance data. For example, the UE can select a candidate target base station for handover during the positioning session to minimize the number of measurement gaps required for positioning measurements, or to increase bandwidth or minimize self-interference. In the case of a request for timing advance measurements, the UE can select a candidate target base station based on subcarrier spacing to improve measurement resolution.

Description

[0001] 35 U.S.C. § 119 BASIS FOR CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0002] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 125,801, filed December 17, 2020, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING ENHANCEMENTS BASED ON CONDITIONAL RECONFIGURATION AND HANDOVER FEATURE SUPPORT,” which is assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to position determination of mobile devices, and more particularly to using conditional reconfiguration and handover to enhance position determination processing. BACKGROUND

[0004] The position of a mobile device, such as a cellular telephone, can be useful or necessary for many applications, including emergency calls, navigation, direction finding, asset tracking, and Internet services. The position of a mobile device can be estimated based on information collected from various systems. In a cellular network implemented according to 4G (also referred to as fourth generation) Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access or 5G (also referred to as fifth generation) “New Radio” (NR), for example, base stations can transmit positioning reference signals (PRS). Assistance data is transmitted to a mobile device to assist in acquiring and measuring signals and / or computing a position estimate from measurements, which can be used to acquire PRS for position determination. A mobile device that acquires PRS transmitted by different base stations can communicate signal-based measurements to a location server, which can be part of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core Network (5GCN), for computing a position estimate of the mobile device. For example, a UE can generate positioning measurements from downlink (DL) PRS, such as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and Receive and Transmit (RX-TX) time difference measurements, which can be used in various positioning methods, such as Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Departure (AoD), and Multi-Cell Round Trip Time (RTT). Alternatively, a mobile device can compute an estimate of its own position using various positioning methods. Other positioning methods available to a mobile device include using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo, and using Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), in which a network provides assistance data to a mobile device to assist the mobile device in acquiring and measuring GNSS signals and / or computing a position estimate from GNSS measurements.

[0005] Positioning performance of a mobile device can be affected by various factors. For example, in some instances, a mobile device can need to tune away from its serving base station to perform positioning measurements on a neighboring base station, which can cause throughput degradation and impact user experience. Other factors that can affect positioning performance include, for example, self-interference on a particular frequency band, which can deteriorate positioning measurement sensitivity, and numerology and bandwidth of the serving base station. It is desirable to improve positioning performance by eliminating or mitigating the impact of these factors. SUMMARY

[0006] A user equipment (UE) uses conditional reconfiguration to improve positioning performance during positioning. The UE receives conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station, which includes a list of one or more candidate target base stations and associated resources for handover. During a positioning session, the UE receives assistance data and determines a target base station for handover based on the list of candidate target base stations and the assistance data. For example, the UE can select a candidate target base station for handover during the positioning session to minimize the number of measurement gaps required for positioning measurements, or to increase bandwidth or minimize self-interference. In the case of a timing advance measurement, the UE can select a candidate target base station based on subcarrier spacing to improve measurement resolution.

[0007] In one implementation, a method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, performed by the UE, can include receiving, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for handover; receiving assistance data for positioning measurements; determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data; performing handover to the target base station; and performing positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0008] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network is configured to support positioning of the UE, the UE comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in the wireless network; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the wireless transceiver, conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station, the information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for handover; receive, via the wireless transceiver, assistance data for positioning measurements; determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data; perform, via the wireless transceiver, handover to the target base station; and perform, via the wireless transceiver, positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0009] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network configured to support positioning of the UE includes means for receiving, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for a handover; means for receiving assistance data for positioning measurements; means for determining a target base station for the handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data; means for performing the handover to the target base station; and means for performing the positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0010] In one implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code is operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network configured to support positioning of the UE, including program code to receive, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for a handover; program code to receive assistance data for positioning measurements; program code to determine a target base station for the handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data; program code to perform the handover to the target base station; and program code to perform the positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0011] 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 DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the understanding of the various aspects of the disclosure, and are provided solely for illustration of the various aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exemplary wireless network structure in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 3 Block diagrams of a design of a base station and user equipment (UE), which can be one of the base stations and one of the UEs in Figure 1

[0016] Figure 4 is a message flow showing a conditional reconfiguration or handover procedure for a UE.

[0017] Figure 5 is a message flow showing messaging for a positioning session in which a conditional reconfiguration or handover procedure is used to improve positioning performance.

[0018] ​Figure 6 A schematic block diagram showing certain example features of a UE capable of supporting positioning of the UE using conditional reconfiguration or handover procedures is shown.

[0019] Figure 7 A flow diagram of an example method performed by a UE in a wireless network for supporting positioning of the UE is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Various aspects of the disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which are provided for illustration purposes. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure, associated with the disclosure, can not be described or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

[0021] The words “exemplary” and / or “example” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as 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.

[0022] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular applications, in part on the underlying technology, in part on the particular design choices made by a designer, and / or part on any combination thereof.

[0023] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both, and that the disclosed aspects can not be limited to any particular type of

[0024] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, asset tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE can be mobile or (e.g., at certain times) stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be referred to as "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," "mobile device," or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected to one or more external networks such as the Internet and / or other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0025] A base station can operate according to one of several RATs in communication with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and can be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB), and the like. Further, in some systems the base station can provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it can provide additional control and / or network management functions. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel" (TCH) can refer to UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channels.

[0026] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission point or to multiple physical transmission points that can or can not be collocated. For example, where the term “base station” refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point can be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission points can be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-collocated physical transmission points, the physical transmission points can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-collocated physical transmission points can be the serving base station that receives the measurement report from the UE and the neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring.

[0027] To support positioning of UEs, two broad categories of location solutions are defined: control plane and user plane. With control plane (CP) location, signaling related to positioning and location support can be carried over existing network (and UE) interfaces and using existing protocols dedicated for signaling transfer. With user plane (UP) location, signaling related to positioning and location support can be transferred as part of other data using protocols such as Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), and User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

[0028] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has defined control plane location solutions for UEs using radio access according to Global System for Mobile Communications GSM (2G), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) (3G), LTE (4G), and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR). These solutions are defined in 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.271 and 23.273 (general part), 43.059 (GSM access), 25.305 (UMTS access), 36.305 (LTE access), and 38.305 (NR access). The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) similarly defined a user plane location solution called Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) that can be used for UEs that access any of multiple radio interfaces that support IP packet access such as General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) using GSM, GPRS using UMTS, or IP access using LTE or NR.

[0029] Both CP and UP location solutions can use a location server to support positioning. The location server can be part of or accessible from a home network serving the network or the UE, or can simply be accessible over the Internet or a local intranet. If positioning of a UE is needed, the location server can initiate a session with the UE (e.g., a location session or a SUPL session) and coordinate location measurements of the UE and determination of an estimated location of the UE. During a location session, the location server can request positioning capabilities of the UE (or the UE can provide them without a request), can provide assistance data to the UE (e.g., if requested by the UE or without a request), and can request position estimates or location measurements from the UE for various positioning technologies, such as for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Angle of Departure (AoD), Round Trip Time (RTT) or Multi-RTT, Enhanced Cell ID (ECID), or other positioning methods. The UE can use the assistance data to acquire and measure GNSS and / or reference signals (e.g., by providing expected characteristics of these signals, such as frequency, expected time of arrival, signal encoding, signal Doppler).

[0030] In a UE-based mode of operation, the assistance data can also or instead be used by the UE to help determine a position estimate from the resulting location measurements (e.g., if the assistance data provides satellite ephemeris data in the case of GNSS positioning or PRS timing in the case of terrestrial positioning using, e.g., TDOA, AoD, Multi-RTT, etc., along with base station locations and other base station characteristics).

[0031] In a UE-assisted mode of operation, the UE can return location measurements to the location server, which can determine an estimated location of the UE based on these measurements and possibly also based on other known or configured data (e.g., satellite ephemeris data for GNSS position or base station characteristics, including base station locations and possibly PRS timing in the case of terrestrial positioning using, e.g., TDOA, AoD, Multi-RTT, etc.).

[0032] In another independent mode of operation, the UE can make location-related measurements without any positioning assistance data from a location server and can further compute a location or location change without any positioning assistance data from a location server. Positioning methods that can be used in the independent mode include GNSS (e.g., if the UE obtains satellite orbit data from data broadcast by the GNSS satellites themselves) and sensors.

[0033] In the case of 3GPP CP location, the location server can be an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) under LTE access, a standalone SMLC (SAS) under UMTS access, a Serving Mobile Location Center (SMLC) under GSM access, or a Location Management Function (LMF) under 5G NR access. In the case of OMA SUPL location, the location server can be a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), which can act as any of the following: (i) a Home SLP (H-SLP) in or associated with the home network of the UE, or in the case of a permanent subscription for location services provided to the UE; (ii) a Discovered SLP (D-SLP) in or associated with some other (non-home) network, or in the case of no association with any network; (iii) an Emergency SLP (E-SLP) in the case of support for location services initiated by emergency calls by the UE; or (iv) a Visited SLP (V-SLP) if in or associated with the serving network or current local area of the UE.

[0034] During a location session, a location server and a UE can exchange messages defined according to a certain positioning protocol in order to coordinate the determination of an estimated location. Possible positioning protocols can include, for example, the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined by 3GPP in 3GPP TS 36.355, and the LPP Extensions (LPPe) protocol defined by OMA in OMA TSs OMA-TS-LPPe-Vl_0, OMA-TS-LPPe-Vl_l, and OMA-TS-LPPe-V2_0. The LPP and LPPe protocols can be used in combination when LPP messages contain an embedded LPPe message. The combined LPP and LPPe protocol can be referred to as LPP / LPPe. LPP and LPP / LPPe can be used to help support the 3GPP control plane solution for LTE or NR access, in which case LPP or LPP / LPPe messages are exchanged between a UE and an E-SMLC or between a UE and an LMF. LPP or LPPe messages can be exchanged between a UE and an E-SMLC via a serving Mobility Management Entity (MME) and a serving eNodeB for the UE. LPP or LPPe messages can also be exchanged between a UE and an LMF via a serving Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF and a serving NR NodeB (gNB). LPP and LPP / LPPe can also be used to help support the OMA SUPL solution for multiple types of IP messaging enabled wireless access, such as LTE, NR, and WiFi, in which case LPP or LPP / LPPe messages are exchanged between a SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), which is a term used for a UE with SUPL, and an SLP, and can be transported within SUPL messages, such as a SUPL POS or SUPL POS INIT message.

[0035] A location server and a base station (e.g., an eNB for LTE access or a gNB for 5G NR access) can exchange messages to enable the location server to (i) obtain location measurements for a particular UE from the base station, or (ii) obtain location information from the base station that is not related to a particular UE, such as location coordinates for the base station antenna, cells supported by the base station (e.g., cell identities), cell timing for the base station, and / or parameters for signals transmitted by the base station, such as PRS signals. In the case of LTE access, the LPP A (LPPa) protocol can be used to transfer such messages between a base station that is an eNodeB and a location server that is an E-SMLC. In the case of NR access, the NRPPa protocol can be used to transfer such messages between a base station that is a gNodeB and a location server that is an LMF. It should be noted that the terms “parameters” and “information elements” (IEs) are synonymous and can be used interchangeably herein.

[0036] During positioning using signaling in LTE and 5G NR, the UE typically acquires dedicated positioning signals (called Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)) transmitted by base stations, which are used to generate the required measurements for supported positioning techniques. Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) are defined for 5G NR positioning to enable the UE to detect and measure more neighbor base stations or Transmission and Reception Points (TRPs). Several configurations are supported to support various deployments (indoor, outdoor, sub-6, mmW). To support PRS beam operation, beam sweeping is also supported for PRS. Table 1 below illustrates the 3GPP release number (e.g., Release Version.16 or Release Version.15) that defines the specific reference signals used for various UE measurements and accompanying positioning techniques.

[0037]

[0038]

[0039] Table 1

[0040] However, in addition to PRS signals, the UE also receives many other signals that are not intended for positioning. For example, the UE receives control and communication signals such as Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), Tracking Reference Signals (TRSs), Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RSs), and Physical Downlink Shared Channels (PDSCHs), Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRSs), Physical Downlink Control Channels (PDCCHs), Physical Sidelink Shared Channels (PSSCHs), Physical Sidelink Control Channels (PSCCHs). Additionally, the UE can receive downlink signals from base stations and sidelink signals from other UEs.

[0041] To improve mobility performance, conditional handover was defined, for example, in Release Version.16. In high mobility scenarios, conditional handover (sometimes referred to as ‘conditional reconfiguration / handover’) improves mobility performance and reduces Radio Link Failure (RLF) during handover (HO). In the conditional handover mode, the source base station of the UE prepares multiple neighboring base stations that reserve resources for the UE prior to a potential handover. The associated conditional reconfiguration information (e.g., a list of one or more candidate target base stations and associated resources) is provided to the UE in advance (i.e., prior to the need for a handover). Whenever the UE determines that the conditions for ‘conditional reconfiguration / handover’ of one or more base stations are met, the UE can directly access one of the specific target cells and perform the associated configuration, which reduces the delay in the handover procedure and RLF.

[0042] As discussed herein, the UE has multiple candidate target base stations that reserve resources for the UE as part of the conditional reconfiguration information, which provides the UE with an opportunity to switch from the current serving base station to one of the candidate target base stations during the positioning session, such as at the beginning of the positioning session, for example, if the positioning performance would improve. Thus, the UE can perform a handover during the positioning session based on the candidate target base stations and associated resources for the handover received in the conditional reconfiguration information, as well as assistance data received during the positioning session. In some implementations, for example, the UE can determine that the number of measurement gaps (e.g., tune away from the serving base station) required for requested positioning measurements can be reduced by switching to a candidate target base station. The UE can further switch to a target candidate base station to avoid degradation of positioning measurements due to frequency resources associated with the base station (e.g., due to self-interference or positioning measurement sensitivity degradation for frequency resources such as satellite positioning system or to be measured). The UE can further switch to a candidate target base station based on a determined higher throughput (e.g., determined based on bandwidth or number of MIMO layers) associated with one candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations. For example, if the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), the UE can further switch to a target candidate base station based on the associated subcarrier spacing.

[0043] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which can also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WW AN)) can include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station can include eNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to a 5G network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations can include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, etc.

[0044] The base stations 102 can interface with the core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or next generation core (NGC)) and with one or more location servers 172 to form part of a radio access network and to adhere to one or more access regulations. For clarity, the location server 172 is shown as connected to the core network 170, but it is understood that the location server 172 can be within the core network 170 or within the RAN, e.g., co-located with one or more base stations 102 (e.g., as a location server proxy (LSS) or similar). The base stations 102 can perform functions such as one or more of transferring user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages, in addition to other functions. The base stations 102 can communicate with one another directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / NGC) over backhaul links 134, which can be wired or wireless.

[0045] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, a base station 102 can be referred to as a base transceiver station, a radio transceiver, a radio transceiver station, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), or some other similar terminology. Each base station 102 can support one or more cells (not shown). The term “cell” is a logical communication entity used to describe a coverage area of a base station 102 and / or a base station subsystem including hardware and / or software components. Each base station 102 can be associated with a single cell, or can include multiple cells each with one or more physical, geographic areas (e.g., macrocells, microcells, femtocells, etc.). In some cases, the term “cell” can also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station 102 (e.g., a sector) where a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within the geographic coverage area 110.

[0046] Although the geographic coverage area 110 for each of the base stations 102 can overlap in order to provide stronger indoor and / or outdoor coverage, the same frequencies can be reused, thus increasing system capacity. In some aspects, the base stations 102 for a macro cell or cells can operate using different frequencies for concurrent transmissions on the forward and reverse links. In one aspect, a base station 102 can use multiple frequencies for each of the transmissions over the forward link (also referred to as a downlink) and the reverse link (also referred to as an uplink) at different times or at the same time.

[0047] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or less carriers can be allocated for DL than for UL).

[0048] The wireless communications system 100 can further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 can perform clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating, to determine whether the channel is available.

[0049] The small cell base stations 102' can operate in a licensed frequency spectrum or an unlicensed frequency spectrum shared with WLANs. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base stations 102' can employ LTE or 5G technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as the WLAN APs 150. The small cell base stations 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can improve coverage and / or increase capacity of the wireless network. LTE in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can be referred to as LTE-unlicensed (LTE-U), license-assisted access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0050] The wireless communications system 100 can also include millimeter wave (mmW) base stations 180 that can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies in communication with UEs 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths

[0051] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing the 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 (omni-directionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, which provides a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal for the receiving device. To change the direction of the RF signal on transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a “phased array” or “antenna array”) that creates a beam of signals that can be “steered” to point in different directions, without

[0052] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver can increase a gain setting and / or adjust a phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., to increase its gain level) an RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamformed in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is higher relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains 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.

[0053] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). 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 the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by the UE 104 / 182, and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels. The secondary carriers are carriers operating on the second frequencies (e.g., FR2) that can be configured after the RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. The secondary carriers can contain only necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., those that are UE-specific, can not be present in the secondary carriers 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 carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Because a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier on which a certain base station is communicating, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0054] For example, still referring to Figure 1One of the frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell") and other frequencies used by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the 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 doubling of data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to that obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0055] If the UE 104 / 182 has dual connectivity (DC), the radio access node that provides the control plane connection to the core network in the case of multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC) is referred to as the master node, which can be a master eNB in EN-DC, a master ng-eNB in NGEN-DC. The master cell group (MCG) is a group of serving cells associated with the master node, which includes the PCell and optionally one or more SCells. The secondary node is another radio access node that has no control plane connection to the core network and that provides additional resources to the UE in the case of MR-DC, which can be an en-gNB or secondary ng-eNB in EN-DC (in NE-DC). The secondary cell group (SCG) is a group of serving cells associated with the secondary node, which includes the primary secondary cell (PSCell) and optionally one or more SCells. The PSCell is the cell that provides initial access under the SCG.

[0056] The wireless communications system 100 can further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. For example, UE 1 can communicate via a D2D P2 link 192 with one of the UEs 104 and a D2D P2 link 194 with WLAN STA 152. Figure 1 In the example, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 that connects to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., through which the UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 (through which the UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In an example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, etc.

[0057] ​The wireless communications system 100 can further include UE 164, which can be in communication with macro cell base station 102 through the communication link 120 and / or mmW base station 180 through the mmW communication link 184. For example, macro cell base station 102 can support PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0058] Figure 2A An example wireless network structure 200 is shown. For example, the NGC 210 (also referred to as a “5GC”) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP Figure 1 Any of the UEs depicted in FIG. 2). Another optional aspect can include one or more location servers 230a, 230b (sometimes collectively referred to as location server 230), which can correspond to location server 172, that can be in communication with the control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212 in the NGC 210, respectively, to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread on multiple physical servers, etc.), or can alternatively each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Further, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or can alternatively be external to the core network, for example, in the new RAN 220.

[0059] Figure 2BAnother example wireless network structure 250 is shown. For example, the NGC 260 (also referred to as“5GC”) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions, provided by access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, user plane function (UPF) 262, session management function (SMF) 266, SLP 268, and LMF 270, which operate together to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the NGC 260, and specifically to UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNBs 222 can also be connected to the NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF 264 and user plane interface 263 to UPF 262. Further, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, with or without gNBs’ direct connection to the NGC 260. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 can only have one or a subset of gNBs 222 and other configurations include one or a subset of the ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNBs 222 or eNBs 224 can communicate with UEs 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any of the UEs depicted in FIG. 3). The base stations of the New RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 over the N2 interface and with the UPF 262 over the N3 interface.

[0060] Functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a SMF 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and an SMSF (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives an intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (SIM), the AMF retrieves the security material from the AUSF. Functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access-network specific keys. The functions of the AMF also include location management for regulatory services, transport for location services messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270 (which can correspond to the location server 172), as well as between the New RAN 220 and the LMF 270, evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF also supports functions for non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access networks.

[0061] Functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra- / inter-RAT mobility when applicable, acting as a external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to data networks (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in UL and DL, DL data notification, and sending and forwarding of one or more “end markers.”

[0062] Functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the proper destination, control of part of the policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is referred to as the N11 interface.

[0063] Another optional aspect can include an LMF 270, which can be in communication with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance to UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across a plurality of physical servers, etc.), or can alternatively each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated).

[0064] Figure 3 A block diagram of a design 300 of base station 102 and UE 104 is shown, which can be one of the base stations and UEs in Figure 1 The base station 102 can be equipped with T antennas 334a through 334t, and the UE 104 can be equipped with R antennas 352a through 352r, where in general T > 1 and R > 1.

[0065] At the base station 102, a transmit processor 320 can receive data from a data source 312 for one or more UEs, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. The transmit processor 320 can also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and / or the like) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and / or the like), and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 320 can also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 can perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and can provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 332a through 332t. Each modulator 332 can process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM and / or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 332 can further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators 332a through 332t can be transmitted via T antennas 334a through 334t, respectively. According to various aspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals can be generated using location encoding to convey additional information.

[0066] At the UE 104, the antennas 352a through 352r can receive the downlink signals from the base station 102 and / or other base stations and can provide received signals to the demodulators (DEMODs) 354a through 354r, respectively. Each demodulator 354 can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 354 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM and / or the like) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 356 can obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 354a through 354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 can process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 380. The channel processor can determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indicator (CQI), and / or the like. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 104 can be included in a housing.

[0067] On the uplink, at the UE 104, a transmit processor 364 can receive and process data from a data source 362 and control information (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, and / or the like) from the controller / processor 380. The transmit processor 364 can also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 364 can be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 366 if applicable, further processed by the modulators 354a through 354r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, and / or the like), and transmitted to the base station 102. At the base station 102, the uplink signals from the UE 104 and other UEs can be received by the antennas 334, processed by the demodulators 332, detected by a MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 104. The receive processor 338 can provide the decoded data to a data sink 339 and the decoded control information to a controller / processor 340. The base station 102 can include a communication unit 344 and communicate with the location server 172 via the communication unit 344. In some implementations, the location server 172 can be located in the RAN, e.g., co-located with the base station 102. In other implementations, the location server 172 can be located within or connected to the core network, and thus the communication unit 344 can communicate with the location server 172 through various intermediary entities in the core network, such as an AMF. The location server 389 can include a communication unit 394, a controller / processor 390, and a memory 392.

[0068] The controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, the controller 390 of the location server 172, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform one or more techniques associated with broadcasting positioning assistance data, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller 390 of the location server 172, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The memories 342, 382, and 392 can store data and program codes for the base station 102, the UE 104, and the location server 172, respectively. In some aspects, the memory 342 and / or the memory 382 and / or the memory 392 can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the base station 102, the location server 172, and / or the UE 104, can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The scheduler 346 can schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink. Figure 3 Figure 3 The controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, the controller 390 of the location server 172, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform one or more techniques associated with broadcasting positioning assistance data, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller 390 of the location server 172, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The memories 342, 382, and 392 can store data and program codes for the base station 102, the UE 104, and the location server 172, respectively. In some aspects, the memory 342 and / or the memory 382 and / or the memory 392 can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the base station 102, the location server 172, and / or the UE 104, can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The scheduler 346 can schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink. Figure 7 Figure 7 The controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, the controller 390 of the location server 172, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform one or more techniques associated with broadcasting positioning assistance data, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller 390 of the location server 172, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 1 can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The memories 342, 382, and 392 can store data and program codes for the base station 102, the UE 104, and the location server 172, respectively. In some aspects, the memory 342 and / or the memory 382 and / or the memory 392 can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the base station 102, the location server 172, and / or the UE 104, can perform or direct operations of, for example, the process 700 of Fig. 7 and / or other processes as described herein. The scheduler 346 can schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0069] As described above, examples of a process 700 are provided by way of example. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to the examples provided. Figure 3 As described above, examples of a process 700 are provided by way of example. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to the examples provided. Figure 3 As described above, examples of a process 700 are provided by way of example. Other examples can differ from what is described with respect to the examples provided.

[0070] Conditional handover, sometimes referred to as “conditional reconfiguration / handover” in Release 16, has been defined to improve mobility performance and reduce RLF during HO in high mobility scenarios. For conditional handover, a source base station 102 prepares multiple neighboring base stations (which in turn reserve resources for the UE 104 prior to a potential handover) prior to a potential PSCELL change in non-standalone (NSA) mode and handover in standalone (SA) mode. As discussed herein, unless specified otherwise, PSCELL changes in NSA mode and handovers in SA mode are sometimes both referred to as handovers. Prior to any potential handover, the UE 104 is provided with relevant RRC reconfiguration information for each candidate target base station. Whenever the UE 104 determines that the conditions for “conditional reconfiguration / handover” of one or more candidate target base stations are met, the UE 104 can directly access one of the candidate target base stations and perform the relevant configuration (random access channel (RACH) and transmission of an RRC reconfiguration complete message). Using conditional reconfiguration / handover enables handovers and PSCELL changes to be performed with minimal delay and thus helps reduce RLF during the HO procedure in mobility scenarios.​​

[0071] In conditional handover, unlike in the conventional case where one target base station is prepared, multiple candidate target base stations are prepared in the network in advance. The use of multiple candidate target base stations enables the handover command to be sent to the UE 104 while the radio conditions are still good, rather than like the conventional handover procedure when the conditions start to degrade. For conditional handover, the UE 104 stores the handover command upon receiving it, rather than applying the command immediately like in the conventional handover procedure. When the configured handover condition is met in the UE 104, configured in one of the candidate target base stations, the UE 104 can apply the stored handover command, and then the UE 104 performs the handover and connects to the target base station as in a normal (e.g., conventional) handover procedure.

[0072] Figure 4 is a message flow 400 illustrating a conditional reconfiguration or handover procedure of a UE 104 between a source gNB (S-gNB) 102-1 and target gNBs (T-gNBs) 102-2 and 102-3, including communications with a source gateway (S-GW) 402 and an AMF 264. Conditional handover is described, for example, in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.331. The source gNB 102-1 can be a serving base station for the UE 104. It should be understood that while the message flow 400 is described using gNBs 102 and an AMF 264, which is applicable to 5G NR, other radio technologies can be applied to similar procedures, such as LTE with eNBs and MMEs. It should also be understood that the message flow 400 can include more or fewer messages than shown in various implementations of the conditional handover procedure.

[0073] At stage 1, the source gNB 102-1 sends a handover request to one or more candidate target base stations (e.g., target gNBs 102-2 and 102-3) to prepare the candidate target gNBs 102-2 and 102-3 for conditional handover of the UE 104.

[0074] At stage 2, the candidate target gNBs 102-2 and 102-3 reserve resources for the UE 104 prior to potential handover and provide a handover request acknowledgement to the source gNB 102-1.

[0075] At stage 3, the source gNB 102-1 provides an RRC connection reconfiguration message including a conditional reconfiguration information element (IE) to the UE 104. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of candidate target base stations (e.g., T-gNBs 102-2 and 102-3) and their associated resources for conditional handover, which is stored in the UE 104. The UE 104 is also configured with a reconfiguration condition that, when met, triggers the UE 104 to perform an RRC reconfiguration with the associated target base station.

[0076] At stage 4, the UE 104 remains connected with the source gNB 102-1 while evaluating the configured reconfiguration conditions. Once the configured reconfiguration condition is met, the UE 104 is triggered to reconfigure the connection to the candidate target base station 102-2, the UE 104 accesses the target base station 102-2 directly and performs the associated configured RACH procedure.

[0077] At stage 5, the UE 104 sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target gNB 102-2.

[0078] At stage 6, data from the source gateway 402 can be forwarded from the source gNB 102-1 320::processor to the target gNB 102-2.

[0079] At stage 7, the target gNB 102-2 can send a path switch request to the AMF 264.

[0080] At stage 8, the AMF 264 and the source gateway 402 perform bearer modification.

[0081] At stage 9, an end marker packet from the source gateway 402 is forwarded from the source gNB 102-1 to the target gNB 102-2.

[0082] At stage 10, a new path is opened between the source gateway 402 and the target gNB 102-2.

[0083] At stage 11, the AMF 264 sends a path switch request acknowledge to the target gNB 102-2.

[0084] At stage 12, the target gNB 102-2 sends a UE context release message to the source 102-1 to end the handover procedure.

[0085] As described in Figure 4 Using conditional handover enables the execution of the handover from the source base station to the target base station with minimal delay and reduces the RLF during the handover procedure. Moreover, since the conditional reconfiguration list includes a list of one or more target base stations that reserve resources for the UE, the UE 104 has the opportunity to quickly switch to one of the candidate target base stations during the positioning session, such as at the beginning of the positioning session, if the connection to one of the candidate target base stations can improve the positioning performance compared to remaining connected with the default serving (source) base station during the positioning session.

[0086] During a positioning session, the specific assistance data for positioning can contain a list of multiple base stations and associated resources (e.g., timing and frequency of reference signals (e.g., PRS) from the base stations) that the UE 104 will measure and provide to a location server (for UE-assisted positioning) or determine a position estimate that can be provided to a location server (along with positioning measurements in some implementations) (for UE-based positioning). During a positioning session, it can be necessary for the UE 104 to perform measurements using reference signals from neighboring base stations that are on a different frequency than the frequency used by the serving base station 102-1. Thus, the UE 104 can need to request the network (i.e., the serving base station 102-1) to provide measurement gaps (MGs) during which the UE 104 can tune away from the frequency used by the serving base station 102-1 so that the UE 104 can measure reference signals from the neighboring base stations using a different frequency. However, frequent measurement gaps can cause throughput degradation and can impact the user experience of applications running on the UE 104, e.g., applications running on the UE 104 can be adversely affected by the measurement gaps for positioning.

[0087] Thus, in some implementations, during a positioning session (such as at the beginning of a positioning session), the UE 104 can determine whether to perform a handover based on the list of candidate base stations received using the conditions reconfiguration information and the assistance data for positioning. For example, the UE 104 can check the base stations identified in the assistance data and check the specific candidate target base stations in the conditions configuration list and can determine whether the positioning performance can be improved if a handover is performed and can determine the best candidate target base station for positioning performance from the conditions configuration list. For example, the UE 104 can determine which candidate target base station has an operating frequency that includes a frequency associated with the most base stations from the assistance data. By handing over to a candidate target base station that has an operating frequency that includes more base stations than the default serving base station or other candidate target base stations, the UE 104 will need to turn on fewer measurement gaps during the positioning session, thus minimizing throughput degradation during the positioning session.

[0088] Based on the one or more candidate target base stations included in the conditional reconfiguration information and their associated configurations and triggering conditions, the UE 104 can prioritize the candidate target base station cells based on selected criteria, such as minimizing the number of measurement gaps required during the positioning session compared to other target base station cells during the positioning session when multiple target base stations satisfy their associated triggering conditions. For example, the UE 104 can change the specific triggering condition thresholds for one or more target base stations that are strongly prioritized for better positioning based on selected criteria. Accordingly, the UE 104 can switch to the candidate target base stations during the positioning session to improve positioning performance. Once the positioning session is complete, the UE 104 can switch back to the default, i.e., the original serving base station.

[0089] While the number of measurement gaps required for positioning is described as one type of criteria that can be used to perform a switch during a positioning session, multiple other considerations can be taken into account during the positioning session to select a suitable candidate target base station from the conditional configuration list. For example, operating on a particular frequency band can result in self-interference in the UE 104, such as degrading GNSS or one or more frequency sensitivities that need to be measured as part of the assistance data measurements. Based on the information provided in the conditional reconfiguration information for the operating frequencies of all candidate target base stations, the UE 104 can identify one or more candidate target base stations that do not result in any degradation or at least minimize the degradation of other positioning-related measurements performed by the UE 104. The UE 104 can prioritize such candidate target base stations and can actively switch to such candidate target base stations during the positioning session. When the positioning session is complete, the UE 104 can switch back to the default, i.e., the original serving base station.

[0090] In another implementation, the UE 104 can use a higher net throughput as a criterion to perform a switch during a positioning session using the conditional reconfiguration information. For example, the UE 104 can estimate the throughput degradation expected to be generated due to the positioning measurements using the current serving base station (which can be due to multiple measurement gaps during the positioning session) and if greater than a predetermined threshold, the throughput loss can be compensated by selecting a candidate target base station that can offset the throughput degradation by providing a higher net TP. Accordingly, the UE 104 can use the conditional reconfiguration information based on a higher bandwidth to select a target base station for a switch during a positioning session. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 104 can use the conditional reconfiguration information based on support for a higher number of layers or rank to select a target base station for a switch during a positioning session.

[0091] In another implementation, the UE 104 can use a higher subcarrier spacing (SCS) as a criterion for performing a handover during a positioning session using the conditional reconfiguration information. A higher SCS is associated with a higher timing adjustment (TA) granularity, which improves the resolution of TA-based positioning measurements, such as ECID.

[0092] Timing advance is a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) used to control the timing of uplink signal transmissions. A network, e.g., a serving base station, measures the time difference between, for example, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a sounding reference signal (SRS) reception and a subframe time. The base station can send a timing advance command to the UE 104 to change the PUSCH / PUCCH transmission to better align with the subframe timing at the network side. The difference between the time the base station receives the PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS sent by the UE 104 and the subframe time is related to the range or distance between the base station and the UE 104. For example, if the UE 104 is close to the base station, the PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS can arrive at the base station too early, and the timing advance command to the UE instructs a delay transmission, while if the UE 104 is far from the base station, the PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS can arrive at the base station late, and the timing advance command to the UE 104 instructs an early transmission.

[0093] Thus, the timing advance command serves as an indication of the distance between the UE 104 and the base station, which can be used for TA-related positioning measurements, such as ECID. For example, in ECID, the identity (ID) of the serving base station of the UE 104 is provided along with the current timing advance of the UE 104. The location server can know the location of the serving base station and can use the timing advance to estimate the location of the UE 104 based on the distance between the UE 104 and the location of the serving base station.

[0094] The timing advance command in the MAC-CE is a 6-bit field. Therefore, the range of the timing advance value is between 0 and 63, where half of the values are used for advancing the transmission and the other half for delaying the transmission. Therefore, the resolution of the absolute timing advance value is directly proportional to the numerology of the transmission used by the UE on that carrier. The numerology is defined by the subcarrier spacing (width of a subcarrier in the frequency domain) and its cyclic prefix. For example, for LTE, there is only one subcarrier spacing of 15 KHz. On the other hand, 5G R supports UL multiple numerologies from 15 KHz, 30 KHz, 60 KHz to 120 KHz. Therefore, the same timing advance value (e.g., between 0 and 63) will map to a lower absolute timing advance in higher numerologies compared to lower numerologies, which allows for finer timing advance variations at higher numerologies, and accordingly higher numerologies (i.e., higher SCS) will provide a finer resolution of the UE location.

[0095] In 5G R, the UE 105 can operate in multiple modes. For example, the UE 104 can operate using 5G NSA with LTE as the anchor (or MCG) and 5G as the SCG. In this mode, the 5G base station can be for any numerology (i.e., when 15 KHz, 30 KHz, 60 KHz, and 120 KHz), while the LTE will always be 15 KHz numerology. Another mode is 5G SA, where the UE 104 connects to a single NR base station or multiple base stations in carrier aggregation (CA). Another mode is DC (dual connectivity), where the UE can operate in different frequency bands, e.g., FR1 + FR2, where one bearer operates with FR1 and the other bearer operates with FR2.

[0096] Based on knowing the operating frequencies of all candidate target base stations provided in the conditional reconfiguration information, the UE 104 can identify one or more candidate target base stations that will not cause any degradation or at least minimize the degradation of other positioning related measurements to be performed by the UE 104.

[0097] Based on the conditional reconfiguration information provided to the UE 104, which includes a list of one or more candidate target base stations and their associated resources (including subcarrier spacing), and if the assistance data during the positioning session indicates that timing advance measurements are expected, the UE 104 can check the subcarrier spacing of each candidate target base station and prioritize the candidate target base stations with higher SCS (higher numerology) over the candidate target base stations (or serving base station) with lower SCS. Therefore, the UE 104 can switch to a candidate target base station during a positioning session using positioning based on timing advance measurements (such as ECID, etc.) based on the subcarrier spacing.

[0098] In some instances, there can be multiple candidate target base stations with the same numerology. In such instances, the UE 104 can use the frequency of updates of the timing advance value to select the candidate target base station to switch to during the positioning session. For example, the UE 104 can use the“TimeAlignmentTimer” value, which is a value set by the network for each cell that specifies the validity of the TA value, to determine the frequency of updates. Thus, a candidate target base station with a lower“TimeAlignmentTimer” will update its timing advance more frequently than a candidate target base station with a higher“TimeAlignmentTimer,” and more frequent updates of the timing advance will help improve the positioning performance.

[0099] In some implementations, the UE 104 can use both the subcarrier spacing (numerology) and the frequency of updates of the timing advance to generate a list of candidate target base stations that are prioritized during a positioning session that uses TA measurements. Based on knowing the multiple candidate target base stations provided to the UE 104 in the conditional reconfiguration information and their associated configurations and triggering conditions, the UE 104 can prioritize the candidate target base stations with the selected criteria over other cells during the positioning session when the multiple cells satisfy their associated conditions. For example, the UE 104 can change the specific triggering condition threshold of one or more target base stations that are strongly prioritized for better positioning based on the subcarrier spacing or based on the subcarrier spacing and the frequency of updates of the timing advance. Once the positioning session ends, the UE 104 can switch back to the default, i.e., the original serving base station.

[0100] Figure 5 is a message flow 500 illustrating messaging between the LMF 270, the AMF 264, the gNBs 102, and the UE 104 for a positioning session in which a conditional reconfiguration or handover procedure is used to improve positioning performance. The source (serving) gNB 102-1 and the multiple target (neighboring) gNBs 102-2, 102-3, and 102-4 can sometimes be collectively referred to as gNBs 102. Figure 5 The illustrated procedure can be used with DL, UL, or a combination of DL and UL positioning measurements, such as RSTD, RSRP, Rx-Tx time difference measurements for TDOA, AoD, and multi-RTT positioning techniques. It should be understood that while the message flow 500 is described with gNBs 102, AMF 264, and LMF 270, which are applicable for 5G NR, other radio technologies can be applied to similar procedures, such as LTE with eNBs, MME, and E-SMLC or SLP. It should also be understood that the message flow 500 can include more or fewer messages than illustrated in various implementations of a positioning procedure with conditional reconfiguration.

[0101] At stage 1, the source gNB 102-1 provides an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message to the UE 104 that includes a Conditional Reconfiguration IE. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of candidate target base stations (e.g., gNBs 102-2, 102-3, and 102-4) and their associated resources for conditional handover, which are stored in the UE 104. As discussed in Figure 4 the source gNB 102-1 can pre-request each of the candidate target base stations to reserve resources for the UE 104 prior to a potential handover. The UE 104 is also configured with a reconfiguration condition that, when satisfied, triggers the UE 104 to perform an RRC reconfiguration with the associated target base station. The RRC Connection Reconfiguration message can be provided to the UE 104 at any time prior to the start of the positioning procedure shown in Figure 5

[0102] At stage 2, the LMF 270 can request the positioning capabilities of the UE 104 using an LPP Capabilities Transfer procedure via the serving base station 102-1 and various other intermediary entities such as the AMF 264.

[0103] At stage 3, the UE 104 can send an LPP Provide Capabilities message and provide the positioning capabilities of the UE 104 to the LMF 270 via the serving base station 102-1 and various other intermediary entities such as the AMF 264.

[0104] At stage 4, the LMF 270 can prepare an LPP Provide Assistance Data message and send the LPP Provide Assistance Data message to the UE 104 via the serving base station 102-1 and various other intermediary entities such as the AMF 264. The assistance data in the LPP Provide Assistance Data message can include a list of one or more gNBs and associated resources, and the types of positioning measurements (such as DL RSTD, DL RSRP, Rx-Tx time difference, etc.) to be performed for the reference signals provided by the gNBs, as well as satellite positioning system measurements. In some implementations, the assistance data can additionally or alternatively indicate that TA-based measurements are intended for TA-based positioning methods such as ECID, although in some implementations TA-based measurements can not require an explicit indication in the assistance data.

[0105] ​At stage 5, the UE 104 determines whether to perform a handover from the serving gNB 102-1 based on the list of candidate target gNBs 102-2, 102-3, 102-4 received in the conditional reconfiguration information at stage 1 and the assistance data received at stage 4. For example, as discussed above, the UE can determine whether to perform a handover to improve positioning performance based on criteria such as a reduction in the number of measurement gaps required for positioning measurements, a minimization of self-interference caused by a particular frequency band, an increase in throughput using a higher bandwidth, support for a higher number of layers or rank, or based on a higher subcarrier spacing or based on an updated frequency of timing advance measurements if the timing advance is expected to be performed with one or more of the gNBs in the assistance data, and if so, determine to which of the candidate target gNBs to handover. For example, the UE 104 can determine a candidate target gNB that minimizes the number of measurement gaps required for positioning measurements with one or more of the gNBs in the assistance data, and can select the candidate target gNB as the target gNB for handover based on minimizing the number of measurement gaps. For example, which target gNB minimizes the number of measurement gaps can be determined based on matching the frequency resources associated with the candidate target gNB to the frequency resources associated with the gNBs in the assistance data. When multiple candidate target gNBs satisfy their associated trigger conditions, the UE 104 can prioritize one or more of the candidate target gNBs for handover, for example, based on minimizing the number of measurement gaps or other criteria. For example, the UE 104 can change the trigger condition threshold associated with the selected candidate target gNB. In another example, the UE 104 can identify frequency resources associated with a candidate target gNB that degrades positioning measurements, for example, by identifying a frequency band that causes self-interference or causes a degradation in satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resource sensitivity, and can select a candidate target gNB that will minimize the degradation in positioning measurements. In another example, the UE 104 can estimate whether an expected degradation in throughput due to using the current serving base station 102-1 for positioning measurements is greater than a predetermined threshold, and if so, can select a candidate target gNB that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target gNBs (e.g., determined based on a relative bandwidth of the candidate target gNB and / or a relative number of MIMO layers of the candidate target gNB). In another example, where the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), such as for ECID, the UE 104 can select a candidate target gNB that has a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target gNBs. Where multiple candidate target gNBs have the same subcarrier spacing, the UE 104 can select a candidate target gNB based on an updated frequency of timing advance.

[0106] At stages 6 and 7, when the UE 104 determines that a handover should be initiated, the UE 104 accesses the selected target base station 102-2 directly and performs the associated configuration RACH procedure, and sends an RRC connection reconfiguration complete message to the target gNB 102-2, as discussed in stages 4 and 5 of FIG. 2. Figure 4 The remaining handover procedures can be completed as shown in stages 6-12 of FIG. 2. Figure 4

[0107] At stage 8, the LMF 270 sends an LPP Request Location Information message to the UE 104 via the new serving base station 102-2 and various other intermediary entities such as the AMF 264. The LPP Request Location Information message requests positioning information, e.g., positioning measurements such as RSTD, RSRP, Rx-Tx time difference measurements for TDOA, AoD, and multi-RTT, or TA measurements, or TA-based positioning techniques such as ECID.

[0108] At stage 9, the UE 104 can perform downlink positioning measurements using DL reference signals from one or more gNBs 102, and can provide UL reference signals for measurements to the gNBs, or can obtain a current TA value from the serving gNB 102-2.

[0109] At an optional stage 10, the UE 104 can determine a position estimate based on the positioning measurements from stage 9, e.g., if the LMF 270 requested a UE-based position.

[0110] At stage 11, the UE 104 sends an LPP Provide Location Information message to the LMF 270 via the new serving base station 102-2 and various other intermediary entities such as the AMF 264. The Provide Location Information message can include the positioning measurements obtained by the UE 104 at stage 9 and / or the position estimate obtained at stage 10. If the gNBs 102 performed UL measurements, the gNBs 102 likewise will provide the LMF 270 with the position measurements.

[0111] At stage 12, the LMF 270 can determine a position estimate for the UE 104 using the positioning measurements reported in stage 11 and the corresponding positioning techniques, or validate a position estimate if provided by the UE in stage 11.

[0112] After the positioning session has ended, the UE 104 can optionally hand back to the default, i.e., original serving gNB 110-1. ​

[0113] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain example features of a UE 600, e.g., which can be a UE 104 as illustrated in FIG. 1, capable of supporting positioning of a UE using conditional reconfiguration information, as described herein. The UE 600 can perform the message flows illustrated in FIGs. Figure 1 Figure 4 and Figure 5 and the processing flows illustrated in FIGs. Figure 7 The UE 600 can include one or more processors 602, memory 604, an external interface such as a transceiver 610 (e.g., a wireless network interface) operably coupled with one or more connections 606 (e.g., buses, lines, fibers, links, etc.) to a non-transitory computer readable medium 620 and the memory 604. The UE 600 can further include additional items not shown, such as a user interface, which can include, for example, a display, a keyboard or other input device (such as a virtual keyboard on the display) through which a user can interface with the UE or satellite positioning system receiver. In certain example implementations, all or part of the UE 600 can take the form of a chipset and / or the like. The transceiver 610 can include, for example, a transmitter 612 capable of transmitting one or more signals over one or more types of wireless communication networks, and a receiver 614 capable of receiving one or more signals transmitted over one or more types of wireless communication networks.

[0114] In some embodiments, the UE 600 can include an antenna 611, which can be internal or external. The UE antenna 611 can be used to transmit and / or receive signals that are processed by the transceiver 610. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 611 can be coupled to the transceiver 610. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by the UE 600 can be performed at the point of connection of the UE antenna 611 and the transceiver 610. For example, the measurement reference point for receiving (transmitting) RF signal measurements can be the input (output) terminal of the receiver 614 (transmitter 612) and the output (input) terminal of the UE antenna 611. In a UE 600 with multiple UE antennas 611 or antenna arrays, the antenna connector can be considered a virtual point representing the aggregated output (input) of multiple UE antennas. In some embodiments, the UE 600 can measure received signals including signal strength and TOA measurements, and the raw measurements can be processed by the one or more processors 602.

[0115] ​The one or more processors 602 can be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer readable medium such as the medium 620 and / or memory 604. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 602 can represent one or more circuits configured to perform at least a portion of the data signal computing processes or procedures associated with the operation of the UE 600.

[0116] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 can store instructions or program code 608 that contains executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 602, cause the one or more processors 602 to operate as a special purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in the UE 600, the medium 620 and / or memory 604 can include one or more components or modules that can be implemented by the one or more processors 602 to perform the methods described herein. While the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 620 that is executed by the one or more processors 602, it should be understood that the components or modules can be stored in the memory 604 or can be special purpose hardware within the one or more processors 602 or external to the processors. Multiple software modules and data tables can reside in the medium 620 and / or memory 604 and be utilized by the one or more processors 602 as needed to manage communication and the functions described herein. It should be appreciated that the organization of the content of the medium 620 and / or memory 604 as shown in the UE 600 is merely exemplary and therefore the functionality of the modules and / or data structures can be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending upon the implementation of the UE 600.

[0117] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 can include a positioning session module 622 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to participate in a positioning session for the UE. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to participate in the positioning session by providing positioning capabilities to a location server via the transceiver 610. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to receive positioning assistance data from the location server and / or a serving base station via the transceiver 610. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to perform positioning measurements, e.g., using the transceiver 610. The one or more processors 602 can also be configured to generate a position estimate based on the positioning measurements. The one or more processors 602 can provide a measurement information report to the location server via the transceiver 610.

[0118] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 can include a conditional reconfiguration module 624 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 for conditional reconfiguration and handover. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to receive conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station including a list of candidate target base stations and associated resources for handover, e.g., including signaling configurations and reconfiguration conditions for triggering a reconfiguration connection. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to store the conditional reconfiguration information, e.g., in the memory 604 or other memory. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to evaluate the reconfiguration conditions for each candidate target base station and, when triggered to access a target base station, perform an associated configured RACH procedure. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to prioritize selected candidate target base stations, e.g., by changing the triggering condition threshold values associated with the candidate target base stations.

[0119] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 can include a handoff positioning module 626 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to perform conditional reconfiguration and handoff during a positioning session. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a target base station for handoff based on a list of candidate target base stations and assistance data received during a positioning session. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data and select the candidate target base station for handoff. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps by matching frequency resources associated with the candidate target base station and base stations identified in the assistance data. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a target base station for handoff, for example, by identifying a candidate target base station associated with a frequency resource that would degrade positioning measurements, such as by identifying a frequency band that causes self-interference or causes satellite positioning system measurement or frequency resource sensitivity degradation to be measured, and can select the candidate target base station that would minimize degradation of positioning measurements. The one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a target base station for handoff, for example, by selecting a candidate target base station that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations, such as based on a relative bandwidth of the candidate target base stations and / or which candidate target base station supports a higher number of MIMO layers or rank. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to estimate a throughput degradation expected to result from using positioning measurements of a serving base station and, if greater than a predetermined threshold, can determine a target base station for handoff based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data. For example, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a target base station for handoff by selecting a candidate target base station having a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations (e.g., for timing advance positioning measurements). In a case where multiple candidate target base stations have the same associated subcarrier spacing, the one or more processors 602 can be configured to determine a target base station for handoff by selecting a candidate target base station having a more frequent timing advance than other candidate target base stations.

[0120] The methods described herein can be implemented in a variety of ways, according to application. For example, these methods can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, one or more processors 602 can implement one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0121] For firmware and / or software, the methods can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine readable medium tangibly embodying instructions can be used in implementation of the methods described herein. For example, software codes can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 or memory 604 that is connected to or otherwise accessible by one or more processors 602 and executed by them. The memory can be implemented within the one or more processors or external to the one or more processors. As used herein, the term “memory” refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other memory and is not limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.

[0122] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as medium 620 and / or memory 604. Examples include computer readable media encoded with a data structure encoded with a computer program 608. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code 608 stored thereon can include program code 608 to support positioning of a UE using conditional reconfiguration or switching in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Non-transitory computer-readable media 620 includes physical computer storage media. A storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 608 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact discs (CD), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVD), floppy disks and Blu-ray discs 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.

[0123] In addition to storage on computer-readable medium 620, instructions and / or data can be provided as signals on transmission media included in a communication apparatus. For example, a communication apparatus can include a transceiver 610 having signals indicative of instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication apparatus includes transmission media with signals that specify or

[0124] Memory 604 can be representative of any data storage mechanism. Memory 604 can include, for example, a primary memory and / or a secondary memory. A primary memory can include, for example, a random access memory, read-only memory, etc. While shown as being separate from the one or more processors 602 in this example, it is to be understood that all or a portion of a primary memory can be provided within or otherwise co-located with the one or more processors 602. A secondary memory can include, for example, memory of the same or similar type as the primary memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a disk drive, optical storage, tape storage, solid-state storage, etc.

[0125] In certain implementations, the secondary memory is operable to accept or otherwise configured to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 620. Thus, in certain example implementations, the methods and / or apparatuses illustrated herein can take the form of all or portions of the computer-readable medium 620, which can include computer- implementable code 608 stored thereon that, if executed by the one or more processors 602, is operable to enable performance of all or portions of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 620 can be a portion of the memory 604.

[0126] Figure 7 A flow diagram illustrating an example method 700 performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network for supporting positioning of the UE, such as the UE 104, is shown, which is performed in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementations.

[0127] At block 702, the UE receives conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for a handover, e.g., as discussed in Stage 1 of Figure 5 Figure 6 A component for receiving conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for a handover can include the wireless transceiver 610 and the one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the conditional reconfiguration module 624 in the UE 600 shown in

[0128] ​At block 704, the UE receives assistance data for positioning measurements, e.g., as discussed in Stage 4 of Figure 5 . Means for receiving assistance data for positioning measurements can include the wireless transceiver 610 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the positioning session module 622 in the UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0129] At block 706, the UE determines a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data; and, e.g., as discussed in Stage 5 of Figure 5 . Means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in the UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0130] At block 708, the UE performs handover to the target base station, e.g., as discussed in Stages 6 and 7 of Figure 5 . Means for performing handover to the target base station can include the wireless transceiver 610 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the conditional reconfiguration module 624 in the UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0131] At block 710, the UE performs positioning measurements based on the assistance data, e.g., as discussed in Stage 9 of Figure 5 . Means for performing positioning measurements based on the assistance data can include the wireless transceiver 610 and one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the positioning session module 622 in the UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0132] In one implementation, the UE determines a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by determining candidate target base stations that minimize a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data, and selecting the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps as the target base station for handover, e.g., as discussed in Stage 5 of Figure 5discussed in stage 5 of FIG. 14. For example, determining the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps can be based on matching frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target base station and frequency resources associated with the one or more base stations identified in the assistance data. Means for determining the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps needed to perform positioning measurements with the one or more base stations identified in the assistance data can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in the UE 600 shown in FIG. 13B. Figure 6 Means for selecting the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps as the target base station for handover can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in the UE 600 shown in FIG. 13B. Figure 6

[0133] In some implementations, the conditional reconfiguration information can include a trigger condition associated with the at least one candidate target base station for handover, and the UE can prioritize the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps relative to other candidate target base stations when multiple candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions, for example as discussed in stage 5 of FIG. 14. Means for prioritizing the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps relative to other candidate target base stations when multiple candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the conditional reconfiguration module 624 and the handover positioning module 626 in the UE 600 shown in FIG. 13B. Figure 5 Figure 6 For example, the candidate target base station can be prioritized by the UE changing the trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps, for example as discussed in stage 5 of FIG. 14. Means for changing the trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions implemented in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the conditional reconfiguration module 624 and the handover positioning module 626 in the UE 600 shown in FIG. 13B. Figure 5 Figure 6

[0134] ​​​​In one implementation, the UE can determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by identifying frequency resources associated with candidate target base stations that would cause a degradation of positioning measurements, e.g., as discussed in stage 5 of Figure 5 . The means for identifying frequency resources associated with candidate target base stations that would cause a degradation of positioning measurements can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 6 . The means for selecting candidate target base stations that would minimize a degradation of positioning measurements can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 6 . For example, the UE can identify frequency resources associated with candidate target base stations that would cause a degradation of positioning measurements by identifying frequency bands that cause self-interference or cause a sensitivity degradation of satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resources to be measured, e.g., as discussed in stage 5 of Figure 5 . The means for identifying frequency bands that cause self-interference or cause a sensitivity degradation of satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resources to be measured can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0135] In one implementation, the UE can determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by selecting candidate target base stations that provide a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations, e.g., as discussed in stage 5 of Figure 5 . For example, the UE can estimate a throughput degradation expected to result from using the positioning measurements of the serving base station and determine that it is greater than a predetermined threshold, and in response, determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data. The higher net throughput can be determined based on a bandwidth of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations or based on a number of frequency layers supported by the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations, for example. The means for selecting candidate target base stations that provide a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or executing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as the handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 6 .

[0136] In one implementation, the positioning measurements can be related to timing advance (TA). For example, the positioning measurements related to TA can be enhanced cell ID positioning measurements. By selecting a candidate target base station having a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations, the UE can determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data, e.g., as discussed in stage 5 of Figure 5 . The means for selecting a candidate target base station having a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implemented with executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 6 . In some implementations, multiple candidate target base stations can have a higher associated subcarrier spacing, and by selecting a candidate target base station having a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations, the UE 104 can determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data, e.g., as discussed in stage 5 of Figure 6 . The means for selecting a candidate target base station having a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations can include one or more processors 602 with dedicated hardware or implemented with executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as handover positioning module 626 in UE 600 shown in Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 6 Figure .

[0137] Reference throughout the specification to“one example”,“an example”,“certain examples” or“exemplary implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the feature and / or example can be included in at least one feature and / or example of claimed subject matter. Thus, the appearance of the phrase“in one example”,“an example”,“in certain examples” or“in certain implementations” or other similar phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same feature, example and / or limitation. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in one or more examples and / or features.

[0138] Some portions of the detailed description included herein are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital signals stored as bits or other values in memory of specific devices or special purpose computing devices or platforms. In the context of this particular specification, the term specific device or the like refers to a general purpose computer, once it is programmed to perform particular operations pursuant to instructions from program software. The algorithmic descriptions or symbolic representations are examples of techniques used by those of ordinary skill in the signal processing or related arts to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is generally considered to be a self-consistent sequence of operations or similar signal processing leading to a desired result. In this context, operations or processing involves physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, although not necessarily, such quantities can take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerals, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the discussion herein, it is appreciated that throughout this specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining" or the like refer to actions or processes of a specific device, such as a special purpose computer, special purpose computing apparatus or a like special purpose electronic computing device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special purpose computer or a like special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within memories, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0139] In the foregoing detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the claimed subject matter can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods and apparatuses have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the claimed subject matter.

[0140] The terms "and", "or", and "and / or" as used herein can include a variety of meanings that also are found in the usage of these terms in this field of technology. Typically, "or" if used to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as well as A, B or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular or can be used to describe a plurality or some other combination of features, structures or characteristics. It should be noted, however, that this is merely an illustrative example and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example.

[0141] While there have been shown and described and pointed out fundamental novel features as applied to example embodiments, it will be understood that various other modifications can be made of the above-described embodiments, and their equivalents, without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Further, it is intended that all connections between the various elements be functional connections that allow circuits to operate, i.e., that the use of the term "connected" to describe one part connecting to another means that the parts are in operative and functional connection, permitting the circuits to perform their intended functions. The numerous innovative teachings specifically pointed out in the art and claims with particularity are to be construed to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0142] Implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0143] Clause 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network for supporting positioning of the UE, the method comprising:

[0144] receiving, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for a handover;

[0145] receiving assistance data for positioning measurements;

[0146] determining a target base station for the handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data;

[0147] performing the handover to the target base station; and

[0148] performing positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0149] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein determining a target base station for the handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0150] determining a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data; and

[0151] selecting the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps as the target base station for the handover.

[0152] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps is determined based on a match of frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target base station and frequency resources associated with the one or more base stations identified in the assistance data.

[0153] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 2 or 3, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further includes trigger conditions associated with the at least one candidate target base station for the handover, the method further comprising:

[0154] prioritizing the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps over other candidate target base stations when multiple candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions.

[0155] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein prioritizing the candidate target base stations comprises changing a triggering condition threshold associated with a candidate target base station that would minimize a number of measurement gaps.

[0156] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1-5, wherein determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0157] identifying frequency resources associated with a candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements; and

[0158] selecting a candidate target base station that would minimize degradation of positioning measurements.

[0159] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein identifying frequency resources associated with a candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements comprises identifying a frequency band that causes self-interference or causes satellite positioning system measurement or to-be-measured frequency resource sensitivity to worsen.

[0160] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1-7, wherein determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises selecting a candidate target base station that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0161] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, further comprising estimating a throughput degradation due to use of positioning measurements by the serving base station, and determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data if the throughput degradation is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0162] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 8 or 9, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a bandwidth of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0163] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 8-10, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0164] Clause 12. The method of clause 1, wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), and wherein determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises selecting a candidate target base station that has a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations.

[0165] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the TA-related positioning measurements are enhanced cell-ID positioning measurements.

[0166] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 12 or 13, wherein the plurality of candidate target base stations have a higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data further comprises: selecting a candidate target base station having a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations.

[0167] Clause 15. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network configured to support positioning of the UE, the UE comprising:

[0168] a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in the wireless network;

[0169] at least one memory;

[0170] at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

[0171] receive, via the wireless transceiver, conditional reconfiguration information from a serving base station, the conditional reconfiguration information comprising a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for handover;

[0172] receive, via the wireless transceiver, assistance data for positioning measurements;

[0173] determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data;

[0174] perform, via the wireless transceiver, a handover to the target base station; and

[0175] perform, via the wireless transceiver, positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0176] Clause 16. The UE of clause 15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by being configured to:

[0177] determine a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data; and

[0178] select the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps as the target base station for handover.

[0179] Clause 17. The UE of clause 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps by being configured to match frequency resources associated with at least one candidate target base station and frequency resources associated with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data.

[0180] Clause 18. The UE of any of clauses 16 or 17, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further comprises a trigger condition associated with the at least one candidate target base station for handover, and the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0181] prioritize the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps over other candidate target base stations when the plurality of candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions.

[0182] Clause 19. The UE of clause 18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to prioritize the candidate target base stations by being configured to change a trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps.

[0183] Clause 20. The UE of any of clauses 15 to 19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data by being configured to:

[0184] identify frequency resources associated with the candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements; and

[0185] select the candidate target base station that would minimize degradation of positioning measurements.

[0186] Clause 21. The UE of clause 20, wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the frequency resources associated with the candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements by being configured to identify a frequency band that causes self-interference or causes sensitivity degradation of satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resources to be measured.

[0187] Clause 22. The UE of any of clauses 15 to 21, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data by being configured to select the candidate target base station that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0188] Clause 23. The UE of clause 22, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to estimate a throughput degradation due to using positioning measurements of the serving base station, and determine the target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data if the throughput degradation is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0189] Clause 24. The UE of any of clauses 22 or 23, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a bandwidth of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0190] Clause 25. The UE of any of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0191] Clause 26. The UE of clause 15, wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), and wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by being configured to select a candidate target base station having a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations.

[0192] Clause 27. The UE of clause 26, wherein the TA-related positioning measurements are enhanced cell-ID positioning measurements.

[0193] Clause 28. The UE of any of clauses 26 or 27, wherein multiple candidate target base stations have a higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data by being configured to select a candidate target base station having a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations.

[0194] Clause 29. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network configured to support positioning of the UE, the UE comprising:

[0195] means for receiving, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information including a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for handover;

[0196] means for receiving assistance data for positioning measurements;

[0197] means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data;

[0198] means for performing handover to the target base station; and

[0199] means for performing positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0200] Clause 30. The UE of clause 29, wherein the means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0201] means for determining a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data; and

[0202] means for selecting a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps as a target base station for handover.

[0203] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein the means for determining a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps comprises means for matching frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target base station to frequency resources associated with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data.

[0204] Clause 32. The UE of any of clauses 30 or 31, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further comprises a trigger condition associated with the at least one candidate target base station for handover, the UE further comprising:

[0205] means for prioritizing a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps relative to other candidate target base stations when the plurality of candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions.

[0206] Clause 33. The UE of clause 32, wherein the means for prioritizing the candidate target base stations comprises means for changing a trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps.

[0207] Clause 34. The UE of clause 29, wherein the means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0208] means for identifying frequency resources associated with a candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements; and

[0209] means for selecting a candidate target base station that minimizes degradation of positioning measurements.

[0210] Clause 35. The UE of clause 34, wherein the means for identifying frequency resources associated with a candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements comprises means for identifying a frequency band that causes self-interference or causes satellite positioning system measurement or to-be-measured frequency resource sensitivity degradation.

[0211] Clause 36. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 35, wherein the means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises means for selecting a candidate target base station that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0212] Clause 37. The UE of clause 36, further comprising means for estimating a throughput degradation due to use of positioning measurements of the serving base station, wherein the target base station for handover is determined based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data if the throughput degradation is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0213] Clause 38. The UE of any of clauses 36 or 37, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a bandwidth of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0214] Clause 39. The UE of any of clauses 36-38, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0215] Clause 40. The UE of clause 29, wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), and wherein the means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises means for selecting a candidate target base station having a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations.

[0216] Clause 41. The UE of clause 40, wherein the TA-related positioning measurements are enhanced cell-ID positioning measurements.

[0217] Clause 42. The UE of any of clauses 40 or 41, wherein multiple candidate target base stations have a higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein the means for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data further comprises means for selecting a candidate target base station having a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations.

[0218] Clause 43. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code is operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning of the UE in a wireless network, comprising:

[0219] program code to receive, from a serving base station, conditional reconfiguration information comprising a list of at least one candidate target base station and associated resources for handover;

[0220] program code to receive assistance data for positioning measurements;

[0221] program code to determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data;

[0222] program code to perform a handover to the target base station; and

[0223] program code to perform positioning measurements based on the assistance data.

[0224] Clause 44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 43, wherein the program code for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0225] program code for determining a candidate target base station that minimizes a number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements with one or more base stations identified in the assistance data; and

[0226] program code for selecting the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps as the target base station for handover.

[0227] Clause 45. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 44, wherein the program code for determining a candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps comprises program code for matching frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target base station and frequency resources associated with the one or more base stations identified in the assistance data.

[0228] Clause 46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 44 or 45, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further comprises a trigger condition associated with the at least one candidate target base station for handover, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising:

[0229] program code for prioritizing the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps relative to other candidate target base stations when the multiple candidate target base stations satisfy their associated trigger conditions.

[0230] Clause 47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 46, wherein the program code for prioritizing the candidate target base stations comprises program code for changing a trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target base station that minimizes the number of measurement gaps.

[0231] Clause 48. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-47, wherein the program code for determining a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and the assistance data comprises:

[0232] program code for identifying frequency resources associated with the candidate target base station that would degrade positioning measurements; and

[0233] program code for selecting the candidate target base station that minimizes degradation of positioning measurements.

[0234] Clause 49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 48, wherein the program code to identify frequency resources associated with candidate target base stations that would cause the positioning measurements to be degraded comprises program code to identify frequency bands that cause self-interference or cause sensitivity degradation of satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resources to be measured.

[0235] Clause 50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 43-49, wherein the program code to determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data comprises program code to select a candidate target base station that provides a higher net throughput relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0236] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 50, further comprising program code to estimate a throughput degradation due to use of positioning measurements of the serving base station, and determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data if the throughput degradation is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0237] Clause 52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 51, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a bandwidth of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0238] Clause 53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 51 or 52, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on a number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target base station relative to other candidate target base stations.

[0239] Clause 54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 43, wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA), and wherein the program code to determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data comprises program code to select a candidate target base station that has a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target base stations.

[0240] Clause 55. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 54, wherein the TA-related positioning measurements are enhanced cell-ID positioning measurements.

[0241] Clause 56. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 54 or 55, wherein multiple candidate target base stations have a higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein the program code to determine a target base station for handover based on the list of at least one candidate target base station and assistance data further comprises program code to select a candidate target base station that has a more frequent TA than other candidate target base stations.

[0242] Accordingly, it is intended that the subject matter of the application not be limited to the particular examples disclosed, but rather that such subject matter can include all aspects falling within the scope of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method for supporting the positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising: Receive from the serving network node a list of at least one candidate target network node and conditional reconfiguration information for the associated resources used for switching; Receive auxiliary data used for positioning measurements; Identify candidate target network nodes that minimize the number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements using one or more network nodes identified in the auxiliary data; The candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps is selected as the target network node for switching. Perform the handover to the target network node; and The positioning measurement is performed based on the auxiliary data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps is based on matching the frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target network node with the frequency resources associated with the one or more network nodes identified in the auxiliary data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further includes a triggering condition associated with the at least one candidate target network node used for the handover, the method further comprising: When multiple candidate target network nodes meet their associated triggering conditions, the candidate target network nodes that minimize the number of measurement gaps are prioritized relative to other candidate target network nodes.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein prioritizing the candidate target network nodes includes: Change the trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps.

5. A method for supporting the positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising: Receive from the serving network node a list of at least one candidate target network node and conditional reconfiguration information for the associated resources used for switching; Receive auxiliary data for positioning measurements; identify frequency resources associated with candidate target network nodes that will degrade the positioning measurements, wherein identifying frequency resources associated with candidate target network nodes that will degrade the positioning measurements includes identifying frequency bands that cause self-interference or degrade the sensitivity of satellite positioning system measurements or frequency resources to be measured; Select the candidate target network node that minimizes the degradation of the positioning measurement as the target network node for the switching; Perform the handover to the target network node; and The positioning measurement is performed based on the auxiliary data.

6. A method for supporting the positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising: Receive from the serving network node a list of at least one candidate target network node and conditional reconfiguration information for the associated resources used for switching; Receive auxiliary data used for positioning measurements; Estimate the throughput degradation caused by the use of location measurements from the service network nodes; If the throughput degradation is greater than a predetermined threshold, the target network node for the switch is determined by selecting a candidate target network node that provides higher net throughput relative to other candidate target network nodes. Perform the handover to the target network node; and The positioning measurement is performed based on the auxiliary data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on the bandwidth of the candidate target network node relative to the other candidate target network nodes.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target network node relative to the other candidate target network nodes.

9. A method for supporting the positioning of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, the method comprising: Receive from the serving network node a list of at least one candidate target network node and conditional reconfiguration information for the associated resources used for switching; Receive auxiliary data for positioning measurements, wherein the positioning measurements are related to timing advance (TA). Select a candidate target network node that has a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target network nodes as the target network node for the handover; Perform the handover to the target network node; and The positioning measurement is performed based on the auxiliary data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the positioning measurement associated with the TA corresponds to an enhanced cell ID positioning measurement.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of candidate target network nodes have the higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein selecting the candidate target network node having the higher associated subcarrier spacing than the other candidate target network nodes further comprises: Select a candidate target network node that has a more frequent TA than the other candidate target network nodes.

12. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, configured to support location services for the UE, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the wireless transceiver, is configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Conditional reconfiguration information is received from the serving network node via the wireless transceiver. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of at least one candidate target network node and associated resources for switching. Receive auxiliary data for positioning measurements via the wireless transceiver; Identify candidate target network nodes that minimize the number of measurement gaps required to perform positioning measurements using one or more network nodes identified in the auxiliary data; The candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps is selected as the target network node for switching. The handover to the target network node is performed via the wireless transceiver; and Positioning measurements are performed via the wireless transceiver based on the auxiliary data.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps by matching frequency resources associated with the at least one candidate target network node with frequency resources associated with the one or more network nodes identified in the auxiliary data.

14. The UE of claim 12, wherein the conditional reconfiguration information further includes a triggering condition associated with the at least one candidate target network node for the handover, and the at least one processor is further configured to: When multiple candidate target network nodes meet their associated triggering conditions, the candidate target network nodes that minimize the number of measurement gaps are prioritized relative to other candidate target network nodes.

15. The UE of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to prioritize the candidate target network nodes by being configured to change a trigger condition threshold associated with the candidate target network node that minimizes the number of measurement gaps.

16. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, configured to support location services for the UE, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the wireless transceiver, is configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Conditional reconfiguration information is received from the serving network node via the wireless transceiver. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of at least one candidate target network node and associated resources for switching. Receive auxiliary data for positioning measurements via the wireless transceiver; The at least one processor is configured to identify frequency resources associated with candidate target network nodes that will degrade the positioning measurement by identifying frequency bands that cause self-interference or degrade the sensitivity of the satellite positioning system measurement or the frequency resource to be measured. Select the candidate target network node that minimizes the degradation of the positioning measurement as the target network node for the switching; The handover to the target network node is performed via the wireless transceiver; and Positioning measurements are performed via the wireless transceiver based on the auxiliary data.

17. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, configured to support location services for the UE, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the wireless transceiver, is configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Conditional reconfiguration information is received from the serving network node via the wireless transceiver. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of at least one candidate target network node and associated resources for switching. Receive auxiliary data for positioning measurements via the wireless transceiver; Select the candidate target network node that provides higher net throughput compared to other candidate target network nodes; The handover to the target network node is performed via the wireless transceiver; and Positioning measurements are performed via the wireless transceiver based on the auxiliary data.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on the bandwidth of the candidate target network node relative to the other candidate target network nodes.

19. The UE of claim 17, wherein the higher net throughput is determined based on the number of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) layers of the candidate target network node relative to the other candidate target network nodes.

20. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, configured to support location services for the UE, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in the wireless network; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the wireless transceiver, is configured to execute the instructions to cause the UE to: Conditional reconfiguration information is received from the serving network node via the wireless transceiver. The conditional reconfiguration information includes a list of at least one candidate target network node and associated resources for switching. The auxiliary data for positioning measurement is received via the wireless transceiver, wherein the positioning measurement is related to timing advance (TA). Select a candidate target network node that has a higher associated subcarrier spacing than other candidate target network nodes as the target network node for the handover; The handover to the target network node is performed via the wireless transceiver; and Positioning measurements are performed via the wireless transceiver based on the auxiliary data.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the positioning measurement associated with the TA corresponds to an enhanced cell ID positioning measurement.

22. The UE of claim 20, wherein a plurality of candidate target network nodes have the higher associated subcarrier spacing, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the candidate target network node having the higher associated subcarrier spacing than the other candidate target network nodes by being configured to select a candidate target network node having a more frequent TA than the other candidate target network nodes.

23. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, configured to support location of the UE, the UE including components for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in the UE configured to support the location of a user equipment UE in a wireless network, such that the at least one processor performs the method according to any one of claims 1-11.

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