Positioning

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to positioning. The first device receives, from a fourth device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device. The first device performs positioning of the first device while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device based on the first configuration information and with positioning assistance of the second device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for locating out-of-coverage devices. Background Art

[0002] New Radio (NR) systems provide positioning support. To perform positioning of a target device, the network first configures the target device to measure a set of Positioning Reference Signals (PRS). The target device measures the PRS based on the configuration. The target device can report the measurements to the network. The network then processes the measurements and determines a location estimate of the target device. The network then provides the location estimate of the target device to the entity requesting such location information. Alternatively, the target device can calculate its own location estimate based on its measurements. In the case of a Mobile Terminated Location Request (MT-LR), a positioning request can be sent from a location client to a location server. In the case of a Mobile Initiated Location Request (MO-LR), a positioning request can be initiated by the target device directly to the positioning management system over the air interface.

[0003] The above process requires that the target device needs to be within the coverage of the network because there is signaling between the network and the target device involved. Summary of the invention

[0004] Generally speaking, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for positioning.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the first device to at least: receive first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device; and based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of the positioning of the second device, perform positioning of the first device while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device. The out-of-coverage state of the first device (or the second device) with respect to the fourth device refers to the following scenario: the first device cannot establish a communication link with the fourth device, or cannot establish a communication link with any node of the communication network connected to the fourth device. Therefore, the in-coverage state refers to a scenario in which such a communication link between the first device (or the second device) and the fourth device can be established.

[0006] In a second aspect, a fourth device is provided. The fourth device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the fourth device to at least: send first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device to a first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; and receive, from the first device via the second device, a positioning measurement report associated with the first device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the second device to at least: receive second configuration information for establishing a relay link, the relay link is used for positioning assistance of a first device in an out-of-coverage state, and the relay link is located between the first device and the second device; establish the relay link based on the second configuration information; and forward a positioning measurement report from the first device.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method may be performed by a first device and includes: receiving first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device; and performing positioning of the first device while the first device is out of coverage with respect to the fourth device based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of a second device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method may be performed by a fourth device and includes: sending, from the fourth device to a first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; and receiving, via a second device, from the first device a positioning measurement report associated with the first device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method may be performed by a second device and includes: receiving, at the second device, second configuration information for establishing a relay link, the relay link being used for positioning assistance of a first device in an out-of-coverage state, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device; establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information; and forwarding a positioning measurement report from the first device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for receiving, at a first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device; and a component for performing positioning of the first device while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of the second device.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for receiving, at a second device, second configuration information for establishing a relay link, the relay link being used for positioning assistance of a first device in an out-of-coverage state, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device; a component for establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information; and a component for forwarding a positioning measurement report from the first device.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a third apparatus is provided. The third apparatus includes: a component for sending, from a fourth device to a first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; and a component for receiving, from the first device via the second device, a positioning measurement report associated with the first device.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by at least one processor, the device at least executes the method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 shows an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a procedure for positioning according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a procedure for positioning according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 4 shows a signaling diagram illustrating a process for positioning according to other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating a procedure for positioning according to yet another example embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 7A flowchart showing a method implemented at a fourth device according to other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 8 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Fig. 9 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Fig.10 Examples of computer readable media according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to help those skilled in the art understand and implement the present disclosure without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways different from the ways described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an exemplary embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "include" and / or "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more than one, or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementation (e.g., only implementation in analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and any portion of memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors (e.g., a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor) that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but where software is not required to operate, the software may not be present.

[0034] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers (for example and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device or other computing or network device.

[0035] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as a fifth generation (5G) system, long term evolution (LTE), advanced LTE (LTE-A), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), high speed packet access (HSPA), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) communication protocol, and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems, using which the present disclosure can be implemented. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present invention to the above-mentioned systems.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network equipment" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network equipment may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (Node B or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR next-generation Node B (gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low-power node such as a femto node, a pico node, etc. The RAN split architecture includes a gNB-CU (centralized unit, hosting RRC, SDAP and PDCP) that controls multiple gNB-DUs (distributed units, hosting RLC, MAC and PHY).

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a target, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated process chain environments, consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "user equipment", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0038] Although the functions described herein may be performed in fixed and / or wireless network nodes in various example embodiments, in other example embodiments, the functions may be implemented in a user device (such as a cellular phone or a tablet computer or a laptop computer or a desktop computer or a mobile device or a fixed device). The user device may, for example, be appropriately equipped with the corresponding capabilities described in conjunction with the fixed and / or wireless network nodes. The user device may be a user device and / or a control device, such as a chipset or a processor, which is configured to control the user device when installed in the user device. Examples of such functions include a bootstrap server function and / or a home user server, which may be implemented in a user device device by providing the user device with software configured to cause the user device to execute from the perspective of these functions / nodes.

[0039] Figure 1 An example communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. The network 100 may include a first device 110, a second device 120, a third device 130, and fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 that are capable of communicating with each other. Hereinafter, for the sake of brevity, the fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 may be collectively referred to as the fourth device 140 or individually referred to as the fourth device 140.

[0040] In some embodiments, each of the first device 110, the second device 120, and the third device 130 may be implemented as a terminal device in a wireless access network. In such an embodiment, the fourth device 140-1 may be implemented as a network device in a wireless access network, and the fourth device 140-2 may be implemented as a network device in a wireless access network or a core network.

[0041] For example, the fourth device 140-1 can be implemented as a gNB (also known as a base station), and the fourth device 140-2 can be implemented as a location management function (LMF) entity. The LMF entity can be implemented in a wireless access network or a core network.

[0042] In other embodiments, at least one of the fourth devices 140 - 1 and / or 140 - 2 may be implemented as a server UE.

[0043] In some embodiments, each of the first device 110 , the second device 120 , and the third device 130 may communicate with each other via a side link therebetween.

[0044] It should be understood that the fourth device and the number of devices are only for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation. The network 100 may include any suitable number of fourth devices and devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more devices can be served by the fourth device 140. In addition, it should be understood that there can be more adjacent fourth devices near the first device.

[0045] The communication in the communication network 100 may be implemented according to any appropriate communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0046] In some embodiments, in order to perform positioning of the first device 110, a positioning session may be established between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140-2. In addition, the first device 110 may receive a downlink positioning reference signal (PRS) from the fourth device 140-1.

[0047] In some embodiments, for example, due to mobility, the first device 110 may experience an unexpected or expected coverage interruption. In other words, the state of the first device 110 may change from an in-coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140 to an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140.

[0048] For example, in the first scenario, the first device 110 may experience an unexpected radio link failure (RLF) or other link interruption during the positioning session (e.g., the fourth device 140-1 serving the first device 110 fails). For example, in the case of NR, the RLF cause may be at least one of the following: (1) poor carrier interference conditions on the channel exchanged between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140-1 due to high-layer frequency offset or time offset, resulting in RF or physical layer failure; or (2) RLF during handover.

[0049] Generally, there are two phases when the first device 110 is detected as RLF. The first device 110 enters the first phase as soon as it detects a radio problem (e.g., low reference signal received power (RSRP) or reference signal received quality (RSRQ)). Due to a handover failure or detection of RLF, the first device 110 enters the second phase. The first device 110 enters the RRC_IDLE state and the UE-based mobility, i.e., cell selection and reselection process.

[0050] In a second scenario, the first device 110 may wake up from an idle state or an inactive state in an area out of coverage of the fourth device 140 - 1 , but wants to locate itself.

[0051] In a third scenario, the fourth device 140 may be aware of possible or expected coverage gaps, for example along the future trajectory of the first device 110. Examples of such expected coverage gaps are, for example, RLF or beam failure (BF) caused by predicted connectivity issues during a positioning session.

[0052] In the above situation, it is not possible to conduct or continue a positioning session according to current specifications.

[0053] In order to solve the above and other potential problems, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for positioning. The solution considers the opportunity of using a downlink PRS that the first device can still receive under coverage interruption for user plane communication or control plane signaling. In this solution, the first device receives first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device. Furthermore, the first device performs positioning of the first device while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of the second device. The solution can ensure the continuity of the positioning session or the establishment of the positioning session of the first device that has experienced coverage interruption.

[0054] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 2 to 9 Some embodiments of the present disclosure are described.

[0055] Figure 2 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 200 for positioning according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Process 200 is described. Process 200 may involve Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 and the fourth device 140 in.

[0056] like Figure 2 As shown, the fourth device 140 sends 210 to the first device 110 first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device 110, which is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140. For example, the fourth device 140-1 (e.g., a gNB) can send the first configuration information to the first device 110. Alternatively, the fourth device 140-2 (e.g., an LMF) can send the first configuration information to the first device 110.

[0057] In some embodiments, when the first device 110 is in a coverage range state, the fourth device 140 may send the first configuration information to the first device 110 .

[0058] Upon receiving the first configuration information, based on the first configuration information and with the positioning assistance of the second device 120 , the first device 110 performs 260 positioning of the first device 110 while being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140 .

[0059] Process 200 may ensure location session continuity or establishment of a location session for a first device that experiences a coverage interruption.

[0060] In some embodiments, the second device 120 can be in a coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140 .

[0061] In some embodiments, in order to perform positioning assistance, a relay link is established between the first device 110 and the second device 120 and used for positioning assistance of the first device 110 .

[0062] In some embodiments, establishment of the relay link may be triggered upon request by the first device 110 .

[0063] In some embodiments, the relay link between the first device 110 and the second device 120 may be a sidelink.

[0064] In an embodiment where the first device 110 wakes up in the out-of-coverage state, the second device 120 may request an on-demand PRS from the fourth device 140 via the established relay link on behalf of the first device 110 .

[0065] In some embodiments, upon receiving the first configuration information, the first device 110 may determine 220 whether it is in an out-of-coverage state. For example, if the first device 110 is experiencing an unexpected RLF or other link interruption (e.g., a failure of the fourth device 140-1 serving the first device 110), the first device 110 may determine that it is in an out-of-coverage state. For another example, if the first device 110 wakes up from an idle state or an inactive state in an area out of coverage of the fourth device 140-1, the first device 110 may determine that it is in an out-of-coverage state.

[0066] If the first device 110 is in the out-of-coverage state, the first device 110 may send 230 a request for establishing a relay link to the second device 120 based on the first configuration information.

[0067] In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may send 250 to the second device 120 second configuration information for establishing a relay link.

[0068] When receiving the second configuration information for establishing the relay link, the second device 120 may establish the relay link based on the second configuration information.

[0069] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send 240 a request to establish a relay link to the fourth device 140 based on the first configuration information. Upon receiving the request to establish a relay link from the first device 110, the fourth device 140 may send second configuration information to the second device 120 for establishing a relay link.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first configuration information may include parameters defining actions of the first device 110 associated with the positioning session when the first device 110 experiences a coverage interruption.

[0071] In some embodiments, the first configuration information may include at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data, at least one threshold for triggering a request from the first device 110 for establishing a relay link, a second time threshold for releasing the relay link, or At least one threshold, up to which positioning assistance data is utilized by the first device 110 .

[0072] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send a request to establish a relay link based on determining at least one of the following: the duration after RLF is declared is above a first time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140 or the fifth device is below a first distance threshold, The received power of the positioning reference signal (PRS) is above a first power threshold, or A first number of transmission reception points (TRPs) is above a first number threshold.

[0073] In some embodiments, the TRP may belong to the fourth device 140-1.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send a request to establish a relay link to the second device 120 via a discovery message.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first time threshold may be associated with a T310 timer. In such embodiments, if the RLF occurs due to the expiration of the T310 timer, the first device 110 may use such indication of the expiration of the T310 timer to initiate a discovery message for nearby devices.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first time threshold may be associated with a time alignment timer associated with the random access procedure. In such an embodiment, if RLF occurs due to a random access problem (e.g., the first device 110 is in connected mode but has no uplink synchronization), i.e., the time alignment timer expires before the RRC inactivity timer, the first device 110 may initiate a discovery message when the time alignment timer expires.

[0077] In some embodiments, the first time threshold may be associated with a counter of beam failure instances (cBFI). In such embodiments, if the cBFI exceeds the threshold, the first device 110 may initiate a discovery message.

[0078] In some embodiments, the at least one threshold for triggering the request from the first device 110 to establish a relay link may include at least one of the following: First time threshold, The first distance threshold, A first power threshold, or A first number threshold.

[0079] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may determine whether the duration of the positioning session maintained with the positioning assistance of the second device 120 is greater than a second time threshold. If the duration is greater than the second time threshold, the first device 110 may release the relay link. In some embodiments, the first configuration information may include the second time threshold. The second time threshold ensures that the first device 110 limits the time for which it maintains its positioning session via the relay link for positioning assistance, so as to achieve the purpose of not overusing relay link resources.

[0080] In some embodiments, for positioning assistance, the second device 120 establishes a relay link based on the second configuration information.

[0081] In some embodiments, for positioning assistance, the second device 120 may forward a positioning measurement report associated with the first device 110 from the first device 110 to the fourth device 140. Accordingly, the fourth device 140 receives the positioning measurement report from the first device 110 via the second device 120.

[0082] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the duration during which the positioning assistance data is utilized is below a third time threshold, the first device 110 may perform positioning by utilizing the positioning assistance data. The positioning assistance data may include a PRS configuration.

[0083] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the distance between the first device 110 and the second device is below the second distance threshold, the first device 110 may perform positioning by utilizing the positioning assistance data.

[0084] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the duration during which the positioning assistance data is utilized is above the third time threshold, the first device 110 may send a request for an update of the positioning assistance data to the second device 120. In turn, the first device 110 may receive updated positioning assistance data from the second device 120.

[0085] Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that the distance between the first device 110 and the second device is above the second distance threshold, the first device 110 may transmit a request for updated positioning assistance data to the second device 120. The first device 110 may in turn receive updated positioning assistance data from the second device 120.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may authorize another device (eg, the third device 130) in the coverage state to request to establish a relay link for positioning assistance on behalf of the first device 110. Figure 3 Give a description.

[0087] Figure 3 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 300 for positioning according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Process 300 is described. Process 300 may involve Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130 and the fourth device 140 in the embodiment.

[0088] In the process 300 , allocation of relay links for positioning assistance is performed by the fourth device 140 .

[0089] Actions 210, 220, 250 and 260 in process 300 are similar to actions in process 200. Details of these actions are omitted for brevity. Process 300 differs from process 200 in actions 310, 320 and 330.

[0090] Specifically, if the first device 110 determines 220 that it is in the out-of-coverage state, the first device 110 may send 310 a notification to the third device 130 in the in-coverage state to send a request to the fourth device 140 to establish a relay link.

[0091] In some embodiments, if the first device 110 determines that it is in an out-of-coverage state, the first device 110 may send 310 a notification to the third device 130 based on determining at least one of the following: the duration after RLF is declared is above a first time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device 110 and the fourth device 140 or the fifth device is below a first distance threshold, The received power of the PRS is above the first power threshold, or • The first number of TRPs is above a first number threshold.

[0092] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may send a notification to the third device 130 via a discovery message to send the request.

[0093] Upon receiving the notification, the third device 130 sends 320 to the fourth device 140 a request for establishing a relay link.

[0094] Upon receiving the notification, the fourth device 140 sends 250 to the second device 120 second configuration information for establishing a relay link.

[0095] Upon receiving the second configuration information for establishing the relay link, the second device 120 may send 330 a notification to the first device 110 that the sidelink relay is configured for positioning assistance.

[0096] Alternatively, in other embodiments, when sending the second configuration information for establishing the relay link, the fourth device 140 may send a notification that the sidelink relay is configured for positioning assistance to the third device 130. In turn, the third device 130 may forward the notification to the first device 110.

[0097] In other embodiments, the allocation of the relay link for positioning assistance may be performed by the third device 130. In such an embodiment, the first device 110 may request the third device 130 to establish the relay link.

[0098] In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may actively send second configuration information for establishing a relay link to the second device 120. This will refer to Figure 4 Give a description.

[0099] Figure 4 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 400 for positioning according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Process 400 is described. Process 400 may involve Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 and the fourth device 140 in.

[0100] Actions 210, 250, and 260 in process 400 are similar to actions in process 200. Details of these actions are omitted for brevity. Process 400 differs from process 200 in action 410.

[0101] Specifically, the fourth device 140 determines 410 that the first device 110 has experienced an expected coverage interruption. Further, the fourth device 140 proactively sends 250 to the second device 120 second configuration information for establishing a relay link.

[0102] In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may select a relay link based on the locations of the candidate relay devices and the expected location of the first device 110 .

[0103] In process 400, the first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device 110 may include at least one of the following: Information about the second device 120 selected by the fourth device 140, information about expected areas of low or out-of-coverage for the fourth device 140, or • Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

[0104] In some embodiments, when the first device 110 experiences an unexpected coverage interruption, the fourth device 140-1 may send a notification to the fourth device 140-2 that the RLF of the first device 110 is identified. Figure 5 Give a description.

[0105] Figure 5 A signaling diagram illustrating a process 500 for positioning according to other example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Process 500 is described. Process 500 may involve Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the fourth device 140-1 and the fourth device 140-2.

[0106] Actions 210, 220, and 260 in process 500 are similar to actions in process 200. Details of these actions are omitted for brevity. Process 500 differs from process 200 in actions 510, 520, 530, 540, and 550.

[0107] Specifically, if the first device 110 determines 220 that the first device 110 is in an out-of-coverage state, the first device 110 may send 510 NR cell failure information to the fourth device 140-1 (eg, a serving gNB of the first device 110) instead of triggering reconstruction.

[0108] Upon detecting 520 NR cell failure information, the fourth device 140 - 1 sends 530 a notification that the RLF of the first device 110 is identified to the fourth device 140 - 2 (eg, LMF).

[0109] Upon receiving the notification, the fourth device 140 - 2 sends 540 to the second device 120 second configuration information for establishing a relay link.

[0110] In some embodiments, the fourth device 140 may provide pre-configuration of sidelink positioning to assist Uu positioning (i.e., joint Uu positioning and sidelink positioning), or as a fallback positioning solution in case of unexpected or expected coverage interruption (i.e., sidelink independent positioning).

[0111] In such an embodiment, the positioning assistance data includes at least one of the following: a configuration related to a PRS to be sent from the fourth device 140, or a configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point.

[0112] In some embodiments, the sidelink positioning anchor point may be a UE that supports positioning of a target UE (e.g., the first device 110), for example, by sending and / or receiving a reference signal for positioning over a sidelink interface, providing positioning-related information, etc. The sidelink positioning anchor point may or may not have a known location.

[0113] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: The ID of the sidelink positioning anchor point, The pattern of the sidelink PRS, or • Resource allocation for sidelink PRS.

[0114] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform joint downlink and sidelink positioning based on a configuration associated with a downlink PRS and a configuration associated with a sidelink PRS. In such an embodiment, the first device 110 may combine measurements from downlink and sidelink anchor points for positioning and use both measurements for position estimation.

[0115] Alternatively, in some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform sidelink positioning based on a configuration associated with the sidelink PRS.

[0116] In some embodiments, the first device 110 may perform joint downlink and sidelink positioning or perform sidelink positioning based on determining at least one of: the duration after RLF is declared is above a fourth time threshold, After RLF is declared, the distance between the first device 110 and the second device is above a third distance threshold, or The number of TRPs sending downlink PRS is above the number threshold.

[0117] In some embodiments, the at least one threshold for triggering the request from the first device 110 to establish a relay link may include at least one of the following: · The fourth time threshold, A third distance threshold, or Number threshold.

[0118] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example method 600 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 600 is described from the perspective of the first device 110 .

[0119] In block 610 , the first device 110 receives first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device 110 from a fourth device.

[0120] At block 620 , based on the first configuration information and with the positioning assistance of the second device, the first device 110 performs positioning of the first device 110 while the first device 110 is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0121] In some embodiments, method 600 further includes: sending a request to the second device for establishing a relay link for positioning assistance between the first device and the second device based on the first configuration information; or sending a notification to the third device that the fourth device is in coverage range to send the request to the fourth device.

[0122] In some embodiments, sending the request or notification includes sending the request or notification based on determining at least one of the following: the duration after RLF is declared is above a first time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the fourth device or the fifth device is below a first distance threshold, The received power of the positioning reference signal is above the first power threshold, or The first number of transmission reception points TRP is above a first number threshold.

[0123] In some embodiments, the first time threshold is associated with at least one of: a T310 timer, a time alignment timer associated with a random access procedure, or a counter of beam failure instances.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: First time threshold, The first distance threshold, The first power threshold, A first number threshold, or Positioning assistance data.

[0125] In some embodiments, the method 600 further includes: releasing the second device in response to determining that the duration of the positioning session maintained with the positioning assistance of the second device is greater than a second time threshold.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes a second time threshold.

[0127] In some embodiments, performing positioning includes: sending a positioning measurement report to the fourth device via the second device.

[0128] In some embodiments, performing positioning includes utilizing positioning assistance data to perform positioning based on determining at least one of: a duration for which the positioning assistance data is utilized is below a third time threshold, or a distance between the first device and the second device is below a second distance threshold.

[0129] In some embodiments, method 600 further includes: determining at least one of the following: the duration for which the positioning assistance data is utilized is above a third time threshold, or the distance between the first device and the second device is above a second distance threshold; based on the determination, sending a request for an update of the positioning assistance data to the second device; and receiving updated positioning assistance data from the second device.

[0130] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data includes at least one of: a configuration related to a PRS to be sent from the fourth device; or a configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from the sidelink positioning anchor point and / or from the first device.

[0131] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: Identification of the sidelink positioning anchor point, The pattern of the sidelink PRS, or • Resource allocation for sidelink PRS.

[0132] In some embodiments, performing positioning includes performing joint downlink and sidelink positioning based on a configuration associated with a downlink PRS and a configuration associated with a sidelink PRS, or performing sidelink positioning based on a configuration associated with a sidelink PRS.

[0133] In some embodiments, performing joint downlink and sidelink positioning or performing sidelink positioning is based on determining at least one of: the duration after a radio link failure RLF is declared is above a fourth time threshold, After RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the second device is above a third distance threshold, or When the number of transmission reception points TRP is above the number threshold, the TRP sends a downlink PRS.

[0134] In some embodiments, the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device. In such an embodiment, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about expected areas of low coverage or out of coverage for a fourth device, or • Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

[0135] In some embodiments, the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0136] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example method 700 implemented at a fourth device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 700 is described from the perspective of the fourth device 140 .

[0137] In block 710 , the fourth device 140 sends, to the first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device 140 .

[0138] At block 720 , the fourth device 140 receives a positioning measurement report associated with the first device from the first device via the second device.

[0139] In some embodiments, the method 700 further includes: sending second configuration information to the second device for establishing a relay link between the first device and the second device, the relay link being used for positioning assistance for the first device in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0140] In some embodiments, sending the second configuration information for establishing the relay link is based on determining that the first device experiences an unexpected outage of coverage or that the first device experiences an expected outage of coverage.

[0141] In some embodiments, the method 700 further includes: receiving a request for establishing a relay link for positioning assistance from a third device in a coverage state with respect to the fourth device. In some embodiments, sending the second configuration information includes sending the second configuration information for establishing the relay link based on the request.

[0142] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data, at least one threshold for triggering a request from the first device to establish a relay link between the first device and a second device for positioning assistance of the first device in an out-of-coverage state with respect to a fourth device, a second time threshold for releasing the relay link, or • At least one threshold, up to which the positioning assistance data is utilized by the first device.

[0143] In some embodiments, the method 700 further includes: receiving a request for updating the positioning assistance data from the second device; and sending the updated positioning assistance data to the second device based on the request.

[0144] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data includes: a configuration associated with a downlink PRS to be sent from the fourth device; a configuration associated with a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point;

[0145] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: Identification of the sidelink positioning anchor point, The pattern of the sidelink PRS, or • Resource allocation for sidelink PRS.

[0146] In some embodiments, the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device. In such an embodiment, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about expected areas of low or out-of-coverage coverage for a fourth device, or • Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

[0147] In some embodiments, the fourth device may be a base station, an LMF, or a server user equipment (e.g., a server UE). When the fourth device is a base station, the method 700 may further include: sending a notification to the LMF that the RLF of the first device is identified; and sending a request to the LMF for establishing a relay link, the relay link being used for positioning assistance for the first device, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device.

[0148] Figure 8 FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 800 is described from the perspective of the second device 120 .

[0149] At block 810, the second device 120 receives second configuration information for establishing a relay link for positioning assistance of the first device in an out-of-coverage state. The relay link is located between the first device and the second device.

[0150] At block 820 , the second device 120 establishes a relay link based on the second configuration information.

[0151] At block 830 , the second device 120 forwards the positioning measurement report from the first device.

[0152] In some embodiments, the method 800 further includes: receiving a request from the first device to establish a relay link. In such embodiments, establishing the relay link includes establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information and the request.

[0153] In some embodiments, method 800 further includes: receiving a request for an update of positioning assistance data for the first device from the first device; sending a request for an update of positioning assistance data to a fourth device; receiving updated positioning assistance data from the fourth device; and sending the updated positioning assistance data to the first device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the method 800 further includes sending a notification to the first device that the second device is configured for positioning assistance.

[0155] In some embodiments, the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0156] In some example embodiments, a first device (e.g., first device 110) capable of performing any of the methods 600 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the component may include a processor and a memory.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving, at the first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device; and a component for performing positioning of the first device while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of the second device.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for sending a request to a second device for establishing a relay link for positioning assistance between the first device and the second device based on the first configuration information; or a component for sending a notification of sending a request to a fourth device to a third device that is in a coverage state relative to the fourth device.

[0159] In some embodiments, the means for sending the request or notification includes: means for sending the request or notification based on determining at least one of: the duration after RLF is declared is above a first time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the fourth device or the fifth device is below a first distance threshold, The received power of the positioning reference signal is above the first power threshold, or The first number of transmission reception points TRP is above a first number threshold.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first time threshold is associated with at least one of: a T310 timer, a time alignment timer associated with a random access procedure, or a counter of beam failure instances.

[0161] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: First time threshold, The first distance threshold, The first power threshold, A first number threshold, or Positioning assistance data.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for releasing the second device in response to determining that a duration for which the positioning session with the positioning assistance of the second device is maintained is greater than a second time threshold.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes a second time threshold.

[0164] In some embodiments, the means for performing positioning comprises means for sending, via the second means, a positioning measurement report to a fourth device.

[0165] In some embodiments, the component for performing positioning includes: a component for performing positioning by utilizing positioning assistance data based on determining at least one of the following: the duration for which the positioning assistance data is utilized is below a third time threshold, or the distance between the first device and the second device is below a second distance threshold.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining at least one of the following: a duration for which the positioning assistance data is utilized is above a third time threshold, or a distance between the first device and the second device is above a second distance threshold; a component for sending a request for an update of the positioning assistance data to the second device based on the determination; and a component for receiving updated positioning assistance data from the second device.

[0167] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data includes at least one of: a configuration related to a downlink positioning reference signal PRS to be sent from the fourth device; or a configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point and / or from the first device.

[0168] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: Identification of the sidelink positioning anchor point, The pattern of the sidelink PRS, or • Resource allocation for sidelink PRS.

[0169] In some embodiments, the components for performing positioning include: components for performing joint downlink and sidelink positioning based on a configuration related to the downlink PRS and a configuration related to the sidelink PRS; or components for performing sidelink positioning based on a configuration related to the sidelink PRS.

[0170] In some embodiments, the means for performing joint downlink and sidelink positioning or the means for performing sidelink positioning is configured to perform positioning based on determining at least one of: the duration after RLF is declared is above a fourth time threshold, After RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the second device is above a third distance threshold, or When the number of transmission reception points TRP is above the number threshold, the TRP sends a downlink PRS.

[0171] In some embodiments, the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device. In such an embodiment, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about expected areas of low or out-of-coverage coverage for a fourth device, or • Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

[0172] In some embodiments, the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0173] In some example embodiments, a second device (e.g., second device 120) capable of performing any of method 800 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 800. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The second device may be implemented as second device 120 or included in second device 120. In some example embodiments, the component may include a processor and a memory.

[0174] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for receiving second configuration information for establishing a relay link at the second device, the relay link being used for positioning assistance for a first device that is in an out-of-coverage state, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device; a component for establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information; and a component for forwarding a positioning measurement report from the first device.

[0175] In some embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a request from the first device to establish a relay link. In such embodiments, the means for establishing the relay link comprises means for establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information and the request.

[0176] In some embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for receiving a request for an update of positioning assistance data for the first device from the first device; a component for sending a request for an update of positioning assistance data to a fourth device; a component for receiving updated positioning assistance data from the fourth device; and a component for sending updated positioning assistance data to the first device.

[0177] In some embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for sending a notification to the first device that the second device is configured for positioning assistance.

[0178] In some embodiments, the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0179] In some example embodiments, a third device (e.g., fourth device 140) capable of performing any of method 700 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The third device may be implemented as fourth device 140 or included in fourth device 140. In some example embodiments, the component may include a processor and a memory.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for sending first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device from a fourth device to the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; and a component for receiving a positioning measurement report associated with the first device from the first device via the second device.

[0181] In some embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: a component for sending second configuration information for establishing a relay link between the first device and the second device to the second device, the relay link being used for positioning assistance for the first device in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

[0182] In some embodiments, means for sending second configuration information for establishing the relay link includes means for sending the second configuration information based on determining that the first device experiences an unexpected outage of coverage or the first device experiences an expected outage of coverage.

[0183] In some embodiments, the third device further comprises: a component for receiving a request for establishing a relay link for positioning assistance from the third device in a state that the fourth device is in coverage. In some embodiments, the component for sending the second configuration information comprises a component for sending the second configuration information for establishing the relay link based on the request.

[0184] In some embodiments, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data, at least one threshold for triggering a request from the first device to establish a relay link between the first device and a second device for positioning assistance of the first device in an out-of-coverage state with respect to a fourth device, a second time threshold for releasing the relay link, or • At least one threshold, up to which the positioning assistance data is utilized by the first device.

[0185] In some embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a request for an update of the positioning assistance data from the second device; and means for sending the updated positioning assistance data to the second device based on the request.

[0186] In some embodiments, the positioning assistance data includes: a configuration related to a downlink PRS to be sent from the fourth device; and a configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point.

[0187] In some embodiments, the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: Identification of the sidelink positioning anchor point, The pattern of the sidelink PRS, or • Resource allocation for sidelink PRS.

[0188] In some embodiments, the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device. In such an embodiment, the first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about expected areas of low or out-of-coverage coverage for a fourth device, or • Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

[0189] In some embodiments, the fourth device includes a base station, and the third device also includes: a component for sending a notification to the LMF that the RLF of the first device is identified; and a component for sending a request to the LMF to establish a relay link for positioning assistance for the first device, the relay link being between the first device and the second device.

[0190] Fig. 9 900 is a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 900 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130 or the fourth device 140 are shown. As shown in the figure, the device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to the processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to the processor 910.

[0191] The communication module 940 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 940 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 940 may include at least one antenna.

[0192] Processor 910 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 900 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0193] The memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include (but are not limited to) read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0194] The computer program 930 includes computer executable instructions that are executable by the associated processor 910. The program 930 may be stored in a memory such as ROM 924. The processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 930 into the RAM 922.

[0195] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a program 930, so that the device 900 may execute the Figures 1 to 8 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the program 930 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 900 (e.g., in the memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 900. The device 900 may load the program 930 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig.10 An example of a computer readable medium 1000 is shown which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium has a program 930 stored thereon.

[0197] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof, as non-limiting examples.

[0198] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform the above reference Figures 1 to 8 Any method described herein. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of program modules can be combined or separated between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0199] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be implemented. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0200] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0201] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media would include an electrical connection having one or more conductors, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0202] It should be understood that, although some embodiments can be implemented by / at an IAB node, the solutions including the methods and devices proposed in the present disclosure can also be applied to other communication systems with similar technical problems. In addition, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring the specific order shown or to perform these operations in sequence, or to perform all the operations shown, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features peculiar to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0203] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Instead, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: receiving, from a fourth device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device; as well as Based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of the second device, positioning of the first device is performed while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: Based on the first configuration information, sending to the second device a request for establishing a relay link for the positioning assistance between the first device and the second device; or A notification of sending the request to the fourth device is sent to the third device regarding the fourth device being in coverage.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the first device is caused to send the request or the notification based on determining at least one of: the duration after a radio link failure RLF is declared is above a first time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the fourth device or the fifth device is below a first distance threshold, The received power of the positioning reference signal is above the first power threshold, or The first number of transmission reception points TRP is above a first number threshold.

4. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first time threshold is associated with at least one of the following: T310 Timer, a time alignment timer associated with the random access procedure, or Counter of beam failure instances.

5. The first device according to claim 3, wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of the following: The first time threshold, The first distance threshold, The first power threshold, the first number threshold, or Positioning assistance data.

6. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: releasing the second device based on determining that the duration of the positioning session maintained with the positioning assistance of the second device is greater than a second time threshold, and The first configuration information includes the second time threshold.

7. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the first device is caused to perform the positioning by: A positioning measurement report is sent to the fourth device via the second device.

8. The first device of claim 5, wherein the first device is caused to perform the positioning by utilizing the positioning assistance data based on determining at least one of: The duration of utilization of the positioning assistance data is below a third time threshold, or The distance between the first device and the second device is below a second distance threshold.

9. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the first device is further configured to: Identify at least one of the following: The duration of using the positioning assistance data is longer than the third time threshold, or The distance between the first device and the second device is greater than the second distance threshold; Based on the determination, sending a request for an update of the positioning assistance data to the second device; as well as Updated positioning assistance data is received from the second device.

10. The first device according to claim 5, wherein the positioning assistance data comprises at least one of the following: a configuration related to a downlink positioning reference signal PRS to be sent from the fourth device; or a configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point and / or from said first device, The configuration related to the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the sidelink positioning anchor point, the sidelink PRS pattern, or Resource allocation for the sidelink PRS.

11. The first device according to claim 10, wherein the first device is caused to perform the positioning by: performing joint downlink and sidelink positioning based on the configuration associated with the downlink PRS and the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS; or Based on the configuration associated with the sidelink PRS, sidelink positioning is performed.

12. The first device of claim 11, wherein the first device is caused to perform the joint downlink and sidelink positioning, or to perform the sidelink positioning based on determining at least one of: a duration after a radio link failure RLF is declared is above a fourth time threshold, After the RLF is declared, the distance between the first device and the second device is above a third distance threshold, or The number of transmission reception points TRP is above a number threshold, and the TRP sends the downlink PRS.

13. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device; and The first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about an expected area of ​​low coverage or out of coverage of said fourth device, or Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area. The first device of claim 1 , wherein the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

15. A fourth device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fourth device to at least: Sending, to a first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; as well as A positioning measurement report associated with the first device is received from the first device via the second device.

16. The fourth device according to claim 15, wherein the fourth device is further caused to: Second configuration information for establishing a relay link between the first device and the second device is sent to the second device, where the relay link is used for positioning assistance for the first device that is out of coverage with respect to the fourth device.

17. The fourth device of claim 16, wherein the fourth device is caused to send the second configuration information for establishing the relay link based on determining: the first device experiences an unexpected loss of coverage, or The first device experiences an expected loss of coverage.

18. The fourth device according to claim 16, wherein the fourth device is further caused to: receiving, from a third device in a state that the fourth device is in coverage, a request for establishing the relay link for the positioning assistance; and The fourth device is caused to send the second configuration information for establishing the relay link based on the request.

19. The fourth device according to claim 15, wherein the first configuration information comprises at least one of the following: Positioning assistance data, at least one threshold for triggering a request from the first device to establish the relay link, the relay link being between the first device and the second device for positioning assistance of the first device in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device, a second time threshold for releasing the relay link, or at least one threshold, up to which the positioning assistance data is utilized by the first device.

20. The fourth device according to claim 19, wherein the fourth device is further caused to: receiving a request from the second device to update the positioning assistance data; and Based on the request, updated positioning assistance data is sent to the second device.

21. The fourth device according to claim 19, wherein the positioning assistance data comprises: a configuration related to a downlink positioning reference signal PRS to be sent from the fourth device; as well as configuration related to a sidelink PRS to be sent from a sidelink positioning anchor point and / or from said first device; The configuration related to the sidelink PRS includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the sidelink positioning anchor point, the sidelink PRS pattern, or Resource allocation for the sidelink PRS.

22. The fourth device according to claim 15, wherein the establishment of the relay link is triggered by the fourth device; and The first configuration information includes at least one of the following: information about the second device selected by the fourth device, information about an expected area of ​​low coverage or out of coverage of said fourth device, or Positioning assistance data to be used in the expected area.

23. The fourth device according to claim 15, wherein the fourth device comprises a base station, and the base station is further caused to: sending a notification to a location management function LMF that a radio link failure RLF of the first device is identified; and A request for establishing a relay link is sent to the LMF, where the relay link is used for positioning assistance for the first device, and the relay link is located between the first device and the second device.

24. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: receiving second configuration information for establishing a relay link, the relay link being used for positioning assistance of a first device that is out of coverage, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device; establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information; as well as Forwarding the positioning measurement report from the first device.

25. The second device according to claim 24, wherein the second device is further caused to: receiving a request from the first device to establish the relay link; and The second device is caused to establish the relay link based on the second configuration information and the request.

26. The second device of claim 24, wherein the second device is further caused to: receiving, from the first device, a request for an update of positioning assistance data for the first device; sending the request for the update of positioning assistance data to the fourth device; receiving updated positioning assistance data from the fourth device; as well as Send the updated positioning assistance data to the first device.

27. The second device of claim 24, wherein the second device is further caused to: A notification is sent to the first device that the second device is configured for the positioning assistance.

28. The second device of claim 24, wherein the second device is in a within-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

29. A method comprising: At the first device, receiving, from a fourth device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device; as well as Based on the first configuration information and with the assistance of positioning of the second device, positioning of the first device is performed while the first device is in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device.

30. A method comprising: sending, from a fourth device to a first device, first configuration information for maintaining or establishing a positioning session associated with the first device, the first device being in an out-of-coverage state with respect to the fourth device; as well as A positioning measurement report associated with the first device is received from the first device via the second device.

31. A method comprising: At the second device, receiving second configuration information for establishing a relay link, the relay link being used for positioning assistance of a first device that is out of coverage, the relay link being located between the first device and the second device; establishing the relay link based on the second configuration information; as well as Forwarding the positioning measurement report from the first device.

32. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a computer program for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 29 to 31.

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