Effective duration extension system and method

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a system and method for prolonging the validity period. A wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) may receive at least one signaling from a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS). The wireless communication device may determine whether to use an indicated period of validity of the positioning information of the wireless communication device based on the at least one signaling.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication technology, including but not limited to a system and method for extending effective duration. Background Art

[0002] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), a standards organization, is currently specifying a new air interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and the Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: 5G Access Network (5G-AN), 5G Core Network (5G Core Network, 5GC) and User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of 5GC (also called network functions) have been simplified, some of which are software-based and some of which are hardware-based, so that these elements can be adjusted as needed. Summary of the invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed in this embodiment are intended to solve problems related to one or more problems raised in the prior art, and when combined with the accompanying drawings, by referring to the following detailed description, additional features that are easy to understand will be provided. According to various embodiments, the present embodiment discloses exemplary systems, methods, devices, and computer program products. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are given as examples rather than limitations, and it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art who has read this disclosure that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments while still within the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium. A wireless communication device (e.g., UE) may receive / obtain / acquire at least one signaling from a wireless communication node (e.g., a base station (BS), a gNB, and / or a non-terrestrial device). The wireless communication device may determine whether to use a valid duration of an indication of positioning information of the wireless communication device based on the at least one signaling.

[0005] In some implementations, the at least one signaling may include a system information block (SIB) signaling, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, a media access control (MAC) signaling, and / or a downlink control information (DCI) signaling. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine at least one of the following based on the at least one signaling: a first indication of a validity period, or a second indication to the wireless communication device regarding whether to use the first indication of the validity period.

[0006] In some implementations, the first indication may include: a value of the validity period, an index corresponding to the value of the validity period, or a coefficient value, the coefficient value being used to determine the value of the validity period or a new validity period together with the validity period. The at least one signaling may consist of a single signaling. The wireless communication device may receive a single signaling from the wireless communication node. The single signaling may include (i) a first indication of the validity period, and / or (ii) a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period. In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period.

[0007] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that the second indication is missing in the single signaling. In response to the second indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information. In some implementations, the value of the validity period may be a fixed value. In some implementations, the value of the validity period may be set.

[0008] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a second indication from the wireless communication node. In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device may determine a value for the validity period. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a third indication from the wireless communication node to perform closed-loop correction. In response to the third indication, the wireless communication device may determine a value for the validity period.

[0009] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that the second indication is missing in at least one signaling. In response to the second indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information or to perform closed-loop correction and acquisition of positioning information. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a first signaling in at least one signaling from a wireless communication node, the first signaling including a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period. The wireless communication device may receive a second signaling in at least one signaling from the wireless communication node, the second signaling including at least one of the following: (i) a first indication of the validity period, or (ii) a third indication to perform closed-loop correction. In response to the second signaling, the wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period.

[0010] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that the third indication is missing in the second signaling. In response to the missing third indication, the wireless communication device may determine at least one of the following: postpone the execution of closed-loop correction; or perform the acquisition of positioning information. In some implementations, the at least one signaling may consist of a single signaling including a field value. The wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period and / or the indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period based on the field value.

[0011] In some implementations, the single signaling may include a third indication for the wireless communication device to perform closed loop correction. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a single signaling, the single signaling including the field value, or the field value and the third indication. In response to the single signaling, the wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period.

[0012] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that at least one of the field value or the third indication is missing in the single signaling. In response to at least one of the field value or the third indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information after expiration of the validity period.

[0013] At least one aspect relates to the following systems, methods, apparatuses, or computer-readable media: A wireless communication node may send, transmit, or provide at least one signaling to a wireless communication device. The wireless communication device may determine whether to use a validity period of an indication of positioning information of the wireless communication device based on the at least one signaling. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. The drawings or diagrams are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only exemplary embodiments of the present solution to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present solution. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limiting the breadth, scope or applicability of the present solution. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration, these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0015] Figure 1 An example of a cellular communication network implementing the technology of the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A block diagram of a base station and a user equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 An exemplary implementation of a non-terrestrial network NTN according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0018] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method for extending an effective duration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0020] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network and / or system 100 for implementing the technology of the present disclosure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In the following discussion, the wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such a network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 102"; also called a wireless communication node) and a user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 104"; also called a wireless communication device) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 covering a geographic area 101. Figure 1 1, BS 102 and UE 104 are contained within the respective geographic boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station operating with its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users.

[0021] For example, BS 102 may operate on an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate coverage to UE 104. BS 102 and UE 104 may communicate via downlink radio frames 118 and uplink radio frames 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 may be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In the present disclosure, BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes", which may generally practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of the present solution, such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0022] Figure 2 A block diagram of a wireless communication system 200 for sending and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., OFDM / OFDMA signals) according to some embodiments of the present solution is shown. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail for this embodiment. In one illustrative embodiment, as described above, the system 200 may be used in a communication environment such as Figure 1 The wireless communication network 100 may be used to communicate (eg, transmit and receive) data symbols within a wireless communication environment.

[0023] System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS 202") and a user equipment 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE 204"). BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 220 as needed. UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each of which is coupled to and interconnected with each other via a data communication bus 240 as needed. BS 202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0024] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the system 200 may also include Figure 2 Any number of modules outside the modules shown. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any actual combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described according to their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the entire system. People familiar with the concepts described herein can implement such functions in a manner suitable for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a Radio Frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuits coupled to an antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuits coupled to an antenna 212. The downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in a time duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time so that the downlink receiver circuit is coupled to the downlink antenna 232 so as to receive transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Instead, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 may be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver coupled to the downlink antenna 212 receives transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time as the uplink transmitter coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, tight time synchronization with minimal guard times between changes in duplex direction is provided.

[0026] The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via a wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with an appropriately configured RF antenna arrangement 212 / 232 that can support a specific wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some illustrative embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to application to specific standards and related protocols. Instead, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 can be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0027] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 may be an evolved Node B (evolved Node B, referred to as eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femtocell or a microcell. In some embodiments, UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable computing device, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or completed with a general-purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. In this way, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0028] In addition, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, in firmware, in software modules executed by the processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. The memory modules 216 and 234 may be implemented as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, the memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, so that the processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to the memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. The memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, the memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0029] The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic and / or other components of the base station 202 that enable bidirectional communication between the base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the base station 202. For example, the network communication module 218 can be configured to support Internet or WiMAX services. In a typical deployment, but not limited to, the network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface so that the base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network communication module 218 can include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). The terms "configured for", "configured to" and their conjugates used herein for a specific operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted and / or arranged to perform a specific operation or function.

[0030] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "OSI model") is a conceptual and logical layout that defines network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnecting and communicating with other systems. The model is divided into seven subcomponents or layers, each representing a conceptual set of services provided to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines a logical network and effectively describes computer packet transmission by using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as a seven-layer OSI model or a seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be a physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer. In some implementations, the sixth layer may be a non-access stratum (NAS) layer or an Internet protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments of the present solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present solution. It is apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications may be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary methods. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes may be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0032] 2. System and method for extending effective duration

[0033] In a non-terrestrial network (NTN), UE 104 may acquire / obtain its position / orientation via a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) so as to pre-compensate time / frequency errors before / before uplink (UL) transmission. The validity of the GNSS position fix (e.g., maintaining, determining, or defining the position of UE 104) may be maintained for a duration / period of time. After the validity period expires (e.g., the period ends), the GNSS of the terminal device (e.g., UE 104) may expire. The terminal device may reacquire the GNSS after the previous GNSS expires or in response to the previous GNSS expiration. In some systems, once UE 104 reads / obtains / identifies the broadcast information, UE 104 may autonomously determine its GNSS validity / validity period (e.g., represented as "X" in some cases) and / or report information associated with the validity period to the network (e.g., NTN) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. In this case, the validity period may be at least one of 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, infinity (e.g., for fixed positioning / stationary terminal devices), etc. However, for these particular systems, only the operation of the UE 104 may be considered to maintain or update UL synchronization reacquired with the GNSS based on the reported / provided / indicated validity / validity timer.

[0034] In order to handle / solve potential time / timing errors, the systems and methods of the technical solutions discussed herein may specify a closed-loop mechanism by (e.g., directly or indirectly) indicating a value (e.g., a timing value or validity period) to UE 104 to perform a timing advance (TA) correction. This mechanism / operation / process for solving potential time errors may also be used or applied to repair, solve or handle potential frequency errors. In this regard, these systems and methods may mitigate, minimize, reduce and / or avoid the potential impact of potential time errors and / or potential frequency errors caused by inappropriate GNSS positions, thereby extending the validity / validity period of GNSS. In order to ensure consistency or synchronization of values ​​regarding the GNSS validity period between BS 102 and UE 104 (e.g., for expected signaling between BS 102 and UE 104), these systems and methods may provide or obtain additional signaling and / or mechanisms to BS 102 and / or UE 104. In various arrangements, these systems and methods can extend the validity period of positioning UE 104 or provide a longer validity period, thereby reducing network traffic, resource consumption and / or processing by reducing requests for GNSS (e.g., GNSS reacquisition) from UE 104, BS 102 and / or non-terrestrial devices.

[0035] Figure 3 An example structure of a transparent NTN according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The link between a UE (e.g., user equipment, UE 104, UE 204, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal, etc.) and a satellite may be a service link. The link between a BS (e.g., base station, BS102, BS202, gNB, eNB, wireless communication node, etc.) and a satellite may be a feeder link and may be shared by all UEs in the same cell. Due to the high altitude of the satellite, the propagation delay may be relatively large / long. For NTN, especially for aircraft entities in a geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO), for example, due to the long (signal transmission / propagation) distance, the RTT between the UE and the BS may be as long as hundreds of milliseconds. In a low earth orbit (LEO), the RTT between the UE and the BS may be several milliseconds to tens of milliseconds.

[0036] The RTT (round trip time) from a terminal device (e.g., UE) to an access network device (e.g., BS) may include multiple parts. For example, one of these parts may include the RTT from the UE 104 to a satellite link (e.g., a service link). The RTT may be a UE-specific TA (e.g., terminal device-specific time synchronization) part. Another part may include the RTT from the satellite to the access network device link (e.g., a feeder link). The RTT may be a common TA (e.g., time synchronization) part of the RTT between the UE and the BS. The common TA may be partially compensated by the access network device (e.g., BS) and / or partially compensated by the terminal device / apparatus (e.g., UE). The portion compensated by the terminal device may be sent / provided / transmitted to the terminal device by / via a system message.

[0037] In various implementations, in addition to broadcasting a common TA that can be compensated by a terminal device, the network device may also broadcast positioning information of the satellite (e.g., ephemeris information, etc.) to assist / help the terminal device obtain the position of the satellite for calculating / estimating / calculating the RTT from the terminal device to the satellite. Due to mobility or changes in satellite positioning, the common TA and / or positioning information may change. Therefore, the positioning information and / or common TA broadcast in the system message may have a valid period / validity period, or be associated with a valid period / validity period. The validity period may be referred to as a UL synchronization validity period. The positioning information and / or common TA may share the same UL synchronization validity period. In addition to other types of signaling, the network device may broadcast / transmit / propagate the value of the UL synchronization validity period to the terminal device via a system information block (SIB).

[0038] In some cases, in the NTN, the radio frequency (RF) repeater and / or BS may have a relatively large speed. This may result in a relatively large frequency offset and / or timing offset on the UE side. In order to reduce / minimize the frequency offset and / or timing offset, these systems and methods may calculate / estimate / determine and / or pre-compensate the offset on the UE side. For example, in order to determine one or more offsets, the UE 104 may perform a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning for its own position / orientation. The UE 104 may perform satellite and / or high altitude platform (High Alt itude Platforms, referred to as HAPS) positioning / ephemeris and / or SIB reading of a public TA. Each GNSS positioning and / or SIB reading may have a corresponding or associated validity period, during which the corresponding positioning and / or reading (e.g., of a terminal device such as UE 104) may be considered relatively accurate for use. The terminal device may start the UL synchronization validity timer based on the positioning information in the broadcast message and / or the epoch time corresponding to the public TA.

[0039] Example arrangement for UE to extend GNSS validity period based on BS configuration

[0040] As discussed, the systems and methods of the above technical solutions may provide a mechanism for determining the GNSS validity period according to or based on the configuration of BS102 (e.g., assisted or assisted by BS102). In this case, BS102 may assist or assist in determining the (e.g., extended) validity period of the GNSS. For example, during the initial and / or updated GNSS validity period, a configuration may be provided / transmitted / transmitted from BS102 to UE 104. The configuration may correspond to a signal indicating that at least the current GNSS validity period is extended or may be part of the signal. In some cases, the configuration may indicate an adjusted / extended / modified validity period, which is different from the current validity period. The configuration may be signaled from BS102 to UE 104 via at least one signaling (e.g., SIB signaling, RRC signaling, medium access control MAC signaling, and / or downlink control information DCI signaling, etc.), including indicating and / or extending the validity period.

[0041] In various arrangements, at least one of the following may be selected / considered to indicate the validity period (eg, to extend the validity period or to serve as the validity period), but is not limited thereto.

[0042] 1) Extending the validity period may be indicated or represented by a specific value. The specific value may be an incremental / increased validity period (e.g., a change / adjustment / increment to a current validity period) or a new validity period. In this case, for example, a predetermined or adjustable value indicated via at least one signaling may represent an adjustment to the validity period or new validity period of UE 104.

[0043] 2) The extended validity period may be represented by a corresponding index value (e.g., an identifier, a hash value, a lookup value, etc.). Different index values ​​may correspond to or be associated with different validity periods. For example, index value 1 may correspond to a value of 20 seconds, index value 2 may correspond to a value of 40 seconds, index value 3 may correspond to a value of 1 minute, etc. In various aspects, the value represented by the index may be an incremental validity period (e.g., used to increase the current validity period) or a new validity period (e.g., used as a validity period).

[0044] 3) The extended validity period may be a coefficient value / factor (e.g., 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.1, 1.5, 2, etc.). Different coefficients may correspond to or be associated with different validity periods. For example, the validity period may be equal to or increased / incremented by a value = original validity period x coefficient. If the coefficient is less than 1, the original / current validity period may be increased by a value calculated based on the original validity period and the coefficient. If the coefficient is greater than 1, the value may be used to overwrite or replace the original validity period (e.g., used as a validity period).

[0045] Example Configuration 1: Explicit Indication of Extended Validity Period

[0046] In some configurations, the extension of the GNSS validity period (e.g., assisted by BS 102) can be explicitly indicated to UE 104 (e.g., explicit indication mode). In the explicit indication mode, the system and method of the present technical solution can configure the UE extension capability with relatively less / lower overhead, thereby avoiding the frequent transmission of the extension value at least to some extent.

[0047] In some example implementations, signaling from BS 102 to UE 104 may include at least one indicator to trigger UE 104 to extend the current validity period. BS 102 may send / transmit / provide the extended / adjusted validity period (e.g., the incremented validity period and / or the new validity period) to UE 104 together with the indicator. For example, the signaling may include a 1-bit field to indicate the extendability of the validity period. A '1' in the 1-bit field may indicate or trigger UE 104 to extend the validity period based on the current GNSS validity period, or to use a new validity period (e.g., a second indication) provided with the signaling. The indicated validity period (e.g., the extension time, such as the value, index, or coefficient value of the validity period) may be provided as an indication with a 1-bit field, for example, based on or according to the value of the validity period sent with the indicator (e.g., the first indication). A '0' in the 1-bit field may indicate that UE 104 maintains (e.g., does not extend) the current validity period, regardless of whether the value of the validity period is indicated. In some other cases, '0' may indicate adjusting the validity period, while '1' may indicate maintaining the validity period.

[0048] The BS 102 may send the indicated validity period as a first indication to the UE 104. The BS 102 may send a 1-bit field as a second indication to the UE 104. The 1-bit field may correspond to or be part of the second indication to indicate whether the indicated validity period (e.g., a value, index, or coefficient of the validity period) is triggered or used. The BS 102 may send the first indication and / or the second indication to the UE 104 via one or more signalings. In various aspects, the validity period may be configurable / adjustable, for example, based on at least one selected indication of the validity period discussed above (e.g., a value, index, or coefficient value of the validity period).

[0049] In some cases, an error may be detected in the signaling, for example, at least one indication from BS 102 may be missing. For example, UE 104 may determine that at least one indication (e.g., a second indication indicating a validity period) may be missing in the signaling. In this case, UE 104 may determine to perform an acquisition process to reacquire GNSS (e.g., positioning information) from BS 102. UE 104 may perform the acquisition process after the current validity period expires or in response to the current validity period expiring. In some cases, UE 104 may perform the acquisition process in response to determining that at least one indication is missing.

[0050] In some example arrangements, the signaling may include an indicator for triggering the UE 104 to extend the current GNSS validity period. A fixed validity period, such as an incremental validity period and / or a new validity period, may be predetermined / predefined (e.g., a predefined value) for the UE 104. The predefined value may be stored locally on the UE 104. For example, the signaling may include a 1-bit field for indicating the extendibility of the validity period. A '1' in the 1-bit field may indicate that the UE 104 uses a predefined value (e.g., an incremental value), and / or a '0' may indicate that the UE 104 maintains the current validity period (e.g., not using a predefined value), and vice versa. In this case, for example, for each signaling received by the UE 104, the UE 104 may determine whether to increase the current validity period by a predefined value based on the 1-bit field (e.g., the BS 102 may provide a single indication to the UE 104). In addition to other types of signaling, the predefined value may be configured / predefined via SIB signaling, RRC signaling, MAC signaling, and / or DCI signaling. The UE 104 may extend the current validity period using a predefined value, for example, upon receiving an indicator for extension.

[0051] In some cases, the indication from BS 102 may be missing. For example, if the indication of whether to trigger or use a (eg, predefined) validity period is missing or not included in the signaling, UE 104 may perform acquisition of positioning information (eg, GNSS) when the current validity period expires.

[0052] In various example implementations, BS 102 may transmit an indicator (e.g., a portion of at least one signaling) including at least one indicator to UE 104 to trigger UE 104 to extend the validity period. The at least one signaling may include a fixed value of the validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period or a new validity period), for example, sent together with the indicator or predefined together with the indicator (e.g., in a single signaling). In response to UE 104 receiving an indication from BS 102 that triggers UE 104 to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction, UE 104 may extend / adjust / modify the current validity period based on the fixed validity period for extending the current validity period. For example, UE 104 may receive signaling (e.g., an indicator with '1' in a 1-bit field) from BS 102, which indicates that UE 104 extends the current validity period based on the fixed value for extending the validity period in response to each closed-loop time and / or frequency correction. '0' may indicate that UE 104 maintains the current validity period. In some cases, the indication from BS 102 may be absent. In this case, in response to the current validity period expiring, the UE 104 may transmit an acquisition request to re-acquire positioning information (eg, GNSS).

[0053] The closed-loop mechanism (e.g., a closed-loop calibration process) may be performed as follows. UE 104 may send / transmit an UL signal to a network (e.g., BS 102). Based on the UL signal, BS 102 may determine the time-frequency calibration of UE 104 based on the orientation and / or position of UE 104 and / or other information related to UE positioning. In response to the determination, BS 102 may send an indication of UL time-frequency calibration to UE 104. UE 104 may transmit an UL signal based on the corrected time-frequency information from BS 102, thereby completing the operation of the closed-loop calibration process. In this regard, after the accumulated time-frequency error in the current validity period has been corrected via the closed-loop mechanism, a duration similar to the current validity period may be extended accordingly.

[0054] In some example implementations, BS 102 may transmit at least one signaling to UE 104. At least one signaling (e.g., first signaling) may include an indicator for triggering UE 104 to extend the current validity period (e.g., a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period). At least one signaling (e.g., second signaling) may include a value for extending the validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period and / or a new validity period) and / or an indication for triggering UE 104 to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction (e.g., a third indication). For example, a 1-bit field may be included in the signaling. When UE 104 receives an indication to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction from BS 102, an indicator '1' may indicate that UE 104 extends the current validity period. In response to the indication (e.g., the second indication and / or the third indication), UE 104 may extend the current validity period based on the received or indicated validity period (e.g., the first indication). For example, an indicator of '0' may instruct the UE 104 to maintain the current validity period regardless of whether the UE 104 receives an instruction to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction.

[0055] In some cases, a transmission error may occur, wherein at least one indication is not included in the signaling or is missing from the signaling. For example, an indication from BS 102 to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction may be missing. In this case, whether or not the extended indication is configured, closed-loop time and / or frequency correction may not be performed (e.g., the closed-loop correction may be postponed). In response to determining that the indication is missing, UE 104 may perform acquisition of positioning information (e.g., GNSS) when the current validity period expires. In some cases, for example, UE 104 may perform positioning information re-acquisition and postpone the closed-loop correction.

[0056] Example Configuration 2: Implicit Indication of Extended Validity Period

[0057] In various arrangements, the indication for extending the validity period may be implicitly indicated by the BS 102 (e.g., using an implicit indication mode). The implicit indication mode may indicate the ability to enable and / or disable the extension of the extension value via a unique / special value (e.g., a bit in a bit field, a code, an identifier, etc.), which may minimize the signaling overhead caused by the extension capability indication. Implicitly indicating whether to extend the validity period and / or the value of the extension time may reduce network resources because less data or data transmission is required to indicate the extension of the validity period.

[0058] In various example implementations, at least one signaling may include a bit field indicating a value (e.g., a field value) of a validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period and / or a new validity period). The value of the validity period may implicitly indicate whether to extend the current validity period. For example, for the extendability of the validity period, the bit field may be configured as a 3-bit field (e.g., with a field value of 3 bits), although other numbers of bits may be configured in the bit field. In this case, the field value may indicate whether the UE 104 can extend the validity period based on the current validity period. The value of the validity period (e.g., the indicated validity period) may be associated with the field value. The field value (e.g., the bit in the bit field) may represent an index or hash value associated with one or more indications such as stored in a metric / table. For example, '000' may indicate that the UE 104 maintains the current validity period. For example, depending on the configuration of the table / metric, any other bit pattern (e.g., '001', '010', '011' ... and / or '111') may instruct the UE 104 to use the corresponding value of the validity period associated with the bit pattern, e.g., '001' represents 5 seconds, '010' represents 20 seconds, '011' represents 40 seconds, etc. The metric / table is stored or maintained locally on the UE 104. The UE 104 may receive updates from the BS 102 as well as other network devices.

[0059] In some other cases, one bit in the bit field may indicate whether to extend the validity period. For example, the first bit may indicate whether to perform a validity period extension, so that '0xx' indicates maintaining the current validity period, and '1xx' indicates using an associated validity period (e.g., an incremental validity period or a new validity period). Other bit patterns or configurations may be applied herein to indicate whether to adjust the validity period and / or the value of the validity period. In some cases, an indication of a value from BS102 (e.g., at least a portion of the bit field) may be missing. In this case, UE 104 may perform an acquisition process for reacquiring positioning information when the current validity period expires. For example, the acquisition process may include UE 104 transmitting / sending / signaling a request for positioning information to BS102.

[0060] In some example implementations, at least one signaling may include a bit field indicating a value (e.g., a field value) of a validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period and / or a new validity period). BS 102 may send an indication (e.g., a third indication) with a field value (e.g., in the same or different signaling) to trigger UE 104 to perform closed-loop time and / or frequency correction, which may implicitly indicate whether to extend the current validity period (or use the indicated validity period). For example, the field value may include 3 bits, etc. The field value (e.g., the bits in the bit field) may indicate whether UE 104 uses the value to extend the validity period based on the current validity period. The value of the validity period may be determined based on or according to the validity period associated with a bit pattern (e.g., using bits as hash values, identifiers, lookup codes, etc.). Depending on the configuration, in this case, the '000' bit may indicate that UE 104 maintains the current validity period and performs / performs / initiates closed-loop correction (e.g., for time-frequency calibration). Other bit patterns may indicate that UE 104 uses the value of the indicated validity period and performs closed-loop correction.

[0061] In some implementations, UE 104 may determine that at least one of the indication (eg, third indication) and / or field value from BS 102 may be missing. In response to this determination, UE 104 may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information from BS 102 when the current validity period expires.

[0062] Figure 4 A flow chart of a method 400 for extending a validity period is shown. The method 400 may be used in conjunction with the present invention. Figures 1 to 3 The method 400 is implemented by any one or more components and devices described in detail. In general, in some embodiments, the method 400 can be performed by at least one wireless communication device (e.g., UE or terminal device), at least one wireless communication node (e.g., BS, gNB or access network device), at least one satellite, etc. Depending on the implementation, additional, fewer or different operations can be performed in the method 400. At least one aspect of the operation involves a system, method, apparatus or computer-readable medium.

[0063] At operation 402, the wireless communication node may send / transmit / transmit at least one signal to the wireless communication device. At operation 404, the wireless communication device may receive / obtain / acquire at least one signal from the wireless communication node. The at least one signal may include, for example, at least one of an indication of triggering the wireless communication device to extend a validity period (e.g., a current GNSS validity period) and / or an indication of an extension value (e.g., an indicated validity period or an extension time, such as an increased validity period and / or a new validity period), etc.

[0064] In operation 406, the wireless communication device may determine whether to use the indicated validity period of the positioning information of the wireless communication device according to at least one signaling. For example, using the indicated validity period may include or correspond to extending the current validity period to the indicated validity period and / or replacing the current validity period with the indicated validity period.

[0065] In some implementations, the at least one signaling may include system information block (SIB) signaling, radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control (MAC) signaling, and / or downlink control information (DCI) signaling, etc. In various arrangements, the wireless communication device may determine at least one of the following based on the at least one signal: a first indication of a validity period and / or a second indication to the wireless communication device regarding / indicating whether to use the first indication of the validity period.

[0066] In some implementations, the first indication may include at least one of a value of the validity period, an index corresponding to the value of the validity period, and / or a coefficient value used with the validity period (e.g., the current validity period) to determine a value of the validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period when the coefficient is less than 1) or a new validity period (e.g., a new validity period when the coefficient is greater than 1). Each index may correspond to or be associated with a corresponding value of the validity period. In some cases, the first indication may be used as an incremented validity period to increase / adjust / change / modify / update an existing / current validity period according to the indicated value. In some cases, the first indication may be used as a new validity period, for example, to replace a current validity period.

[0067] In some implementations, the at least one signaling may consist of a single signaling. In this case, the wireless communication device may receive a single signaling from the wireless communication node. The single signaling may include at least one of (i) a first indication of a validity period, and / or (ii) a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period. In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device may determine a value of the validity period (e.g., an incremented validity period or a new validity period).

[0068] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that the second indication is missing in a single signaling. In this case, in response to the second indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information, for example, to reacquire positioning information (e.g., GNSS). In some cases, the value of the validity period may be a fixed value (e.g., configured for the wireless communication device, for example, stored in a local memory). In some other cases, the value of the validity period may be defined (e.g., by a wireless communication node). In some implementations, the value of the validity period may be a fixed value and / or a variable value (e.g., defined or configured by a wireless communication node).

[0069] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a second indication from the wireless communication node. In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device may determine a value for the validity period. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a third indication from the wireless communication node to perform a closed-loop correction (e.g., a closed-loop time and / or frequency correction). For example, the third indication may be received within the current validity period. In response to the third indication, the wireless communication device may determine a value for the validity period.

[0070] In some arrangements, the wireless communication device may determine that the second indication is missing in at least one signaling. In response to the second indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine whether to perform acquisition of positioning information or to perform closed-loop correction and acquisition of positioning information.

[0071] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a first signaling in at least one signaling from a wireless communication node. The first signaling may include a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period. In addition, the wireless communication device may receive a second signaling in at least one signaling from the wireless communication node. The second signaling may include at least one of the following: (i) the first indication of the validity period, or (ii) a third indication to perform a closed-loop correction (e.g., a closed-loop time and / or frequency correction). In response to the second signaling, the wireless communication device may determine a value of the validity period.

[0072] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that the third indication is missing in the second signaling. In response to the missing third indication, the wireless communication device may determine at least one of the following: deferring closed-loop correction and / or acquiring positioning information (eg, reacquiring GNSS).

[0073] In some implementations, at least one signaling may consist of a single signaling including a field value (e.g., a bit in a bit field). The wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period and / or an indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period based on the field value. For example, a field value of '000' may indicate that the validity period is not extended, while other field values ​​from '001' to '111' may indicate that the extension time associated with the corresponding field value is extended.

[0074] In some implementations, the single signaling may include a third indication for the wireless communication device to perform closed loop correction. In some implementations, the wireless communication device may receive a single signaling, the single signaling including the field value, or the field value and the third indication. In response to the single signaling, the wireless communication device may determine the value of the validity period based on the field value associated with the corresponding value of the validity period.

[0075] In some implementations, the wireless communication device may determine that at least one of the field value and / or the third indication is missing in a single signaling. In response to at least one of the field value or the third indication being missing, the wireless communication device may determine to perform acquisition of positioning information (e.g., GNSS) after expiration of a validity period (e.g., a current validity period / period).

[0076] Although various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are given only by way of example and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict example architectures or configurations, which are provided to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the exemplary features and functions of the present solution. However, these personnel will understand that the present solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of an embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0077] It should also be understood that any reference to an element herein using names such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names may be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

[0078] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols referenced in the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0079] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of programs or design codes containing instructions (for convenience, referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functions. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Technicians may implement the described functionality in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0080] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components and circuits described herein may be implemented or performed in an integrated circuit (IC) including a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logic blocks, modules and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

[0081] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the method or algorithm disclosed herein may be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any media that enables a computer program or code to be transferred from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, and any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer.

[0082] As used herein, the term "module" refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements to perform the relevant functions described herein. In addition, for the purpose of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it is obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the relevant functions according to the implementation of the present solution.

[0083] In addition, memory or other storage and communication components may be used in the implementation of the present solution. It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity, the above description has described the implementation of the present solution with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any appropriate distribution of functions between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without departing from the present solution. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are only references to suitable devices for providing the described functions, rather than indicating a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0084] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as described in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device receives at least one signaling from the wireless communication node; The wireless communication device determines whether to use the validity period indicated by the positioning information of the wireless communication device according to the at least one signaling.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The at least one signaling includes: system information block SIB signaling, radio resource control RRC signaling, medium access control MAC signaling or downlink control information DCI signaling.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device determines, based on the at least one signaling, at least one of: a first indication of the validity period, or a second indication to the wireless communication device regarding whether to use the first indication of the validity period.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first instruction includes: The value of the validity period, the index corresponding to the value of the validity period, or A coefficient value, wherein the coefficient value is used to determine the value of the validity period or a new validity period together with the validity period.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The at least one signaling consists of a single signaling, and the method includes: The wireless communication device receives the single signaling from the wireless communication node, the single signaling including: the first indication of the validity period, and a second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period; In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device determines a value for the validity period.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device determines that the second indication is missing in the single signaling; as well as In response to the absence of the second indication, the wireless communication device determines to perform acquisition of the positioning information.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The value of the validity period is a fixed value.

8. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The value of the validity period is set.

9. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: include: The wireless communication device receives the second indication from the wireless communication node; In response to the second indication, the wireless communication device determines a value for the validity period.

10. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device receives a third instruction to perform closed-loop correction from the wireless communication node; In response to the third indication, the wireless communication device determines a value for the validity period.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: include: The wireless communication device determines that the second indication is missing in the at least one signaling; In response to the absence of the second indication, the wireless communication device determines to execute the acquisition of the positioning information or to execute the closed-loop correction and the acquisition of the positioning information.

12. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device receives, from the wireless communication node, a first signaling of the at least one signaling, the first signaling including the second indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period; The wireless communication device receives a second signaling of the at least one signaling from the wireless communication node, the second signaling including at least one of the following: the first indication of the validity period, or a third indication to perform closed-loop correction; In response to the second signaling, the wireless communication device determines a value for the validity period.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that include: Determining, by the wireless communication device, that the third indication is missing in the second signaling; In response to the absence of the third indication, the wireless communication device determines at least one of the following: deferring execution of the closed-loop correction; Execute the acquisition of the positioning information.

14. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The at least one signaling is composed of a single signaling including a field value, and the method comprises: The wireless communication device determines a value of the validity period and an indication of whether to use the first indication of the validity period based on the field value.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The single signaling includes a third instruction for the wireless communication device to perform closed loop correction.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device receives a single signaling, wherein the single signaling includes: the field value, or the field value and the third indication; In response to the single signaling, the wireless communications device determines a value for the validity period.

17. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that include: The wireless communication device determines that at least one of the field value or the third indication is missing in the single signaling; In response to at least one of the field value or the third indication being missing, the wireless communication device determines to perform acquisition of the positioning information after expiration of the validity period.

18. A method, characterized in that include: The wireless communication node sends at least one signaling to the wireless communication device, wherein the wireless communication device is used to determine whether to use the validity period of the indication of the positioning information of the wireless communication device according to the at least one signaling.

19. A non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by at least one processor, enables the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

20. A device, characterized in that: include: At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1-18.

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