Uplink positioning method for handover or cell reselection

Abstract

Techniques are provided for utilizing positioning signals during handover or cell reselection procedures. An example method for transmitting a sounding reference signal includes obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a set of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the set of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is a station in the set of stations; and transmitting one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of Greek Patent Application No. 20220100515, filed on June 27, 2022, entitled “UPLINK POSITIONING METHODS IN HANDOVER OR CELL RESELECTION”, which is assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), fifth generation (5G) service, etc. There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular systems and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile access (GSM) TDMA variants, etc.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard calls for higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with a data rate of 1 gigabit per second provided to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the invention

[0004] An example method for sending a sounding reference signal according to the present disclosure includes: obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the stations in the group of stations; and sending one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

[0005] A specific implementation of this method may include one or more of the following features. The group of stations may be included in a radio access network notification area. The group of stations may be included in a long term evolution radio access network tracking area. The sounding reference signal configuration information may be provided via a radio access network notification area update procedure. The second station may be configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals may be sent within the first bandwidth portion. The sounding reference signal configuration information may be included in one or more system information blocks sent by the first station. The sounding reference signal configuration information may be received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode. The method may include: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations in the group of stations; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and sending the one or more sounding reference signals based at least in part on these sounding reference signal power requirements. These sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station. These sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station. The one or more downlink reference signals may include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on the first received downlink reference signal. An indication of a particular cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference may be received, such that the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the particular cell. A station associated with a minimum path loss may be determined based on the one or more downlink reference signals, such that the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss. One or more positioning measurements may be provided to a network server, and receiving a position estimate from the network server may be based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0006] An example method for sending a sounding reference signal using a handover or cell reselection procedure according to the present disclosure includes: obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; performing the handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station; requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; and sending one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

[0007] Specific implementations of this method may include one or more of the following features. The first station may be configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals configured based on the second sounding reference signal may be sent within the first bandwidth portion. The second station may be configured with a second bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals configured based on the second sounding reference signal may be sent within the second bandwidth portion. The RAN notification area update may be included in one or more system information blocks sent by the second station. The RAN notification area update may be received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode. The method may include: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations identified in the RAN notification area information; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and sending the one or more sounding reference signals based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirements. The sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station. The sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station. The one or more downlink reference signals may include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on the first received downlink reference signal. An indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference may be received in the RAN notification area information, such that the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the specific cell. A station associated with a minimum path loss may be determined based on the one or more downlink reference signals, such that the sounding reference signal power requirements may be based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss. One or more positioning measurements may be provided to a network server, and receiving a position estimate from the network server may be based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0008] An example method for delaying a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure according to the present disclosure includes: requesting positioning information associated with a mobile device; receiving an indication that a positioning session will be delayed based on a time required to complete the handover or cell reselection procedure; and receiving positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least in part on the indication that the positioning session will be delayed.

[0009] Specific implementations of this method may include one or more of the following features. The indication that the positioning session will be delayed may be received from a mobility management function. The indication that the positioning session will be delayed may be based on historical handover or cell reselection procedure times associated with the first station and the second station.

[0010] The items and / or technologies described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities and other capabilities not mentioned. A first base station may be identified as a base station in a first group of base stations. A mobile device such as a user equipment may use the first base station as a serving cell and then perform a handover or cell reselection procedure with other base stations in the first group of base stations based on a current location. The first base station may provide the mobile device with a reference signal configuration and station identification information to define the first group of base stations and an associated reference signal configuration used with each base station in the first group of base stations. The reference signal configuration may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration. During a positioning session, the mobile device may send an SRS to other base stations in the first group of base stations based on the SRS configuration received from the first base station. A handover or cell reselection procedure may occur concurrently with the positioning session. The mobile device may continue to send an SRS based on the SRS configuration throughout the positioning session (including before, during, and after the handover or cell reselection procedure). The positioning session may continue without requiring a new serving cell (e.g., a second base station) to transmit a new SRS configuration (e.g., a second SRS configuration). The proposed procedure reduces the messaging overhead and latency associated with obtaining a position estimate during a handover or cell reselection procedure. When the mobile device moves out of the coverage area of ​​the first set of base stations, a second set of base stations and a second SRS configuration may be defined. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure necessarily provides any, much less all, of the capabilities discussed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0012] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of components of an example user equipment is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the components of an example send / receive point.

[0014] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the components of a server, various examples of which are shown in Figure 1 Shown in.

[0015] Figure 5 and Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary technique for determining a location of a mobile device using information obtained from multiple base stations.

[0016] Figure 7 is an example round-trip message flow between a user equipment and a base station.

[0017] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example uplink positioning reference signal.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a diagram of example radio resource control (RRC) state transitions.

[0019] Fig.10 is an example Radio Access Network (RAN) Notification Area (RNA).

[0020] Fig.11 is a timing diagram of an example cell change during a positioning session.

[0021] Fig.12 is an example positioning measurement message flow with a cell handover or reselection procedure.

[0022] Fig.13 is part of an example Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) configuration information element.

[0023] Fig.14 Includes examples of RNA and common SRS cell groups.

[0024] Fig.15 is an example message flow for an uplink positioning method during a handover or cell reselection procedure.

[0025] Fig.16 is a process flow diagram of an example method for sending a sounding reference signal.

[0026] Fig.17 is a process flow diagram of an example method for sending a sounding reference signal utilizing a handover or cell reselection procedure.

[0027] Fig.18 is a process flow diagram of an example method for delaying a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure.

[0028] Fig.19 is a process flow diagram for sending a sounding reference signal based on path loss information associated with a set of stations. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] This document discusses techniques for providing positioning signals during handover or cell reselection procedures. Current uplink positioning signals, such as SRS for positioning, are based on a cell-specific SRS configuration assigned by a base station (e.g., a gNB) for a specific user equipment (UE). Therefore, when a UE moves across cells, it must suspend SRS transmission. The techniques provided herein enable a UE to use the same SRS configuration for multiple cells. In one example, a common SRS configuration may be valid for a group of cells, and when the UE moves across different cells in the group of cells, it may utilize the SRS configuration. The UE may also be configured to report receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) values ​​to cells in the group of cells. In one example, the group of cells may be defined by a RAN-based notification area (RNA), and the SRS configuration information may be included in the RNA update messaging and provided when the UE is in an inactive mode. The serving cell may be configured to update the SRS configuration information when the UE is in a connected mode. In one example, the UE may be configured to determine a path loss based on downlink signals sent from one or more cells in the group of cells and determine an uplink transmit power for an SRS sent to the group of cells. In one example, the positioning session may be delayed during a handover procedure. These techniques are examples and not limitations, as other signaling techniques may be used.

[0030] Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be used for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, consumer asset tracking, locating friends or family members, etc. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities, including satellite vehicles (SVs) and terrestrial radio sources such as base stations and access points in wireless networks. It is expected that standardization for 5G wireless networks will include support for various positioning methods, which can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations for positioning determination in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently utilize positioning reference signals (PRS) and / or cell-specific reference signals (CRS).

[0031] This specification may refer to a sequence of actions to be performed by, for example, an element of a computing device. Each action described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of actions described herein may be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, will cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects described herein may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0032] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. Generally speaking, such UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station", "mobile device", or variations thereof. In general, the UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a WiFi network (eg, based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0033] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with the UE. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), or general NodeBs (gNodeBs, gNBs). In addition, in some systems, the base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, the base station may provide additional control functions and / or network management functions.

[0034] The UE may be implemented by any of several types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired phone, a smart phone, a tablet device, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which the UE can transmit signals to the RAN is referred to as an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the RAN can transmit signals to the UE is referred to as a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0035] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of the multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0036] refer to Figure 1 , an example of a communication system 100 includes UE 105, UE 106, a radio access network (RAN) (here, fifth generation (5G) next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), a 5G core network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, bus, ship, etc.), or other devices. A 5G network may also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; NG-RAN 135 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5GC 140 may be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is being conducted in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may follow current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. NG-RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, for example, a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 may be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to transmit and / or receive signals to and / or from similar other entities in system 100, but for simplicity of the drawing, the UE 106 is not shown in FIG. Figure 1105. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on the UE 105. The communication system 100 may utilize information from a constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou or some other local or regional SPS, such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, the NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeB (gNB) 110a, 110b and next generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) 114, and the 5GC 140 includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, a session management function (SMF) 117, a location management function (LMF) 120, and a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125. The gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured for bidirectional wireless communication with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and configured for bidirectional communication with the AMF. The gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as a base station (BS). The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as an initial contact point for a service control function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. A base station (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be a macro cell (e.g., a high-power cellular base station) or a small cell (e.g., a low-power cellular base station) or an access point (e.g., a short-range base station configured to communicate with a short-range technology (e.g., WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® ,Bluetooth ® Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.) for communication). One or more base stations (e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to communicate with UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cell). Each cell may be divided into multiple sectors according to the base station antenna.

[0038] Figure 1 A generalized illustration of various components is provided, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each component may be repeated or omitted as desired. Specifically, although one UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include a greater (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or less than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNBs 110a, gNBs 110b, ng-eNBs 114, AMFs 115, external clients 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. In addition, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0039] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is illustrated, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. The implementations described herein (which are used for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to send (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the position of UE 105 at a device with positioning capabilities such as UE 105, gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or LMF 120 based on measurement parameters received at UE 105 for such directional transmitted signals. The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125, location management function (LMF) 120, access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114 and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functionality and / or base station functionality, respectively, in various embodiments.

[0040] The system 100 is capable of wireless communication because the components of the system 100 can communicate with each other (at least sometimes using wireless connections), directly or indirectly, for example, via gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or 5GC 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other transceiver base stations). For indirect communication, the communication can be modified during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change header information of a data packet, change the format, etc. The UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communication device, but may communicate wirelessly as well as via a wired connection. The UE 105 may be any of a variety of devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., but these are merely examples because the UE 105 need not be any of these configurations and other configurations of UEs may be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices, etc.). Other UEs may also be used, whether currently existing or developed in the future. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) may be implemented within the system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB 114, the 5GC 140, and / or the external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The 5GC 140 may communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow the external client 130 to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105 (e.g., via the GMLC 125).

[0041] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle to Vehicle, e.g., V2P (vehicle to pedestrian), V2I (vehicle to infrastructure), V2V (vehicle to vehicle), etc.), IEEE802.11p, etc.). V2X communication may be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi-based (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connection)). The system 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can send modulated signals simultaneously on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilots, overhead information, data, etc. UEs 105, 106 can communicate with each other through UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink (SL) channels such as a physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH).

[0042] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a secure user plane location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a PDA, a consumer asset tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to support wireless communications, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth ®(BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. UE 105 may use a wireless local area network (WLAN) to support wireless communications, and the wireless local area network may use, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or a packet cable to connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet). Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 ( Figure 1 125), or possibly via the GMLC 125) to communicate with the external client 130 and / or allow the external client 130 to receive location information about the UE 105 (eg, via the GMLC 125).

[0043] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where users may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. The estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, thereby providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE 105 may be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a relative location including, for example, a distance and direction relative to a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in municipal form, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term "location" may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0044] UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 may be configured to be indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® Etc. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within a geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP), such as one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from a base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within a geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from a base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving TRP.

[0045] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NR Node Bs (referred to as gNB 110a and gNB 110b). Each pair of gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communications between the UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, which may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE 105 using 5G. Figure 1 , it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may serve as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0046] Figure 1The base stations (BSs) in the illustrated NG-RAN 135 may include an ng-eNB 114, also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105, but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs.

[0047] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of a BS may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., a shared processor but with separate antennas). The system 100 may include only a macro TRP, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as a macro TRP, a pico TRP, and / or a femto TRP, among others. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access to terminals with service subscriptions. A femto TRP or a home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access to terminals associated with the femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a home).

[0048] Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). For example, the gNB 110b includes a RU 111, a DU 112, and a CU 113. The RU 111, the DU 112, and the CU 113 divide the functionality of the gNB 110b. Although the gNB 110b is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, the gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between the CU 113 and the DU 112 is referred to as an F1 interface. The RU 111 is configured to perform digital front end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmission / reception) and digital beamforming, and includes a portion of the physical (PHY) layer. The RU 111 may perform DFE using massive multiple input / multiple output (MIMO) and may be integrated with one or more antennas of the gNB 110b. DU 112 hosts the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical layers of gNB 110b. One DU may support one or more cells, and each cell is supported by a single DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for delivering user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., although some functions are only assigned to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110b. UE 105 can communicate with CU 113 via RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, communicate with DU 112 via RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and communicate with RU 111 via the PHY layer.

[0049] As pointed out, although Figure 1 Nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an IEEE 802.11x protocol) may also be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) that provides LTE wireless access to a UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to Figure 1 The NG-RAN 135 in the network and the EPC corresponds to the 5GC 140.

[0050] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115; for positioning functionality, the AMF communicates with the LMF 120. The AMF 115 may support mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and may participate in supporting signaling connections with the UE 105 and possible data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly with the UE 105, or directly with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, for example, via wireless communications. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135, and may support various positioning procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., downlink (DL) OTDOA or uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 may process a location service request for the UE 105 received from, for example, the AMF 115 or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a Commercial LMF (CLMF), or a Value-Added LMF (VLMF). A node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals sent by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, gNB 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or assistance data provided to UE 105 by LMF 120, for example). AMF 115 may serve as a control node for processing signaling between UE 105 and 5GC 140, and may provide QoS (quality of service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and may participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0051] The server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain a location estimate for the UE 105 and provide it to the external client 130. The server 150 may, for example, be configured to run a microservice / service that obtains a location estimate for the UE 105. The server 150 may, for example, obtain a location estimate from (e.g., by transmitting a location request) the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the ng-eNB 114, and / or the LMF 120. As another example, the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the LMF 120 may push the location estimate for the UE 105 to the server 150.

[0052] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 via the server 150, and may forward the location requests to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location requests directly to the LMF 120. A location response (e.g., containing a location estimate of the UE 105) from the LMF 120 may be returned to the GMLC 125 directly or via the AMF 115, and the GMLC 125 may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client 130 via the server 150. The GMLC 125 is shown as being connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but may not be connected to either the AMF 115 or the LMF 120 in some implementations.

[0053] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, LMF 120 may communicate with gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 using a new radio positioning protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, wherein NRPPa messages are communicated between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and LMF 120 via AMF 115. Figure 1As further illustrated, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. The LMF 120 and the UE 105 may additionally or alternatively communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114 of the UE 105. For example, the LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and may be communicated between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using a network-based positioning method such as E-CID (e.g., in conjunction with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional SS or PRS transmissions from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0054] Using UE-assisted positioning methods, UE 105 may obtain location measurements and transmit these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN APs. The location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudoranges, code phases, and / or carrier phases of SVs 190-193.

[0055] Using the UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain position measurements (e.g., which can be the same or similar to the position measurements of the UE-assisted positioning method), and the position of UE 105 can be calculated (e.g., with the help of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0056] Using network-based positioning methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals sent by UE 105) and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105. One or more base stations or APs may transmit the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0057] The information provided to LMF 120 by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS or PRS transmission and location coordinates. LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0058] The LPP or NPP message transmitted from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to do any of a variety of things, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station (such as an eNB or WiFi AP)). The UE 105 may transmit these measurement parameters back to the LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0059] As noted, while the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) for supporting and interacting with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the 5GC 140 may use the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, Figure 1 115). For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may be connected to the WLAN and other elements in the 5GC 140, such as the AMF 115. In some embodiments, both the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in the EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including an eNB, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a mobility management entity (MME) replacing the AMF 115, an E-SMLC replacing the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to transmit location information to and receive location information from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of UE 105 using directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, with the difference that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may in some cases be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0060] As noted, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented at least in part using directional SS or PRS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) that are located at a UE (e.g., Figure 1 In some instances, the UE may calculate the positioning of the UE using directional SS beams or directional PRS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.).

[0061] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105, 106, and includes a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 (the transceiver includes a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, the memory 211, the sensor 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (the bus can be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., the camera 218, the positioning device 219, and / or one or more sensors in the sensor 213, etc.) can be omitted from the UE 200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230-234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may include, for example, a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (where one or more (cellular) wireless signals and reflections sent are used to identify, map, and / or track objects) and / or ultrasound, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identity module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by a terminal user of the UE 200 to obtain connectivity. The memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, an optical disk memory, and / or a read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 210 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured to cause processor 210 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as specific implementations in which processor 210 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions as shorthand for one or more of processors 230-234 performing the functions.This description may refer to UE 200 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing that function. Processor 210 may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 211. The functionality of processor 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0062] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown is an example and does not limit the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of UE includes one or more processors of processors 230-234 of processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations include one or more processors of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver, and one or more of the following: sensor 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219, and / or wired transceiver.

[0063] The UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and down-converted by the transceiver 215 and / or the SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of signals to be up-converted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processing may be performed by the general / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0064] UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include, for example, one or more sensors of various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors, etc. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes). Sensors 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). Environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. Sensors 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or general / application processor 230 to support one or more applications (such as applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0065] The sensor 213 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by the sensor 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor 213 may be used to determine whether the UE 200 is fixed (stationary) or moving and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor 213, the UE 200 may notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by the sensor 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensor / IMU may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0066] The IMU may be configured to provide measurements of the direction of motion and / or speed of motion of the UE 200, which may be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU may detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE 200, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of the UE 200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of the UE 200. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement may be integrated to track the position of the UE 200. For example, a reference position of the UE 200 at a certain moment may be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from the accelerometers and gyroscopes after that moment may be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference position.

[0067] The magnetometer may determine magnetic field strengths in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The magnetometer may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer may provide a means for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to the processor 210.

[0068] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248 and converting signals from the wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 248. The wireless transmitter 242 includes appropriate components (e.g., a power amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter). The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 can be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc. The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or frequencies below 6 GHz. The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to the NG-RAN 135 and receive communications from the NG-RAN. The wired transmitter 252 may include a plurality of transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include a plurality of receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, for example, via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244 and / or the antenna 246 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals, respectively.

[0069] The user interface 216 may include one or more devices such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc. The user interface 216 may include more than one of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 in response to actions from the user to be processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general / application processor 230. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device, which includes, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a digital-to-analog circuit, an analog-to-digital circuit, an amplifier, and / or a gain control circuit (including more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216 .

[0070] The SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring the SPS signal 260 via the SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signal 260 from a wireless signal to a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and may be integrated with the antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the position of the UE 200 by performing trilateration using the SPS signal 260. The general / application processor 230, the memory 211, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signal in whole or in part, and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 200. The memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signals 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 240) for use in performing positioning operations. The general / application processor 230, the DSP 231, and / or one or more special-purpose processors, and / or the memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for use in processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0071] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuits, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, decoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. Video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of user interface 216).

[0072] Positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the motion of UE 200, and / or the relative location of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with SPS receiver 217, and / or include part or all of an SPS receiver. PD 219 may work appropriately with processor 210 and memory 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may only refer to PD 219 being configured to perform or performing according to a positioning method. PD 219 may be additionally or alternatively configured to: use ground-based signals (e.g., at least some wireless signals 248) for trilateration, assist in obtaining and use SPS signals 260, or both to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the cell of a serving base station (e.g., cell center) and / or another technology (such as E-CID). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more images from the camera 218 and image recognition combined with known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks (such as mountains) and / or artificial landmarks (such as buildings, bridges, streets), etc.). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's location beacon)), and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.), which may sense the orientation and / or movement of the UE 200 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or movement, and the processor 210 (e.g., general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use the indication to determine the movement of the UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). PD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion. The functionality of PD 219 may be provided in a variety of ways and / or configurations, such as by general / application processor 230, transceiver 215, SPS receiver 217, and / or another component of UE 200, and may be provided by hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0073] Also refer to Figure 3, an example of a TRP 300 for a gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 includes a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, the memory 311, and the transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to one another via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may include a plurality of processors (e.g., including a general / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, such as Figure 2 ). The memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 311 stores software 312, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured to cause the processor 310 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed.

[0074] This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as a specific implementation in which processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing the function. The description may refer to TRP 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) of TRP 300 (and therefore one of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) performing the function. Processor 310 may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0075] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. Thus, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate in accordance with a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to, for example, the LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities and receive communications therefrom. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0076] Figure 3 The configuration of the TRP 300 shown is an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses that the TRP 300 is configured to perform several functions or that the TRP performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0077] Also refer to Figure 4 , the server 400 (LMF 120 is an example of the server) includes a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (the bus may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may include a plurality of processors (e.g., including a general / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, such as Figure 2 ). The memory 411 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 411 stores software 412, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured to cause the processor 410 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as specific implementations in which the processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more processors included in the processor 410 performing the function. This specification may refer to the server 400 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing the function. The processor 410 may include at least one memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or replacement for the memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0078] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448. Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to operate in accordance with a plurality of radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to, for example, the TRP 300 and / or one or more other network entities and receive communications therefrom. The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0079] The description herein may refer to processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 410 executes software (stored in memory 411) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to server 400 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411) performing that function.

[0080] Figure 4The configuration of the server 400 shown is an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, including the claims, and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, the description herein discusses that the server 400 is configured to perform several functions or that the server performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0081] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in cellular networks, techniques such as Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) and Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a "UE-assisted" mode, where measurements of reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) transmitted by base stations are acquired by the UE and then provided to a location server. The location server then calculates the position of the UE based on the measurements and the known positions of the base stations. Since these techniques use a location server (rather than the UE itself) to calculate the position of the UE, these positioning techniques are not frequently used in applications such as automotive or cell phone navigation, which instead typically rely on satellite-based positioning.

[0082] UEs can use a satellite positioning system (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) to use Precise Point Positioning (PPP) or Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) techniques for high accuracy positioning. These techniques use assistance data, such as measurements from ground-based stations. LTE Release 15 allows the data to be encrypted so that only UEs subscribed to the service can read the information. Such assistance data changes over time. As a result, a UE subscribed to the service may not be able to easily "crack the encryption" for other UEs by passing the data to other UEs that have not paid for the subscription. This transfer needs to be repeated each time the assistance data changes.

[0083] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE transmits measurements (e.g., TDOA, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc.) to a positioning server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The positioning server has a base station almanac (BSA) that contains multiple "entries" or "records", one record per cell, where each record contains a geographic cell location, but may also include other data. An identifier of a "record" among multiple "records" in the BSA may be referenced. The BSA and the measurements from the UE may be used to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0084] In conventional UE-based positioning, the UE calculates its own position, avoiding the transmission of measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which in turn improves latency and scalability. The UE uses the relevant BSA record information from the network (e.g., the location of the gNB (more broadly, the base station)). The BSA information can be encrypted. However, since the BSA information changes much less frequently than, for example, the PPP or RTK assistance data described previously, it may be easier (compared to PPP or RTK information) to make the BSA information available to UEs that are not subscribed and have not paid for decryption keys. The transmission of reference signals by the gNB makes the BSA information potentially accessible to crowdsourcing or driving attacks, essentially enabling the BSA information to be generated based on in-the-field observations and / or over-the-top observations.

[0085] Positioning techniques may be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria, such as positioning determination accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between an event that triggers the determination of positioning-related data and the availability of the data at a positioning system interface (e.g., an interface of LMF 120). At the time of initialization of the positioning system, the latency for the availability of positioning-related data is called the time to first fix (TTFF) and is greater than the latency after the TTFF. The inverse of the time elapsed between two consecutive positioning-related data availabilities is called the update rate, i.e., the rate at which positioning-related data is generated after the first fix. Latency may depend on (e.g., UE's) processing capabilities. For example, assuming a 272 PRB (physical resource block) allocation, a UE may report the processing capability of the UE as the duration (in time units (e.g., milliseconds) of a DL PRS symbol that the UE can process per T amount of time (e.g., Tms). Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency are the number of TRPs from which the UE can process PRSs, the number of PRSs that the UE can process, and the bandwidth of the UE.

[0086] One or more of many different positioning techniques (also referred to as positioning methods) may be used to determine the location of an entity (such as one of the UEs 105, 106). For example, known positioning determination techniques include RTT, multi-RTT, OTDOA (also referred to as TDOA and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), enhanced cell identification (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the distance between the two entities. This distance plus the known position of the first of the entities and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities may be used to determine the position of the second of the entities. In multi-RTT (also referred to as multi-cell RTT), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known positions of the other entities may be used to determine the position of the one entity. In TDOA techniques, the travel time difference between one entity and the other entities may be used to determine the relative distance to the other entities, and the relative distance combined with the known positions of the other entities may be used to determine the position of the one entity. The angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or angle of departure of a signal combined with the distance between devices (the distance determined using the signal (e.g., the travel time of the signal, the received power of the signal, etc.)) and the known position of one of the devices can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be an azimuth relative to a reference direction (such as true north). The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be a zenith angle relative to directly upward from the entity (i.e., relative to radially outward from the center of the earth). E-CID uses the identity of the serving cell, the timing advance (i.e., the difference between the reception time and the transmission time at the UE), the estimated timing and power of the detected neighbor cell signals, and possible angles of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of the signal from the base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. In TDOA, the difference in the arrival time of signals from different sources at the receiving device together with the known positions of these sources and the known offsets of the transmission times from these sources are used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0087] In network-centric RTT estimation, the serving base station commands the UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on the serving cells of two or more neighboring base stations (and typically the serving base station, since at least three base stations are required). The one or more base stations send the RTT measurement signals on low reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to send system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server, such as LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also known as reception time, received time, received time, or arrival time (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the current downlink timing of the UE (e.g., as derived by the UE from the DL signal received from its serving base station), and (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station) sends a common or individual RTT response message (e.g., SRS (sounding reference signal) used for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to the one or more base stations, and may calculate the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the sending time of the RTT response message. (i.e., UE T Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx ) is included in the payload of each RTT response message. The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. By comparing the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station Time difference with UE report , the base station can infer the propagation time between the base station and the UE, from which the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station by assuming the speed of light during the propagation time.

[0088] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to the network-based approach, except that the UE sends an uplink RTT measurement signal (e.g., when commanded by a serving base station), which is received by multiple base stations in the vicinity of the UE. Each base station involved responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in the RTT response message payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the transmission time of the RTT response message from the base station.

[0089] For both network-centric and UE-centric procedures, the side performing the RTT calculation (network or UE) typically (but not always) sends a first message or signal (e.g., an RTT measurement signal), and the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of the first message or signal and the sending time of the RTT response message or signal.

[0090] Multi-RTT techniques may be used to determine positioning. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) may transmit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and a plurality of second entities (e.g., other TSPs, such as base stations and / or UEs) may receive signals from the first entity and respond to the received signals. The first entity receives responses from the plurality of second entities. The first entity (or another entity, such as an LMF) may use the responses from the second entity to determine the distance to the second entity, and may use the plurality of distances and the known positions of the second entity to determine the position of the first entity by trilateration.

[0091] In some instances, additional information may be obtained in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) that defines a straight line direction (e.g., which may be in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., of the UE as seen from the location of a base station). The intersection of the two directions may provide another estimate of the UE's position.

[0092] For positioning techniques (e.g., TDOA and RTT) that use PRS (positioning reference signal) signals, PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured and the arrival times of these signals, the known transmission times, and the known locations of the TRPs are used to determine the distance from the UE to the TRPs. For example, RSTD (reference signal time difference) can be determined for PRS signals received from multiple TRPs and used in TDOA techniques to determine the location (position) of the UE. Positioning reference signals may be referred to as PRS or PRS signals. PRS signals are typically transmitted using the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, so that PRS signals from farther TRPs may be drowned out by PRS signals from closer TRPs, so that signals from farther TRPs may not be detected. PRS muting can be used to help reduce interference by muting some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, for example, to zero and thereby not sending the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect (at the UE) a weaker PRS signal without a stronger PRS signal interfering with the weaker PRS signal. The term RS and its variants (eg, PRS, SRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information - Reference Signal)) may refer to one reference signal or more than one reference signal.

[0093] Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) include downlink PRS (DL PRS, often referred to as PRS for short) and uplink PRS (UL PRS) (the uplink PRS may be referred to as SRS (sounding reference signal) for positioning). PRS may include a PN code (pseudo-random number) or be generated using a PN code (e.g., by modulating a carrier signal with a PN code) so that the source of the PRS can be used as a pseudo-satellite. The PN code may be unique to the PRS source (at least unique within a specified area so that the same PRS from different PRS sources do not overlap). PRS may include PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets of a frequency layer. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply a frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, where the PRS resources have common parameters configured by higher layer parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for a DL PRS resource set and DL PRS resource in that frequency layer. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. A common resource block is a set of resource blocks that occupy a channel bandwidth. A bandwidth part (BWP) is a set of consecutive common resource blocks and may include all common resource blocks within the channel bandwidth or a subset of the common resource blocks. In addition, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of the resource block), where DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. Frequency layers also have the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of PRS resource elements per symbol, so that for comb-N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by the antenna panel of the base station. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set may be associated with an omni-directional signal and / or associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station may transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and as such, the PRS resources (or simply resources) may also be referred to as beams. This does not imply anything about whether the base station and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0094] The TRP may be configured, for example, by instructions received from a server and / or by software in the TRP to transmit DL PRS on a schedule. According to the schedule, the TRP may transmit DL PRS intermittently (e.g., periodically at consistent intervals from the initial transmission). The TRP may be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP, where the resources have the same periodicity, a common muting mode configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each PRS resource set in a PRS resource set includes a plurality of PRS resources, where each PRS resource includes a plurality of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) resource elements (REs), which may be in a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) within N (one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot. PRS resources (or, in general, reference signal (RS) resources) may be referred to as OFDM PRS resources (or OFDMRS resources). RBs are RE sets that span a certain number of one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and a certain number (12 for 5G RBs) of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a slot offset, a symbol offset within a slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within a slot. The RE offset defines the starting RE offset in frequency for the first symbol within the DL PRS resource. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within the DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset. The slot offset is the starting slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the corresponding resource set slot offset. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting slot. The transmitted REs may be repeated across slots, where each transmission is called a repetition, so that there may be multiple repetitions in a PRS resource. The DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource ID in a DL PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although a TRP may transmit one or more beams).

[0095] PRS resources may also be defined by quasi co-location parameters and starting PRB parameters. The quasi co-location (QCL) parameter may define any quasi co-location information of the DLPRS resources with other reference signals. The DL PRS may be configured as QCL type D with a DL PRS or SS / PBCH (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel) block from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The DL PRS may be configured as QCL type C with an SS / PBCH block from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DLPRS resource with respect to reference point A. The starting PRB index has a granularity of one PRB and may have a minimum value of 0 PRBs and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs.

[0096] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same periodicity, the same muting pattern configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across time slots. Each time all repetitions of all PRS resources in a PRS resource set are configured to be transmitted is referred to as an "instance". Thus, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources within a PRS resource set, such that once the specified number of repetitions is transmitted for each of the specified number of PRS resources, the instance is complete. An instance may also be referred to as an "opportunity". A DL PRS configuration including a DL PRS transmission schedule may be provided to a UE to facilitate (or even cause) the UE to measure a DL PRS.

[0097] Multiple frequency layers of PRS can be aggregated to provide an effective bandwidth that is greater than any bandwidth in the bandwidth of each layer. Multiple frequency layers belonging to component carriers (which may be continuous and / or separate) and satisfying criteria such as quasi co-location (QCL) and having the same antenna port can be spliced ​​to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for DL ​​PRS and UL PRS), thereby improving the accuracy of arrival time measurement. Splicing includes combining PRS measurements on various bandwidth segments into a unified fragment so that the spliced ​​PRS can be regarded as taken from a single measurement. In the case of quasi co-location, different frequency layers behave similarly, so that the splicing of PRS produces a larger effective bandwidth. The larger effective bandwidth (which may be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated PRS or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated PRS) provides better time domain resolution (e.g., the resolution of TDOA). The aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources, and each PRS resource in the aggregated PRS may be referred to as a PRS component, and each PRS component may be sent on different component carriers, frequency bands or frequency layers, or on different parts of the same frequency band.

[0098] RTT positioning is an active positioning technique because RTT uses positioning signals transmitted by the TRP to the UE and by the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP can transmit a DL-PRS signal received by the UE, and the UE can transmit an SRS (sounding reference signal) signal received by multiple TRPs. The sounding reference signal may be referred to as an SRS or an SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning may be used in which the UE transmits a single UL-SRS for positioning received by multiple TRPs, rather than transmitting a separate UL-SRS for positioning for each TRP. A TRP participating in multi-RTT will typically search for UEs currently residing on the TRP (served UEs, where the TRP is the serving TRP) and also search for UEs residing on adjacent TRPs (neighbor UEs). A neighbor TRP may be a TRP of a single BTS (base transceiver station) (e.g., a gNB), or may be a TRP of one BTS and a TRP of a separate BTS. For RTT positioning (including multi-RTT positioning), the DL-PRS signal and the UL-SRS positioning signal in a PRS / SRS positioning signal pair used to determine the RTT (and thereby used to determine the distance between the UE and the TRP) may occur close to each other in time so that errors due to UE motion and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair may be sent from the TRP and the UE, respectively, within approximately 10 ms of each other. In the case where the SRS for positioning is being transmitted by the UE and the PRS and the SRS for positioning are transmitted close to each other in time, it has been found that radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may result in excessive noise, etc.) may result (especially if many UEs are attempting to locate concurrently) and / or computational congestion may result at the TRP where many UEs are attempting to measure concurrently.

[0099] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, the UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding distance to each TRP in the TRP 300, and determines the positioning of the UE 200 based on the distance to the TRP 300 and the known position of the TRP 300. In UE-assisted RTT, the UE 200 measures the positioning signal and provides the measurement information to the TRP 300, and the TRP 300 determines the RTT and the distance. The TRP 300 provides the distance to a location server (e.g., server 400), and the server determines the position of the UE 200, for example, based on the distance to different TRPs 300. The RTT and / or distance may be determined by the TRP 300 receiving the signal from the UE 200, by the TRP 300 in combination with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRPs 300 and / or server 400), or by one or more devices other than the TRP 300 that receive the signal from the UE 200.

[0100] Various positioning technologies are supported in 5G NR. The NR native positioning methods supported in 5G NR include DL-only positioning methods, UL-only positioning methods, and DL+UL positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Combined DL+UL-based positioning methods include RTT with one base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0101] A positioning estimate (e.g., for a UE) may be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, position, fix, position fix, fix, etc. The positioning estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other textual description of the location. The positioning estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The positioning estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default confidence level).

[0102] refer to Figure 5 , shows an exemplary wireless communication system 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5In the example of , UE 504 (which may correspond to any UE described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. UE 504 may communicate wirelessly with multiple base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 (which may correspond to any combination of base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 500 (e.g., base station locations, antenna orientations, geometry, etc.), UE 504 may determine its location, or assist in determining its location in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one aspect, UE 504 may specify its location using a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system; however, the various aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining location using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system where additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, while Figure 5 One UE 504 and three base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 are illustrated, but it is understood that there may be more UEs 504 and more or fewer base stations.

[0103] To support positioning estimation, base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 may be configured to broadcast positioning reference signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) to UEs in their coverage areas to enable UE 504 to measure characteristics of such reference signals. For example, the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning method is a multi-lateration positioning method in which UE 504 measures the time difference (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD)) between specific reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of network nodes (e.g., pairs of base stations, pairs of antennas of base stations, etc.), and reports these time differences to a location server such as server 400 (e.g., LMF 120), or calculates position estimates based on these time differences itself.

[0104] Generally, at a reference network node (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example) and one or more neighboring network nodes (e.g., Figure 5RSTD is measured between base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example of UE 504). For any single positioning use of OTDOA, the reference network node remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE 504 and will typically correspond to the serving cell of UE 504 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE 504. In one aspect, where the measured network node is a cell supported by a base station, the neighboring network nodes will typically be cells supported by a different base station than the base station used for the reference cell and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 504. The position calculation may be based on the measured time difference (e.g., RSTD) and knowledge of the location and relative transmission timing of the network nodes (e.g., whether the network nodes are accurately synchronized or whether each network node transmits with a known time difference relative to the other network nodes).

[0105] To assist the positioning operation, for reference network nodes (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example in FIG. 502-2 ) and neighboring network nodes relative to the reference network node (eg, Figure 5 2 and 502-3 in the example of FIG), a location server (e.g., server 400, LMF 120) may provide OTDOA assistance data to UE 504. For example, the assistance data may provide a center channel frequency of each network node, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, silent sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth), network node global ID, and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to OTDOA. The OTDOA assistance data may indicate the serving cell of UE 504 as a reference network node.

[0106] In some cases, the OTDOA assistance data may also include an "expected RSTD" parameter, along with an uncertainty for the expected RSTD parameter, that provides information to the UE 504 about the RSTD values ​​that the UE 504 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference network node and each neighboring network node. The expected RSTD and associated uncertainty may define a search window for the UE 504 within which the UE 504 is expected to measure RSTD values. The OTDOA assistance information may also include reference signal configuration information parameters that allow the UE 504 to determine when reference signal positioning opportunities occur on signals received from various neighboring network nodes relative to reference signal positioning opportunities for the reference network node, and to determine reference signal sequences sent from various network nodes to measure signal arrival time (ToA) or RSTD.

[0107] In one aspect, although a location server (e.g., server 400, LMF 120) may transmit assistance data to UE 504, the assistance data may instead originate directly from the network node (e.g., base station 502) itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). Alternatively, UE 504 may detect neighboring network nodes on its own without the use of assistance data.

[0108] The UE 504 (e.g., based in part on assistance data, if provided) may measure and (optionally) report the RSTD between reference signals received from a pair of network nodes. Using the RSTD measurements, known absolute or relative transmit timing of each network node, and known positioning of transmit antennas for the reference network node and neighboring network nodes, the network (e.g., server 400, LMF 120, base station 502) or UE 504 may estimate the positioning of the UE 504. More specifically, the RSTD of a neighboring network node "k" relative to a reference network node "Ref" may be given as (ToAk - ToARef), where the ToA value may be measured modulo one subframe duration (1 ms) to eliminate the effects of measuring different subframes at different times. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 5 , the time differences measured between the reference cell of base station 502-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 502-2 and 502-3 are represented as τ2−τ1 and τ3−τ1, where τ1, τ2, and τ3 represent the ToA of the reference signals from the transmit antennas of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. UE 504 may then convert the ToA measurements for different network nodes into RSTD measurements and (optionally) transmit them to server 400 / LMF 120. Using (i) RSTD measurements, (ii) known absolute or relative transmit timing of each network node, (iii) known locations of physical transmit antennas for reference network nodes and neighboring network nodes, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics (such as the direction of transmission), the location of UE 504 may be determined (determined by UE 504 or server 400 / LMF 120).

[0109] Still refer to Figure 5When UE 504 uses the time difference measured by OTDOA to obtain a position estimate, the necessary additional data (e.g., the location and relative transmission timing of network nodes) may be provided to UE 504 by a location server (e.g., server 400, LMF 120). In some implementations, the position estimate for UE 504 may be obtained (e.g., by UE 504 itself or by server 400 / LMF 120) from the time difference measured by OTDOA and from other measurements made by UE 504 (e.g., measurements of signal timing from global positioning system GPS or other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellites). In these implementations (referred to as hybrid positioning), OTDOA measurements may help obtain a position estimate for UE 504, but may not fully determine the position estimate.

[0110] Uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method similar to OTDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS), uplink positioning reference signal (ULPRS), SRS for positioning signal) transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 504). In addition, transmit and / or receive beamforming at base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 and / or UE 504 can achieve wideband bandwidth at the cell edge to improve accuracy. Beam refinement can also take advantage of channel reciprocity procedures in 5G NR.

[0111] In NR, precise timing synchronization across the network is not required. Instead, it is sufficient to have coarse timing synchronization across gNBs (e.g., within the cyclic prefix (CP) duration of an OFDM symbol). Coarse timing synchronization is generally sufficient for round-trip time (RTT)-based methods and the sidelink assisted methods described herein, and is therefore the de facto positioning method in NR.

[0112] refer to Figure 6 , shows an exemplary wireless communication system 600 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6In the example of , UE 604 (which may correspond to any UE described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. UE 604 may communicate wirelessly with multiple base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating the RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., base station locations, geometry, etc.), UE 604 may determine its location, or assist in determining its location in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one aspect, UE 604 may specify its location using a two-dimensional coordinate system; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining location using a three-dimensional coordinate system where additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, while Figure 6 One UE 604 and three base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 are illustrated, but it is understood that there may be more UEs 604 and more base stations.

[0113] To support positioning estimation, base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, etc.) to UEs 604 in their coverage areas, so that UEs 604 can measure characteristics of such reference RF signals. For example, UE 604 may measure the ToA of specific reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by at least three different base stations, and may report these ToAs (and additional information) back to a serving base station (e.g., base station 602-2) or another positioning entity (e.g., server 400, LMF 120) using an RTT positioning method.

[0114] In one aspect, although described as UE 604 measuring a reference RF signal from base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, UE 604 may measure a reference RF signal from one of a plurality of cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3. In the case where UE 604 measures a reference RF signal sent by a cell supported by base station 602-2, at least two other reference RF signals measured by UE 604 for performing the RTT procedure will be from cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-3 different from the first base station 602-2 and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 604.

[0115] In order to determine the location (x, y) of UE 604, the entity determining the location of UE 604 needs to know the locations of base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, which can be represented as (xk, yk) in a reference coordinate system. Figure 6 In the example of k = 1, 2, 3. In the case where one of the base station 602-2 (e.g., the serving base station) or the UE 604 determines the location of the UE 604, the locations of the base stations 602-1, 602-3 involved may be provided by a location server (e.g., the server 400, the LMF 120) having the network geometry to the serving base station 602-2 or the UE 604. Alternatively, the location server may determine the location of the UE 604 using known network geometry.

[0116] Each of the UE 604 or the corresponding base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 may determine the distance (dk, where k = 1, 2, 3) between the UE 604 and the corresponding base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3. In one aspect, determining the RTT 610-1, 610-2, 610-3 of the signals exchanged between the UE 604 and any base station 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 may be performed and converted into the distance (dk). The RTT technique may measure the time between sending a signaling message (e.g., a reference RF signal) and receiving a response. These methods may utilize calibration to remove any processing and hardware delays. In some environments, it may be assumed that the processing delays of the UE 604 and the base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 are the same. However, such an assumption may not hold true in practice.

[0117] Once each distance dk is determined, the UE 604, base station 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, or location server (e.g., server 400, LMF 120) can solve for the position (x, y) of the UE 604 by using a variety of known geometric design techniques (such as, for example, trilateration). Figure 6 It can be seen that, ideally, the location of UE 604 is located at the common intersection of three semicircles, each of which is defined by a radius dk and a center (xk, yk), where k = 1, 2, 3.

[0118] In some examples, additional information may be obtained in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) that defines a straight line direction (e.g., which may be in a horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., of the UE 604 from the locations of the base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3). The intersection of the two directions at or near a point (x, y) may provide another estimate of the location of the UE 604.

[0119] A location estimate (e.g., for a UE 604) may be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, position, fix, location fix, fix, etc. The location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other textual description of the location. The location estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default confidence level).

[0120] Reference Figure 7 , an example round-trip message flow 700 between two wireless nodes (such as user equipment 705) and a base station 710 is shown. UE 705 is an example of UE 105, 200, and base station 710 can be a gNB 110a-b or ng-eNB 114. In general, RTT positioning methods use the time for a signal to travel from one entity to another entity and back to determine the range between the two entities. This distance plus the known position of the first of the entities and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities can be used to determine the position of the second of the entities. In multi-RTT (also known as multi-cell RTT), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known positions of the other entities can be used to determine the position of the one entity. The example message flow 700 can be initiated by the base station 710 with an RTT session configuration message 702. The base station can configure the RTT session using LPP / NRPPa messaging. At time T1, base station 710 may transmit DL PRS 704, which is received by UE 705 at time T2. In response, UE 705 may transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) (e.g., UL-SRS) 706 for a positioning message at time T3, which is received by base station 710 at time T4. The distance between UE 705 and base station 710 may be calculated as follows:

[0121] (1)

[0122] Where c = speed of light.

[0123] In operation, the accuracy of the distance measurement, and corresponding positioning estimate, is based on the known location of one of the two stations (eg, UE 705 or base station 710).

[0124] refer to Figure 8, a diagram 800 of an uplink positioning reference signal is shown. Diagram 800 includes UE 802 and multiple base stations, including a first base station 804a, a second base station 804b, and a third base station 804c. UE 802 may have some or all of the components of UE 200, and UE 200 may be an example of UE 802. Each of base stations 804a to 804c may have some or all of the components of TRP 300, and TRP 300 may be an example of one or more base stations in base stations 804a to 804c. In operation, UE 802 may be configured to send one or more reference signals, such as a first reference signal 802a, a second reference signal 802b, and a third reference signal 802c. Reference signals 802a to 802c may be UL PRS or SRS for positioning signals that may be received by one or more base stations in base stations 804a to 804c. Although diagram 800 depicts three reference signals, fewer or more reference signals may be sent by UE 802 and detected by one or more neighboring stations. In one example, reference signals 802a to 802c may be SRS for positioning signals. In general, the SRS for positioning signals in NR may be a UE-configured reference signal sent by the UE and used for the purpose of determining the distance between the UE and one or more receiving stations (such as base stations 804a to 804c) or another UE (e.g., via an SRS sent via a side link). The SRS may also be used for the purpose of probing an uplink radio channel. Reference signals 802a to 802c may be SRS for positioning resources included in an SRS for positioning resource sets. The SRS for positioning resource sets may be used to enable activation (e.g., triggered via DCI) for semi-persistent SRS and aperiodic SRS, and multiple SRS resources for positioning may be activated simultaneously.

[0125] The current SRS configuration is cell-specific and is configured specifically for the UE by the base station (e.g., gNB). Therefore, when the UE moves across cells, it must suspend SRS transmission. The technology provided in this article can define a common SRS configuration that is valid for a group of cells. Even if the UE moves across cells within the group, the configuration can be valid, and even when there is a cell change, as long as the UE is within the defined group of cells, the UE can send SRS. The UE can also be configured to record and report Rx-Tx values ​​when it accesses the associated uplink resources. When the UE moves out of the coverage of the defined group of cells, the UE can be configured to connect to the network and obtain a new SRS configuration.

[0126] refer to Fig. 9, a diagram 900 of an example RRC state transition is shown. In general, a UE such as UE 200 may start in RRC idle mode 906 when it first camps on a cell (e.g., when the UE is first powered on). The UE may transition from RRC idle mode 906 to RRC connected mode 902 by completing an RRC establishment procedure. An RRC connection is a logical connection between a UE and a base station (e.g., a gNB). While in RRC connected mode 902, the UE may register with a cellular network. In one example, the UE may transition from RRC connected mode 902 to RRC inactive mode 904 using an RRC release procedure. In one example, a suspension configuration parameter may be included in an RRC release message to indicate that the UE is being transitioned to RRC inactive mode 904 rather than RRC idle mode 906. The UE in RRC inactive mode 904 may return to RRC connected mode 902 to transmit application data or signaling messages with reduced latency. In one example, the UE may be configured to perform a cell reselection procedure while in RRC inactive mode 904 and / or RRC idle mode 906. When in RRC connected mode 902, the cell-level handover procedure may include RRC signaling to the UE. The base station (e.g., gNB) may provide the UE with thresholds for various reporting events, and the UE may utilize the reporting events to trigger the sending of measurement reports. The uplink positioning method provided herein may be used with both the cell reselection procedure and the cell handover procedure.

[0127] refer to Fig.10 , a diagram 1000 of an example RAN Notification Area (RNA) 1002 is shown. The RNA 1002 includes a set of cells 1004a to 1004e, which may be defined by a network entity such as the AMF 115 and provided to the UE 1006 as a list of cell identities. Each of the cells 1004a to 1004e is communicated via an Xn interface ( Fig.10 1002). When in RRC inactive mode 904, UE 1006 may complete a cell reselection procedure with a cell in RNA 1002. For example, UE 1006 may reside on a first cell 1004a and may monitor a channel via a first radio link 1008a. When in RRC inactive mode 904, UE 1006 may move to a second location 1006a along trajectory 1010 and monitor a second radio link 1008b. For example, UE 1006 may be configured to receive RNA configuration information or other transmissions from target cell 1004b via a system information block (SIB) to determine whether target cell 1004b is included in RNA 1002. If another target cell is outside RNA 1002, UE 1006 will be required to re-enter RRC connected mode 902 to notify the network that the other target cell has left RNA 1002.

[0128] In one example, the RNA 1002 information may include SRS configuration information to enable the UE 1006 to send SRS to cells (e.g., cells 1004a to 1004e) in the RNA 1002. The UE 1006 may be configured to perform an RNA update (RNAU) procedure when it changes its current RNA to receive new RNA information from the network. When the UE 1006 is in the RRC inactive mode 904, the SRS configuration information may also be signaled in the new RNAU configuration. In one example, the serving cell may be configured to update the SRS configuration and the valid cell list at any time when the UE 1006 is in the RRC connected mode 902. In one example, a group of cells within the RNA or a group of cells intersecting with the group of cells in the RNA may be identified in the RNAU and / or the valid cell list and associated with the group SRS configuration. The base station may be configured to provide the group SRS configuration to neighboring cells and / or network resources (e.g., LMF120) to propagate the cell list and the associated SRS configuration.

[0129] In an LTE system, a set of neighboring cells may be associated with a tracking area (TA), and a UE may receive a list of tracking area identifiers (TAIs) when it connects to the network. When a UE moves into a new TA, it may also transmit a tracking area update (TAU) procedure. In one example, SRS configuration information may be associated with a TA, and the UE may be configured to use the same SRS configuration for each cell in the TA.

[0130] In one example, the SRS configuration may be associated with a bandwidth part (BWP), and the new cell may be configured to maintain or update the BWP configuration once the UE has completed the handover procedure.

[0131] refer to Fig.11 , shows a timing diagram of an example cell change during a positioning session 1100. For example, the positioning session 1100 may be such as Figure 7 1104 and may have a session duration M 1102. The positioning session 1100 may start at a PRS measurement start time 1104 and end at a PRS measurement report time 1106. A cell handover or reselection procedure 1108 between the first cell and the second cell may occur during the positioning session 1100 (e.g., between the start time 1104 and the report time 1106). In existing methods, when the cell handover or reselection procedure 1108 occurs, the UE will suspend the positioning session 1100 because the SRS configuration will change between the first cell and the second cell. The technology provided herein establishes the SRS configuration for the first cell and the second cell, thereby enabling the positioning session 1100 to continue through the cell handover or reselection procedure 1108.

[0132] refer to Fig.12 , an example positioning measurement message flow 1200 with a cell handover or reselection procedure is shown. The message flow 1200 includes a UE 1205, a first gNB 1212, and a second gNB 1214. The UE 1205 may include some or all of the components of the UE 200, and the UE 200 is an example of the UE 1205. The gNBs 1212, 1214 may include some or all of the components of the TRP 300, and the TRP 300 is an example of the gNBs 1212, 1214. The gNBs 1212, 1214 are in a group of stations (such as RNA1002) and are configured to utilize the SRS configuration within the group. The example message flow 1200 may be initiated by the first gNB 1212 with an RTT session configuration message 1202. The LMF 120 ( Fig.12 1205 may utilize LPP / NRPPa messaging to configure an RTT session via the first gNB 1212. At time T1, the first gNB 1212 may send one or more DL PRS 1204, which are received by the UE 1205 at time T2. During the positioning session, e.g., after the DL PRS 1204 have been sent, the UE 1205 may perform a cell handover or reselection procedure 1206 with the first gNB 1212 and the second gNB 1214. In one example, the UE 1205 may send an SRS (e.g., UL-SRS) 1208 for the positioning message at time T3, which is received by the first gNB 1212 at time T4. The UE 1205 may provide a PRS measurement report 1210 to the second gNB 1214 (i.e., the new serving cell). The timing of the cell handover or reselection procedure 1206 in the message flow 1200 is an example and not a limitation, as the cell handover or reselection procedure 1206 may occur at other times between the session configuration message 1202 and the measurement report 1210 .

[0133] refer to Fig.13 , a portion of an example SRS configuration information element 1300 is shown. The SRS configuration may be based on an existing industry standard such as 3GPPTS 38.331 V16 and may be provided to a cell in a group of cells such as an RNA. In one example, the SRS configuration information element 1300 may be included in the RNAU and provided to the UE upon entering the RNA. Other groups of cells may also be defined. The SRS configuration information element 1300 may be used by the UE for each cell in the group of cells, and thus the UE may continue a positioning session when a handover or reselection procedure occurs between cells in the group of cells. The SRS configuration element 1300 is an example and not a limitation, as other configuration information may be provided to the group of cells.

[0134] refer to Fig.14 , shows an example of an RNA and a common cell group. RNA 1402 may include multiple cells, such as a first cell 1404a, a second cell 1404b, a third cell 1410b, a fourth cell 1410c, and a fifth cell 1410d. The number and location of the multiple cells in RNA 1402 may vary within the network. In one example, as Fig.10 As discussed in , RNA 1402 may be a group of cells configured to utilize a common SRS configuration provided via an RNAU procedure. Other cell groups independent of the RNA structure may also be defined by network resources such as AMF 115 and / or LMF 120. The cell group may be a subset of the RNA and / or may include cells outside the RNA (e.g., the group of cells may intersect with the RNA). For example, a first group of cells 1404 may include a first cell 1404a and a second cell 1404b, and a second group of cells 1410 may include a third cell 1410b, a fourth cell 1410c, a fifth cell 1410d, and a sixth cell 1410a. In operation, a first SRS configuration may be associated with a cell in the first group of cells 1404, and a second SRS configuration may be associated with a cell in the second group of cells 1410. When the UE moves across cells within the group, the corresponding SRS configuration is valid. For example, UE 1406 may send the same SRS configuration to the first cell 1404a and the second cell 1404b (i.e., a cell in the first group of cells 1404). UE 1406 may also be configured to record and report Rx-Tx values ​​when it accesses UL resources such as the first communication link 1408a. In one example, UE 1406 may move to a new location 1406a, which is away from the first group of cells 1404 and within the coverage area of ​​the second group of cells 1410. UE 1406 may connect to the network via a second communication link 1408b with a fourth cell 1410c, and receive a new SRS configuration and a cell list in the second group of cells 1410. In one example, UE 1406 may enter RRC connection mode 902, and receive new SRS configuration and cell list information from a new serving cell.

[0135] In one example, UE 1406 may be configured to receive SRS configuration information in response to a cell handover or reselection procedure during a positioning session, regardless of the cell list and / or RNA information. UE 1406 may be in RRC inactive mode 904, and when the reselection procedure is not concurrent with the positioning session, a reselection procedure with a cell in the cell list and / or RNA information may be performed without receiving a new SRS configuration. When SRS configuration is provided for each cell handover, the reduction in signaling provides power savings compared to existing methods. However, when UE 1406 performs cell reselection within a positioning session, UE 1406 may be configured to request an RNA update or other request to obtain SRS configuration and cell list information from a new serving cell. Additional signaling may require additional power consumption, but provides the benefit of ensuring that UE 1406 has an SRS configuration from a new serving cell.

[0136] refer to Fig.15 , an example message flow 1500 for an uplink positioning method during a handover or cell reselection procedure is shown. The flow 1500 includes elements of the communication system 100, such as a UE 1502 and a plurality of cells including a first gNB 1504, a second gNB 1506, and a third gNB 1508. The gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508 are members of a group of cells, such as RNA 1002, or are Fig.14 1404 and a member of a second group of cells 1410 depicted in FIG. 1410. The message flow 1500 also includes one or more network resources, such as an LMF 1510 configured to communicate with UEs and gNBs in the network. In one example, the gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508 may be configured to provide SRS configuration information to each other via Xn connections at stage 1512. The LMF 120 may also be configured to provide SRS configuration information via LPP / NRPPa messaging protocol at stage 1514. The SRS configuration information may be an SRS configuration information element 1300 or other formatted message for defining an SRS resource or resource set. At stage 1516, the UE 1502 may be in RRC connected mode with the first gNB 1504 as a serving cell. The first gNB 1504 may be configured to provide SRS configuration and cell information via one or more configuration messages 1518 to identify a group of cells or RNAs (e.g., gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508). The configuration message 1518 may utilize RRC or other over-the-air (OTA) signaling techniques.

[0137] At a subsequent time, UE 1502 may enter RRC inactive mode at stage 1520 and monitor signals from one or more gNBs. LMF 1510 or other network entities including UE 1502 may request positioning information for UE 1502. In one example, LMF 1510 may provide a positioning request message 1532 to a first gNB 1504 (i.e., a serving cell) to obtain positioning measurements for UE 1502. A positioning session 1534 may be initiated for UE 1502. In one example, positioning session 1534 may be a multi-RTT session based on DL PRS and UL SRS signals sent and received by gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508. After initiating positioning session 1534, UE 1502 may move to the coverage area of ​​a second gNB 1506 and may perform a handover or reselection procedure at stage 1522. UE 1502 may utilize SRS configuration information (e.g., configuration message 1518) obtained when UE 1502 first enters the group of cells. In one example, the new serving cell (e.g., second gNB 1506) may be configured to optionally provide SRS configuration information to RNA update 1524 in response to a handover or reselection procedure. gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508 are configured to send DL PRS 1526 that is received and measured by UE 1502. UE 1502 is configured to send one or more UL SRS 1528 based on the SRS configuration information received by gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508. UE 1502 may provide one or more PRS measurement reports 1530 to the new serving cell (e.g., gNB 1506) based on the DL PRS 1526 and the UL SRS 1528. For example, the PRS measurement report 1530 may include Rx-Tx information obtained by the UE 1502. In one example, the PRS measurement report 1530 may be provided to the LMF 1510, and the LMF 1510 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 1502 based on the PRS measurement.

[0138] Although the handover or reselection procedure at stage 1522 occurs at the beginning of the positioning session 1534 in the message flow 1500, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The handover or reselection procedure at stage 1522 may occur at other times within the positioning session 1534, and the UE 1502 may use the same SRS configuration for the UL SRS 1528.

[0139] In one example, SRS transmission may utilize open loop power control based on received downlink signals. Since the same SRS configuration is available in the group of cells (e.g., gNBs 1504, 1506, 1508), the UE 1502 may have different options for selecting cell DL path loss for SRS transmission. One option may be to utilize a DL signal transmitted from the current serving cell to determine the path loss power. The DL signal may include PRS 1526 and / or other signals such as SSB, TRS, etc. In one example, the UE 1502 may utilize a DL signal transmitted from a new serving cell to determine the DL path loss (e.g., after a handover or reselection procedure). In one option, the UE 1502 may utilize a signal transmitted from a cell that first transmits during a positioning session. For example, the UE 1502 may measure a first DL PRS 1526 that is transmitted by a third gNB 1506 to determine the path loss power. In one option, a specific cell within the RNA may be used as a positioning SRS path reference. In one option, UE 1502 can measure multiple cell DL path loss reference signals and select the cell with the lowest path loss. The lowest path loss will be used as the SRS path reference for positioning. Similar techniques can also be used for spatial relationship indication for SRS.

[0140] refer to Fig.16 , and further reference Figures 1 to 15 , the method 1600 for sending a sounding reference signal includes the stages shown. However, the method 1600 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1600 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0141] At stage 1602, the method includes obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations. UE 200 including a processor 210 and a transceiver 215 is a means for obtaining SRS configuration information. In one example, UE 200 may be in RRC connected mode 902 or RRC inactive mode 904, and may receive SRS configuration information via RRC signaling (such as via SIB) or other transmission from a serving cell. The SRS configuration information may be used by each station in the group of stations (e.g., a station on a defined list), and each station may be configured to receive SRS transmissions based on the SRS configuration information. In one example, the group of cells may be RNA 1002, and the SRS configuration information may be included during an RNAU procedure with a new serving cell. In one example, the SRS configuration may be received from a network resource (such as LMF 120) via LPP or other messaging protocols. The SRS configuration information may be an SRS resource, such as an SRS configuration information element 1300.

[0142] At stage 1604, the method includes performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is a station in the group of stations. Processor 210 and transceiver 215 are components for performing a handover or cell reselection procedure. The handover or cell reselection procedure may be based on an industrial standard such as 3GPP TS 38.304. In one example, UE 200 may be configured to perform a handover procedure based on Xn to allow a primary serving cell to change from one base station to another base station when the base station uses an Xn interface connection. A handover procedure based on N2 may be used when the Xn interface is unavailable. In one example, when UE 200 is in RRC connection mode 902, UE 200 may trigger a handover procedure by transmitting an RRC measurement report to the first station. In one example, the first station may be configured to trigger a handover procedure. When in RRC inactive mode 904 or RRC idle mode 906, UE 200 may utilize a cell reselection procedure. UE 200 may be configured to measure the signal energy (e.g., cell power) of neighboring cells to detect strong signals (e.g., the strongest of the received signals and / or above an established threshold). The SIB sent from the second station may include reselection parameters to enable UE 200 to register with the second station. Other signaling may also be used to enable UE 200 to change the current serving cell from the first station to the second station.

[0143] At stage 1606, the method includes sending one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are means for sending one or more SRSs. The UE 200 is configured to send SRSs to cells in the group of cells (e.g., the first station and the second station) based on the same SRS configuration. The method 1600 enables the UE to utilize a single SRS configuration with multiple cells (i.e., the SRS configuration received at stage 1602), and thus allows positioning measurements to continue through a handover or reselection procedure.

[0144] refer to Fig.17 , and further reference Figures 1 to 15 , a method 1700 for sending a sounding reference signal using a handover or cell reselection procedure includes the stages shown. However, the method 1700 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1700 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0145] At stage 1702, the method includes obtaining a first sounding reference configuration from a first station. UE 200, including processor 210 and transceiver 215, is a means for obtaining a first SRS configuration. In one example, UE 200 may be in RRC connected mode 902 or RRC inactive mode 904, and may receive an SRS configuration via RRC signaling (such as via SIB) or other transmission from a serving cell. In one example, the SRS configuration may be received from a network resource (such as LMF 120) via LPP or other messaging protocols. The first SRS configuration may be an SRS resource, such as an SRS configuration information element 1300.

[0146] At stage 1704, the method includes performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with the second station. Processor 210 and transceiver 215 are components for performing a handover or cell reselection procedure. The handover or cell reselection procedure may be based on an industrial standard such as 3GPP TS38.304. In one example, UE 200 may be configured to perform a handover procedure based on Xn to allow the primary serving cell to change from one base station to another base station when the base station uses the Xn interface to connect. The handover procedure based on N2 may be used when the Xn interface is unavailable. In one example, when UE 200 is in RRC connection mode 902, UE 200 may trigger the handover procedure by transmitting an RRC measurement report to the first station. In one example, the first station may be configured to trigger the handover procedure. When in RRC inactive mode 904 or RRC idle mode 906, UE 200 may utilize the cell reselection procedure. UE 200 may be configured to measure the signal energy (e.g., cell power) of neighboring cells to detect strong signals (e.g., the strongest of the received signals and / or above an established threshold). The SIB sent from the second station may include reselection parameters to enable UE 200 to register with the second station. Other signaling may also be used to enable UE 200 to change the current serving cell from the first station to the second station.

[0147] At stage 1706, the method includes requesting a RAN notification area update from the second station. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are means for requesting RNAU. In one example, the UE 200 may be configured to perform RNAU procedures when it changes its current RNA to receive new RNA information from the network. The UE 200 may transmit one or more RNAU messages periodically or when the UE 200 selects a cell that does not belong to the configured RNA. Other messaging may also be used to request RAN information (i.e., 3GPP TS 38.304 V16).

[0148] At stage 1708, the method includes receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from a second station. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are means for receiving RNA information and a second SRS configuration. In response to the RNAU message transmitted at stage 1706, the second station may provide a cell list for a new RNA and an associated SRS configuration for use with the RNA. Typically, the RNAU procedure may occur when the UE 200 is in RRC inactive mode 904. In one example, the serving cell may be configured to update the SRS configuration and the valid cell list at any time when the UE 200 is in RRC connected mode 902.

[0149] At stage 1710, the method includes sending one or more sounding reference signals to a second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are components for sending one or more SRSs. The UE 200 is configured to send SRSs to cells in the RNA based on the same SRS configuration. The method 1700 enables the UE 200 to utilize a single SRS configuration with each of the cells in the RNA, and thus enables positioning measurements to continue through a handover or reselection procedure.

[0150] refer to Fig.18 , and further reference Figures 1 to 15 , a method 1800 for delaying a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure includes the stages shown. However, the method 1800 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1800 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0151] At stage 1802, the method includes requesting positioning information associated with a mobile device. A server 400, such as LMF 120 including a processor 410 and a transceiver 415, is a component for requesting positioning information. In one example, LMF 120 or other network entity may request positioning information for a mobile device, such as UE 200. LMF 120 may communicate with AMF 115 (e.g., via one or more LPP / NPP messages) to obtain information for scheduling a positioning session for the mobile device. In one example, LMF 120 may query AMF 115 for location information associated with the mobile device, and AMF 115 may respond with an indication that the positioning session will be delayed for T seconds due to a pending or active handover or cell reselection procedure.

[0152] At stage 1804, the method includes receiving an indication that a positioning session will be delayed based on the time required to complete a handover or cell reselection procedure. The processor 410 and the transceiver 415 are components for receiving an indication that a positioning session will be delayed. In one example, the AMF 115 may receive an NGAP path switching request from a new serving base station to indicate that the mobile device is in the process of a handover or cell reselection procedure. The AMF 115 may provide an NGAP path switching response to the new serving base station and predict when the handover or cell reselection procedure will be completed. In one example, the predicted delay may be based on a default time value (e.g., 0.5 seconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, etc.). The delay time may be based on expected or historical handover time information. For example, the previous duration between the XnAP receiving the UE context request and the XnAP UE context release message may be used to predict the delay time. The LMF 120 may receive a predicted delay time (e.g., duration time T) indicating how long the positioning session will be delayed from the AMF 115.

[0153] At stage 1806, the method includes receiving positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least on an indication that the positioning session will be delayed. The processor 410 and the transceiver 415 are components for receiving positioning measurements. In one example, the mobile device may obtain DL PRS measurements from one or more neighboring cells and send one or more UL SRS to these neighboring cells. The mobile device may report timing information (e.g., Rx-Tx, RSTD, etc.) and other measurements (AoA, AoD, etc.) to the LMF 120. The neighboring cells may also provide the LMF 120 with positioning measurements associated with the mobile device (e.g., based on the received UL SRS). The LMF 120 may be configured to determine the location of the mobile device based on the techniques provided herein and as known in the art.

[0154] refer to Fig.19 , and further reference Figures 1 to 15 , a method 1900 for sending a sounding reference signal based on path loss information associated with a group of stations includes the stages shown. However, the method 1900 is an example and not a limitation. The method 1900 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0155] At stage 1902, the method includes obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations. UE 200, including processor 210 and transceiver 215, is a means for obtaining SRS configuration information. In one example, UE 200 may be in RRC connected mode 902 or RRC inactive mode 904, and may receive SRS configuration information via RRC signaling (such as via SIB) or other transmission from a serving cell. In one example, the group of cells may be RNA 1002, and the SRS configuration information may be included in an RNAU procedure with the serving cell. In one example, the SRS configuration may be received from a network resource (such as LMF 120) via LPP or other messaging protocol. The SRS configuration information may be an SRS resource, such as SRS configuration information element 1300.

[0156] At stage 1904, the method includes receiving a downlink signal from one or more stations in the group of stations. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are components for receiving the downlink signal. In an example, the UE 200 may be configured to receive a downlink signal, such as an SSB, a TRS, a PRS, etc., transmitted by a station in the group of stations. The downlink signal may be used as a pilot signal in an open-loop power control scheme, and the UE 200 may be configured to perform channel estimation and determine a path loss based on the received signal. In general, the UE 200 is configured to adjust the transmit power based on the path loss because it is assumed that both the forward path (e.g., station to UE) and the reverse path (e.g., UE to station) are correlated.

[0157] At stage 1906, the method includes determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with a downlink signal. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are components for determining an SRS power requirement. The UE 200 may transmit an SRS to each station in the group of stations using the same SRS configuration. In one example, the UE 200 may determine the SRS power requirement based on the path loss of a downlink signal transmitted from a current serving cell. In one example, the UE 200 may determine the SRS power requirement based on the path loss of a downlink signal transmitted from a new serving cell (e.g., after a handover or reselection procedure). In one example, the UE 200 may determine the SRS power requirement based on the path loss of a signal transmitted from a cell that first transmits during a positioning session. In one example, a specific cell within the RNA may be used as a positioning SRS path reference. In one option, the UE 200 may determine the path loss associated with a downlink signal transmitted from multiple cells, and determine the SRS power requirement based on the cell with the lowest path loss.

[0158] At stage 1908, the method includes sending one or more sounding reference signals based on the sounding reference signal configuration information and the sounding reference signal power requirement. The processor 210 and the transceiver 215 are means for sending one or more sounding reference signals. The UE 200 is configured to determine uplink power control based on the path loss estimate determined at stage 1906. In one example, the power used for SRS transmission may be based on known techniques, such as described in 3GPP TS 38.213 V17 Section 7. The UE 200 may send SRS based on the SRS configuration (e.g., SRS-ResourceSet) on the active UL BWP (e.g., see 3GPP TS 38.213 V17, Section 7.3.1).

[0159] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that various parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0160] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms "include", "comprising", and "include" specify the presence of the recited features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0161] Likewise, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items (possibly followed by "at least one of" or followed by "one or more of") indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C," or a list of "one or more of A, B, or C," or a list of "A or B or C" means A or B or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or a statement that an item is configured to perform function A or function B means that the item may be configured to perform the function with respect to A, or may be configured to perform the function with respect to B, or may be configured to perform the functions with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or measure B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and measure B (and may be configured to select which of A and B to measure or both). Similarly, a recitation of a component for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a component for measuring A (which may or may not be able to measure B), or a component for measuring B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or a component for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which of A and B to measure or both). As another example, a recitation of an item (e.g., a processor) being configured to perform at least one of function X or to perform function Y means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and perform function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to select which or both of X and Y to measure).

[0162] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the stated item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the stated item or condition.

[0163] Substantial changes may be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, in software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.) executed by a processor, or in both. In addition, connections with other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be adopted. Unless otherwise indicated, components (functional or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein as being connected or communicating with each other are communicatively coupled. That is, these components may be connected directly or indirectly to achieve communication between them.

[0164] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of a configuration may be combined in a similar manner. In addition, technology is constantly evolving, and therefore many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure or claims.

[0165] A wireless communication system is a system in which communications are transmitted wirelessly, i.e., by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than by wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not cause all communications to be sent wirelessly, but may be configured to cause at least some communications to be sent wirelessly. In addition, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device be used exclusively or even primarily for communication, does not require that communications using the wireless communication device be exclusively or even primarily wireless, nor does it require that the device be a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio component (each radio component is part of a transmitter, receiver or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0166] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of exemplary configurations (including specific implementations). However, the configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This specification provides exemplary configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Instead, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the described technology. Various changes can be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements.

[0167] As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to a processor for execution, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many specific implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0168] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, in which other rules may take precedence over the application of the present disclosure or otherwise modify the application of the present disclosure. In addition, several operations may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0169] Unless otherwise indicated, "approximately" and / or "about" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, etc.) encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other specific implementations described herein. Unless otherwise indicated, "substantially" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) also encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other specific implementations described herein.

[0170] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or above) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly less than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system.

[0171] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0172] Clause 1. A method for sending a sounding reference signal, comprising: obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the stations in the group of stations; and sending one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

[0173] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the set of stations is included in a radio access network notification area.

[0174] Clause 3. The method of clause 1, wherein the set of stations is included in a long term evolution radio access network tracking area.

[0175] Clause 4. The method of clause 1, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is provided via a radio access network notification area update procedure.

[0176] Clause 5. The method of clause 1, wherein the second station is configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals are sent within the first bandwidth portion.

[0177] Clause 6. The method of clause 1, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is included in one or more system information blocks sent by the first station.

[0178] Clause 7. The method of clause 1, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode.

[0179] Clause 8. The method according to Clause 1 further includes: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations in the group of stations; determining a detection reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and sending the one or more detection reference signals based at least in part on the detection reference signal power requirement.

[0180] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

[0181] Clause 10. The method of clause 8, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

[0182] Clause 11. The method of clause 8, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

[0183] Clause 12. The method of clause 8, further comprising: receiving an indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the specific cell.

[0184] Clause 13. The method according to clause 8 further includes: determining a station associated with a minimum path loss based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the detection reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss.

[0185] Clause 14. The method of Clause 1, further comprising: providing one or more positioning measurements to a network server; and receiving a position estimate from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0186] Clause 15. A method for sending a sounding reference signal using a handover or cell reselection procedure, comprising: obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; performing the handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station; requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; and sending one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

[0187] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein the first station is configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration are sent within the first bandwidth portion.

[0188] Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein the second station is configured with a second bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration are sent within the second bandwidth portion.

[0189] Clause 18. The method of clause 15, wherein the RAN notification area update is included in one or more system information blocks sent by the second station.

[0190] Clause 19. The method of clause 15, wherein the RAN notification area update is received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode.

[0191] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 15 further includes: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations identified in the RAN notification area information; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and sending the one or more sounding reference signals based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

[0192] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

[0193] Clause 22. The method of clause 20, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

[0194] Clause 23. The method of clause 20, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

[0195] Clause 24. The method according to clause 20 further includes: receiving in the RAN notification area information an indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the specific cell.

[0196] Clause 25. The method according to clause 20 further includes: determining a station associated with a minimum path loss based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the detection reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss.

[0197] Clause 26. The method of Clause 20, further comprising: providing one or more positioning measurements to a network server; and receiving a position estimate from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0198] 27. A method for delaying a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure, comprising: requesting positioning information associated with a mobile device; receiving an indication that the positioning session will be delayed based on a time required to complete the handover or cell reselection procedure; and receiving positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least in part on the indication that the positioning session will be delayed.

[0199] Clause 28. The method of Clause 27, wherein the indication that the positioning session is to be delayed is received from a mobility management function.

[0200] Clause 29. The method of Clause 27, wherein the indication that the positioning session is to be delayed is based on historical handover or cell reselection procedure times associated with the first station and the second station.

[0201] 30. A device comprising: at least one memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one transceiver, and is configured to: obtain sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations; perform a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the stations in the group of stations; and send one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

[0202] Clause 31. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the set of stations is included in a radio access network notification area.

[0203] Clause 32. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the set of stations is included in a long term evolution radio access network tracking area.

[0204] Clause 33. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a radio access network notification area update, and the sounding reference signal configuration information is provided via the radio access network notification area update.

[0205] Clause 34. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the second station is configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the one or more sounding reference signals are sent within the first bandwidth portion.

[0206] Clause 35. An apparatus according to clause 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more system information blocks sent by the first station, and the sounding reference signal configuration information is included in the one or more system information blocks sent by the first station.

[0207] Clause 36. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive the sounding reference signal configuration information while in a radio resource control inactive mode.

[0208] Clause 37. An apparatus according to clause 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations in the set of stations; determine a detection reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and send the one or more detection reference signals based at least in part on the detection reference signal power requirement.

[0209] Clause 38. The apparatus of clause 37, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

[0210] Clause 39. The apparatus of clause 37, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

[0211] Clause 40. The apparatus of clause 37, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals comprises a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

[0212] Clause 41. An apparatus according to clause 37, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive an indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the specific cell.

[0213] Clause 42. An apparatus according to clause 37, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a station associated with a minimum path loss based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the detection reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss.

[0214] Clause 43. The apparatus of clause 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: provide one or more positioning measurements to a network server; and receive a position estimate from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0215] Clause 44. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: obtain a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; perform a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station; request a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receive RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; and send one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

[0216] Clause 45. The apparatus of clause 44, wherein the first station is configured with a first bandwidth portion, and the at least one processor is further configured to transmit the one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration within the first bandwidth portion.

[0217] Clause 46. The apparatus of clause 45, wherein the second station is configured with a second bandwidth portion, and the at least one processor is further configured to transmit the one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration within the second bandwidth portion.

[0218] Clause 47. The apparatus of clause 44, wherein the RAN notification area update is included in one or more system information blocks sent by the second station.

[0219] Clause 48. The apparatus of clause 44, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive the RAN notification area information while in a radio resource control inactive mode.

[0220] Clause 49. An apparatus according to clause 44, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations identified in the RAN notification area information; determine a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and send the one or more sounding reference signals based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

[0221] Clause 50. The apparatus of clause 49, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

[0222] Clause 51. The apparatus of clause 49, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

[0223] Clause 52. The apparatus of clause 49, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals comprises a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

[0224] Clause 53. An apparatus according to clause 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive in the RAN notification area information an indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals sent by the specific cell.

[0225] Clause 54. An apparatus according to clause 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a station associated with a minimum path loss based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the detection reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the minimum path loss.

[0226] Clause 55. The apparatus of clause 49, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: provide one or more positioning measurements to a network server; and receive a position estimate from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

[0227] Clause 56. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: request positioning information associated with a mobile device; receive an indication that a positioning session will be delayed based on a time required to complete a handover or cell reselection procedure; and receive positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least in part on the indication that the positioning session will be delayed.

[0228] Clause 57. The apparatus of Clause 56, wherein the indication that the positioning session is to be delayed is received from a mobility management function.

[0229] Clause 58. The apparatus of Clause 56, wherein the indication that the positioning session is to be delayed is based on historical handover or cell reselection procedure times associated with the first station and the second station.

[0230] Clause 59. An apparatus for sending a sounding reference signal, comprising: a component for obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations; a component for performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the stations in the group of stations; and a component for sending one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

[0231] Clause 60. An apparatus for sending a sounding reference signal utilizing a handover or cell reselection procedure, comprising: a component for obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; a component for performing the handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station; a component for requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; a component for receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; and a component for sending one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

[0232] Clause 61. An apparatus for delaying a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure, comprising: a component for requesting positioning information associated with a mobile device; a component for receiving an indication that the positioning session will be delayed based on a time required to complete the handover or cell reselection procedure; and a component for receiving positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least in part on the indication that the positioning session will be delayed.

[0233] Item 62. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to send a sounding reference signal, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising code for: obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration is valid for each station in the group of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the stations in the group of stations; and sending one or more sounding reference signals to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

[0234] Clause 63. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to send a sounding reference signal using a handover or cell reselection procedure, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising code for: obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; performing the handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station; requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; and sending one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

[0235] Clause 64. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to delay a positioning session based on a handover or cell reselection procedure, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising code for: requesting positioning information associated with a mobile device; receiving an indication that the positioning session will be delayed based on a time required to complete the handover or cell reselection procedure; and receiving positioning measurements associated with the mobile device based at least in part on the indication that the positioning session will be delayed.

Claims

1. A method for sending a sounding reference signal, comprising: obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is valid for each station in the group of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the set of stations; as well as One or more sounding reference signals are sent to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the set of stations is included in a radio access network notification area. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of stations is included in a Long Term Evolution Radio Access Network tracking area. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is provided via a radio access network notification area update procedure. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second station is configured with a first bandwidth part, and the one or more sounding reference signals are sent within the first bandwidth part.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is included in one or more system information blocks sent by the first station.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations in the set of stations; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; as well as The one or more sounding reference signals are sent based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: An indication of a particular cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference is received, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by the particular cell.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: A station associated with a lowest path loss is determined based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the lowest path loss.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: One or more positioning measurements are provided to a network server and a position estimate is received from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

15. A method for sending a sounding reference signal using a handover or cell reselection procedure, comprising: obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; performing the handover or the cell reselection procedure with a second station; requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; as well as One or more sounding reference signals are sent based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first station is configured with a first bandwidth part, and the one or more sounding reference signals configured based on the second sounding reference signal are sent within the first bandwidth part.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second station is configured with a second bandwidth part, and the one or more sounding reference signals based on the second sounding reference signal configuration are sent within the second bandwidth part.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the RAN notification area update is included in one or more system information blocks sent by the second station.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the RAN Notification Area Update is received by a user equipment in a radio resource control inactive mode.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations identified in the RAN notification area information; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; as well as The one or more sounding reference signals are sent based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the first station.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the second station.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more downlink reference signals include a first received downlink reference signal, and the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the first received downlink reference signal.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising: An indication of a specific cell to be used as a positioning sounding reference signal path reference is received in the RAN notification area information, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on the one or more downlink reference signals transmitted by the specific cell.

25. The method of claim 20, further comprising: A station associated with a lowest path loss is determined based on the one or more downlink reference signals, wherein the sounding reference signal power requirement is based on one or more downlink reference signals sent by the station associated with the lowest path loss.

26. The method of claim 20, further comprising: One or more positioning measurements are provided to a network server and a position estimate is received from the network server based at least in part on the one or more positioning measurements.

27. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: obtaining sounding reference signal configuration information from a first station in a group of stations, wherein the sounding reference signal configuration information is valid for each station in the group of stations; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with a second station, wherein the second station is one of the set of stations; as well as One or more sounding reference signals are sent to the second station based on the sounding reference signal configuration information.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations in the set of stations; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and The one or more sounding reference signals are sent based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

29. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the at least one memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: obtaining a first sounding reference signal configuration from a first station; performing a handover or cell reselection procedure with the second station; requesting a radio access network (RAN) notification area update from the second station; receiving RAN notification area information and a second sounding reference signal configuration from the second station; as well as One or more sounding reference signals are sent based on the second sounding reference signal configuration.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving one or more downlink reference signals from one or more stations identified in the RAN notification area information; determining a sounding reference signal power requirement based at least in part on path loss information associated with the one or more downlink reference signals; and The one or more sounding reference signals are sent based at least in part on the sounding reference signal power requirement.

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