Method and equipment for positioning mechanism of UE (user equipment)

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to methods and devices for a positioning mechanism for a user equipment (UE) in, for example, a relay scenario, a mobility scenario, and / or an RRC reconstruction scenario. In accordance with an embodiment of the present application, a user equipment (UE) includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: receive, via the transceiver, configuration information associated with a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a network node; starting to execute positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information; initiating a radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment procedure or a handover procedure from the network node to a target network node after starting performing the positioning measurement operation; and determining whether to continue performing the positioning measurement operation in response to initiating the RRC re-establishment procedure or the handover procedure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application generally relate to wireless communication technology, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for a positioning mechanism for a user equipment (UE). Background Art

[0002] A base station (BS) may have some cells (or areas) to provide communication services. When a UE moves from a serving cell of a source BS to a target cell of a target BS, a handover process is performed. When a radio link failure (RLF) or handover (HO) fails in a UE, the UE may perform a radio resource control (RRC) reestablishment process. The UE may access a cell through a successful RRC reestablishment process. The access network will request UE information including an RLF report of the UE so that the network can optimize mobility issues based on the UE information from the UE. Therefore, the UE will transmit a failure report to the network.

[0003] Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) has been introduced into 5G wireless communication technology. According to the channel structure of V2X communication, the direct link between two user equipments (UEs) is called a sidelink. Sidelink is a long-term evolution (LTE) feature introduced in 3GPP Release 12, and enables direct communication between UEs in close proximity, and data does not need to pass through the BS or core network.

[0004] In the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the deployment of relay nodes (RN) in wireless communication systems is facilitated. One purpose of deploying RN is to enhance the coverage area of ​​BS by improving the throughput of UEs that are within the coverage area or far away from the BS (which may result in relatively low signal quality). In some cases, RN may also be named as relay UE. The 3GPP 5G sidelink system including relay UE may be named as sidelink relay system. In the layer 2 (L2) UE to network (U2N) relay scenario, the U2N relay UE is a UE that provides functionality to support connection to the network for (several) U2N remote UEs.

[0005] 3GPP 5G networks are expected to improve network throughput, coverage and robustness and reduce latency and power consumption. As 3GPP 5G networks develop, various aspects need to be studied and developed to improve 5G technology. Currently, details of positioning mechanisms for UEs in, for example, relay scenarios, mobility scenarios and / or RRC reestablishment scenarios have not been discussed in 3GPP 5G technology. Summary of the invention

[0006] Some embodiments of the present application provide a user equipment (UE). The UE includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: receive configuration information associated with a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a network node via the transceiver; start performing a positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information; after starting to perform the positioning measurement operation, initiate a radio resource control (RRC) reconstruction process or a handover process from the network node to a target network node; and determine whether to continue performing the positioning measurement operation in response to initiating the RRC reconstruction process or the handover process.

[0007] In some embodiments, performing the positioning measurement operation includes receiving the DL-PRS.

[0008] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive, via the transceiver, first configuration information associated with a first set of measurement gaps or a first set of PRS processing windows (PPWs) from the network node.

[0009] In some embodiments, in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure, the processor of the UE is configured to continue performing the positioning measurement operation during the RRC reestablishment procedure.

[0010] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to perform one of: maintaining the first configuration information; and releasing the first configuration information and continuing to receive the DL-PRS during the RRC reestablishment process.

[0011] In some embodiments, in response to releasing the first configuration information, the processor of the UE is configured to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission in response to at least one of: a timer for a random access (RA) response window is running; a RA contention resolution timer is running; or a timer for a MsgB response window is running.

[0012] In some embodiments, in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure, the processor of the UE is configured to stop performing the positioning measurement operation.

[0013] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to stop receiving the DL-PRS when the RRC re-establishment procedure is initiated.

[0014] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to: receive an RRC re-establishment message from a re-established cell; and resume performing the positioning measurement operation in response to receiving the RRC re-establishment message.

[0015] In some embodiments, in response to initiating the handover process, the processor of the UE is configured to continue performing the positioning measurement operation during the handover process.

[0016] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to monitor physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmissions during the switching process in response to at least one of: a timer for a random access (RA) response window is running; a RA contention resolution timer is running; or a timer for a MsgB response window is running.

[0017] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive, from the network node via the transceiver, a first indication for activating or deactivating a first measurement gap within the first set of measurement gaps or a first PPW within the first set of PPWs.

[0018] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive, from the target network node via the transceiver, at least one of: second configuration information associated with a second set of measurement gaps or a second set of PPWs; or a second indication for activating or deactivating a second measurement gap within the second set of measurement gaps or a second PPW within the second set of PPWs.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second configuration information includes the second indication.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first indication includes at least one of: an indicator (ID) of the first measurement gap or the first PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the first measurement gap or the first PPW; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the first measurement gap or the first PPW; and wherein the second indication includes at least one of: an ID of the second measurement gap or the second PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the second measurement gap or the second PPW; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the second measurement gap or the second PPW.

[0021] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement operation is performed based on one of: the first configuration information and the first indication; the first configuration information and the first indication in response to the switching timer being running; at least one of the second configuration information and the second indication; and prohibiting consideration of the first configuration information, the first indication, the second configuration information and the second indication.

[0022] In some embodiments, in response to prohibiting consideration of the first configuration information, the first indication, the second configuration information, and the second indication, the processor of the UE is configured to continue the receiving of the DL-PRS during the switching process.

[0023] In some embodiments, in response to initiating the handover process, the processor of the UE is configured to stop performing the positioning measurement operation.

[0024] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to stop receiving the DL-PRS when the switching process is initiated.

[0025] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to resume performing the positioning measurement operation in response to at least one of: transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message; stopping a handover timer; or receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the target network node.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present application provide a user equipment (UE). The UE includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: access a network node through an indirect path associated with a relay node; receive first configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) from the relay node via the transceiver, wherein the UE is allowed to receive downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) in activated measurement gaps or activated PPWs; and receive an indication for activating or deactivating measurement gaps within the set of measurement gaps or PPWs within the set of PPWs from the relay node via the transceiver.

[0027] In some embodiments, the processor of the UE is configured to receive second configuration information associated with the DL-PRS.

[0028] In some embodiments, the indication received from the relay node is contained in at least one of: a PC5 Sidelink Relay Adaptation Protocol (SRAP) control protocol data unit (PDU); or a PC5 Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0029] In some embodiments, the indication includes at least one of: an indicator (ID) of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap or the PPW; or information about one or more frequency resources for the UE to receive the indication.

[0030] In some embodiments, in response to the indication including the indicator indicating the activation of the PPW, the processor of the UE is configured to refrain from receiving transmissions on a PC5 path within the PPW.

[0031] In some embodiments, the transmission on the PC5 path includes at least one of: a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) transmission; a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) transmission; or a sidelink shared channel (SL-SCH) transmission.

[0032] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit, via the transceiver, to the relay node a first request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first request is contained in at least one of: a PC5 SRAP control PDU; or a PC5 MAC CE.

[0034] In some embodiments, the first request includes at least one of: an ID of the measurement gap; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0035] Some embodiments of the present application provide a relay UE. The relay UE includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: receive configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) from a network node via the transceiver; transmit the configuration information to a user equipment (UE) via the transceiver, wherein the UE is allowed to receive a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW; receive a first indication for activating or deactivating a measurement gap within the set of measurement gaps or a PPW within the set of PPWs from the network node via the transceiver; and transmit a second indication for activating or deactivating the measurement gap or the PPW to the UE via the transceiver.

[0036] In some embodiments, the first indication includes at least one of: an indicator (ID) of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap or the PPW; information about one or more frequency resources used for the UE to receive the second indication; or an ID of the UE.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first indication received from the network node is contained in at least one of: a Uu Sidelink Relay Adaptation Protocol (SRAP) control protocol data unit (PDU); or a Uu Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0038] In some embodiments, the second indication includes at least one of: an indicator (ID) of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap or the PPW; or information about one or more frequency resources used for the UE to receive the second indication.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second indication transmitted to the UE is included in at least one of: a PC5SRAP control PDU or a PC5 MAC CE.

[0040] In some embodiments, the processor of the relay node is configured to receive, via the transceiver, from the UE a first request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first request is contained in at least one of: a PC5 SRAP control PDU or a PC5 MAC CE.

[0042] In some embodiments, the first request includes at least one of: an ID of the measurement gap; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0043] In some embodiments, the processor of the relay node is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, to the network node a second request for the activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0044] In some embodiments, the second request is contained in at least one of: a Uu SRAP control PDU or a UuMAC CE.

[0045] In some embodiments, the second request includes at least one of: an ID of the measurement gap; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap; or an ID of the UE.

[0046] Some embodiments of the present application provide a network node (e.g., a BS). The network node includes a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; and the processor is configured to: transmit configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) of a user equipment (UE) to a relay node via the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to access the network node through an indirect path associated with the relay node, and wherein the UE is allowed to receive a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW; and transmit an indication for activating or deactivating a measurement gap within the set of measurement gaps or a PPW within the set of PPWs to the relay node via the transceiver.

[0047] In some embodiments, the indication includes at least one of: an indicator (ID) of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap or the PPW; an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap or the PPW; information about one or more frequency resources for the UE to receive an indication for activating or deactivating the measurement gap or the PPW; or an ID of the UE.

[0048] In some embodiments, the indication is contained in at least one of: a Uu Sidelink Relay Adaptation Protocol (SRAP) control protocol data unit (PDU); or a Uu Medium Access Control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0049] In some embodiments, the processor of the network node is configured to receive, via the transceiver, a request from the relay node for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0050] In some embodiments, the request is contained in at least one of: a Uu SRAP control PDU or a Uu MAC CE.

[0051] In some embodiments, the request includes at least one of: an ID of the measurement gap; an indicator for indicating activation of the measurement gap; or an indicator for indicating deactivation of the measurement gap; or an ID of the UE.

[0052] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a UE. The method includes: receiving configuration information associated with a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a network node; starting to perform a positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information; after starting to perform the positioning measurement operation, initiating a radio resource control (RRC) reconstruction process or a handover process from the network node to a target network node; and determining whether to continue to perform the positioning measurement operation in response to initiating the RRC reconstruction process or the handover process.

[0053] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a UE. The method includes: accessing a network node through an indirect path associated with a relay node; receiving configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) from the relay node, wherein the UE is allowed to receive a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW; and receiving an indication from the relay node for activating or deactivating a measurement gap within the set of measurement gaps or a PPW within the set of PPWs.

[0054] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a relay node. The method includes: receiving configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) from a network node; transmitting the configuration information to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE is allowed to receive a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW; receiving a first indication from the network node for activating or deactivating a measurement gap within the set of measurement gaps or a PPW within the set of PPWs; and transmitting a second indication to the UE for activating or deactivating the measurement gap or the PPW.

[0055] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method that can be performed by a network node (e.g., a BS). The method includes: transmitting configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of positioning reference signal processing windows (PPWs) of a user equipment (UE) to a relay node, wherein the UE is configured to access the network node through an indirect path associated with the relay node, and wherein the UE is allowed to receive a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW; and transmitting an indication to the relay node for activating or deactivating a measurement gap within the set of measurement gaps or a PPW within the set of PPWs.

[0056] Some embodiments of the present application also provide a device for wireless communication. The device includes: a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon; a receiving circuit system; a transmitting circuit system; and a processor coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium, the receiving circuit system, and the transmitting circuit system, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to implement any one of the above methods performed by a UE, a relay UE, or a network node (e.g., a BS).

[0057] The details of one or more examples are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented with reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered limiting of its scope.

[0059] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 2 Another schematic diagram illustrating a wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 3 An exemplary control plane protocol stack for a relay scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0062] Figure 4 An exemplary format of a positioning measurement gap activation or deactivation request MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0063] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating an example process of positioning measurement operations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 6 and 7 A flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] Figures 8 to 10 A flow chart illustrating an example process of positioning measurement operations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] Fig.11 and 12 A flow chart illustrating an example process for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] Fig.13 A block diagram illustrating an example device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present application can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be achieved by different embodiments intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present application.

[0069] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided under specific network architectures and new service scenarios (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) LTE and Advanced LTE, 3GPP 5G NR, Advanced 5G, 6G, etc.). It is considered that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms cited in the present application may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present application.

[0070] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, the wireless communication system 100 includes a UE 101, a BS 102, and a relay UE 103. Figure 1 A specific number of UEs, relay UEs, and BSs are depicted in FIG. 1 , but it is contemplated that any number of UEs, relay UEs, and BSs may be included in the wireless communication system 100 .

[0071] Due to the long distance between UE 101 and BS 102, they communicate with each other via relay UE 103. UE 101 may be connected to relay UE 103 via a network interface (e.g., a PC5 interface as specified in 3GPP standard documents). Relay UE 103 may be connected to BS 102 via a network interface (e.g., a Uu interface as specified in 3GPP standard documents). Figure 1 UE 101 is connected to relay UE 103 via a PC5 link, and relay UE 103 is connected to BS 102 via a Uu link. UE 101 may be a U2N remote UE. Relay UE 103 may be a U2N relay UE, which is a UE that provides functionality supporting connection to a network for a U2N remote UE.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present application, UE 101 or relay UE 103 may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a vehicle-mounted computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, and a modem), or the like.

[0073] In some further embodiments of the present application, UE 101 or relay UE 103 may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call reception circuit system, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network.

[0074] In some other embodiments of the present application, UE 101 or relay UE 103 may include a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display or the like. In addition, UE 101 or relay UE 103 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal or a device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0075] The BSs 102 may be distributed in a geographic area. In certain embodiments of the present application, each of the BSs 102 may also be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a base unit, a macro cell, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a gNB, a home Node B, a relay node or a device, or described using other terms used in the art. The BSs 102 are typically part of a radio access network, which may include one or more controllers communicatively coupled to one or more corresponding BSs 102.

[0076] The wireless communication system 100 may be compatible with any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a network based on time division multiple access (TDMA), a network based on code division multiple access (CDMA), a network based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), an LTE network, a network based on 3GPP, a 3GPP5G network, a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform network, and / or other communication networks.

[0077] In some embodiments of the present application, the wireless communication system 100 is compatible with the 5G NR of the 3GPP protocol, wherein (several) BSs 102 transmit data using an OFDM modulation scheme on a downlink (DL), and (several) UEs 101 (e.g., UE 101 or other similar UEs) transmit data using a discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) or cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) scheme on an uplink (UL). However, more generally, the wireless communication system 100 may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocols, such as WiMAX and other protocols.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present application, (several) BS102 may communicate using other communication protocols (e.g., IEEE 702.11 series wireless communication protocols). In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, (several) BS102 may communicate via a licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, (several) BS102 may communicate via an unlicensed spectrum. The present application is not intended to be limited to implementations of any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol. In still other embodiments of the present application, (several) BS102 may communicate with (several) UE 101 using 3GPP 5G protocols.

[0079] UE(s) 101 may access BS(s) 102 to receive data packets from BS(s) 102 via downlink channels and / or transmit data packets to BS(s) 102 via uplink channels. In normal operation, since UE(s) 101 does not know when BS(s) 102 will transmit data packets to it, UE(s) 101 must always be in an awake state to monitor downlink channels (e.g., physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs)) to prepare for receiving data packets from BS(s) 102. However, if UE(s) 101 keeps monitoring downlink channels even when there is no traffic between BS(s) 102 and UE(s) 101, this will result in significant power waste, which is problematic for power-limited UEs or power-sensitive UEs.

[0080] BS(s) 102 may include one or more cells. UE(s) 101 may perform a cell segmentation procedure between different cells of different BS(s). UE(s) 101 may switch from a serving cell of a source BS to a target cell of a target BS. Figure 1 In the wireless communication system 100 described and shown in Figure 1 The BS 102 described and shown in FIG. 1 may serve as a source BS, and further the BS 102 ( Figure 1 (not shown) can act as the target BS. If there is a need for handover, then Figure 1 The UE 101 described and shown in FIG. 1 may perform a handover procedure from a serving cell of the BS 102 to a target cell of a further BS, depending on the measurement result. For example, the handover procedure performed by the UE 101 may be a conditional handover (CHO) procedure. Figure 2 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0081] Figure 2 Another schematic diagram of a wireless communication system 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 200 is Figure 1In the specific example of the wireless communication system 100 in FIG. 1 , UE 201a is Figure 1 , and each of BS202a, BS202b, and BS202c is Figure 1 Different from the wireless communication system 100, in the wireless communication system 200, there is no relay node between the UE 201a and the BS(s) 202, and the UE 201a and the BS(s) 202 can communicate directly with each other.

[0082] Each of the (several) BSs 202 may include one or more cells. UE 201a may perform a cell segmentation procedure between (several) different cells of (several) different BSs. UE 201a may switch from a serving cell of a source BS to a target cell of a target BS. For example, in the wireless communication system 200, BS 202a may serve as a source BS, and each of BS 202b and BS 202c may serve as a target BS. If there is a need for switching, then Figure 2 UE 201a illustrated and shown in FIG. 2 may perform a handover procedure from a serving cell of BS 202a to a target cell of BS 202b or a target cell of BS 202c, depending on the result of the cell selection procedure. For example, the handover procedure performed by UE 201a may be a CHO procedure.

[0083] As specified in the 3GPP standard documents, CHO is defined as a handover performed by the UE when one or more handover execution conditions are met. The UE starts evaluating the execution condition(s) upon receiving the CHO configuration, and stops evaluating the execution condition(s) during the CHO process once the execution condition(s) are met.

[0084] Figure 3 An exemplary control plane protocol stack for a relay scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0085] like Figure 3 As shown in , for relay, for uplink (UL):

[0086] - The Uu SRAP sublayer performs UL bearer mapping between the ingress PC5 relay RLC channel and the egress Uu relay RLC channel for relaying over the relay UE Uu interface. For uplink relay services, different end-to-end Uu radio bearers (SRBs or DRBs) of the same remote UE and / or different remote UEs may be multiplexed on the same egress Uu relay RLC channel.

[0087] - The Uu SRAP sublayer supports remote UE identification for UL traffic. Identity information of the remote UE end-to-end Uu radio bearer and the local remote UE ID are included in the Uu SRAP header at UL in order for the BS to correlate received packets for a specific PDCP entity associated with the correct end-to-end Uu radio bearer of the remote UE.

[0088] - The PC5 SRAP sublayer at the remote UE supports UL bearer mapping between remote UE end-to-end Uu radio bearers and egress PC5 relay RLC channels.

[0089] like Figure 3 As shown in , for relay, for downlink (DL):

[0090] - The Uu SRAP sublayer performs DL bearer mapping at the BS to map the end-to-end Uu radio bearers (SRBs, DRBs) of the remote UE into the Uu relay RLC channel through the relay UE Uu interface. The Uu SRAP sublayer performs DL bearer mapping and data multiplexing between multiple end-to-end radio bearers (SRBs or DRBs) of the remote UE and / or different remote UEs and one Uu relay RLC channel through the relay UE Uu interface.

[0091] - The Uu SRAP sublayer supports remote UE identification for DL ​​traffic. Identity information of the remote UE end-to-end Uu radio bearer and the local remote UE ID are included in the Uu SRAP header by the BS at DL to enable the end-to-end relay UE to map packets received from the remote UE end-to-end Uu radio bearer to its associated PC5 relay RLC channel. - The PC5 SRAP sublayer at the relay UE performs DL bearer mapping between the ingress Uu relay RLC channel and the egress PC5 relay RLC channel;

[0092] - The PC5 SRAP sublayer at the remote UE correlates the received packets for a specific PDCP entity associated with the correct end-to-end radio bearer of the remote UE based on the identity information contained in the PC5 SRAP header.

[0093] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, SRAP control PDU refers to control signaling in the SRAP layer, which can be exchanged between a UE and a relay node or between a relay node and a BS.

[0094] As specified in the 3GPP standard document, regarding positioning operations, in order to support positioning (target) UE and delivering location assistance data to UE with NG-RAN access in the 5G system (5GS), location-related functions are distributed in an architecture including UE, NG-RAN node, access and mobility management function (AMF), location management function (LMF) and 5GC LCS entity. For example, for location services, the following operations may exist.

[0095] Some entity in the 5GC (e.g., GMLC) may request some location services (e.g., positioning) for the target UE from the serving AMF; or the serving AMF of the target UE may determine the need for some location services (e.g., to locate the UE for an emergency call); or the UE may request some location services (e.g., positioning or delivery of assistance data) from the serving AMF at the non-access stratum (NAS) level. The AMF may then transmit the location service request to the LMF. The LMF may initiate a positioning procedure with the serving and possible neighboring ng-eNB or gNB in ​​the NG-RAN—e.g., to obtain positioning measurements or assistance data. In addition, the LMF initiates a positioning procedure with the UE—e.g., to obtain a position estimate or positioning measurements or to transmit location assistance data to the UE. The LMF may provide a location service response to the AMF and include any required results—e.g., a success or failure indication, and if requested and obtained, also an estimate of the UE's position. The AMF then returns a location services response to the 5GC entity (e.g., the Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC)) including any required results - for example, a location estimate for the UE, or the AMF uses the received location services response to assist in the service that triggered this (e.g., a location estimate associated with an emergency call may be provided to the GMLC), or the AMF returns a location services response to the UE including any required results - for example, a location estimate for the UE.

[0096] Regarding preconfigured measurement gaps, in order to reduce the latency of the process for DL-PRS processing with measurement gaps, a set of measurement gap patterns may be preconfigured to the UE and activated or deactivated by the BS using DL MAC CE signaling to control DL-PRS measurements performed by the UE. The UE may request activation and deactivation of preconfigured measurement gaps using UL MAC CE signaling.

[0097] Regarding the preconfigured PRS processing window (PPW), to further reduce the latency of DL-PRS processing, the UE may perform DL-PRS measurements outside the measurement gap and within the active DL bandwidth part (BWP), where the PRS has the same parameter set as the active DL BWP. The BS may use RRC signaling to preconfigure the PPW and DL MAC CE signaling for activating the PPW, respectively. However, if the target UE is a remote UE accessing the BS via a relay UE, the BWP may be a PC5 BWP. How to activate or deactivate the PPW for the remote UE in the relay scenario should be addressed.

[0098] Generally, the BS may preconfigure a positioning measurement gap (which may also be named as a "measurement gap for positioning" or "measurement gap" or the like) to enable the UE to receive the DL-PRS. Then, the BS may transmit a MAC CE (e.g., a positioning measurement gap activation / deactivation command MAC CE) to control the DL-PRS measurement performed by the UE. In addition, the UE may use a UL MAC CE to request activation and deactivation of the preconfigured positioning measurement gap (e.g., as Figure 4 However, if the UE is a remote UE accessing the BS via a relay UE, the MAC CE cannot be transmitted directly between the UE and the BS. Therefore, the problem of how to activate or deactivate the positioning measurement gap of the remote UE in the relay scenario should be solved.

[0099] Figure 4 The following describes an exemplary format of a positioning measurement gap activation or deactivation request MAC CE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the positioning measurement gap activation or deactivation request MAC CE has a fixed size of 8 bits:

[0100] - Positioning MG ID: This field indicates the identifier of the preconfigured positioning measurement gap. The length of the field is 4 bits.

[0101] - A / D: This field indicates activation or deactivation of positioning measurement gaps. The field is set to 1 to indicate activation. The field is set to 0 to indicate deactivation. The length of the field is 1 bit.

[0102] -R: Reserved. The length of the field is 1 bit. There are three "R" fields in this MAC CE, such as Figure 4 As shown in .

[0103] Currently, there is no positioning mechanism for UE in, for example, relay scenarios, mobile scenarios, and / or RRC reestablishment scenarios. For example, as described above, it is necessary to solve the problem of how to activate or deactivate the positioning measurement gap of the remote UE in the relay scenario, and how to activate or deactivate the PPW of the remote UE in the relay scenario. The embodiments of the present application are intended to solve the above problems.

[0104] For example, some embodiments of the present application study a mechanism in which a remote UE activates or deactivates a positioning measurement gap in a relay scenario via a lower layer request. Some embodiments of the present application study a mechanism in which a BS activates or deactivates a positioning measurement gap of a remote UE in a relay scenario via a lower layer. Some embodiments of the present application study a mechanism to activate or deactivate a pre-configured PPW of a remote UE in a relay scenario. Some embodiments of the present application study whether or how to continue to perform positioning measurements during reestablishment. Some embodiments of the present application study whether or how to continue to perform positioning measurements during handover. More details will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0105] Figure 5 Flowchart illustrating an example process 500 of performing positioning measurement operations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Example process 500 may be performed by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 or Figure 2 Although described with respect to a UE, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Figure 5 The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to Figure 5 The embodiments shown in .

[0106] In such Figure 5 In the example process 500 shown in FIG. 5 , in operation 501, the UE may receive a request from a network node (e.g., Figure 1 or Figure 2 BS102 or BS202a) shown in FIG. 1 receives configuration information associated with DL-PRS. For example, the configuration information associated with DL-PRS may be time-frequency resource configuration information of DL-PRS.

[0107] In operation 502, the UE may start performing a positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information. In some embodiments, performing the positioning measurement operation includes receiving a DL-PRS.

[0108] In operation 503, after starting to perform the positioning measurement operation, the UE may initiate an RRC reestablishment process or receive a request from a network node (eg, Figure 2 BS202a shown in FIG. 200a) to a target network node (eg, Figure 2The switching process of BS 202b or BS 202c) shown in FIG.

[0109] In operation 504, the UE may determine whether to continue to perform the positioning measurement operation in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure or the handover procedure.

[0110] In some embodiments, the UE may receive configuration information (denoted as configuration information #1 for simplicity) associated with a set of measurement gaps (denoted as measurement gap set #1 for simplicity) or a set of PPWs (denoted as PPW set #1 for simplicity) from the network node.

[0111] In some embodiments, in response to initiating an RRC reestablishment process, the UE may continue to perform positioning measurement operations during the RRC reestablishment process. In an embodiment, the UE may maintain configuration information #1. In another embodiment, the UE may release configuration information #1 and continue to receive DL-PRS during the RRC reestablishment process. In response to releasing configuration information #1, the UE may monitor PDCCH transmission in response to at least one of the following:

[0112] (1) A timer for a random access (RA) response window (e.g., ra-ResponseWindow) is running;

[0113] (2) The RA contention resolution timer (e.g., ra-ContentionResolutionTimer) is running; or

[0114] (3) The timer for the MsgB response window (eg, msgB-ResponseWindow) is running.

[0115] In some other embodiments, in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment process, the UE may stop performing the positioning measurement operation. In an embodiment, the UE may stop receiving DL-PRS when initiating the RRC reestablishment process. In some embodiments, the UE may receive an RRC reestablishment message from the reestablished cell and resume performing the positioning measurement operation in response to receiving the RRC reestablishment message. Figure 6 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0116] In some embodiments, in response to initiating a handover procedure, the UE may continue to perform positioning measurement operations during the handover procedure. In an embodiment, the UE may monitor PDCCH transmissions during the handover procedure in response to at least one of the following: (1) a timer for a RA response window (e.g., ra-ResponseWindow) is running;

[0117] (2) The RA contention resolution timer (e.g., ra-ContentionResolutionTimer) is running; or

[0118] (3) The timer for the MsgB response window (eg, msgB-ResponseWindow) is running.

[0119] In some embodiments, the UE may receive an indication (denoted as indication #1) from the network node for activating or deactivating measurement gaps in measurement gap set #1 or PPWs in PPW set #1. In an embodiment, indication #1 includes at least one of the following:

[0120] (1) Measure the gap or PPW ID;

[0121] (2) an indicator indicating the activation of a measurement gap or a PPW; or

[0122] (3) An indicator for indicating the deactivation of a measurement gap or a PPW.

[0123] In some embodiments, the UE may receive at least one of the following from the target network node:

[0124] (1) configuration information (denoted as configuration information #2) associated with another set of measurement gaps (denoted as measurement gap set #2) or another set of PPWs (denoted as PPW set #2); or

[0125] (2) An indication for activating or deactivating measurement gaps in measurement gap set #2 or PPWs in PPW set #2 (denoted as indication #2). In an embodiment, indication #2 includes at least one of the following:

[0126] (a) Measure the gap or ID of the PPW;

[0127] (b) an indicator indicating the activation of a measurement gap or a PPW; or

[0128] (c) An indicator for indicating a measurement gap or deactivation of a PPW.

[0129] In some embodiments, the UE receives both configuration information #2 and indication #2. In some other embodiments, the UE receives configuration information #2, and configuration information #2 includes indication #2.

[0130] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement operation is performed by the UE based on one of the following:

[0131] (1) Configuration information #1 and instruction #1;

[0132] (2) in response to the configuration information #1 and indication #1 that the handover timer (e.g., T304 as defined in the 3GPP standard document) is running;

[0133] (3) configuration information #2 and / or instruction #2; and

[0134] (4) Configuration information #1, indication #1, configuration information #2, and indication #2 are prohibited from being considered. That is, in some embodiments, positioning measurement operations may be performed without considering configuration information #1, indication #1, configuration information #2, and indication #2. In these embodiments, the UE may continue to receive DL-PRS during the handover process.

[0135] In some embodiments, in response to initiating a handover procedure, the UE may stop performing positioning measurement operations. In an embodiment, the UE may stop receiving DL-PRS when initiating a handover procedure.

[0136] In some embodiments, the UE may resume performing positioning measurement operations in response to at least one of the following:

[0137] (1) Transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message;

[0138] (2) Stop the switching timer (e.g., T304); or

[0139] (3) Receive the RRC reconfiguration message from the target network node. Figure 7 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0140] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the order of operations in the example process 500 may be changed and some operations in the example process 500 may be eliminated or modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0141] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 600 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 6 The embodiments shown in .

[0142] Example process 600 relates to a scenario in which a UE is configured with measurement gaps and / or PPWs for reception of DL-PRS, and RLF may occur when the UE performs positioning measurement operations during the PPWs and / or measurement gaps. Figure 6 , the remote UE 601 can act as Figure 2 UE 201a shown in FIG. 1 and BS 602 may respectively act as Figure 2 BS202a, BS202b, or BS202c shown in . In particular, example process 600 includes the following operations.

[0143] In operation 611, UE 601 accesses a serving BS, such as BS 602. UE 601 may stay in an RRC connected state. In some embodiments, some entities in 5GC (e.g., GMLC) may request some location services (e.g., positioning) for UE 601 (which may also be named as a target UE or a remote UE) from the serving AMF. In some embodiments, the serving AMF of UE 601 may determine the need for some location services and send a request for some location services (e.g., positioning) to UE 601.

[0144] In some embodiments, UE 601 is configured with a DL-PRS, which may be associated with a serving cell(s) or a neighbor cell. For example, UE 601 may receive time-frequency resource configuration information associated with the DL-PRS from BS 602.

[0145] In some embodiments, UE 601 is configured with (several) (pre)configured PPWs, where UE 601 is expected to measure DL-PRS. Based on the indication received in the configuration information associated with the (pre)configured PPW, UE 601 can identify whether the DL-PRS priority is higher than the priority of other DL signals or channels. For example, if UE 601 identifies that the DL-PRS priority is higher than the priority of other DL signals or channels, then the UE can determine that UE 601 is expected to measure DL-PRS and is not expected to receive and transmit other DL signals and channels. For example, the ID of the PPW can be used to identify the PPW.

[0146] In some embodiments, UE 601 is (pre-)configured with measurement gap(s) for receiving DL-PRS from neighbor cell(s). For example, an ID of the measurement gap may be configured to UE 601 .

[0147] In operation 612, the UE 601 may receive an activation or deactivation indication (eg, in a MAC CE) to activate or deactivate (pre-)configured measurement gaps and / or (pre-)configured PPWs.

[0148] In operation 613, after the UE 601 receives the activation or deactivation indication, the UE 601 may perform a positioning measurement operation (which may also be named “measurement operation for positioning” or the like) using the activated measurement gaps and / or the activated PPWs.

[0149] In operation 614, UE 601 may declare a radio link failure (RLF) and may initiate an RRC re-establishment procedure.

[0150] In some embodiments, UE 601 may start a timer for RRC connection reestablishment for cell selection (e.g., T311 as defined in 3GPP standard documents) when initiating the RRC reestablishment process. Once UE 601 selects a suitable cell, UE 601 may stop timer T311. Then, UE 601 may transmit an RRC reestablishment request and start a timer for the RRC reestablishment request (e.g., T301 as defined in 3GPP standard documents). For example, UE 601 may stop timer T301 when receiving an RRCReestablishment message.

[0151] In operation 615 , there may be different operations such as option X and option Y in different embodiments.

[0152] (1) Option X: In operation 615, the UE 601 keeps performing the positioning measurement operation during the RRC reestablishment procedure.

[0153] a) In some embodiments, when UE 601 initiates the RRC reestablishment process, UE 601 will not release the measurement gap and

[0154] PPW-related configuration.

[0155] b) In some other embodiments, the UE 601 may release the configuration associated with the (pre-)configured measurement gap(s) and / or the (pre-)configured measurement gap(s) and / or the PPW(s). The UE 601 may continue to receive the DL-PRS during the RRC reestablishment procedure. In an embodiment, if the ra-ResponseWindow or ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-ResponseWindow is running, the UE 601 may monitor the PDCCH transmission, for example, in operation 615A (which is optional and marked as a dashed line). That is, when a conflict occurs between the reception of the DL-PRS and the reception associated with the RA operation, the reception associated with the RA operation will have a higher priority than the reception of the DL-PRS.

[0156] (2) Option Y: In operation 615, UE 601 may stop performing positioning measurement operations. For example, UE 601 may stop receiving DL-PRS when initiating an RRC reestablishment procedure or declaring RLF.

[0157] a) In some embodiments, after stopping the positioning measurement operation, the UE 601 may receive an RRCReestablishment message from the reestablished cell, for example in operation 615A (optional), and may resume performing the positioning measurement operation upon receiving the RRCReestablishment message.

[0158] In operation 616, after successfully completing the RRC reestablishment procedure, the UE 601 may report (several) measurement results of the positioning measurement operation to the network (eg, the BS 602 or the AMF or the LMF).

[0159] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 700 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Figure 7 The embodiments shown in .

[0160] Example process 700 relates to a scenario in which a UE is configured with measurement gaps and / or PPWs for reception of DL-PRS, and switching may occur when the UE performs positioning measurement operations during the PPWs and / or measurement gaps. Figure 7 , the remote UE 701 can act as Figure 2 UE 201a shown in FIG. 1 and BS 702 may respectively act as Figure 2 BS202a, BS202b, or BS202c shown in . In particular, example process 700 includes the following operations.

[0161] In operation 711, UE 701 accesses a serving BS, such as BS 702. UE 701 stays in an RRC connected state. In some embodiments, some entities in 5GC (e.g., GMLC) may request some location services (e.g., positioning) for UE 701 (which may also be named as a target UE or a remote UE) from the serving AMF. In some embodiments, the serving AMF of UE 701 may determine the need for some location services and send a request for some location services (e.g., positioning) to UE 701.

[0162] In some embodiments, UE 701 is configured with a DL-PRS, which may be associated with a serving cell(s) or a neighbor cell. For example, UE 701 may receive configuration information associated with the DL-PRS from BS 702.

[0163] In some embodiments, UE 701 is configured with (several) (pre)configured PPWs, where UE 701 is expected to measure DL-PRS. Based on the indication received in the configuration information associated with the (pre)configured PPW, UE 701 can identify whether the DL-PRS priority is higher than the priority of other DL signals or channels, and can accordingly determine, for example, that UE 701 is expected to measure DL-PRS and is not expected to receive and transmit other DL signals and channels. For example, the ID of the PPW can be used to identify the PPW.

[0164] In some embodiments, UE 701 is (pre-)configured with measurement gap(s) for receiving DL-PRS from neighbor cell(s). For example, an ID of the measurement gap may be configured to UE 701.

[0165] In operation 712, the UE 701 may receive an activation or deactivation indication (eg, in a MAC CE) to activate or deactivate (pre-)configured measurement gaps and / or (pre-)configured PPWs.

[0166] In operation 713, after the UE 701 receives the activation or deactivation indication, the UE 701 may perform a positioning measurement operation using the activated measurement gap and / or the activated PPW.

[0167] In operation 714, when UE 701 receives a handover command or satisfies the execution condition of CHO, UE 701 may perform a handover process from BS 702 to a target BS (e.g., target BS 703). In some embodiments, when UE 701 performs an RA operation on target BS 703 (e.g., in operation 714A), UE 701 may start a handover timer (e.g., T304). For example, when UE 701 successfully performs an RA operation, UE 701 may stop T304.

[0168] In operation 715 , different operations may be performed in different embodiments, such as option A and option B.

[0169] (1) Option A: In operation 715, the UE 701 may keep performing the positioning measurement operation during the handover process.

[0170] a) In some embodiments, UE 701 detects the presence of an activated measurement gap configured by BS 802 (i.e., source BS) and / or

[0171] PPW performs positioning measurement operations.

[0172] b) In some further embodiments, when the handover timer (eg, T304) is running, the UE 701 performs a handover based on the handover timer specified by the BS

[0173] 802. That is, if the switching timer is not running, UE 701 does not perform the positioning measurement operation based on the activated measurement gap and PPW configured by BS 802.

[0174] c) In some other embodiments, the UE 701 performs positioning measurement operations based on the activated measurement gaps and PPWs configured by the target BS 703. In such embodiments, the UE 701 may receive, from the target BS 703, configuration information associated with the measurement gap(s) or the PPW(s) and / or an indication for activating or deactivating the measurement gap(s) within the measurement gap(s) or the PPW(s) within the PPW(s).

[0175] d) In some additional embodiments, UE 701 performs positioning measurement operations without considering configuration information related to any measurement gaps and / or PPWs configured by BS 802 or target BS 703.

[0176] a) In an embodiment, UE 701 may continue to receive DL-PRS during the handover process.

[0177] b) In an embodiment, if ra-ResponseWindow or ra-ContentionResolutionTimer or msgB-

[0178] ResponseWindow is running, UE 701 may monitor PDCCH transmission, for example, in operation 715A (optional). That is, when a conflict occurs between reception of DL-PRS and reception associated with RA operation, reception associated with RA operation will have a higher priority than reception of DL-PRS.

[0179] (2) Option B: In operation 715, the UE 701 may stop performing positioning measurement operations during the handover process.

[0180] a) In some embodiments, after stopping the positioning measurement operation, the UE 601 may resume performing the positioning measurement operation after transmitting an RRC reconfiguration complete message, stopping T304, or receiving an RRC reconfiguration message from the BS 702 (eg, in operation 715A).

[0181] In operation 716, after successfully completing the handover procedure, the UE 701 reports the measurement result(s) of the positioning measurement operation to the network (eg, the target BS 703 or the AMF or the LMF).

[0182] Figure 8 Flowchart illustrating an example process 800 of positioning measurement operations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Example process 800 may be performed by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 Although described with respect to a UE, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Figure 8The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to Figure 8 The embodiments shown in .

[0183] In such Figure 8 In the exemplary process 800 shown in FIG. 8 , in operation 801, the UE may communicate with a relay node (e.g., Figure 1 The indirect path access network node (e.g., as shown in the relay UE 103) associated with Figure 1 BS102 shown in ).

[0184] In operation 802, the UE may receive configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of PPWs from the relay node. The UE is allowed to receive DL-PRS in the activated measurement gaps or activated PPWs. In some embodiments, the UE may receive configuration information associated with the DL-PRS, such as time-frequency resource configuration information of the DL-PRS.

[0185] In operation 803, the UE may receive an "indication (denoted as indication #a) for activating or deactivating measurement gaps within the set of measurement gaps or PPWs within the set of PPWs" from the relay node. In some embodiments, the indication is included in a PC5 SRAP control PDU and / or a PC5 MAC CE. In some embodiments, indication #a includes at least one of the following:

[0186] (1) Measure the gap or ID of the PPW.

[0187] (2) An indicator for indicating the activation of a measurement gap or a PPW (e.g., an "A" field or an "A / D" field in an indication #a). In an embodiment, if the indication includes an indicator for indicating the activation of a PPW, the UE may prohibit receiving transmissions on the PC5 path (e.g., PSCCH transmissions; PSSCH transmissions; and / or SL-SCH transmissions) within the PPW.

[0188] (3) An indicator for indicating the deactivation of a measurement gap or a PPW (for example, indicating a "D" field or an "A / D" field in #a).

[0189] (4) Information about the frequency resource(s) used for the UE to receive the indication #a. That is, the UE may receive the indication #a under the frequency resource(s). For example, the information about the frequency resource(s) may be implicitly included in the indication #a.

[0190] In some embodiments, the UE may transmit a request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap to the relay node. In an embodiment, the request is included in a PC5 SRAP control PDU and / or a PC5 MAC CE. For example, the request includes at least one of the following:

[0191] (1) Measure the gap ID;

[0192] (2) an indicator for indicating activation of a measurement gap; or

[0193] (3) An indicator for indicating the deactivation of a measurement gap. Fig.11 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0194] Fig. 9 Flowchart illustrating an example process 900 for performing positioning measurement operations according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Example process 900 may be performed by a relay node (e.g., Figure 1 Although described with respect to a relay node, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Fig. 9 The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to Fig. 9 The embodiments shown in .

[0195] In such Fig. 9 In the example process 900 shown in FIG. 1 , in operation 901, a relay node may receive a request from a network node (e.g., Figure 1 BS 102 shown in FIG. 1 receives configuration information associated with a set of measurement gaps or a set of PPWs.

[0196] In operation 902, the relay node may send a signal to a UE (eg, Figure 1 1) transmits configuration information. The UE is allowed to receive DL-PRS in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW.

[0197] In operation 903, the relay node may receive an "indication (expressed as indication #A) for activating or deactivating measurement gaps within the set of measurement gaps or PPWs within the set of PPWs" from the network node. For example, indication #A is included in a UuSRAP control PDU and / or a Uu MAC CE. In some embodiments, indication #A includes at least one of the following:

[0198] (1) Measure the gap or PPW ID;

[0199] (2) An indicator for indicating the activation of a measurement gap or a PPW;

[0200] (3) an indicator for indicating a measurement gap or deactivation of a PPW;

[0201] (4) information about one or more frequency resources used by the UE to receive indication #B (e.g., such information is explicitly included in indication #A); or

[0202] (5)UE ID.

[0203] In operation 904, the relay node may transmit another indication (denoted as indication #B) to the UE for activating or deactivating the measurement gap or PPW. For example, indication #B is included in the PC5 SRAP control PDU and / or PC5 MAC CE. In some embodiments, indication #B includes at least one of the following:

[0204] (1) Measure the gap or PPW ID;

[0205] (2) An indicator for indicating activation of a measurement gap or PPW (e.g., indicating an "A" field or an "A / D" field in #B);

[0206] (3) an indicator for indicating deactivation of a measurement gap or a PPW (e.g., indicating a "D" field or an "A / D" field in #B); or

[0207] (4) Information about the frequency resource(s) used by the UE to receive the indication #B (for example, the information is implicitly included in the indication #B). That is, the UE can receive the indication #B under the frequency resource(s). Fig.12 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0208] In some embodiments, the relay node may receive a request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap from the UE. For example, the request is included in a PC5 SRAP control PDU and / or a PC5 MAC CE. In an embodiment, the request includes at least one of the following:

[0209] (1) Measure the gap ID;

[0210] (2) an indicator for indicating activation of a measurement gap; or

[0211] (3) An indicator for indicating deactivation of a measurement gap.

[0212] In some embodiments, the relay node may transmit a further request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap to the network node. For example, the further request is included in a Uu SRAP control PDU and / or a Uu MAC CE. In an embodiment, the further request includes at least one of the following:

[0213] (1) Measure the gap ID;

[0214] (2) an indicator for indicating activation of a measurement gap; or

[0215] (3) an indicator for indicating deactivation of a measurement gap; or

[0216] (4) UE ID. Fig.11 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0217] Fig.10 1000 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 1000 of performing a positioning measurement operation according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The example process 1000 may be performed by a network node (e.g., Figure 1 Although described with respect to a network node, it should be understood that other devices may be configured to perform the same Fig.10 The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to Fig.10 The embodiments shown in .

[0218] In such Fig.10 In the example process 1000 shown in FIG. 1 , in operation 1001, a network node may send a message to a relay node (eg, Figure 1 The relay UE 103 shown in FIG. 1 transmits a signal to a UE (eg, Figure 1 101) shown in FIG. 10A . The UE may be configured to access a network node via an indirect path associated with a relay node. The UE may be allowed to receive DL-PRS in an activated measurement gap or an activated PPW.

[0219] In operation 1002, the network node may transmit to the relay node an “indication for activating or deactivating a measurement gap in the set of measurement gaps or a PPW in the set of PPWs”. For example, the indication is included in a Uu SRAP control PDU and / or a Uu MAC CE. In some embodiments, the indication includes at least one of the following:

[0220] (1) Measure the gap or PPW ID;

[0221] (2) An indicator for indicating the activation of a measurement gap or a PPW;

[0222] (3) an indicator for indicating a measurement gap or deactivation of a PPW;

[0223] (4) information about frequency resource(s) for the UE to receive an indication to activate or deactivate a measurement gap or PPW (e.g., the information is explicitly included in the indication); or

[0224] (5) UE ID. Fig.12Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0225] In some embodiments, the network node may receive a request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap from the relay node. For example, the request is included in at least one of the following: a Uu SRAP control PDU or a Uu MAC CE. In some embodiments, the request includes at least one of the following:

[0226] (1) Measure the gap ID;

[0227] (2) an indicator for indicating activation of a measurement gap; or

[0228] (3) an indicator for indicating deactivation of a measurement gap; or

[0229] (4) UE ID. Fig.11 Specific examples are described in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0230] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Figures 8 to 10 The order of operations of any one of the example processes 800 to 1000 may be changed, and some operations in any one of the example processes 800 to 1000 may be eliminated or modified.

[0231] Fig.11 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1100 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Fig.11 The embodiments shown in .

[0232] The exemplary process 1100 relates to a scenario where the UE is a remote UE accessing the BS via a relay UE and a positioning measurement gap activation or deactivation request MAC CE cannot be transmitted directly between the remote UE and the BS. Fig.11 , the remote UE 1101, the relay UE 1102 and the BS 1103 can act as Figure 1 UE 101, relay UE 103 and BS 102 are shown in FIG. Specifically, the exemplary process 1100 includes the following operations.

[0233] In operation 111, the remote UE 101 accesses the BS 1103 via the relay UE 1102 (eg, which is an L2 U2N relay UE). In other words, the remote UE 1101 accesses the serving cell of the BS 1103 via an indirect path. The remote UE 1101 may stay in an RRC connected state.

[0234] In some embodiments, some entities in the 5GC (e.g., GMLC) request some location services (e.g., positioning) for the remote UE 1101 (which may also be named as the target UE) from the serving AMF. In some embodiments, the serving AMF of the remote UE 1101 determines the need for some location services and sends a request for some location services (e.g., positioning) to the remote UE 1101.

[0235] In some embodiments, the remote UE 1101 is configured with a DL-PRS, which may be associated with a serving cell(s) or a neighbor cell. For example, the remote UE 1101 may receive time-frequency resource configuration information associated with the DL-PRS from the BS 1103 .

[0236] In some embodiments, the remote UE 1101 is (pre-)configured with measurement gap(s) for receiving DL-PRS from neighbor cells. For example, an ID of the measurement gap may be configured to the remote UE 1101. The measurement gap(s) may also be named “positioning measurement gap(s)” or “measurement gap(s) for positioning” or similar.

[0237] In operation 112, the remote UE 1101 wants to activate or deactivate at least one of the (pre-)configured measurement gaps.

[0238] In some embodiments, in operations 113 and 114 , the remote UE 1101 will transmit an “RRC message including a measurement gap ID” and / or an “indicator indicating activation or deactivation of a measurement gap” to the BS 1103 via the relay UE 1102 .

[0239] In some other embodiments, in operations 113 and 114, for the uplink from the remote UE 1101 to the BS 1103 via the relay UE 1102, the following options, ie, option (1) and option (2), may be adopted in different embodiments.

[0240] (1) Option (1):

[0241] a) In operation 113, the remote UE 1101 may transmit a request for activation or deactivation of a measurement gap to the relay UE 1102 via a PC5 SRAP control PDU. For example, the request may include: an ID of the measurement gap and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0242] b) After the relay UE 1102 receives the request from the remote UE 1101, the relay UE 1102 needs to indicate to the BS 1103. For example, in operation 114, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap to the BS 1103 via the Uu SRAP control PDU. The further request may include: an ID of the measurement gap, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap, and / or an ID of the remote UE 1101.

[0243] (2) Option (2):

[0244] a) In operation 113, the remote UE 1101 may transmit a request for activation or deactivation of a measurement gap to the relay UE 1102 via the PC5 MAC CE. For example, the request may include: an ID of the measurement gap and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0245] b) After the relay UE 1102 receives the request from the remote UE 1101, the relay UE 1102 needs to indicate to the BS 1103. For example, in operation 114, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further request for activation or deactivation of the measurement gap to the BS 1103 via the Uu MAC CE. The further request may include: an ID of the measurement gap, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap, and / or an ID of the remote UE 1101.

[0246] After operation 114, BS 1103 may activate or deactivate the positioning measurement gap. There may be the following different embodiments.

[0247] In some embodiments, in operations 115 and 116 , the BS 1103 may transmit an RRC message including an ID of the measurement gap and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap to the remote UE 1101 via the relay UE 1102 .

[0248] In some other embodiments, in operations 115 and 116, for the downlink from BS 1103 to remote UE 1101 via relay UE 1102, the following options, namely, option (a) and option (b), may be adopted in different embodiments. (1) Option (a):

[0249] a) In operation 115, BS 1103 transmits an activation or deactivation indication (which may be named "activation or deactivation command" or the like) to relay UE 1102 via Uu SRAP control PDU. For example, the activation or deactivation indication may include: an ID of a measurement gap, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap, and / or an ID of the remote UE 1101.

[0250] b) After the relay UE 1102 receives the activation or deactivation indication from the BS 1103, the relay UE 1102 needs to indicate to the remote UE 1101. For example, in operation 116, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further activation or deactivation indication to the remote UE 1101 via a PC5 SRAP control PDU. The further activation or deactivation indication may include:

[0251] An ID of a measurement gap and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of a measurement gap.

[0252] (2) Option (b):

[0253] a) In operation 115, BS 1103 transmits an activation or deactivation indication (i.e., an "activation or deactivation command") to relay UE 1102 via Uu MAC CE. For example, the activation or deactivation indication may include: an ID of a measurement gap, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap, and / or an ID of remote UE 1101.

[0254] b) After the relay UE 1102 receives the activation or deactivation indication from the BS 1103, the relay UE 1102 needs to indicate to the remote UE 1101. For example, in operation 116, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further activation or deactivation indication to the remote UE 1101 via the PC5 MAC CE. The further activation or deactivation indication may include: an ID of the measurement gap and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the measurement gap.

[0255] In operation 117 , the remote UE 1101 performs a positioning measurement operation using the activated measurement gap.

[0256] In operation 118 , the remote UE 1101 reports the measurement result(s) of the positioning measurement operation to the network (eg, BS 1103 or AMF or LMF).

[0257] Fig.12 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1200 for wireless communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The details described in all other embodiments of the present disclosure apply to Fig.12 The embodiments shown in .

[0258] The example process 1200 relates to a scenario where the UE may perform DL-PRS measurements outside of measurement gap(s) and within an active DLBWP (where the PRS has the same parameter set as the active DL BWP), and the BS may use RRC signaling to (pre-)configure the PPW and DL MAC CE signaling for activating the PPW, respectively, and if the target UE is a remote UE accessing the BS via a relay UE, the BWP may be a PC5 BWP. Fig.12 , the remote UE 1201, the relay UE 1202 and the BS 1203 can act as Figure 1 UE 101, relay UE 103 and BS 102 are shown in FIG. Specifically, the exemplary process 1200 includes the following operations.

[0259] In operation 121, a remote UE 1201 accesses a BS 1203 via a relay UE 1202 (eg, which is a L2 U2N relay UE). The remote UE 1201 stays in an RRC connected state.

[0260] In some embodiments, some entities in the 5GC (e.g., GMLC) request some location services (e.g., positioning) for the remote UE 1201 (which may also be named the target UE) from the serving AMF. In some embodiments, the serving AMF of the remote UE 1201 determines the need for some location services and sends a request for some location services (e.g., positioning) to the remote UE 1201.

[0261] In some embodiments, the remote UE 1201 is configured with a DL-PRS, which may be associated with a serving cell(s) or a neighbor cell. For example, the remote UE 1201 may receive time-frequency resource configuration information associated with the DL-PRS from the BS 1203 .

[0262] In some embodiments, the remote UE 1201 is (pre)configured with a PPW, where the remote UE 1201 is expected to measure DL-PRS. Based on the indication received in the configuration information associated with the (several) PPWs, the remote UE 1201 can identify whether the DL-PRS priority is higher than the priority of other PC5 signals or channels, and accordingly determine, for example, that the remote UE 1201 is expected to measure DL-PRS and is not expected to receive and transmit other PC5 signals and channels. For example, the ID of the PPW can be used to identify the PPW.

[0263] In some embodiments, the remote UE 1201 is (pre-)configured with measurement gap(s) for receiving DL-PRS from neighbor cell(s). For example, an ID of the measurement gap may be configured to the remote UE 1201 .

[0264] After operation 122, BS 1203 wants to activate the (pre-)configured PPW.

[0265] In some embodiments, in operations 123 and 124 , the BS 1203 may transmit an RRC message to the remote UE 1201 via the relay UE 1202 , the RRC message including an ID of the PPW and / or an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the PPW.

[0266] In some other embodiments, in operations 123 and 124, for the downlink from BS 1203 to remote UE 1201 via relay UE 1202, the following options, ie, Option 1 and Option 2, may be adopted in different embodiments.

[0267] (1) Option 1:

[0268] (a) In operation 123, BS 1203 may transmit an indication for activation or deactivation of the PPW to relay UE 1202 via a Uu SRAP control PDU. For example, the indication may include an ID of the PPW, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the PPW, information about (several) frequency resources for UE 1201 to receive the activation or deactivation indication of the PPW (i.e., further indication in operation 124), and / or an ID of the remote UE 1201. For example, information about (several) frequency resources for UE 1201 to receive the activation or deactivation indication of the PPW

[0269] The information of the frequency resources is explicitly included in the indication in operation 123 .

[0270] (b) After the relay UE 1202 receives the activation or deactivation indication from the BS 1203, the relay UE 1202 needs to indicate to the remote UE 1201. For example, in operation 124, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further indication for activation or deactivation of the PPW to the remote UE 1201 via a PC5 SRAP control PDU. The further indication may include:

[0271] The ID of the PPW, the indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the PPW, and / or the information on the frequency resource(s) for the UE 1201 to receive the further indication. For example, in operation 124, the information on the frequency resource(s) is implicitly included in the further indication.

[0272] (2) Option 2:

[0273] (a) In operation 123, BS 1203 may transmit an indication of transmission activation or deactivation of the PPW to relay UE 1202 via Uu MAC CE. For example, the indication may include an ID of the PPW, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the PPW, information about (several) frequency resources for UE 1201 to receive the activation or deactivation indication of the PPW (i.e., further indication in operation 124) (for example, the information is explicitly included in the indication in operation 123) and / or an ID of the remote UE 1201.

[0274] (b) After the relay UE 1202 receives the activation or deactivation indication from the BS 1203, the relay UE 1202 needs to indicate to the remote UE 1201. For example, in operation 124, the relay UE 1102 may transmit a further indication for activation or deactivation of the PPW to the remote UE 1201 via the PC5 MAC CE. The further indication may include: an ID of the PPW, an indicator indicating activation or deactivation of the PPW, and / or information about (several) frequency resources for the UE 120 to receive the further indication (for example, the information is implicitly included in the further indication in operation 124).

[0275] In operation 125, after the remote UE 1201 receives the activation or deactivation indication, the remote UE 1201 performs positioning measurement operations using the activated PPW. In some embodiments, when the PPW is activated and the PRS has a higher priority than the PC5 channel and signal, for the affected symbols within the PC5 PPW, the remote UE 1201 does not receive (several) PSCCH, PSSCH or SL-SCH transmissions.

[0276] In operation 126, the remote UE 1201 reports the measurement result(s) of the positioning measurement operation to the network (eg, BS 1203 or AMF or LMF).

[0277] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Fig.11 or Fig.12 The operation order of the exemplary process 1100 or 1200 in the embodiment may be changed, and some operations in the exemplary process 1100 or 1200 may be eliminated or modified.

[0278] Fig.13 13 is a block diagram illustrating an example device 1300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig.13 , the apparatus 1300 may include at least one processor 1306 and at least one transceiver 1302 coupled to the processor 1306. The apparatus 1300 may be a UE (a remote UE or a relay UE) or a network node (eg, a BS).

[0279] Although in this figure, elements such as at least one transceiver 1302 and processor 1306 are described in the singular, plural forms are also contemplated unless it is explicitly stated that they are limited to the singular form. In some embodiments of the present application, the transceiver 1302 can be divided into two devices, such as a receiving circuit system and a transmitting circuit system. In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may further include an input device, a memory and / or other components.

[0280] In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may be a remote UE, a relay UE, or a network node (eg, a BS, such as a gNB). The transceiver 1302 and the processor 1306 may interact with each other to perform the above, for example, in Figures 1 to 12 The operations of the UE or network node described in.

[0281] In some embodiments of the present application, the device 1300 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to enable the processor 1306 to implement the method for the UE as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 1306 interacting with the transceiver 1302 executes Figures 1 to 12 The operations regarding the remote UE or relay UE described in .

[0282] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions to cause the processor 1306 to implement the method described above with respect to the network node. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 1306 interacting with the transceiver 1302 executes Figures 1 to 12 The operations of network nodes are described in .

[0283] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the operations or steps of the methods described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations or steps of the methods may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium that may be incorporated into a computer process product.

[0284] Although the present disclosure has been described by its specific embodiments, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, various components of the described embodiments may be interchanged, added or replaced in other embodiments. Moreover, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, it will enable a person of ordinary skill in the disclosed embodiments to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0285] In this document, the term "includes", "including" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment containing a series of elements not only contains those elements, but also may contain other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to this process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more restrictions, an element starting with "a", "an" or the like does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment containing the element. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. As used herein, the term "having" and the like are defined as "including". For example, the expression of "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include any and all combinations of words enumerated together with the expression. For example, the expression "A and / or B" or "at least one of A and B" may include A, B or both A and B. The wording "first", "second" or the like is only used to clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, rather than being used to limit the essence of the present application.

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, configuration information associated with a downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from a network node; Starting to perform a positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information; After starting to perform the positioning measurement operation, initiating a radio resource control RRC reestablishment process or a handover process from the network node to a target network node; and In response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure or the handover procedure, determining whether to continue performing the positioning measurement operation.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein performing the positioning measurement operation comprises receiving the DL-PRS.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to receive, via the transceiver, first configuration information associated with a first set of measurement gaps or a first set of PRS processing windows (PPWs) from the network node.

4. The UE according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment process, the processor of the UE is configured to continue to perform the positioning measurement operation during the RRC reestablishment process.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to perform one of: Maintaining the first configuration information; and The first configuration information is released, and the DL-PRS continues to be received during the RRC reestablishment process.

6. The UE of claim 5, wherein in response to releasing the first configuration information, the processor of the UE is configured to monitor a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission in response to at least one of: The timer for the random access RA response window is running; The RA contention resolution timer is running; or The timer for the MsgB response window is running. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein in response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure, the processor of the UE is configured to stop performing the positioning measurement operation.

8. The UE of claim 7, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to stop receiving the DL-PRS when the RRC re-establishment procedure is initiated.

9. The UE of claim 7, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to: receiving an RRC re-establishment message from the re-established cell; and The positioning measurement operation is restarted in response to receiving the RRC reestablishment message.

10. The UE of claim 1, wherein in response to initiating the handover process, the processor of the UE is configured to continue to perform the positioning measurement operation during the handover process.

11. The UE of claim 10, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission during the handover process in response to at least one of: The timer for the random access RA response window is running; The RA contention resolution timer is running; or The timer for the MsgB response window is running.

12. The UE according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to receive, from the network node via the transceiver, a first indication for activating or deactivating a first measurement gap within the first set of measurement gaps or a first PPW within the first set of PPWs.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the processor of the UE is configured to receive, via the transceiver, from the target network node at least one of: second configuration information associated with a second set of measurement gaps or a second set of PPWs; or A second indication for activating or deactivating a second measurement gap within the second set of measurement gaps or a second PPW within the second set of PPWs. The UE according to claim 13 , wherein the second configuration information includes the second indication.

15. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: receiving configuration information associated with a downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from a network node; Starting to perform a positioning measurement operation based on the configuration information; After starting to perform the positioning measurement operation, initiating a radio resource control RRC reestablishment process or a handover process from the network node to a target network node; and In response to initiating the RRC reestablishment procedure or the handover procedure, determining whether to continue performing the positioning measurement operation.

Images