Monitoring of control information in positioning measurement gap

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to schemes for monitoring control information in a positioning measurement gap. In the scheme, a first device determines a first time point for transmission of first information, and the first information indicates completion of positioning measurement; and then determine whether to begin monitoring the control information from the second device prior to the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of: the first point in time, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required by the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for monitoring control information in positioning measurement gaps. Background Art

[0002] In New Radio (NR) Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), it is assumed that the User Equipment (UE) always has the capability of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements and will achieve its position based on the measured GNSS information. In the following, more work on supporting the Internet of Things (IoT) over Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) will be discussed. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) assumes that the UE cannot operate both GNSS and IoT NTNs at the same time, and therefore the Radio Access Network Working Group 1 (RAN1) and RAN WG2 (RAN2) specify GNSS measurement gaps, where the UE can perform GNSS measurements without monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and performing other "3GPP tasks". Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: determine a first time point for transmission of first information based on a determination that positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement; and determine whether to start monitoring control information from a second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: the first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to: receive first information from a first device, the first information indicating completion of positioning measurement during a positioning measurement gap; and determine whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point for transmission of the first information, a third time point for reception of the first information, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: determining a first time point for transmission of first information based on a determination that positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement; and determining whether to start monitoring control information from a second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: the first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving first information from a first device, the first information indicating completion of positioning measurement during a positioning measurement gap; and determining whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point for transmission of the first information, a third time point for receiving the first information, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes a component for determining a first time point for transmission of first information based on a determination that positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement; and a component for determining whether to start monitoring control information from a second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: the first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for receiving first information from a first device, the first information indicating completion of positioning measurement during a positioning measurement gap; and a component for determining whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point for transmission of the first information, a third time point for receiving the first information, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause an apparatus to at least execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0014] Figure 2 shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3A and Figure 3B shows the timing for monitoring control information in positioning measurement gaps;

[0016] Figure 4A and Figure 4B shows the timing for monitoring control information in positioning measurement gaps;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 7 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0021] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the methods described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0024] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0025] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0026] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0027] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0028] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0029] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "having", "having", "including", and / or "comprising" specify the presence of features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits), and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor that requires software (eg, firmware) for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0031] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0032] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, for example, New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Machine Type Communication (eMTC), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0033] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from it. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (e.g., a femto, a micro), a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device (such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc.), depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0034] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automatic processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0035] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource for enabling communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0036] As described above, in NR NTN, IoT NTN or other types of NTN, it is assumed that the UE always has the capability of GNSS measurement and will obtain its position based on the measured GNSS information.

[0037] GNSS can be used by the UE to determine its position so that the UE can compensate for the radio propagation between the UE and the satellite. This enables the UE to pre-compensate the uplink transmission in the time and frequency domain so that the long propagation distance towards the satellite is accounted for (up to 36000km for geostationary satellites). In the case of low earth orbit satellites, the UE can also take into account the satellite motion, since such satellites move at 7.5km / s relative to the earth.

[0038] In the present disclosure, GNSS measurements may be triggered by a network device or a UE.

[0039] Specifically, the network device may trigger the UE to perform GNSS measurements during a predetermined gap. Additionally, in some example embodiments, the network device may at least support triggering the UE to perform GNSS measurements aperiodically. In the case of aperiodic triggering, the network device may use a (Media Access Control) MAC Control Element (CE) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to trigger the UE to perform GNSS measurements. The triggering by the network device is expected to be based on the reported GNSS validity duration. When the UE is in connected mode, the UE may report the GNSS verification duration with a MAC CE. Additionally, in some example embodiments, the UE is also required to report a "GNSS positioning duration" (i.e., the time required for the UE to perform GNSS measurements) at least during the initial access phase. The parameter "GNSS positioning duration" may be used by the network device to determine the length of the GNSS measurement gap. In some example embodiments, a new downlink MAC CE may be introduced to trigger the connected UE to perform GNSS measurements.

[0040] For GNSS measurements in connected radio resource control (RRC), if the network device triggers the connected UE to perform GNSS measurements aperiodically, the UE can reacquire GNSS positioning with gaps.

[0041] For GNSS measurement gaps triggered aperiodically with MAC CE, the duration of the GNSS measurement gap may be configured by the eNB. Additionally, when the duration of the GNSS measurement gap is not included in the configuration by the eNB, the duration of the gap is equal to the latest reported GNSS positioning duration for measurement.

[0042] If the UE does not receive a trigger for GNSS measurements from the network device, the UE may autonomously perform GNSS measurements. In this scenario, the network device and the UE should have a common understanding of when and how to start GNSS measurements. As a specific embodiment, since the UE is not available for scheduling during the GNSS measurement period, the UE may autonomously perform GNSS measurements when the GNSS validity duration expires.

[0043] As a specific embodiment, for GNSS measurement in RRC connection, if the network device triggers the UE in the connected state to perform GNSS measurement non-periodically, further, when configured to enable autonomous triggering of GNSS measurement, if the UE does not receive a trigger to perform GNSS measurement from the network device, the UE may autonomously reacquire GNSS.

[0044] From the perspective of RAN1, uplink transmission may be allowed without GNSS reacquisition for a duration X after expiration of the original GNSS validity duration, at least for when the frequency error and timing error are within the frequency and timing error requirements with conventional closed-loop time correction.

[0045] The UE is not required to transmit or receive any channel / signal during the aperiodic GNSS measurement gap duration before the UE successfully reacquires the GNSS.

[0046] Further, the UE may report one GNSS positioning duration for GNSS measurement via a 4-bit field with component values ​​[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 19, 25, 31, 6*n+1, ...].

[0047] In some example embodiments, the GNSS validity duration reported by the UE may be a remaining validity duration. In some example embodiments, the UE may trigger a GNSS measurement report each time a GNSS positioning operation is completed.

[0048] It can be seen that the eNB can trigger GNSS measurement gaps (MG) aperiodically, where the UE can perform measurements, and the triggering can be based on the downlink MAC CE and the network is free to decide when to trigger GNSS measurements.

[0049] As mentioned above, 3GPP assumes that the UE cannot operate GNSS and IoT NTN simultaneously, and therefore RAN1 and RAN2 specify GNSS measurement gaps where the UE can perform GNSS measurements and other "3GPP tasks" without monitoring the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0050] Generally speaking, when the UE is performing GNSS measurements, the UE should not monitor the PDCCH because the 3GPP receiver is not available, while the GNSS receiver is active. Further, when the UE has completed GNSS measurements, the 3GPP receiver is potentially available. However, the network may not know that the UE has completed GNSS measurements, and therefore the network should not use PDCCH to schedule the UE until the network is sure that the UE is able to monitor the PDCCH.

[0051] In view of this, if the UE can provide early feedback on the completed GNSS measurements, such as the transmission of an SR or other indication related to reporting the new remaining GNSS validity duration, the network can understand that the GNSS has been completed. If so, the network can start PDCCH scheduling earlier accordingly.

[0052] In the case where the UE has completed GNSS measurements before the end of the GNSS measurement gap and the UE can report a new remaining GNSS validity duration after a successful GNSS measurement, another issue is how to ensure that the network and the UE can have a common understanding about whether and how to perform PDCCH transmission (for the network) and whether and how to perform PDCCH monitoring / reception (for the UE).

[0053] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a scheme for monitoring control information in a positioning measurement gap is provided. In the scheme, based on the determination that the positioning measurement is completed in the positioning measurement gap, a first device (e.g., a terminal device) determines a first time point for the transmission of first information, the first information indicating the completion of the positioning measurement; and then determines whether to start monitoring the control information from a second device (e.g., a network device) before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: the first time point, the round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, the processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information. The second device can also determine whether to start transmitting the control information accordingly. As a result, the control information transmission can be performed within the positioning measurement gap, so that the control information is transmitted to the first device in a timely manner.

[0054] As used herein, the terms "gap," "duration," "period," "cycle," "length of time," and "window" may be used interchangeably.

[0055] In the following, a satellite will be used as an example of a network device for describing some specific example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments described with respect to a satellite are equally applicable to other types of network devices. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0056] Further, GNSS measurements may be used as examples of positioning measurements for describing some specific example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments described with respect to satellites are equally applicable to other types of positioning measurements, such as 3GPP-based positioning measurements (e.g., multi-RTT or observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA)). The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0057] In some example embodiments, "UE-eNB RTT" may be used as an example of RTT between a first device and a second device. Specifically, for a non-terrestrial network, UE-eNB RTT may refer to the sum of the timing advance value of the UE and k-Mac in units of subframes, without rounding or truncating to an integer number of subframes. It should be understood that when the scheme is applied to other scenarios other than NTN, the definition of RTT may be redefined accordingly.

[0058] It should be noted that the PDCCH for NB-IoT is referred to as NPDCCH. The present disclosure may be equally applicable to this control channel.

[0059] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] It should be noted that any section / subsection headings provided herein are not intended to be limiting. Embodiments are described throughout this document, and any type of embodiment may be included under any section / subsection. In addition, embodiments disclosed in any section / subsection may be combined in any manner with any other embodiments described in the same section / subsection and / or in different sections / subsections. Example Environment

[0061] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices including a first device 110 and a second device 120 may communicate with each other.

[0062] exist Figure 1 In the example of , the first device 110 may include a terminal device, and the second device 120 may include a network device serving the terminal device. The service area of ​​the second device 120 may be referred to as a cell 130. It should be understood that the second device 120 may be deployed in or outside the cell 130 according to different demand scenarios.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the communication environment 100 is an NTN network including one or more satellites. In some example embodiments, the access network equipment (e.g., gNB) may be deployed at the satellite, also referred to as a regenerative architecture. Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the access network equipment may be deployed separately from the satellite, such as being deployed on the ground, also referred to as a transparent architecture. In the present disclosure, depending on the specific application scenario or requirements, one or both of the satellite and the access network equipment may be regarded as the second device 120. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0064] In the following, for the purpose of explanation, some example embodiments are described as the first device 110 operating as a terminal device and the second device 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and the operations described in conjunction with the network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0065] In some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is a terminal device and the second device 120 is a network device, the link from the second device 120 to the first device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the first device 110 to the second device 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the second device 120 is a transmission (TX) device (or transmitter), and the first device 110 is a reception (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the first device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the second device 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0066] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, communications may utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future. Working principles and example signaling for communication

[0067] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 2 to 5 More details on the operation upon completion of a positioning measurement (such as GNSS) are discussed. For the purposes of this discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 discuss Figures 2 to 5 , for example, by using the first device 110 and the second device 120.

[0068] exist Figures 2 to 5 In the example of , the first device 110 can act as a terminal device and the second device 120 can act as a network device.

[0069] It should be understood that the operations at the first device 110 and the second device 120 should be coordinated. In other words, the second device 120 and the first device 110 should have a common understanding about rules, configurations, parameters, etc. Such a common understanding can be achieved through any suitable interaction or by applying the same rules / policies.

[0070] Hereinafter, although some operations are described from the perspective of the first device 110, it is to be understood that the corresponding operations are to be performed by the second device 120. Similarly, although some operations are described from the perspective of the second device 120, it is to be understood that the corresponding operations are to be performed by the first device 110. For the sake of brevity only, some of the same or similar contents are omitted herein.

[0071] In addition, in the following description, examples of message types (such as "RRC message", "MAC CE", "DCI") are only used for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation. In other example embodiments, any suitable message type can be used for the interaction between the first device 110 and the second device 120.

[0072] In summary, the following example embodiments may well define when the UE should monitor the PDCCH depending on the relationship between the time of transmitting the first information (related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration, and therefore the first information is sometimes also referred to as "information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration"), the UE-eNB RTT and the end of the network configured GNSS measurement gap.

[0073] In operation, the first device 110 performs 230 positioning measurements. Then, based on a determination that the positioning measurements are completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first device 110 determines 240 a first time point for transmission of first information, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurements.

[0074] Next, the first device 110 determines whether to start monitoring the control information from the second device 120 before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on one or more factors.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the positioning measurements may be 3GPP based positioning measurements (such as Multi-RTT or OTDOA) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the control information may be carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0077] Example factors of the one or more factors may be the following: The first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device 110 and the second device 120, The processing time required by the second device 120 to process the first information, or The offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the offset refers to a time offset for delaying monitoring of the control information. Further, the reference point may be defined as any suitable time point, such as a first time point and another time point. Additionally, in some example embodiments, the offset associated with monitoring the control information may be defined as a default value configured by the second device 120 or reported by the first device 110.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit 250 the first information to the second device 120. In this way, the second device may obtain a more precise point in time as to when the first device 110 has completed the positioning measurement.

[0080] In the following, more details about the first information will be discussed. In some example embodiments, the first information may be one of the following: Scheduling Request (SR), Buffer Status Report (BSR), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission, or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0081] In some example embodiments, the first information may be transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0082] In some example embodiments, before transmitting the first information, the first device may also need to determine a first monitoring opportunity for control information. In some embodiments, if the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources, the first monitoring opportunity may be after the first time point.

[0083] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the first monitoring opportunity may be after a second time point that occurs after a duration from the first time point. Additionally, the duration may be determined based on at least one of: RTT, processing time, or an offset associated with the monitoring control information. In one example embodiment, the duration may be the RTT. In another example embodiment, the duration may be the sum of the RTT and the processing time. In a further example embodiment, the duration may be an offset associated with the monitoring control information.

[0084] Hereinafter, how to determine whether to start monitoring the control information from the second device 120 before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on one or more factors described above is discussed below.

[0085] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may begin 260-1 monitoring control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap is after a second time point that occurs after a duration from the first time point. As discussed above, the duration may be determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0086] Thus, the second device 120 may start 260 - 2 transmitting the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on the determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap is after the second time point that occurs after a duration from receiving the first information.

[0087] In some example embodiments, first device 110 may begin 265-1 monitoring control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before a second time point after a duration from the first time point. As discussed above, the duration may be determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0088] Thus, the second device 120 may start 265 - 2 transmitting control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before the second time point after a duration from the first time point.

[0089] In case the first apparatus is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, when to monitor the control information may be further determined based on the DRX configuration.

[0090] In some example embodiments, if first device 110 is configured with a DRX configuration, first device 110 may apply the DRX configuration after the second time point. Applying the DRX configuration means monitoring the first DRX on-duration after the second time point.

[0091] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, if the first device 110 is configured with a DRX configuration, the first device 110 may enter the DRX active time after the second time point without waiting for the first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may receive 210 second information from the second device 120, wherein the second information indicates at least one of the following: A first indication is used to enable or disable transmission of first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of control information before the end of a positioning measurement gap, or A third indication is used to enable or disable monitoring of the control information after an end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point.

[0093] Alternatively, all the above processes may be implemented as UE capabilities or configured by the second device 120 .

[0094] like Figure 2 As shown, in some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit 220 third information to the second device 120, wherein the third information indicates at least one of the following: first capability related information indicating whether the first device 110 supports transmission of the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability related information indicating whether the first device 110 supports monitoring control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or The third capability-related information indicates whether the first device 110 supports monitoring control information after a second time point that occurs after an end of the positioning measurement gap and a duration from the first time point.

[0095] Just to better understand the above process, we will refer to FIG. 3A to FIG. 4B Discuss some example embodiments, FIG. 3A to FIG. 4B Timing 300A, 300B, 400A and 400B for monitoring control information in positioning measurement gaps are shown.

[0096] In some example embodiments, if the reporting time of the “information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration” and the “UE-eNB RTT” is before the end of the scheduled GNSS measurement gap, and the UE starts PDCCH monitoring before the end of the measurement gap (i.e., during duration 310), then Figure 3A As shown, the UE may start PDCCH monitoring.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the "information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration" may be a SR, BSR, PRACH or MAC CE transmission of the new remaining GNSS validity duration in preconfigured resources.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the UE reports "information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration" in a preconfigured resource or PRACH resource for SR / BSR. The UE may determine the first PDCCH monitoring occasion based on the time point of transmission of the report or PRACH (to synchronize with the network before the report has arrived at the network), where the time point of the preconfigured resources is known to the network. The network may assume that the UE may report the new remaining GNSS validity duration on the predefined resources, i.e., the report may not affect PDCCH monitoring and, for example, scheduled DL data.

[0099] In some example embodiments, if the reporting time of the "information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration" and the "UE-eNB RTT" is after the end of the scheduled GNSS measurement gap, the UE may start PDCCH monitoring at the end of the measurement gap (i.e., before the eNB has received the information). Figure 3B As shown, the UE may monitor the PDCCH during duration 350 .

[0100] In a further embodiment, the network defines / configures: whether the UE is allowed to provide information early, i.e. such that the reporting time + RTT has elapsed before the end of the GNSS measurement gap (i.e. the first indication); Whether the UE is expected to monitor the PDCCH before the end of the GNSS measurement gap, independent of whether the UE reports early (i.e., the second indication); In the scenario where the UE has reported (relatively) late (ie the third indication), whether the UE is expected to monitor the PDCCH between the end of the GNSS measurement gap and the next reporting time + RTT.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the PDCCH monitoring opportunity may be based on C-DRX (if configured). In this case, the UE will monitor the PDCCH based on whether the UE is in DRX active time (e.g., in Figure 4A 4) to monitor the PDCCH, which occurs after the UE has determined that PDCCH monitoring will resume before the end of the configured measurement gap. Figure 4A In the embodiment, the UE monitors for OnDuration #A (which is within the GNSS measurement gap) instead of deferring monitoring until after the GNSS measurement gap (OnDuration #B).

[0102] In an alternative embodiment, the UE may trigger its entry into the C-DRX active time (e.g., Figure 4B 450), but this only occurs based on the eNB configuration. Figure 4B In one example embodiment, the UE starts a new active time #X right after the reporting time and the "UE-eNB RTT", instead of waiting for the on-duration A. Alternatively, Figure 4B In another example embodiment, the UE starts a new active time #X right after the reporting time and still monitors the on-duration #A after the new active time #X.

[0103] In some embodiments, the network may assume that the UE has completed measurements in advance and may therefore also monitor the PDCCH in advance. This may reduce latency, but will also waste resources and energy if the UE cannot complete measurements early. The UE may, for example, choose to monitor the PDCCH in a known window shortly after the preconfigured resources. If the UE does not receive anything in this window, it may determine that the network did not apply the opportunistic approach. Therefore, the UE will fall back to monitoring the PDCCH according to other options (i.e., after the reporting time and "UE-eNB RTT").

[0104] Reference now Figure 5 , which shows a flowchart of a method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0105] exist Figure 5 In the embodiment of the present invention, the UE may report the GNSS positioning duration and the remaining GNSS validity duration, and may receive a GNSS measurement gap configuration including a PDCCH monitoring rule for determining whether to start monitoring control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap. The UE may then receive a GNSS measurement trigger and perform GNSS measurement.

[0106] If necessary, the UE may transmit information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration at time T. The UE may determine that the transmission time T and UE-eNBRTT (which may also include the processing time required by the NW to process the information related to the new remaining GNSS validity duration, the offset associated with the monitoring control information, and any other relevant factors) are before the end of the GNSS measurement gap. If so, the UE may monitor the PDCCH after the transmission time T and UE-eNBRTT, otherwise, the UE may monitor the PDCCH after the end of the GNSS measurement gap.

[0107] In summary, after the UE successfully reacquires GNSS, the UE may consider itself uplink synchronized. As a result, the UE may initiate an uplink transmission to report the new remaining GNSS validity duration. However, until the UE has initiated such a reported uplink transmission, the network does not know that the UE has been completed with measurements before the early / end of the GNSS measurement gap. Therefore, if this occurs before the end of the GNSS measurement gap, the UE does not need to monitor the PDCCH until the first uplink transmission and the UE-eNB RTT. According to the above example procedure, if this occurs before the GNSS measurement gap, the UE should monitor the PDCCH after the first uplink transmission and the UE-eNB RTT. Example Method

[0108] Figure 6 A flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 600 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0109] At block 610 , the first device determines whether positioning measurements are completed in a positioning measurement gap.

[0110] At block 620 , based on a determination that the positioning measurement is completed in the positioning measurement gap, the first device determines a first time point for transmission of first information, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement.

[0111] At box 630, the first device determines whether to start monitoring control information from the second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point, a round-trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring control information.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the offset associated with the monitoring control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first device may transmit the first information to the second device.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the first information is one of: a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0115] In some example embodiments, the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first device may begin monitoring the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs after a second time point after a duration from the first time point, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of the following: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with the monitoring control information.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, and the first apparatus may apply the DRX configuration after a second time point or enter a DRX active time after the second time point without waiting for a first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first device may determine a first monitoring opportunity for control information, wherein the first monitoring opportunity is after one of: a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point, or a first time point when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first device may begin monitoring the control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before the second time point after a duration from the first time point, where the duration is determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, and / or an offset associated with the monitoring control information.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the first device may receive second information from the second device indicating at least one of: a first indication for enabling or disabling transmission of the first information before an end of the positioning measurement gap, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information before an end of the positioning measurement gap, or a third indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information after an end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point that occurs after a duration from the first time point.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the first device may transmit third information to the second device, the third information indicating at least one of the following: first capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports transmission of the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring of control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or third capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring of control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap and after a second time point that occurs after a duration from the first time point.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the positioning measurements are 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurements or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0124] Figure 7 A flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 700 of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0125] At block 710 , the second device receives first information from the first device, the first information indicating completion of positioning measurements during a positioning measurement gap.

[0126] At box 720, the second device determines whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point for transmission of the first information, a third time point for reception of the first information, a round-trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0127] In some example embodiments, an offset associated with the monitoring control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the first information is one of: a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the second device may begin transmitting control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs after a second time point after a duration from receiving the first information, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the second device may determine a first transmission timing of the control information, wherein the first transmission timing is after one of: a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point, or a first time point when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the first device is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and transmits control information during an on-duration after the second time point, or transmits control information in a DRX active time after the second time point without waiting for a first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the second device may begin transmitting control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before the second time point after a duration from the first time point, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus may transmit second information to the first apparatus, the second information indicating at least one of: a first indication for enabling or disabling transmission of the first information, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information before an end of the positioning measurement gap, or a third indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information after an end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point that occurs after a duration from the first time point.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the second device may receive third information from the first device indicating at least one of: first capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports transmitting the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or indicating whether the first device supports monitoring the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from transmitting the first information.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the positioning measurements are 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurements or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0137] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device. Example devices, apparatus, and media

[0138] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 600 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a component for determining a first time point for transmission of first information based on a determination that a positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement; and a component for determining whether to start monitoring control information from the second device before an end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: the first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0140] In some example embodiments, an offset associated with the monitoring control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises means for transmitting the first information to the second device.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the first information is one of: a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0143] In some example embodiments, the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for starting monitoring control information before an end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs after a second time point after a duration from the first time point, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with the monitoring control information.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the first device is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, means for applying the DRX configuration after a second point in time, or means for entering a DRX active time after the second point in time without waiting for a first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for determining a first monitoring opportunity for control information, wherein the first monitoring opportunity is after one of: a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point, or a first time point when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for starting monitoring the control information after an end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that an end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before a second point in time after a duration from the first point in time, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with the monitoring control information.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the second apparatus, second information indicating at least one of: a first indication for enabling or disabling transmission of the first information prior to an end of the positioning measurement gap, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information prior to an end of the positioning measurement gap; or means for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information prior to a second time point occurring after an end of the positioning measurement gap and after a duration from the first time point.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for transmitting third information to the second device, the third information indicating at least one of: first capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports transmitting the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or third capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap and after a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the positioning measurements are 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurements or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 600 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the first apparatus.

[0153] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 700 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The second device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for receiving first information from the first device, the first information indicating completion of the positioning measurement during the positioning measurement gap; and a component for determining whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first time point for transmission of the first information, a third time point for receiving the first information, a round-trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, a processing time required for the second device to process the first information, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0155] In some example embodiments, an offset associated with the monitoring control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first information is one of: a scheduling request (SR), a buffer status report (BSR), a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

[0157] In some example embodiments, the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for starting transmitting the control information before an end of the positioning measurement gap in accordance with a determination that an end of the positioning measurement gap occurs after a second point in time after a duration from receiving the first information, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for determining a first transmission timing of control information, wherein the first transmission timing is after one of: a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point, or the first time point when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the first device is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, a component for transmitting control information during an on-duration after a second time point, or a device for transmitting control information in a DRX active time after a second time point without waiting for a first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for starting transmission of control information after an end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that an end of the positioning measurement gap occurs before a second point in time after a duration from the first point in time, wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of an RTT, a processing time, or an offset associated with monitoring the control information.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for transmitting second information to the first apparatus, the second information indicating at least one of: a first indication for enabling or disabling transmission of the first information, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information prior to an end of the positioning measurement gap, or a third indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information prior to a second time point occurring after an end of the positioning measurement gap and after a duration from the first time point.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for receiving, from the first device, third information indicating at least one of: first capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports transmitting the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or third capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from transmitting the first information.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the positioning measurements are 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurements or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

[0165] In some example embodiments, the first device is a terminal device and the second device is a network device.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 700 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the second apparatus.

[0167] Figure 8 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided for implementing a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110 and the second device 120 are shown. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processors 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processors 810.

[0168] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

[0169] Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0170] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not persist until power is removed.

[0171] The computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 810. The instructions of the program 830 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 830 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0172] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830 so that the device 800 may execute the Figures 2 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0174] Fig. 9 An example of a computer readable medium 900 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 900 has a program 830 stored thereon.

[0175] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0176] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0177] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller in a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, causes the realization of the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0178] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0179] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination thereof. A more specific example of a computer readable storage medium may include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage component, a magnetic storage component, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0180] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a specific order, this should not be understood as requiring the specific order shown or in a sequential order to perform these operations, or to perform all described operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but should be interpreted as descriptions of features that may be specific to a specific embodiment. Unless explicitly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless explicitly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0181] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to: determining, based on a determination that a positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, a first time point for transmission of first information indicating the completion of the positioning measurement; as well as Determining whether to start monitoring the control information from the second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap is based on at least one of the following: The first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, the processing time required by the second device to process the first information, or An offset associated with monitoring the control information. 2 . The first device of claim 1 , wherein the offset associated with monitoring the control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

3. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further configured to: The first information is transmitted to the second device.

4. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first information is one of the following: Scheduling Request (SR), Buffer Status Report (BSR), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission, or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

6. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: starting monitoring control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap in accordance with a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap is after a second time point, the second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point; Wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: the RTT, the processing time, or the offset associated with monitoring the control information.

7. The first apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first apparatus is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, And among them, The first device is further configured to: applying the DRX configuration after the second time point, or Without waiting for the first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration, entering the DRX active time after the second time point.

8. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: Determine a first monitoring opportunity for the control information, wherein the first monitoring opportunity is after one of the following: at a second point in time occurring after said duration from said first point in time, or The first point in time when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

9. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: starting monitoring control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination before a second time point that the end of the positioning measurement gap occurs after a duration from the first time point; Wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: the RTT, the processing time, or the offset associated with monitoring the control information.

10. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: receiving, from the second device, second information indicating at least one of the following: a first indication for enabling or disabling said transmission of said first information before said end of said positioning measurement gap, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of said control information before said end of said positioning measurement gap, or A third indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point.

11. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to: transmitting to the second device third information indicating at least one of the following: first capability related information indicating whether the first device supports the transmission of the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first apparatus supports monitoring of the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or and third capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring the control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap and after a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point.

12. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the positioning measurement is a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurement or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurement, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). 13 . The first device according to claim 1 , wherein the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

14. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to: receiving first information from a first device, the first information indicating completion of positioning measurements during a positioning measurement gap; as well as determining whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first point in time for transmission of said first information, a third time point for receiving said first information, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, the processing time required by the second device to process the first information, or An offset associated with monitoring the control information. 15 . The second device of claim 14 , wherein the offset associated with monitoring the control information is defined as a default value configured by the second device or reported by the first device.

16. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the first information is one of the following: Scheduling Request (SR), Buffer Status Report (BSR), Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission, or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). The second apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the first information is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

18. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the second device is further caused to: in response to a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap is after a second time point, starting to transmit control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, the second time point occurring after a duration from receiving the first information; Wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: the RTT, the processing time, or the offset associated with monitoring the control information.

19. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the second device is further caused to: Determine a first transmission opportunity of the control information, wherein the first transmission opportunity is after one of the following: at a second point in time occurring after a duration from said first point in time, or The first point in time when the first message is transmitted on preconfigured resources.

20. The second apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first apparatus is configured with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, And wherein the second device is further configured to: transmitting the control information during an on-duration period after the second time point, or The control information is transmitted in a DRX active time after the second time point without waiting for the first on-duration configured by the DRX configuration.

21. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the first device is further caused to: starting transmitting control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap based on a determination that the end of the positioning measurement gap is before a second time point, the second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point; Wherein the duration is determined based on at least one of: the RTT, the processing time, or the offset associated with monitoring the control information.

22. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the first device is further caused to: Sending to the first device second information indicating at least one of the following: a first indication for enabling or disabling said transmission of said first information, a second indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of said control information before said end of said positioning measurement gap, or A third indication for enabling or disabling monitoring of the control information after the end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from the first time point.

23. The second device according to claim 14, wherein the first device is further caused to: receiving, from the first device, third information indicating at least one of the following: first capability related information indicating whether the first device supports the transmission of the first information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, second capability-related information indicating whether the first apparatus supports monitoring of the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap, or and third capability-related information indicating whether the first device supports monitoring of the control information before the end of the positioning measurement gap and before a second time point occurring after a duration from the transmission of the first information.

24. The second apparatus of claim 14, wherein the positioning measurements are 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) based positioning measurements or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, and the control information is carried on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

25. The second device according to any one of claims 14 to 24, wherein the first device is a terminal device, and the second device is a network device.

26. A method comprising: determining, at a first device, a first time point for transmission of first information in accordance with a determination that a positioning measurement is completed in a positioning measurement gap, the first information indicating the completion of the positioning measurement; as well as Determining whether to start monitoring the control information from the second device before the end of the positioning measurement gap is based on at least one of the following: The first time point, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, the processing time required by the second device to process the first information, or An offset associated with monitoring the control information.

27. A method comprising: receiving, at the second device and from the first device, first information indicating completion of positioning measurements during the positioning measurement gap; as well as determining whether to transmit control information to the first device before the end of the positioning measurement gap based on at least one of the following: a first point in time for transmission of said first information, a third time point for receiving said first information, a round trip time (RTT) between the first device and the second device, the processing time required by the second device to process the first information, or An offset associated with monitoring the control information.

28. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being configured to cause an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 26 or 27.

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