Relieving sounding reference signal transmissions for radio resource control inactive user equipments for low-power high-accuracy positioning

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for relaxing requirements for transmission of sounding reference signals for user equipment, such as radio resource control inactive user equipment for low-power high-accuracy positioning. For example, the method may include a user equipment receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration indicating at least one criterion for sounding reference signal transmission outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment. The method may also include determining whether at least one criterion for sounding reference signal transmission is satisfied. The method may further include transmitting the sounding reference signal based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to communications including mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology, or other communication systems including subsequent generations of the same or similar standards. For example, certain example embodiments may generally relate to relaxation of requirements for transmission of sounding reference signals for user equipment, such as radio resource control non-active user equipment for low power high accuracy positioning. Background Art

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to next generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. 5G systems are mostly built on 5G New Radio (NR), but 5G (or NG) networks can also be built on E-UTRA radio. Starting with Release 18 (Rel-18), 5G is referred to as 5G Advanced. It is estimated that NR provides bit rates of about 10-20Gbit / s or higher, and can support at least service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extremely wide bandwidth and ultra-robust, low latency connectivity and large-scale networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become more widespread, the demand for networks that meet the needs of lower power consumption, low data rates and long battery life will continue to grow. The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) represents a RAN for 5G that is capable of providing both NR and LTE (and LTE Advanced) radio access. Note that in 5G, a node that can provide radio access functions to a user equipment (i.e., similar to a Node B, NB in ​​UTRAN or an evolved NB, eNB in ​​LTE) can be named a next generation NB (gNB) when it is established on an NR radio, and the node can be named a next generation eNB (NG-eNB) when it is established on an E-UTRA radio. 6G is currently under development and can replace 5G and 5G Advanced. Starting with Release 16 (Rel-16), NR introduces positioning technologies such as TDOA (time difference of arrival), multi-RTT (round trip time) and AoA (angle of arrival) to support positioning functions in NR networks. In order to estimate the position of a user equipment (UE), NR positioning introduces DL positioning reference signals (PRS) and sounding reference signals. Summary of the invention

[0003] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to at least perform receiving a configuration from a network indicating at least one criterion for transmission of a sounding reference signal outside of an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform transmitting a sounding reference signal based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

[0004] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least a memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform configuring, to a user equipment, at least one criterion for transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform receiving a sounding reference signal from the user equipment.

[0005] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include receiving a configuration from a network indicating at least one criterion for transmission of a sounding reference signal outside of an initial uplink bandwidth portion of an apparatus. The method may also include determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied. The method may also include transmitting a sounding reference signal based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

[0006] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include configuring, by a network element, to a user equipment at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside of an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment. The method may also include receiving a sounding reference signal from the user equipment.

[0007] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration indicating at least one criterion for transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus. The apparatus may also include means for determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied. The apparatus may also include means for transmitting a sounding reference signal based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

[0008] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include means for configuring a user equipment with at least one criterion regarding the transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment. The apparatus may also include means for receiving a sounding reference signal from the user equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a proper understanding of the example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 A signaling flow and processing diagram of a method according to certain embodiments is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 Additional methods according to certain embodiments are shown;

[0012] Figure 3 Additional methods according to certain embodiments are shown; and

[0013] Figure 4 An example block diagram of a system according to an embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] It will be readily appreciated that the components of certain example embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for providing a relaxation of the requirements for transmission of sounding reference signals for user equipment (such as radio resource control inactive user equipment for low power consumption high accuracy positioning) is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments, but rather represents selected example embodiments.

[0015] The features, structures, or characteristics of the example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the phrases "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language used throughout this specification refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "certain embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same set of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0016] Certain embodiments may have various aspects and features. These aspects and features may be applied individually or in any desired combination with each other. Other features, processes and elements may also be applied in combination with some or all of the aspects and features disclosed herein.

[0017] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or processes discussed below may be performed in different orders and / or performed simultaneously with each other. In addition, if desired, one or more of the described functions or processes may be optional or may be combined. Therefore, the following description should be considered as an explanation of the principles and teachings of some example embodiments, rather than a limitation thereof.

[0018] Certain embodiments relate to new radio (NR) and, more specifically, to low power high accuracy positioning (LPHAP). For example, certain embodiments may provide a manner of supporting the power consumption and positioning required for LPHAP. Positioning may rely on positioning techniques that depend on radio access technology (RAT) and / or positioning techniques that do not depend on RAT, such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or global positioning system (GPS) technology. Similarly, positioning techniques (including positioning techniques that depend on RAT) may be user equipment (UE)-based or UE-assisted. Reference signals such as positioning reference signals (PRS) and sounding reference signals (SRS) may be used for positioning techniques.

[0019] Certain embodiments may relate to enhancements related to UEs in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Inactive or RRC Idle state.For convenience, RRC Inactive and RRC Idle may each be referred to as an example of a low activity RRC state.

[0020] As described in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 22.104, there are various use cases for LPHAP. One of these use cases, use case 6, may correspond to a horizontal accuracy of less than 1 meter (m), a positioning interval or duty cycle of 15 seconds (s) to 30 seconds, and a battery life or minimum operating time of 6 months to 12 months. As described in 3GPP TS 22.261, the corresponding service level may be service level 3.

[0021] An example of a practical application of this use case could be asset tracking. Tag devices can be used to track assets in a factory or other facility by updating location information every 30 seconds.

[0022] There are many power components and parameter values ​​that may affect downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) positioning. For example, for uplink positioning, there may be an option for bandwidth part (BWP) switching of 1 millisecond (ms) duration.

[0023] One challenge may be to perform targeted positioning and communication within the expected battery life of the LPHAP device. Therefore, power saving techniques may provide benefits for accommodating positioning and communication targeted to the LPHAP device within the energy budget of the LPHAP device. For low power consumption, the LPHAP device may be configured to remain in a low activity RRC state.

[0024] When PRS and SRS were originally standardized, no emphasis was placed on power efficiency in their respective designs.

[0025] SRS transmission outside the initial UL BWP and PRS measurement outside the initial DL-BWP may allow accurate positioning measurements by using wideband RS transmission and reception.The bandwidth of the initial BWP for both DL and UL may not be considered wideband.

[0026] In the case of DL, if the UE does not require a wider frequency band for accuracy or similar considerations, a UE in RRC Inactive or RRC Idle state may be able to measure DL PRS within the initial BWP to save power consumption by the UE's implementation. The UE may not be able to attempt a similar behavior for UL SRS transmission. This may be because the UE may follow the gNB configuration and, therefore, the UE may not be able to avoid this situation by implementation.

[0027] If the network configuration is to be followed, this would mean that whenever UEs in RRC inactive or RRC idle state meet an SRS transmission opportunity, these UEs would switch radio frequency (RF) to transmit SRS outside the initial UL BWP. For RRC inactive UEs, there may be no other UL BWP except the initial UL BWP.

[0028] It may be valuable for the UE to avoid unnecessary battery-consuming behavior. One such avoidance approach would be to avoid unnecessary RF retuning / switching to transmit SRS outside the BWP. For UL-based power-efficient positioning, certain embodiments may avoid frequent RF switching / retuning for RRC-inactive UEs to transmit SRS outside the initial BWP.

[0029] Figure 1 Signal flow and processing diagrams of methods according to certain embodiments are shown. Certain embodiments provide methods that can reduce frequent and unnecessary RF switching for SRS transmissions of UEs in an RRC inactive state. Figure 1 The UE in the RRC inactive state may be in an inactive state. At 110, the gNB may configure (one or more) SRS resources and (one or more) SRS resource sets to the UE so that the UE can use SRS in the RRC inactive state. The configured SRS resources may occupy resource blocks (RBs) in and outside the initial BWP. The configuration may be done when the UE is in an RRC connected state and / or when the UE is in an RRC inactive state. For example, a small data transmission (SDT) may be used to configure a UE in an RRC inactive state.

[0030] At 115, the location management function may provide positioning assistance data including the PRS configuration to the UE. Although the LMF is shown as being independent of the gNB, the LMF may communicate via the gNB.

[0031] At 120, a UE in an RRC inactive state may be configured with one or more of the following criteria. The criteria may allow the UE to not perform an RF handover from an initial UL BWP to a resource outside of the initial UL BWP. Unless otherwise noted, the RRC state of the following UE behavior may be understood as RRC inactive or RRC idle. The following criteria are identified as criteria #1 to criteria #5 for ease of reference only and are not identified by order, preference, or priority.

[0032] According to criterion #1, the UE may be configured or instructed to obtain UE receive (Rx)-transmit (Tx) time difference measurements. If the UE measures DL PRS resources transmitted from the TRP only within the initial DL BWP, the UE may be allowed not to switch the initial BWP to outside the initial BWP. In other words, the UE may be allowed to stay in the initial BWP to transmit SRS resources targeted to the transmission / reception point (TRP).

[0033] When the UE measures narrowband DL PRS, the UE Rx-Tx measurement accuracy may be highly dependent on the DL measurement bandwidth.The UE may not necessarily need to transmit SRS outside the initial BWP for wideband transmission.

[0034] With this criterion, the gNB may instruct the UE to report transmission opportunities where the UE has transmitted SRS only within the initial BWP, as having such reporting may be helpful for the gNB measurement behavior. For UE-assisted positioning, such as multi-RTT, this information may be included in the measurement report for the UE Rx-Tx time difference measurement. For UE-based positioning, the UE may not need to report the measurement. If the UE reports information about transmission opportunities where the UE has transmitted SRS only within the initial BWP, such reporting may result in more power consumption. In this case, it may be better not to make such reporting.

[0035] Even though the UE may not report the transmitted SRS, the gNB may still measure the transmitted SRS. Assuming the UE will transmit SRS as configured, the gNB may attempt to measure wideband SRS. The gNB may be able to know if SRS is transmitted outside of the initial BWP.

[0036] According to criterion #2, the UE may be allowed not to switch the initial BWP out of the initial BWP to transmit SRS before measuring at least K (>=1) synchronization signal (SS) / (one or more) physical broadcast channel (PBCH) blocks after waking up from sleep mode.

[0037] The sleep mode may be (one or more) micro-sleep, deep sleep and / or ultra-deep sleep mode. Depending on the type of sleep mode, the UE may lose synchronization with the network to some extent. In this case, even if the UE transmits a wideband SRS, it may not make much sense for positioning based on timing measurements. Therefore, omitting the transmission of the wideband SRS in this case may not be a significant loss. The sleep mode itself may be transparent to the network and / or specification. Therefore, an alternative way to define the criterion is that if the UE has not measured K (>=1) SSBs in the past X seconds, the UE is allowed not to switch the initial BWP outside the initial BWP.

[0038] For LPHAP, an ultra-deep sleep mode is possible. However, in this case, the UE may not stay synchronized with the network. The extremely low power consumption in ultra-deep sleep mode may mean that the UE may turn off most of its functions. Therefore, it may be difficult for the UE to stay synchronized with the network. After waking up from ultra-deep sleep, the UE may need to measure a certain number of SS / (one or more) PBCH blocks.

[0039] According to criterion #3, the UE may be allowed not to switch the initial BWP out of the initial BWP to transmit the SRS outside the discontinuous reception (DRX) on-duration, or the UE may be allowed not to transmit the SRS outside the DRX on-duration.

[0040] Based on this configuration from the network, in order to reduce power consumption, the network may not expect the UE to transmit SRS outside the initial BWP, and the network may use the SRS transmission in the initial BWP for tracking. The UE may enter sleep mode after the SRS transmission in the initial bandwidth part without RF switching behavior. Since the gNB configures the DRX pattern, the gNB can fully predict this UE behavior. The gNB can help the UE save power by providing appropriate DRX configuration. As another alternative, the UE may be forced to transmit SRS outside the initial uplink BWP only in the DRX on duration, and the UE may be allowed not to transmit outside the initial uplink BWP outside the on duration.

[0041] According to criterion #4, if the UE movement is less than a certain level or threshold after the most recent SRS transmission outside the initial UL BWP, the UE may be allowed not to switch the initial BWP to outside the initial BWP to transmit SRS. For example, the UE may use an inertial measurement unit (IMU) or other sensor to detect the movement of the UE.

[0042] If the UE does not move beyond a certain level, then performing RF switching may be an unnecessary waste of UE power, and the transmission of SRS in the initial BWP may be the minimum required by the network for tracking. The UE may stay in the same location for a long time. Therefore, the UE may sometimes use external sensors and may determine whether SRS transmission outside the initial BWP is necessary.

[0043] According to criterion #5, the UE may be allowed to report that the UE will transmit SRS outside the initial BWP with a configured periodicity of 1 / N to control overhead. The parameter N may be referred to as an overhead factor. For example, the UE may be configured to transmit SRS resources periodically every 2.56 seconds. The UE may determine N=2. Therefore, the UE may transmit SRS outside the initial BWP every 5.12 seconds. In other SRS transmission opportunities, the UE may transmit SRS only within the initial BWP. The periodicity configuration may be based on a single value. The UE may report the determined value of N. In addition, the gNB may provide a set of possible N values ​​from which the UE may select.

[0044] The UE may determine whether the configured one or more criteria regarding SRS transmission are met at 125. If multiple criteria are provided, there may be rules regarding whether permission to omit transmission outside the initial BWP is based on all criteria being met or at least one criterion being met.

[0045] At 130, the UE may report UL Tx timing error group (TEG) information about the initial UL BWP and the initial UL BWP for the same SRS resource. For example, UE Tx TEG #1 and UE Tx TEG #2 may be associated with the initial BWP SRS transmission and outside the initial BWP transmission. The UE Tx TEG may be associated with the transmission of one or more UL SRS resources for positioning, and the one or more UL SRS resources have a Tx timing error within a specific margin. From the perspective of signal transmission, there will be a time delay from the moment the digital signal is generated at the baseband to the moment the RF signal is transmitted from the Tx antenna. In order to support positioning, the UE / TRP may implement internal calibration / compensation of the Tx time delay for the transmission of the DL PRS / UL SRS signal, which may also include calibration / compensation of the relative time delay between different RF chains in the same TRP / UE. The compensation may also take into account the offset of the Tx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, the calibration may not be perfect. The remaining Tx time delay or the uncalibrated Tx time delay after calibration is defined as the Tx timing error.

[0046] A related question may be how the gNB knows whether the UE transmits SRS within the initial BWP or outside the BWP. The following options may apply.

[0047] The gNB may attempt to measure SRS in two cases. That is, for a configured SRS BW, the gNB may measure SRS within the initial BWP, and the gNB may also measure SRS outside the BWP, and the configured SRS BW may or may not include the initial BWP. The gNB may also attempt to measure SRS outside the initial BWP to see if SRS is transmitted. At 135, the gNB may provide the configured criteria information to the neighboring gNB.

[0048] At 145, the UE may report information regarding whether the UE has transmitted SRS or will transmit SRS outside of the BWP by using a small data transmission (SDT). The report may go to the gNB and any neighboring gNBs.

[0049] At 140, when the UE transmits SRS resources within the initial BWP, the UE may actually transmit a portion of the configured SRS resources. That is, the UE may transmit a portion of the configured ZC sequence, which portion of the configured ZC sequence is in an RB within the initial BWP.

[0050] Another approach may be that the gNB may configure two SRS resources. One resource may be configured within the initial BWP and the other SRS resource may be configured outside the BWP including the initial BWP. At 140, when the UE transmits SRS within the BWP according to the proposed criteria, the UE may only transmit the SRS resource configured for the initial BWP. At 140, when the UE transmits SRS outside the initial BWP, the UE may transmit the other configured SRS resource.

[0051] At 150, the gNB and any neighboring gNBs may report UL measurements to the LMF.

[0052] Figure 2 Another method according to some embodiments is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the user equipment may be configured to receive an SRS configuration from a network device at 210. The frequency subcarrier or RB of the configured SRS may be located outside the initial BWP. The SRS configuration may include an indicator indicating whether the UE is allowed not to perform RF switching when the UE is in an RRC inactive state or an RRC idle state for SRS transmission. In this case, the indicator may assume that the UE may perform RF switching for SRS transmission outside the initial BWP unless the indicator authorizes such a stay in the initial BWP. This may be an alternative to the above approach, in which the UE is assumed to need to perform RF switching for SRS transmission unless the indicator allows the UE to omit such switching.

[0053] At 220, the UE may perform SRS transmission based on the indicator. At 230, the UE may report to the network device regarding the SRS transmission, such as whether RF switching is performed for SRS transmission. This may be an explicit indication regarding RF switching, or an implicit indication regarding whether the SRS transmission is within the initial BWP.

[0054] The resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the SRS configuration may include an initial UL BWP configured by the network device. The UE may perform SRS transmission within the initial BWP configured by the network device for SRS transmission. The UE may perform at least a portion of the SRS transmission outside the initial BWP configured by the network device for SRS transmission. For example, the UE may rarely perform SRS transmission outside the initial BWP, and more often perform SRS transmission only within the initial BWP. The SRS configuration may include one or more criteria corresponding to when the UE is allowed not to perform RF switching to perform SRS transmission outside the BWP configured by the network device for SRS transmission. RF switching may include TX antenna switching. RF switching may refer to UE behavior of tuning or retuning RF circuits to transmit or receive RS at different BWPs or CCs (component carriers). Therefore, RF switching may include reconfiguring the RF module to transmit or receive at a BWP different from the initial UL or DL ​​BWP. For example, it is possible to continue to transmit at the initial UL BWP or continue to receive at the initial DL BWP without RF switching, and transmission outside the initial UL BWP may involve RF switching.

[0055] Figure 3 Additional methods according to certain embodiments are shown. Figure 3 The method may be performed by a network element such as a radio access network element, e.g. a gNB.

[0056] like Figure 3 As shown, a method may include, at 310, configuring a user equipment with at least one criterion regarding the transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment. The configuration may be related to Figure 2 The same configuration as received at 210 in FIG. Therefore, Figure 2 and Figure 3 methods can be used together.

[0057] Figure 3 The method may also include receiving a sounding reference signal from a user equipment at 320. These may be related to Figure 2 The same sounding reference signal as the sounding reference signal transmitted at 220 in .

[0058] The method may also include, at 315, providing at least one criterion of the configuration to a radio access network node that is a neighbor of the gNB.

[0059] The method may also include, at 330, receiving a report or some other indication of information regarding when a sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment.

[0060] The method may also include, at 335, receiving a report of transmission timing error group (TEG) information for the initial uplink bandwidth portion and outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource.

[0061] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The at least one criterion in may include whether the user equipment measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside the initial downlink bandwidth part.

[0062] The at least one criterion may comprise whether the user equipment has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from the sleep mode.

[0063] The at least one criterion may include whether the sounding reference signal transmission opportunity(s) are in the DRX On-Duration or whether the sounding reference signal transmission opportunity(s) are outside the DRX On-Duration.

[0064] The at least one criterion may comprise a threshold level of movement of the user equipment after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

[0065] The at least one criterion may include a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmission outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

[0066] Figure 4 An example of a system including an apparatus 10 according to an embodiment is shown. In an embodiment, the apparatus 10 may be a node, a host, or a server in a communication network or serving such a network. For example, the apparatus 10 may be a network node, a satellite, a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a 5G Node B or access point associated with a radio access network (such as an LTE network, 5G or NR), a next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), a TRP, a HAPS, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and / or a WLAN access point. In some example embodiments, the apparatus 10 may be, for example, a gNB or other similar radio node.

[0067] It should be understood that in some example embodiments, the device 10 may include an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, where the server and the radio node may be independent devices that communicate with each other via a radio path or via a wired connection, or they may be located in the same entity that communicates via a wired connection. For example, in certain example embodiments where the device 10 represents a gNB, the device 10 may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides the gNB functionality. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functionality (such as transmission of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning and / or session management, etc.). The CU may control the operation of (one or more) DUs via a midhaul interface referred to as an F1 interface, and the (one or more) DUs may have one or more radio units (RUs) that are connected to the (one or more) DUs via a fronthaul interface. Depending on the functional split option, the DU may be a logical node that includes a subset of the gNB functionality. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the device 10 may include Figure 4 Components or features not shown.

[0068] like Figure 4 As shown in the example of , the device 10 may include a processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In fact, as an example, the processor 12 may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture or any other processing component. Although Figure 4 A single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 1 , but according to other embodiments, multiple processors may be utilized. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system that may support multiprocessing (e.g., in which case the processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0069] The processor 12 can perform functions associated with the operation of the device 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits that form communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of the device 10, which includes processes related to relaxing requirements for transmission of sounding reference signals for user equipment (such as radio resource control non-active user equipment for low power consumption and high accuracy positioning).

[0070] The device 10 may also include or be coupled to a memory 14 (internal or external), which may be coupled to the processor 12 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 12. The memory 14 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 14 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable medium or other suitable storage components. The instructions stored in the memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 12, enables the device 10 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0071] In an embodiment, the device 10 may also include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) that is configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by the processor 12 and / or the device 10.

[0072] In some embodiments, the device 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for transmitting signals and / or data to the device 10 and receiving signals and / or data from the device 10. The device 10 may also include or be coupled to a transceiver 18, which is configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 18 may include, for example, multiple radio interfaces that may be coupled to (one or more) antennas 15, or may include any other suitable transceiver components. The radio interface may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies including one or more of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BT-LE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID), Ultra Wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The radio interface may include components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), mappers, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) modules, etc., to generate symbols for transmission via one or more downlinks and receive symbols (e.g., via uplinks).

[0073] As such, the transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by the antenna(s) 15, and demodulate information received via the antenna(s) 15 for further processing by other elements of the apparatus 10. In other embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices) or input / output components.

[0074] In an embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality for device 10. The components of device 10 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0075] According to some embodiments, processor 12 and memory 14 may be included in or may form part of a processing circuit system / component or a control circuit system / component. In addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 18 may be included in or may form part of a transceiver circuit system / component.

[0076] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuit implementation only (such as, analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor(s) with software that work together to enable a device (e.g., device 10) to perform various functions, and / or hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), or portions thereof, which operate using software, but where the software may not be present when the software is not needed for operation. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" may also encompass an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuitry" may also encompass, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network node or device, or other computing device or network device.

[0077] As introduced above, in some embodiments, the device 10 may be a network element or RAN node (e.g., a base station, an access point, a Node B, an eNB, a gNB, a TRP, a HAPS, an IAB node, a relay node, a WLAN access point, a satellite, etc.) or may be a part thereof. In an example embodiment, the device 10 may be a gNB or other radio node, or may be a CU and / or DU of a gNB. According to some embodiments, the device 10 may be controlled by the memory 14 and the processor 12 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the device 10 may be configured to perform one or more of the processes depicted in any of the flowcharts or signaling diagrams described herein (such as Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, as discussed herein, the apparatus 10 may be configured to perform processes related to providing a relaxation of requirements for transmission of a sounding reference signal for a user equipment (such as a radio resource control inactive user equipment for low power consumption high accuracy positioning).

[0078] Figure 4 An example of an apparatus 20 according to an embodiment is also shown. In an embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communication network or associated with such a network, such as a UE, a communication node, a mobile equipment (ME), a mobile station, a mobile device, a fixed device, an IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, a mobile equipment, a mobile unit, a mobile device, a user device, a subscriber station, a wireless terminal, a tablet, a smart phone, an IoT device, a sensor or a NB-IoT device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and its application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and its application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless device operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. As an example, the apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, etc.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the apparatus 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more radio access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies (such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other radio access technology). It should be noted that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the apparatus 20 may include Figure 4 Components or functions not shown.

[0080] like Figure 4 As shown in the example of , the device 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 22 may be any type of general or special purpose processor. In fact, as examples, the processor 22 may include one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Although Figure 4 A single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 1 , but according to other embodiments, multiple processors may be utilized. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the device 20 may include two or more processors that may form a multiprocessor system that may support multiprocessing (e.g., in this case, the processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor). In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0081] Processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of device 20, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits that form communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 20, including processes associated with management of communication resources.

[0082] The device 20 may also include or be coupled to a memory 24 (internal or external), which may be coupled to the processor 22 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 22. The memory 24 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented using any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 24 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static storage devices such as magnetic disks or optical disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable media. The instructions stored in the memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program codes that, when executed by the processor 22, enable the device 20 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0083] In an embodiment, the device 20 may also include or be coupled to a drive or port (internal or external) configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by the processor 22 and / or the device 20.

[0084] In some embodiments, the device 20 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals and transmitting from the device 20 via an uplink. The device 20 may also include a transceiver 28 configured to transmit and receive information. The transceiver 28 may also include a radio interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to the antenna 25. The radio interface may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The radio interface may include other components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols carried by the downlink or uplink, such as OFDM symbols.

[0085] For example, the transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by (one or more) antennas 25, and demodulate information received via (one or more) antennas 25 for further processing by other elements of the device 20. In other embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be capable of directly transmitting and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In certain embodiments, the device 20 may also include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0086] In an embodiment, the memory 24 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by the processor 22. The modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for the device 20. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality for the device 20. The components of the device 20 may be implemented in hardware, or as any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an example embodiment, the device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with the device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 according to any radio access technology (such as NR).

[0087] According to some embodiments, processor 22 and memory 24 may be included in processing circuitry or control circuitry or may form part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some embodiments, transceiver 28 may be included in transceiver circuitry or may form part of transceiver circuitry.

[0088] As described above, according to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, a SL UE, a relay UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, a ME, an IoT device, and / or a NB-IoT device, etc. According to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein (such as Figures 1 to 3 shown in or about Figures 1 to 3 ), or any other method described herein. For example, in one embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be controlled to perform a process related to providing a relaxation of a requirement for transmission of a sounding reference signal for a user equipment (such as a radio resource control inactive user equipment for low power consumption high accuracy positioning), as described in detail elsewhere herein.

[0089] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 and / or apparatus 20) may include components for performing the methods, processes, or any variants discussed herein. Examples of such components may include one or more processors, memories, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program codes for causing the execution of any operations discussed herein.

[0090] In view of the foregoing, certain example embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements and / or advantages over prior art processes and constitute improvements in at least the technical field of wireless network control and / or management. Certain embodiments may have various benefits and / or advantages. For example, certain embodiments may provide power savings for mobile devices for uplink and uplink plus downlink positioning. In addition, certain embodiments may support more flexibility in sounding reference signal transmission for user equipment in a radio resource control inactive state.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the functionality of any method, process, signaling diagram, algorithm, or flow chart described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code or portions of code stored in a memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium and executed by a processor.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the device may include or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit or entity, which is configured as (one or more) arithmetic operations, or is configured as a program or part of a program (including added or updated software routines), which can be executed by at least one computing processor or controller. Programs (also referred to as program products or computer programs, including software routines, applets and macros) can be stored in any device-readable data storage medium and can include program instructions to perform specific tasks. Computer program products may include one or more computer executable components, which are configured to implement some example embodiments when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or part of a code. Modifications and configurations required to implement the functions of the example embodiments may be performed as (one or more) routines, which may be implemented as (one or more) software routines added or updated. In one example, (one or more) software routines may be downloaded into the device.

[0093] As an example, the software or computer program code or part of the code can be in source code form, object code form or some intermediate form, and can be stored in some carrier, distribution medium or computer readable medium, which can be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such a carrier may include, for example, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory, an optoelectronic and / or electrical carrier signal, a telecommunication signal and / or a software distribution package. Depending on the required processing power, the computer program can be executed in a single electronic digital computer, or the computer program can be distributed in multiple computers. Computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media can be non-transient media. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM to ROM).

[0094] In other example embodiments, the functions of the example embodiments may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in a device, such as by using an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another example embodiment, the functions of the example embodiments may be implemented as a signal carried by an electromagnetic signal downloaded from the Internet or other network, such as a non-tangible component.

[0095] According to example embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, a device or a corresponding component may be configured as a circuit system, a computer or a microprocessor (such as a single-chip computer element) or a chipset, which may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity used for (one or more) arithmetic operations and / or an operation processor for performing (one or more) arithmetic operations.

[0096] The example embodiments described herein may apply to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural language is used in conjunction with describing a particular embodiment. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node may also apply to example embodiments including multiple instances of the network node, and vice versa.

[0097] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the example embodiments described above may be practiced using processes in a different order and / or using hardware elements in a configuration different from that disclosed. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based on these example embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments.

[0098] Partial glossary:

[0099] AGV Automatic Guided Vehicle

[0100] AoA Angle of Arrival

[0101] AoD Deviation Angle

[0102] CP carrier phase

[0103] DL-TDOA Downlink Time Difference of Arrival

[0104] gNB 5G base station

[0105] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0106] LMF location management function

[0107] NR New Radio (5G)

[0108] PRS Positioning Reference Signal

[0109] RS reference signal

[0110] RTOA relative arrival time

[0111] RTT Round Trip Time

[0112] RF

[0113] BWP Bandwidth Section

[0114] SL side link

[0115] SRS sounding reference signal

[0116] TOA Arrival Time

[0117] TRP Transmission Receiving Point

[0118] UE User Equipment

[0119] TDOA Time Difference of Arrival

Claims

1. A 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 apparatus to at least perform: receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration indicating at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside of an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus; determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied; as well as A sounding reference signal is transmitted based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied, the apparatus is in radio resource control inactivity or radio resource control idle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the sounding reference signal within the initial uplink bandwidth portion is performed without radio frequency switching, and transmitting the sounding reference signal outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion comprises radio frequency switching.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting the sounding reference signal comprises limiting the sounding reference signal to the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus based on the determination that the at least one criterion is satisfied.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transmission comprises transmitting a portion of a Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, the portion of the Zadoff-Chu sequence being mapped to a resource block in the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the transmission comprises transmitting a complete Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, the complete Zadoff-Chu sequence being configured for sounding reference signal transmission within the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: Information is reported regarding when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: Transmission timing error group information for the initial uplink bandwidth portion and outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource is reported.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the apparatus measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the apparatus has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more SRS transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more SRS transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the apparatus after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmission outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

14. An apparatus 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 apparatus to at least perform: configuring a user equipment with at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment; and A sounding reference signal is received from the user equipment.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: The at least one criterion of the configuration is provided to a radio access network node which is a neighbor of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: A report is received regarding information about when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment or when the sounding reference signal is transmitted outside the initial bandwidth portion.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: A report of the initial uplink bandwidth portion and transmission timing error group information outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource is received.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more SRS transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more SRS transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the user equipment after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmission outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

23. A method comprising: receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration indicating at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment; determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied; as well as A sounding reference signal is transmitted based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein when determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied, the user equipment is in radio resource control inactivity or radio resource control idle.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein transmitting the sounding reference signal within the initial uplink bandwidth portion is performed without radio frequency switching, and transmitting the sounding reference signal outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion comprises radio frequency switching.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the transmitting the sounding reference signal comprises limiting the sounding reference signal to the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment based on the determination that the at least one criterion is satisfied.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting a portion of a Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, the portion of the Zadoff-Chu sequence being mapped to a resource block in the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting a complete Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, the complete Zadoff-Chu sequence being configured for sounding reference signal transmission within the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Information about when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment is reported.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising: Reporting transmission timing error group information for the initial uplink bandwidth part and outside the initial uplink bandwidth part for each sounding reference signal resource.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the user equipment after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

35. The method of claim 23, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmissions outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

36. A method comprising: configuring, by a network element, to a user equipment at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment; A sounding reference signal is received from the user equipment.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising: The at least one criterion of the configuration is provided to a radio access network node which is a neighbor of the network element.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising: A report is received regarding information about when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment or when the sounding reference signal is transmitted outside the initial bandwidth portion.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising: A report of the initial uplink bandwidth portion and transmission timing error group information outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource is received.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more SRS transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more SRS transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the user equipment after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmissions outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

45. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a configuration from a network, the configuration indicating at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside of an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus; means for determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied; as well as Means for transmitting a sounding reference signal based on the determination of whether the at least one criterion is satisfied.

46. ​​The apparatus of claim 45, wherein when determining whether the at least one criterion is satisfied, the apparatus is in radio resource control inactivity or radio resource control idle.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein transmitting the sounding reference signal within the initial uplink bandwidth portion is performed without radio frequency switching, and transmitting the sounding reference signal outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion comprises radio frequency switching.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the transmitting the sounding reference signal comprises limiting the sounding reference signal to the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus based on the determination that the at least one criterion is satisfied.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the transmission comprises transmitting a portion of a Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, the portion of the Zadoff-Chu sequence being mapped to a resource block in the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the sending comprises: The transmission includes transmitting a complete Zadoff-Chu sequence of a configured sounding reference signal resource, wherein the complete Zadoff-Chu sequence is configured for sounding reference signal transmission within the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

51. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising: Means for reporting information regarding when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the apparatus.

52. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising: Means for reporting the initial uplink bandwidth portion and transmission timing error group information outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource.

53. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the apparatus measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

54. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the apparatus has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

55. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

56. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the apparatus after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

57. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmissions outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

58. An apparatus comprising: means for configuring a user equipment with at least one criterion regarding transmission of a sounding reference signal outside an initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment; as well as Means for receiving a sounding reference signal from the user equipment.

59. The apparatus of claim 58, further comprising: Means for providing the at least one criterion of the configuration to a radio access network node that is a neighbor of the apparatus.

60. The apparatus of claim 58, further comprising: Means for receiving a report of information regarding when the sounding reference signal is transmitted solely within the initial uplink bandwidth portion of the user equipment or when the sounding reference signal is transmitted outside of the initial bandwidth portion.

61. The apparatus of claim 58, further comprising: Means for receiving a report of transmission timing error group information for the initial uplink bandwidth portion and outside the initial uplink bandwidth portion for each sounding reference signal resource.

62. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment measures downlink positioning reference signal resources outside of an initial downlink bandwidth portion.

63. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether the user equipment has measured a threshold number of synchronization signals or physical broadcast channel blocks after waking up from a sleep mode.

64. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one criterion comprises whether one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are in a DRX On-Duration or one or more sounding reference signal transmission opportunities are outside the DRX On-Duration.

65. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a threshold level of movement of the user equipment after a most recent sounding reference signal transmission.

66. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a configured overhead factor and a periodicity of sounding reference signal transmissions outside of the initial uplink bandwidth portion.

67. A computer program product encoding instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 23 to 44.

68. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform the method of any one of claims 23 to 44.

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