Method and apparatus for radio link management

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for radio link management. An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled with the transceiver and configured to: determine a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; performing radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and determining a location of the UE during the positioning gap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and in particular to methods and apparatus for radio link management. Background Art

[0002] In a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a typical global navigation satellite system (GNSS) operation (e.g., a GNSS position fix operation) may take several seconds or tens of seconds. However, there are limitations on simultaneous GNSS operation and data transmission or reception. For example, for a Rel-17 Internet of Things (IoT) NTN user equipment (UE), it is not possible to perform GNSS operation and data transmission or reception simultaneously. Therefore, the UE may leave the radio resource control (RRC)_CONNECTED state to perform GNSS operation.

[0003] It is desirable to provide methods and apparatus for radio link management that may allow a UE to perform GNSS operations and remain in an RRC_CONNECTED state. Summary of the invention

[0004] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a UE, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor, which is coupled to the transceiver and configured to: determine a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; perform radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and determine the position of the UE during the positioning gap.

[0005] In some embodiments, the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC)_CONNECTED state.

[0006] In some embodiments, the positioning of the UE includes GNSS positioning or non-GNSS positioning.

[0007] In some embodiments, the radio link management is performed based on configuration information received from a BS, based on UE implementation, or based on pre-configured rules.

[0008] In some embodiments, the positioning is performed based on the positioning gap configuration received from a base station (BS) or based on movement of the UE.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the positioning gap is configured, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of the following: disabling all access stratum (AS) functions before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling all AS functions at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring at or after the end of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to a counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to a timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; or suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication indicating that the BS suspends responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble code using a dedicated physical random access channel (PRACH) resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extension value to a timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0010] In some embodiments, the radio link control process further includes: starting the counter N310 from a value of 0 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring; or restoring the counter N310 with a previous counter value of the counter N310 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, wherein the previous counter value is the counter value of the counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0011] In some embodiments, the RRC layer of the UE instructs the lower layers of the UE to disable the radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, or to enable the radio problem detection or radio link monitoring.

[0012] In some embodiments, in the case where the positioning gap is configured after the radio link failure is asserted, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of the following: applying a value of 0 to a counter N310 and applying a value of 0 to a timer T310 before or when the positioning gap starts; suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or when the positioning gap starts, including an indication indicating that the BS suspends responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble code using a dedicated PRACH resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extension value to the timer T301 before or when the positioning gap starts.

[0013] In some embodiments, the radio link management is associated with uplink synchronization, the uplink synchronization comprising at least one of: obtaining ephemeris data of a serving radio access network (RAN) node of the UE before the positioning gap starts; updating a UE-specific timing advance (TA) based on a result of the positioning and valid ephemeris data after the positioning gap ends; updating a total TA to the UE-specific TA plus a valid common TA after the positioning gap ends; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request using the updated total TA; or reporting an updated total TA or an updated UE-specific TA after the positioning gap ends.

[0014] In some embodiments, if the acquired ephemeris data is invalid at or after the end of the positioning gap, the processor is further configured to: acquire ephemeris data of the serving RAN node of the UE after the end of the positioning gap.

[0015] In some embodiments, when the positioning gap is configured and the UE is a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of a serving cell before or when the positioning gap starts; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell when or after the positioning gap ends; stopping evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements before or when the positioning gap starts; starting evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements when or after the positioning gap ends; disabling triggered neighbor cell measurements before or when the positioning gap starts; or enabling triggered neighbor cell measurements when or after the positioning gap ends.

[0016] In some embodiments, when the positioning gap is configured and the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of the serving cell before or when the positioning gap starts; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell when or after the positioning gap ends; stopping evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration before or when the positioning gap starts; starting evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration when or after the positioning gap ends; disabling measurement reporting before or when the positioning gap starts; or enabling measurement reporting when or after the positioning gap ends.

[0017] In some embodiments, the radio link management is associated with transmitting positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information comprising at least one of: an indication that the positioning of the UE is required; an adjustment to the positioning gap; or a duration in which the UE is out of coverage.

[0018] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a base station (BS), comprising: a transceiver; and a processor, which is coupled to the transceiver and configured to: generate first configuration information, which configures a UE to perform radio link management associated with positioning gap configuration; and transmit the first configuration information to the UE.

[0019] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: transmit second configuration information configuring the UE to perform the positioning operation.

[0020] In some embodiments, the processor is further configured to: receive an indication from the UE indicating that positioning of the UE is required.

[0021] In some embodiments, when the positioning gap is configured, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of the following: disabling all access stratum (AS) functions before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling all AS functions at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring at or after the end of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to a counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to a timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; or suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication indicating that the BS suspends responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble code using a dedicated PRACH resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extension value to a timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0022] In some embodiments, the radio link control process further includes: starting the counter N310 from a value of 0 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring; or restoring the counter N310 with a previous counter value of the counter N310 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, wherein the previous counter value is the counter value of the counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0023] In some embodiments, in the case where a positioning gap is configured after a radio link failure is asserted, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of the following: applying a value of 0 to a counter N310 and applying a value of 0 to a timer T310 before or when the positioning gap starts; suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or when the positioning gap starts, including an indication indicating that the BS suspends responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble using a dedicated PRACH resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extension value to timer T301 before or when the positioning gap starts.

[0024] In some embodiments, the radio link management is associated with uplink synchronization, and the uplink synchronization includes at least one of the following: before the start of a positioning gap, obtaining ephemeris data of a serving RAN node of the UE; after the end of the positioning gap, updating a UE-specific TA based on a result of the positioning and valid ephemeris data; after the end of the positioning gap, updating a total TA to the UE-specific TA plus a valid common TA; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request using the updated total TA; or reporting an updated total TA or an updated UE-specific TA after the end of the positioning gap.

[0025] In some embodiments, when the UE is a NB-IoT UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of the serving cell before or when the positioning gap starts; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell when or after the positioning gap ends; stopping evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements before or when the positioning gap starts; starting evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements when or after the positioning gap ends; disabling triggered neighbor cell measurements before or when the positioning gap starts; or enabling triggered neighbor cell measurements when or after the positioning gap ends.

[0026] In some embodiments, when the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of the serving cell before or when the positioning gap starts; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; stopping evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration before or when the positioning gap starts; starting evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling measurement reporting before or when the positioning gap starts; or enabling measurement reporting at or after the end of the positioning gap.

[0027] In some embodiments, the radio link management is associated with transmitting positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information comprising at least one of: an indication that positioning of the UE is required; an adjustment to the positioning gap; or a duration in which the UE is out of coverage.

[0028] Yet another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a UE, comprising: determining a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; performing radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and determining a position of the UE during the positioning gap.

[0029] Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a BS, including: generating first configuration information configuring a UE to perform radio link management associated with positioning gap configuration; and transmitting the first configuration information to the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments of the present application illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These drawings depict only example embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be considered to limit its scope.

[0031] Figure 1 An NTN system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0032] Figure 2 A radio link control process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0033] Figure 3 A method for radio link management performed by a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0034] Figure 4 A method for radio link management performed by a BS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0035] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The detailed description of the drawings is intended as a description of the currently preferred embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present invention can be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions can be achieved by different embodiments that are intended to be included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0037] Although the operations are depicted in a particular order in the drawings, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations need not be performed to achieve a desired result; one or more operations may sometimes be skipped. In addition, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the schematically illustrated example processes. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0038] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. To facilitate understanding, embodiments are provided in specific network architectures and new service scenarios, such as cellular telephone networks, networks based on time division multiple access (TDMA), networks based on code division multiple access (CDMA), networks based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), LTE networks, networks based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 3GPP 4G, 3GPP 5G NR, 3GPP Release 16 and higher, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, etc. It is conceivable that with the development of network architectures and new service scenarios, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; and in addition, the terms listed in the present disclosure may be changed, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 1 An NTN system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described. NTN may refer to a network or network segment using radio frequency (RF) resources on a satellite.

[0040] As in Figure 1 As shown in FIG, the network may include UEs and RAN nodes. The RAN nodes may be satellite or unmanned aerial system (UAS) platforms. Figure 1 Only one UE and one satellite / UAS platform are depicted in the figure, but it should be considered that any number of UEs and satellite / UAS platforms may be included in the wireless communication system.

[0041] UE may include a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a game console, a security system (including a security camera), a vehicle onboard computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, a modem), or the like. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, UE may include a portable wireless communication device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device capable of sending and receiving communication signals on a wireless network. In some embodiments, UE includes a wearable device, such as a smart watch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like. In addition, UE may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile phone, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, a device, or other terms used in the art. UE may communicate directly with a satellite BS via a service link. UE may also perform side link transmission.

[0042] A typical terrestrial communication network includes one or more BSs located on the earth (i.e., not airborne or satellite-borne), each providing geographic radio coverage, and UEs that can transmit and receive data within the radio coverage area. In a terrestrial communication network, the BS and the UE can communicate with each other via a communication link, for example, via a downlink radio frame from the BS to the UE or via an uplink radio frame from the UE to the BS.

[0043] RAN nodes (e.g., satellites) may include low earth orbit (LEO) satellites orbiting the earth, medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites, geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites whose positions relative to the earth are fixed, and high elliptical orbit (HEO) satellites. According to various embodiments, the satellite may be implemented with a transparent or regenerative payload. When the satellite carries a transparent payload, it only performs RF filtering, frequency conversion, and / or amplification on the onboard signal. Therefore, the waveform signal repeated by the payload remains unchanged. When the satellite carries a regenerative payload, in addition to performing RF filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification, it also performs other signal processing functions on the satellite, such as demodulation / decoding, switching and / or routing, encoding / decoding, and modulation / demodulation. In other words, for a satellite with a regenerative payload, all or part of the base station functions (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) are implemented on the satellite.

[0044] UAS platforms may include unmanned aerial systems (UAS), including tethered UAS and lighter-than-air UAS (LTA), heavier-than-air UAS (HTA), and high altitude platform UAS (HAP).

[0045] Hereinafter in this disclosure, a RAN node may include: a satellite carrying a transparent payload, a satellite carrying a regenerative payload, a UAS platform, a BS, or the like.

[0046] As in Figure 1 The wireless communication system shown in the figure may conform to any type of network capable of sending and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the wireless communication system conforms to a wireless communication network, a cellular telephone network, a network based on time division multiple access (TDMA), a network based on code division multiple access (CDMA), a network based on orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), an LTE network, a network based on the third generation partnership project (3GPP), a 3GPP 5G network, a satellite communication network, a high altitude platform network, and / or other communication networks.

[0047] In one embodiment, the wireless communication system conforms to the NR of the 3GPP protocol, wherein the BS transmits on the DL using an OFDM modulation scheme, and the UE transmits on the UL using a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) scheme or an OFDM scheme. However, more generally, the wireless communication system may implement some other open or proprietary communication protocol among other protocols, such as WiMAX.

[0048] In other embodiments, the BS may communicate using other communication protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication protocols. In addition, in some embodiments, the BS may communicate via a licensed spectrum, while in other embodiments, the BS may communicate via an unlicensed spectrum. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular wireless communication system architecture or protocol implementation. In another embodiment, the BS may communicate with the UE using a 3GPP 5G protocol.

[0049] It may be assumed that a UE supporting the NTN feature has GNSS capability, and the UE may perform GNSS operations. For example, obtain its position based on satellite ephemeris and thus derive its timing advance for uplink synchronization. Due to the UE's RF hardware and capability limitations, GNSS operations and data transmission or reception cannot be performed simultaneously. Therefore, when the UE needs to perform GNSS operations (e.g., obtain a GNSS position when the GNSS position is about to expire), the UE may leave the RRC_CONNECTED state and may enter the RRC_IDLE state to perform GNSS operations.

[0050] For Rel-18 IoT NTN, which further considers optimization and UE energy saving, GNSS operation can be optimized through sparse use of GNSS and power efficiency of long-term connections. Therefore, it is beneficial to allow the UE to perform GNSS operation in the RRC_CONNECTED state without entering the RRC_IDLE state.

[0051] However, there are some problems when the UE may perform GNSS operations in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0052] GNSS operation may take several seconds or tens of seconds, and the UE cannot perform GNSS operation and data transmission / reception at the same time. In order to allow the UE to perform GNSS operation in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the network may configure at least one GNSS operation gap (a duration for performing GNSS operation, such as a positioning gap), during which the UE and the network may stop data transmission and reception, so that the UE can switch its RF to obtain a GNSS position (e.g., by receiving measurement signals from GNSS satellites).

[0053] The length of the duration (e.g., for neighbor cell measurements) can be configured in milliseconds, i.e., 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, and 160ms, which has very little impact on UE operations such as the following UE operations: 1) Radio Link Monitoring (RLM) or Radio Link Failure (RLF) handling; 2) Uplink synchronization; and 3) NB-IoT neighbor cell measurement triggering in RRC_CONNECTED state. However, GNSS operations typically require several seconds or tens of seconds. For example, a GNSS position fix may require 30s to 40s for a cold start (after the GNSS module is turned off for tens of minutes), 10s to 15s for a warm start (after the GNSS module is turned off for several minutes), and 3s to 5s for a hot start (GNSS module is always on). Therefore, the GNSS operation duration may prevent the UE from following the legacy mechanisms in the LTE system or the NR system to maintain or restore the RRC connection during or after such a long GNSS operation duration.

[0054] More specifically, the following issues may exist:

[0055] Issue 1: RLF and possible state transitions may be caused by long GNSS operation durations.

[0056] Figure 2 A radio link control process according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0057] In the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE may perform normal operations. The physical layer may perform radio problem detection or radio link monitoring. At time t1, the UE may receive an indication from a lower layer (e.g., the physical layer), such as N310 continuous out-of-sync indication, indicating that a physical layer related problem has been detected, and the UE may start a timer T310. The maximum value of the timer T310 may be 6s for a normal UE and 8s for a NB-IoT UE.

[0058] When timer T310 is running, if an indication (e.g., N311 continuous synchronization indication) is received, the radio link is restored and timer T310 is stopped. In the case where the N311 continuous synchronization indication is not received and the timer T310 expires (at time t2), the radio link is not restored, and the UE may assert a radio link failure. The UE (e.g., the RRC layer of the UE) may transmit an RRC connection reestablishment request and start timer T301. The maximum value of timer T301 may be 10s for a normal UE and 120s for a NB-IoT UE. When timer T301 expires and the RRC connection reestablishment is not completed, at time t3, the UE may enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0059] In the present disclosure, the duration for performing a GNSS operation (e.g., a GNSS position fix) may be configured (e.g., explicitly configured by the network or by a specification), or may be configured after RLF assertion (e.g., implicitly placed after RLF assertion, which may be specified by a specification or by a UE implementation, etc.). Hereinafter, the duration for performing a GNSS position fix may be referred to as a positioning gap. The GNSS position fix is ​​used to explain the solution of the present disclosure, and it should be noted that other GNSS operations or other non-GNSS operations may also be applied to the present disclosure.

[0060] Case 1-1: Configuring positioning gap:

[0061] As mentioned above, GNSS operation and data transmission or reception cannot be performed simultaneously. Therefore, a radio problem may be detected after a positioning gap begins, and a timer T310 may be started. Depending on the duration of the positioning gap and the timer T310 value, several scenarios are presented as follows:

[0062] a) The duration of the positioning gap is shorter than the timer T310 value:

[0063] i. The UE may receive the N311 continuous synchronization indication in time after the positioning gap for physical layer recovery, that is, to recover the radio link, and may therefore not assert RLF.

[0064] ii. The UE may not receive N311 continuous synchronization indication for physical layer recovery after the positioning gap and may therefore assert RLF.

[0065] b) The duration of the positioning gap is equal to or longer than the timer T310 value:

[0066] When the timer T310 is running, the UE cannot receive the N311 continuous synchronization indication. Therefore, when the timer T310 expires, RLF can be asserted for sure.

[0067] Once RLF is asserted, the UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request, which may also be limited by the positioning gap. Depending on the duration of the positioning gap, the timer T310 value and the timer T301 value, several scenarios are presented as follows:

[0068] a) The duration of the positioning gap is shorter than the sum of the timer T310 value and the timer T301 value:

[0069] i. The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request and may receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time after the positioning gap for RRC resumption, that is, to resume the radio link, and thus the UE may remain in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0070] ii. The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request but may not receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time for RRC recovery after the positioning gap, that is, the RRC re-establishment is unsuccessful and therefore the UE may enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0071] b) The duration of the positioning gap is equal to or longer than the sum of the timer T310 value and the timer T301 value:

[0072] The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request but may not receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time for RRC recovery after the positioning gap, that is, the RRC re-establishment is unsuccessful, and thus the UE may definitely enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0073] Case 1-2: Placing a positioning gap after asserting RLF:

[0074] Once RLF is asserted, the UE may start timer T301 and may transmit an RRC reestablishment request, which may be limited by the duration of the positioning gap. Depending on the duration of the positioning gap and the timer T301 value, several scenarios are presented as follows:

[0075] a) The duration of the positioning gap is shorter than the timer T301 value:

[0076] i. The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request and may receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time after the positioning gap for RRC resumption, that is, to resume the radio link, and thus the UE may remain in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0077] ii. The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request but may not receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time for RRC recovery after the positioning gap, that is, the RRC re-establishment is unsuccessful and therefore the UE may enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0078] b) The duration of the positioning gap is equal to or longer than the timer T301 value:

[0079] The UE may transmit an RRC re-establishment request but may not receive an RRC re-establishment configuration in time for RRC recovery after the positioning gap, that is, the RRC re-establishment is unsuccessful, and thus the UE may definitely enter the RRC_IDLE state.

[0080] In view of the above, for both cases 1-1 and 1-2, when the timer T301 value is not long enough, the UE may enter the RRC_IDLE state. For case 1-1, when the timer T310 value is not long enough, the UE may assert RLF.

[0081] Problem 2: Due to the long duration of the positioning gaps, uplink synchronization may be lost.

[0082] Positioning operations (eg, GNSS position fix) may be used by the UE to obtain valid UE position information, which is a necessary element for uplink synchronization.

[0083] There are three necessary elements for uplink synchronization, which are:

[0084] a) Valid UE location information;

[0085] b) valid ephemeris data of the serving satellite so that the UE can calculate the UE-specific TA; and

[0086] c) A valid cell-specific common TA, which may be provided by the network together with the satellite ephemeris, so that the UE can calculate the total TA as the UE-specific TA plus the common TA used for uplink synchronization.

[0087] In some cases, the NTN UE may also report the TA to the network when the UE is requested by the network.

[0088] Depending on the validity of the ephemeris data and the duration of the positioning gap, several situations occur:

[0089] Case 2-1: Ephemeris data becomes invalid during a long duration of a positioning gap.

[0090] The received ephemeris data can only be used within a valid duration starting from the epoch time, and the UE may need to re-acquire new ephemeris data before or after the valid duration ends.

[0091] In case the end of the valid duration is during the duration of a positioning gap, the UE may not be able to reacquire new ephemeris data before the end of the positioning gap, and only after the positioning gap can the UE calculate its TA for uplink synchronization, which may further extend the duration before reconnection.

[0092] Case 2-2: Updating TA after a long positioning gap.

[0093] NTN Timing Advance Report (TAR) is used to help the network understand the actual propagation delay in further scheduling. The UE may report TAR once in the random access procedure if the network broadcasts the indication, and / or once in the RRC_CONNECTED state if TAR is not reported during the connection procedure. During the connection procedure, the network may adjust the TA via the Timing Advance Command (TAC) to ensure uplink synchronization.

[0094] After a long duration of a positioning gap, both the location of the UE and the location of the RAN nodes (i.e., satellites) may have changed significantly, and thus the TA may need to be updated. The differential TA (i.e., the difference between the first TA value before the positioning gap and the second TA value after the positioning gap) may exceed the limit of the TAC (which may be 0.017 ms), resulting in the network being unable to update its knowledge of the UE TA through the TAC.

[0095] Issue 3: Neighbor cell measurements are triggered in RRC_CONNECTED state due to long positioning gaps.

[0096] In Rel-17, the criterion for triggering neighbor cell measurement for NB-IoT UE in RRC_CONNECTED state is a combination of serving cell reference signal received power (RSRP) and its variance. That is, if the measured serving cell RSRP is lower than a threshold and its variance compared to the reference RSRP is higher than a threshold, the UE can perform neighbor cell measurement.

[0097] In case positioning gaps are configured, during the positioning gaps, the NB-IoT UE may not receive any signal including a reference signal for RSRP measurement from the network, and thus the corresponding RF switch may be used to trigger neighbor cell measurements.

[0098] Meanwhile, similar problems may also occur for normal UEs and eMTC UEs configured with measurement objects, especially when configuring events related to serving cell RSRP.

[0099] Issue 4: UE movement may invalidate the results of previous GNSS operations (eg, previous GNSS position fixes) or the duration used to perform positioning operations.

[0100] Currently, only network-triggered GNSS position fixes are supported. That is, the network can trigger the UE to perform positioning operations, such as GNSS position fixes. The UE cannot perform positioning operations on its own.

[0101] However, the movement of the UE may also invalidate its previous GNSS position fix result, and the network does not know that the UE needs to reacquire the GNSS position, that is, the UE needs to perform a positioning operation. Therefore, the network may not configure the duration for the UE to perform a positioning operation (i.e., a positioning gap), and data transmission or reception continues until the uplink synchronization is lost. In addition, for discontinuous coverage scenarios, when the duration for performing a positioning fix is ​​configured for the UE, the network may not know the duration in which the UE will be out of coverage. Therefore, during the positioning gap, the UE may be out of coverage, and the UE may not be able to reconnect to the network after the positioning gap.

[0102] In the above problems, positioning operations are described as examples, and it should be noted that these problems may also exist when performing other operations, such as GNSS positioning operations, non-GNSS positioning operations (for example, positioning operations with a long time period, which may be longer than the timer T310 value, the timer T301 value, or the sum of the timer T310 value and the timer T301 value), or other GNSS operations.

[0103] The present disclosure proposes some solutions for solving the above-mentioned problems, for example, some solutions for radio link management. In the following of the present disclosure, positioning operations are used to describe solutions, and the positioning operations may include GNSS positioning operations and / or non-GNSS positioning operations. It should be noted that the solutions are also applicable to other types of operations, such as any operations that may cause the UE to transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_IDLE state (or RRC_INACTIVE state). In some embodiments, the positioning operation may be indicated by the BS, for example, by configuration information (or configuration message, configuration signaling or the like). In some other embodiments, the positioning operation may be performed by the UE based on the UE's determination. For example, when the UE determines that the UE's position has changed and the distance between the UE's previous position and the UE's current position exceeds a threshold, the UE may determine to perform a positioning operation.

[0104] Hereinafter in this disclosure, the expression "positioning gap" may be used to refer to the duration for performing a positioning operation (i.e., a position fix). For other operations, such as another GNSS operation, the expression "positioning gap" may be replaced with "duration of the GNSS operation", and the solution is also applicable to the GNSS operation. Other expressions of duration may also be applied.

[0105] Solution 1:

[0106] In this solution, radio link management may involve enhancements to the radio link control process, such as adjusting radio link monitoring (RLM) handling, adjusting RLF handling, or both. Adjusting the radio link control process may be indicated by the network, for example, the BS may transmit configuration information (or configuration message, configuration signaling, or the like) to instruct the UE to adjust the radio link control process. Alternatively, for example, adjusting the radio link control process may be specified in the specification, and the UE may handle RLM or RLF accordingly. Alternatively, adjusting the radio link control process may be performed according to the UE implementation. The detailed solution is presented as follows:

[0107] Solution 1-1: Configure the duration of the positioning gap.

[0108] The radio link control process (e.g., adjusting RLM handling or adjusting RLF handling) may include at least one of the following:

[0109] a) With respect to the AS function, the UE may perform at least one of the following:

[0110] i. Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, disable (or suspend) all AS functions;

[0111] and / or

[0112] ii. At the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap, all AS functions are enabled (or restored).

[0113] b) Regarding radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, the RRC layer may instruct the lower layer to perform at least one of the following:

[0114] i. before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, deactivate (or suspend) radio problem detection or radio link monitoring; and / or

[0115] ii. At the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap, radio problem detection or radio link monitoring is enabled (or resumed).

[0116] c) Regarding counter N310:

[0117] i. Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, apply an extension value to the counter N310, for example, the extension value may be greater than 20. The value may be large enough, such as 100, 200, etc., to cover the positioning gap, or set the value of the counter N310 to infinity; and / or

[0118] ii. At the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap, the value of the counter N310 is restored to the counter value of the counter N310 at the beginning of the positioning gap, or the value of the counter N310 starts from the value 0.

[0119] When radio problem detection or radio link monitoring is enabled or restored at the end of the gap, the UE may continue to use the counter value of the counter N310 at the beginning of the positioning gap, or start the value of the counter N310 from 0. For example, at the beginning of the positioning gap, the value of the counter N310 is 5, and the counter N310 is disabled (or suspended). At the end of the positioning gap, the counter N310 is enabled (or restored) with a value of 5; or, the counter N310 is enabled (or restored) with a value of 0.

[0120] d) Regarding timer T310: At the beginning of the positioning gap, an extension value is applied to timer T310, for example, for normal UE, the extension value may be greater than 6s, or for NB-IoT UE, the extension value may be greater than 8s. The value may be large enough, such as 50s, 100s, etc., to cover the positioning gap, or the value of timer T310 may be set to infinity.

[0121] e) Suspend the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap.

[0122] f) before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, transmitting an RRC re-establishment request, the request including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap.

[0123] g) at the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap, using dedicated PRACH resources to transmit a random access preamble; or

[0124] h) Regarding timer T301: Before the positioning gap starts, or when the positioning gap starts, the value of timer T301 is set to a sufficiently large value, such as 100s, 200s, etc., to cover the positioning gap, or the value of timer T301 is set to infinity.

[0125] Solution 1-2: Position the gap after RLF assertion.

[0126] The radio link control process (e.g., adjusting RLM handling or adjusting RLF handling) may include at least one of the following:

[0127] a) Regarding counter N310 and timer T310: Before the start of the positioning gap, or when the positioning gap starts, the value of counter N310 is set to 0, and the value of timer T310 is set to 0 to directly trigger RLF. In this way, RLF is directly triggered and the UE can perform positioning operations.

[0128] b) Suspend the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap.

[0129] c) Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, transmitting an RRC re-establishment request, the request including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap.

[0130] d) at the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap, using dedicated PRACH resources to transmit a random access preamble; or

[0131] e) Regarding timer T301: Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, an extension value is applied to timer T310, for example, for normal UEs, the extension value may be greater than 6s, or for NB-IoT UEs, the extension value may be greater than 8s. The value may be large enough, such as 50s, 100s, etc., to cover the positioning gap.

[0132] Or the value of timer T301 can be set to infinity.

[0133] Solution 2

[0134] In this solution, radio link management may be associated with uplink synchronization. The UE may obtain ephemeris data of a RAN node (e.g., a serving RAN node of the UE) before the start of a positioning gap. For example, the UE may obtain system information containing ephemeris data (e.g., system information block 31 (SIB31) of an LTE system, or SIB19 of an NR system); alternatively, the UE may obtain ephemeris data through dedicated signaling. In some embodiments, the UE may obtain ephemeris data of a RAN node before the start of a positioning gap only if the end of the valid duration of the current ephemeris data is earlier than the end of the positioning gap. In some other embodiments, the UE may always obtain ephemeris data of a RAN node before the start of a positioning gap.

[0135] In some embodiments, the end of the valid duration of the acquired ephemeris data may still be earlier than the end of the positioning gap. In other words, after the positioning gap, the acquired ephemeris data may still be invalid. Then the UE may acquire the ephemeris data of the RAN node at the end of the positioning gap or after the end of the positioning gap.

[0136] At the end of the positioning gap or after the end of the positioning gap, the UE may perform at least one of the following:

[0137] a) Update the UE-specific TA, and the UE-specific TA may be updated with the result of the positioning operation and the valid ephemeris data. For example, the UE may have determined the updated position of the UE and the updated position of the RAN node, and may determine the UE-specific TA based on the updated position and the valid ephemeris data of the RAN node.

[0138] b) Update the total TA, which may be equal to the sum of the updated UE-specific TA and the effective common TA.

[0139] c) Transmitting an RRC re-establishment request using the updated total TA. In some embodiments, the RRC re-establishment request is transmitted in case a positioning gap is followed by RLF assertion.

[0140] d) Report the updated overall TA, the updated UE-specific TA, or both to the network. It should be noted that the UE may report the updated overall TA, the updated UE-specific TA, regardless of whether the conditions for reporting the TA in RRC_CONNECTED state are met.

[0141] Solution 3

[0142] In this solution, radio link management may be associated with cell measurement. With respect to cell measurement of a UE in RRC_CONNECTED state and positioning gaps being configured, the UE may perform at least one of the following:

[0143] i. Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap, deactivate (or suspend) at least one of the measurements of the serving cell, which may include RSRP measurement, distance calculation to a reference location, channel busy rate, or UE altitude in the air; and / or

[0144] ii. At the end of the positioning gap or after the end of the positioning gap, at least one of the measurements of the serving cell is enabled (or resumed).

[0145] In the case where the UE is a NB-IoT UE, regarding neighbor cell measurement in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE may further perform at least one of the following:

[0146] i. Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap,

[0147] 1. Stop evaluating at least one of the criteria used for neighbor cell measurement. For example, stop evaluating the RSRP or RSRP change of the neighbor cell; or stop evaluating the distance or distance change to the reference location, etc.; and /

[0148] or

[0149] 2. Disable triggering of neighbor cell measurements.

[0150] ii. at the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap,

[0151] 1. Start evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighboring cell measurements. For example, start evaluating the RSRP or RSRP change of the neighboring cell; or start evaluating the distance to the reference location or the distance change, etc.; and / or

[0152] 2. Enable triggering of neighbor cell measurements.

[0153] In the case where the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, the UE may further perform at least one of the following:

[0154] i. Before the start of the positioning gap, or at the start of the positioning gap,

[0155] 1. Stop evaluating at least one of the events in the measurement report configuration. The events may include: events A1-A6,

[0156] B1-B2, C1-C2, W1-W3, V1-V2 or H1-H2; and / or

[0157] 2. Disable measurement reporting.

[0158] ii. at the end of the positioning gap, or after the end of the positioning gap,

[0159] 1. Start evaluating at least one of the events in the measurement report configuration. The event may include at least one of the following: events A1-A6, B1-B2, C1-C2, W1-W3, V1-V2, or H1-H2; and / or

[0160] 2. Enable measurement reporting.

[0161] Solution 4

[0162] In this solution, radio link management may be associated with transmitting assistance information to the network, and the assistance information may include at least one of the following:

[0163] a) An indication that a positioning operation (or GNSS positioning operation, GNSS operation, non-GNSS positioning operation or the like) is required at the UE, for example due to UE movement.

[0164] b) Adjustment of the configured positioning operation mode (or GNSS positioning operation mode, GNSS operation mode, non-GNSS positioning operation mode, or the like). For example, adjusting the length of the duration of the positioning operation, such as from 30s to 10s, etc. For example, adjusting the duration of the continuous gap, or adjusting the gap length, applying an offset to the configured positioning gap, adjusting the repetition period of the non-continuous gap, or the like.

[0165] c) The duration that the UE may be out of coverage in case the UE is in a discontinuous coverage scenario.

[0166] It should be noted that the above solution may be performed when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state or other states (eg, RRC_IDLE state, RRC_INACTIVE state, etc.).

[0167] Figure 3 A method for radio link management performed by a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0168] In operation 301, the UE may determine a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; in operation 302, the UE may perform radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and in operation 303, the UE may determine a position of the UE during the positioning gap.

[0169] Figure 4 A method for radio link management performed by a BS according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described.

[0170] In operation 401, the BS may generate first configuration information which configures the UE to perform radio link management associated with positioning gap configuration; and in operation 402, the BS may transmit the first configuration information to the UE.

[0171] In some embodiments, the UE is in a radio resource control (RRC)_CONNECTED state.

[0172] In some embodiments, the positioning of the UE includes GNSS positioning or non-GNSS positioning.

[0173] In some embodiments, radio link management is performed based on configuration information received from the BS, based on UE implementation, or based on pre-configured rules.

[0174] In some embodiments, positioning is performed based on a positioning gap configuration received from a BS or based on movement of the UE.

[0175] In some embodiments, in the case where the positioning gap is configured, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of the following: disabling all AS functions before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling all AS functions at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring at or after the end of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to the counter N310 (for example, greater than 20) before or at the start of the positioning gap; applying an extension value to the timer T310 (for example, greater than 6s for normal UEs, or greater than 8s for NB-IoT UEs, or infinity) before or at the start of the positioning gap; or suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication that the BS suspends the response to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble code using a dedicated PRACH resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extension value to the timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0176] In some embodiments, the radio link control process further includes: starting the counter N310 from a value of 0 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring; or restoring the counter N310 with a previous counter value of the counter N310 after enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, wherein the previous counter value is the counter value of the counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

[0177] In some embodiments, the RRC layer of the UE instructs the lower layers of the UE to deactivate radio problem detection or radio link monitoring, or to enable radio problem detection or radio link monitoring.

[0178] In some embodiments, in the case where a positioning gap is configured after a radio link failure is asserted, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, which includes at least one of: applying a value of 0 to a counter N310 and applying a value of 0 to a timer T310 before or when the positioning gap starts; suspending the transmission of an RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request before or when the positioning gap starts, including an indication that the BS suspends responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; transmitting a random access preamble using a dedicated PRACH resource at or after the end of the positioning gap; or applying an extended value to the timer T301 before or when the positioning gap starts.

[0179] In some embodiments, radio link management is associated with uplink synchronization, and uplink synchronization includes at least one of the following: before the start of the positioning gap, obtaining the ephemeris data of the UE's serving RAN node; after the end of the positioning gap, updating the UE-specific TA based on the positioning result and the valid ephemeris data; after the end of the positioning gap, updating the total TA to the UE-specific TA plus the valid common TA; using the updated total TA to transmit an RRC re-establishment request; or reporting the updated total TA or the updated UE-specific TA after the end of the positioning gap.

[0180] In some embodiments, in the event that the acquired ephemeris data is invalid at or after the end of the positioning gap, the processor is further configured to: acquire ephemeris data of a serving RAN node of the UE after the end of the positioning gap.

[0181] In some embodiments, when a positioning gap is configured and the UE is a NB-IoT UE, radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of a serving cell before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling at least one measurement of a serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; stopping evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements before or at the start of the positioning gap; starting evaluating at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling triggered neighbor cell measurements before or at the start of the positioning gap; or enabling triggered neighbor cell measurements at or after the end of the positioning gap.

[0182] In some embodiments, when a positioning gap is configured and the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: disabling at least one measurement of the serving cell before or when the positioning gap starts; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; stopping evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration before or when the positioning gap starts; starting evaluating at least one event in the measurement report configuration at or after the end of the positioning gap; disabling measurement reporting before or when the positioning gap starts; or enabling measurement reporting at or after the end of the positioning gap.

[0183] In some embodiments, radio link management is associated with transmitting positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information comprising at least one of: an indication that positioning of the UE is required; an adjustment to a positioning gap; or a duration in which the UE is out of coverage.

[0184] Figure 5 A simplified block diagram illustrating an apparatus according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0185] As in Figure 5, an example of an apparatus 500 may include at least one processor 504 and at least one transceiver 502 coupled to the processor 504. The apparatus 500 may be a UE, a BS, a RAN node, or any other device having similar functionality.

[0186] Although in this figure, elements such as at least one transceiver 502 and processor 504 are described in the singular, the plural may be contemplated unless explicitly limited to the singular. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transceiver 502 may be divided into two devices, such as a receiving circuit system and a transmitting circuit system. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 500 may further include an input device, a memory, and / or other components.

[0187] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 500 may be a UE. The transceiver 502 and the processor 504 may interact with each other to perform Figures 1 to 4 The operation of the UE described in any of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 500 may be a BS or a RAN node. The transceiver 502 and the processor 504 may interact with each other to facilitate execution of Figures 1 to 4 The operations of a BS or RAN node as described in any of .

[0188] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the apparatus 500 may further include at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0189] For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause the processor 504 to implement the method for the UE as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 504 interacts with the transceiver 502 to perform Figures 1 to 4 The operations of the UE described in any of .

[0190] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store computer-executable instructions thereon to cause the processor 504 to implement the method for the BS or RAN node as described above. For example, when the computer-executable instructions are executed, the processor 504 interacts with the transceiver 502 to perform Figures 1 to 4 The operations of a BS or RAN node as described in any of .

[0191] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controller, flow charts, and modules may also be implemented on a general or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit components, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (e.g., a discrete component circuit), a programmable logic device, or the like. In general, any device having a finite state machine capable of implementing the flow charts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

[0192] Although the present disclosure has been described with specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, in other embodiments, the various components of the embodiments may be interchangeable, added or replaced. In addition, all elements of each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, a person skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply adopting the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0193] In the present disclosure, for example, the relational terms of "first", "second" can only be used to distinguish an entity or action from another entity or action, without requiring or implying any actual this relationship or order between this entity or action. The term "comprise" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements not only comprises the elements, but also can comprise other elements that are not clearly listed or inherent to the process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of more constraints, the elements beginning with "one" or the like do not exclude the existence of additional equivalent elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the elements. In addition, the term "another" is defined as at least the second or more. The terms "comprise", "have" and the like used herein are defined as "comprises".

Claims

1. A user equipment UE, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: determining a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; performing radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and A position of the UE is determined during the positioning gap.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the positioning gap is configured, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, the radio link control process comprising at least one of the following: deactivating all access layer AS functions before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling all AS functions at or after the end of the positioning gap; deactivating radio problem detection or radio link monitoring before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring at or after the end of the positioning gap; Applying the extension value to the counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; Applying the extension value to the timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; or suspending the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the positioning gap ends; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; At or after the end of the positioning gap, a random access preamble is transmitted using a dedicated physical random access channel PRACH resource; or The extension value is applied to timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap. 3 . The UE according to claim 2 , wherein the RRC layer of the UE instructs a lower layer of the UE to deactivate the radio problem detection or the radio link monitoring, or to enable the radio problem detection or the radio link monitoring.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the positioning gap is configured after asserting a radio link failure, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, the radio link control process comprising at least one of the following: Applying a value of 0 to counter N310 and to timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; suspending the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the positioning gap ends; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; At or after the end of the positioning gap, a random access preamble is transmitted using a dedicated PRACH resource; or The extension value is applied to timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the radio link management is associated with uplink synchronization, the uplink synchronization comprising at least one of the following: Before the positioning gap starts, obtaining ephemeris data of a serving radio access network RAN ​​node of the UE; After the positioning gap ends, updating the UE-specific timing advance TA based on the positioning result and valid ephemeris data; After the positioning gap ends, updating the total TA to the UE-specific TA plus the effective common TA; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request using the updated total TA; or An updated total TA or an updated UE-specific TA is reported after the positioning gap ends.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the positioning gap is configured and the UE is a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement includes at least one of the following: Deactivate at least one measurement of the serving cell before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; ceasing to evaluate at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements before or at the start of the positioning gap; Starting evaluation of at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements at or after the end of the positioning gap; Deactivate triggering neighbor cell measurement before or when the positioning gap starts; or Triggering neighbor cell measurement is enabled at or after the end of the positioning gap.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where the positioning gap is configured and the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, and the cell measurement comprises at least one of the following: Deactivate at least one measurement of the serving cell before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; ceasing to evaluate at least one event in the measurement reporting configuration before or at the start of the positioning gap; Starting evaluation of at least one event in the measurement reporting configuration at or after an end of the positioning gap; deactivating measurement reporting before or at the start of the said positioning gap; or Measurement reporting is enabled at or after the end of the positioning gap.

8. The UE of claim 1, wherein the radio link management is associated with transmitting positioning assistance information, the positioning assistance information comprising at least one of: an indication indicating that the positioning of the UE is required; adjustment of the positioning gap; or The duration during which the UE is out of coverage.

9. A base station BS, comprising: Transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: generating first configuration information that configures the user equipment UE to perform radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; and The first configuration information is transmitted to the UE.

10. The BS according to claim 9, wherein in case the positioning gap is configured, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, the radio link control process comprising at least one of the following: deactivating all access layer AS functions before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling all AS functions at or after the end of the positioning gap; deactivating radio problem detection or radio link monitoring before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling radio problem detection or radio link monitoring at or after the end of the positioning gap; Applying the extension value to the counter N310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; Applying the extension value to the timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; or suspending the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the positioning gap ends; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; At or after the end of the positioning gap, a random access preamble is transmitted using a dedicated physical random access channel PRACH resource; or The extension value is applied to timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

11. The BS according to claim 9, wherein in a case where the positioning gap is configured after asserting a radio link failure, the radio link management is associated with a radio link control process, the radio link control process comprising at least one of the following: Applying a value of 0 to counter N310 and to timer T310 before or at the start of the positioning gap; suspending the transmission of the RRC re-establishment request until the positioning gap ends; transmitting the RRC re-establishment request before or at the start of the positioning gap, including an indication instructing the BS to suspend responding to the RRC re-establishment request until the end of the positioning gap; At or after the end of the positioning gap, a random access preamble is transmitted using a dedicated PRACH resource; or The extension value is applied to timer T301 before or at the start of the positioning gap.

12. The BS of claim 9, wherein the radio link management is associated with uplink synchronization, the uplink synchronization comprising at least one of: Before the positioning gap starts, obtaining ephemeris data of a serving radio access network RAN ​​node of the UE; After the positioning gap ends, updating the UE-specific timing advance TA based on the positioning result and valid ephemeris data; After the positioning gap ends, updating the total TA to the UE-specific TA plus the effective common TA; transmitting an RRC re-establishment request using the updated total TA; or An updated total TA or an updated UE-specific TA is reported after the positioning gap ends.

13. The BS according to claim 9, wherein, in a case where the UE is a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, the cell measurement comprising at least one of the following: Deactivate at least one measurement of the serving cell before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; ceasing to evaluate at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements before or at the start of the positioning gap; Starting evaluation of at least one of the criteria for neighbor cell measurements at or after the end of the positioning gap; Deactivate triggering neighbor cell measurement before or when the positioning gap starts; or Triggering neighbor cell measurement is enabled at or after the end of the positioning gap.

14. The BS according to claim 9, wherein, if the UE is not a NB-IoT UE, the radio link management is associated with cell measurement, the cell measurement comprising at least one of the following: Deactivate at least one measurement of the serving cell before or at the start of the positioning gap; enabling at least one measurement of the serving cell at or after the end of the positioning gap; ceasing to evaluate at least one event in the measurement reporting configuration before or at the start of the positioning gap; Starting evaluation of at least one event in the measurement reporting configuration at or after an end of the positioning gap; deactivating measurement reporting before or at the start of the said positioning gap; or Measurement reporting is enabled at or after the end of the positioning gap.

15. A method performed by a user equipment UE, comprising: determining a positioning gap configuration for positioning of the UE; performing radio link management associated with the positioning gap configuration; as well as A position of the UE is determined during the positioning gap.

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