Positioning using positioning reference signal transmission in frequency hopping mode

Abstract

Repeated transmissions (300) of reference signals for positioning a wireless terminal employ a plurality of sub-bands (311, 312, 313, 314) that are partially overlapped (321).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques related to positioning of wireless terminals capable of connecting to a cellular network. Various examples relate specifically to techniques related to positioning of wireless terminals with limited device bandwidth. Background Art

[0002] In order to facilitate the positioning of wireless communication devices (sometimes also referred to as user equipment (UE)), multi-lateral ranging and multi-angle measurement techniques can be used. An example of multi-angle measurement is triangulation. In this regard, multiple (e.g., three) access nodes (ANs, which may also be referred to as base stations (BSs) in cellular networks (NWs)) with well-defined orientations in a reference coordinate system send reference signals (RS) (P-RS) for positioning. The UE can receive the P-RS and then trigger multi-lateral ranging or multi-angle measurement for UE positioning estimation. This is a scenario corresponding to the transmission of the downlink P-RS; in addition, similar concepts can also be applied to the uplink direction, where positioning based on the uplink P-RS is known.

[0003] For example, when communicating according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G New Radio (NR) protocol, the positioning process is available. In this regard, the positioning process is supported by transmitting a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a sounding reference signal (SRS) for downlink-based positioning and uplink-based positioning, respectively. Accordingly, PRS and SRS are example implementations of P-RS.

[0004] According to the 3GPP NR protocol (see 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 37.355 V17.0.0 (2022-03)), PRS can be allocated at any physical resource block (PRB) within the system bandwidth, and the bandwidth can be configured from 24 PRBs to 276 PRBs in steps of 4 PRBs. The equivalent maximum bandwidth is approximately 100 MHz (for the case of 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS)) and approximately 400 MHz (for the case of 120 kHz SCS). Some UEs are designed to receive PRS across carrier bands / system bandwidths. That is, the device bandwidth of these UEs covers the system bandwidth. Such UEs will be referred to as broadband UEs hereinafter.

[0005] In addition, some types of UEs do not support receiving PRS or other P-RS across the entire carrier frequency band. If compared with wideband UEs, such UEs can only monitor a relatively narrow bandwidth or a fractional portion of the system bandwidth. Such UEs will be referred to as band-limited UEs hereinafter.

[0006] In 3GPP NR rel.17 (see TS 38.300v17.0.0 (2022-03)), a new UE type has been introduced, and this new UE type is called Reduced Capability (Redcap) UE. This is an example of a band-limited UE. The main attributes of the RedCap UE are as follows: Reduced maximum device bandwidth: The maximum device bandwidth of the RedCap UE in frequency range 1 (FR1) during and after initial access is 20 MHz. The maximum device bandwidth of the RedCap UE in the frequency range (FR2) during and after initial access is 100 MHz. Therefore, in the case of FR1, the RedCap device bandwidth is significantly reduced from 100 MHz to 20 MHz, i.e. significantly lower than the system bandwidth. The RedCap UE can only receive and perform positioning measurements based on a portion of the system bandwidth (i.e. a maximum of 20 MHz). This will significantly reduce the positioning accuracy of the RedCap UE.

[0007] Techniques for mitigating reduced device bandwidth for band-limited UEs are known in the art. For example, WO 2022 / 036585 A1 discloses that a UE measures a reference signal on a first subband of an effective reference signal bandwidth at a first hop of a frequency hopping scheme, and measures a reference signal on a second subband of an effective reference signal bandwidth at a second hop of the frequency hopping scheme, wherein the first subband and the second subband of the effective reference signal bandwidth partially overlap. This enables the UE to estimate the phase difference associated with the first hop and the second hop and compensate for the estimated phase difference on the reference signal measured on the first subband and / or the second subband of the effective reference signal bandwidth. Other prior art documents are WO 2022 / 076086A1 and US2019 / 253282.

[0008] Such techniques have certain disadvantages. For example, the configuration and signaling associated with the subbands of the frequency hopping pattern may be relatively static and result in significant control signaling overhead. Summary of the invention

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for advanced techniques that facilitate positioning of UEs with relatively limited device bandwidth, in particular, positioning of band-limited UEs with device bandwidth less than the system bandwidth. There is a need for advanced techniques that overcome or mitigate at least some of the limitations and drawbacks identified above.

[0010] This need is met by the features of the independent claim. Features of the dependent claims define embodiments.

[0011] In the following, a technique is disclosed for allocating time-frequency resources to P-RS in a manner so that a band-limited UE can monitor the P-RS or use these time-frequency resources to send the P-RS. The P-RS is sent using a frequency hopping pattern including multiple subbands. The multiple subbands overlap in the frequency domain. This enables the UE to form a virtual broadband by splicing measurements made on multiple subbands together and compensating for phase offsets. The phase offset can be compensated by comparing the received phase of the P-RS in the corresponding overlapping area in different subbands. In other words, the overlapping area is used to calculate / estimate the phase discontinuity / phase error that may occur between hops due to re-tuning of the RF hardware at the band-limited UE.

[0012] According to an example, one or more configurations of one or more repetition transmissions of a P-RS are obtained at a wireless communication node.

[0013] The wireless communication node may be implemented by a UE or a base station in a cellular network or a location management server in a cellular network.

[0014] Obtaining the one or more configurations may include loading the one or more configurations from a local memory (eg, where the one or more configurations are pre-configured, such as according to a communication protocol).

[0015] Obtaining the one or more configurations may include obtaining a control message from another wireless communication node (eg, via a radio link), the control message indicating the one or more configurations.

[0016] The one or more repeated transmissions may include a first transmission employing a frequency hopping pattern including a plurality of subbands.

[0017] The one or more repeated transmissions may include the second transmission.The bandwidth of the wideband employed by the second transmission may be wider than the bandwidth of each of the plurality of subbands.

[0018] The subbands may be arranged in the frequency domain to have overlaps. That is, multiple subbands may partially overlap in pairs in the frequency domain. This means that pairs of multiple subbands may be allocated common frequencies in the frequency domain, i.e., overlapping regions.

[0019] The first transmission may include a plurality of respective repetitions offset in the time domain by, for example, a plurality of time slots or subframes.

[0020] The second transmission may include a plurality of respective repetitions offset in the time domain by, for example, a plurality of time slots or subframes.

[0021] It will be appreciated that the features mentioned above and those yet to be explained below can be used not only in the respective combination indicated but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 Transmission of a P-RS according to various examples is schematically illustrated.

[0023] Figure 2 Positioning of a UE using multiple transmissions from multiple base stations in a cellular network is schematically illustrated according to various examples.

[0024] Figure 3 Wideband transmission of a P-RS and band-limited transmission of a P-RS according to various examples are schematically illustrated, the band-limited transmission employing a frequency hopping pattern including a plurality of sub-bands.

[0025] Figure 4 A communication node such as a UE or a BS according to various examples is schematically illustrated.

[0026] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method according to various examples.

[0027] Figure 6 Wideband transmission of a P-RS and band-limited transmission of a P-RS according to various examples are schematically illustrated, the band-limited transmission employing a frequency hopping pattern including a plurality of sub-bands.

[0028] Figure 7 Muting patterns for muting repetitions of band-limited transmission of a P-RS according to various examples are schematically illustrated.

[0029] Figure 8 Reception of a fractional portion of a wideband transmission of a P-RS at a UE is schematically illustrated according to various examples.

[0030] Fig. 9 is a signaling diagram of communication between a UE, a BS, and a location management server according to various embodiments.

[0031] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method according to various examples. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Some examples of the present disclosure generally provide multiple circuits or other electrical devices. All references to circuits and other electrical devices and the functions provided by each are not intended to be limited to only cover the contents shown and described herein. Although specific reference numerals may be assigned to the various circuits or other electrical devices disclosed, such reference numerals are not intended to limit the scope of operation for the circuits and other electrical devices. Such circuits and other electrical devices can be combined and / or separated from each other in any manner based on the desired specific type of electrical implementation. It is recognized that any circuit or other electrical device disclosed herein may include any number of microcontrollers, graphics processor units (GPUs), integrated circuits, memory devices (e.g., flash memory, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or other suitable variants of these devices), and software that cooperates with each other to perform the operations disclosed herein. In addition, any one or more of the electrical devices in the electrical device may be configured to execute a program code embodied in a non-transient computer-readable medium, which is programmed to perform any number of functions disclosed.

[0033] Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that the following description of the examples will not be considered to have a limiting meaning. The scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by the examples described below or by the accompanying drawings, which are considered to be illustrative only.

[0034] The accompanying drawings will be viewed as schematic representations, and the elements shown in the drawings are not necessarily shown to scale. Instead, the various elements are represented so that their functions and general purposes become apparent to those skilled in the art. Any connection or coupling between the functional blocks, devices, components or other physical or functional units shown in the accompanying drawings or described herein may also be achieved by indirect connection or coupling. Coupling between components may also be established by wireless connection. Functional blocks may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software or a combination thereof.

[0035] In the following, techniques for facilitating positioning of a UE are described. Positioning allows the determination of the geographic position and / or velocity of the UE based on measuring received UL and / or DLP-RS. The position / position estimate of the UE may be requested by a client (e.g., an application) associated with the UE and reported to the client, or requested by a client within or attached to a core network of a cellular network (NW). Together with the estimated error (uncertainty) of the position and velocity of the UE and the positioning method (or list of methods) used to obtain the position estimate (if available), the position estimate may be reported in a standard format (such as those used for cell-based or geographic coordinates).

[0036] There are many different possible use cases for location estimation. Positioning estimates can be used internally by a communication system (such as a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular NW or a 5GNR cellular NW), by value-added network services, by the UE itself or through the network, and by "third party" services. These functions can also be used by emergency services, but location services are not specifically for emergency situations.

[0037] The technology disclosed herein can be generally applied to various kinds and types of cellular NWs. However, hereinafter, for illustrative purposes, reference will be made to the cellular NW specified by 3GPP. Specifically, reference will be made to 3GPP NR cellular NW.

[0038] The techniques described herein generally rely on the transmission of P-RS. Various implementations of P-RS can be envisioned. For example, P-RS (e.g., 3GPP PRS, 3GPP CSI-RS) can be sent in DL or P-RS (e.g., 3GPP PRS) can be sent in UL. According to the present disclosure, DL-based positioning and / or UL-based positioning can be used. For DL ​​positioning: DL P-RS is sent by multiple BSs or transmit receive points (TRPs) (e.g., gNBs for 3GPP NR) and can be received by the target UE to be positioned. On the other hand, for UL positioning, UL RS (e.g., SRS) is sent by the target UE to be positioned and can be received by multiple BSs or TRPs.

[0039] The P-RS may be broadcast. A cell-specific P-RS may be employed. Resources supporting multiple beams may be allocated for transmission of the P-RS. For example, the P-RS may be arranged in an interlaced pattern (e.g., a comb-N pattern) to be multiplexed with different transmit receive points (TRPs) of the BS. The P-RS from a TRP is transmitted on every Nth subcarrier and is interlaced with P-RSs from other TRPs. In this regard, the UE may perform positioning measurements on multiple TRPs simultaneously.

[0040] In the following, various examples will be specifically given in the context of implementing P-RS through PRS. However, it should be understood that the corresponding technology can also be applied to different kinds and types of P-RS in other scenarios.

[0041] Next, some examples on the transmission of PRS and signal design in combination with PRS will be disclosed.

[0042] The transmission of PRS is defined per resource. A collection of PRS resources is called a PRS resource set. Within a PRS resource set, each resource may represent transmission and / or repeated transmission in different beams (also referred to as spatial filters). A PRS resource set may be repeated with a period of 4 milliseconds to 10.24 seconds. Therefore, according to the example, repeated transmission of PRS is adopted. Some PRS resource sets with the same PRS characteristics (e.g., subcarrier spacing (SCS), cyclic prefix (CP), PRS reference point) are referred to as PRS frequency layers.

[0043] The PRS signal is generated using a gold sequence generator as described in Section 7.4.1.7 of Version 17.1.0 of the 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.211. The PRS signal is placed in certain time-frequency resource elements (REs) in the NR resource block, so that in a certain subcarrier k and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol L, the PRS is allocated to have a certain comb structure. K_comb=4 means that every fourth subcarrier k is allocated a PRS.

[0044] exist Figure 1 PRS transmission 200, resource allocation and transmission / reception are shown in FIG. Figure 1 PRS resource sets 201 of a PRS transmission 200 are shown (in the example shown, the PRS transmission 200 includes seven PRS resource sets 201).

[0045] The PRS is allocated to have a certain bandwidth 209. The bandwidth 209 may cover the entire maximum carrier bandwidth of the carrier, i.e., the system bandwidth (the system bandwidth may be less than the maximum carrier bandwidth specified in the communication protocol, e.g., in 3GPP NR, the maximum carrier bandwidth is 100 MHz for frequency range 1, and the maximum carrier bandwidth is 400 MHz for frequency range 2). Therefore, the PRS transmission 200 will be referred to as PRS broadband transmission 200, or simply broadband transmission 200. The PRS resource includes a plurality of PRBs. Each PRB includes a plurality of time-frequency resource elements 208 (see Figure 1 ). Figure 1 The illustration of shows the comb structure of the PRS transmission within the PRS, i.e., the comb size 205 (in the example shown, the comb size 205 is four) that specifies the time-frequency domain density of the time-frequency resource elements 208 allocated to the PRS transmission. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , two PRSs 251 and 252 with different offsets are allocated to two TRPs / gNBs.

[0046] The wideband transmission 200 is repeated. Two repetitions 611, 612 of the wideband transmission 200 are shown. A period 690 is shown. This enables the UE to monitor the PRS 251, 252 multiple times (which facilitates improved positioning accuracy), and / or enables the UE to monitor the PRS 251, 252 in different time occasions.

[0047] refer to Figure 2 , the PRS resource set 201 generally corresponds to a PRS transmission using a certain beam 131, 132, 132. The UE 121 is expected to measure multiple PRS resources from multiple BSs 111, 112, 13. The UE 121 reports the best beam (e.g., represented by a PRS resource ID) and timing measurements to a location management server (e.g., a location management function (LMF) 115 in a 3GPP NR implementation). Thus, the LMF can perform multilateration for positioning estimation.

[0048] A band-limited UE cannot monitor PRS 251, 252 across the entire broadband 209. Now assume that UE 121 is a band-limited UE. A band-limited UE can only monitor a fractional portion of the broadband 209, which may reduce positioning estimate accuracy.

[0049] To mitigate this, according to an example, a frequency hopping pattern comprising multiple sub-bands is employed. Figure 3 Shown in.

[0050] Figure 3 Wideband transmission 200 is shown coexisting with band-limited transmission 300 (over wideband 209). Band-limited transmission 300 employs a plurality of sub-bands 311, 312, 313, 314 arranged in a frequency hopping pattern 310. This is the transmit frequency hopping pattern 310 employed by BSs 111, 112, 113 for transmitting PRSs 251, 252. The corresponding frequency hops 301, 302, 303 are shown. Accordingly, UE 121 measures (i.e., attempts to receive / monitors PRSs 251, 252) on sub-band 311 before measuring on sub-band 312.

[0051] Each of the subbands 311, 312, 313, 314 has a corresponding bandwidth that is less than the bandwidth of the broadband 209. Therefore, a band-limited receiver of the band-limited UE 121 is able to receive signals on the subbands 311, 312, 313, 314. One or more bandwidths of the subbands 311, 312, 313, 314 match the device bandwidth of the band-limited UE 121.

[0052] To compensate for the phase error (a random phase error is introduced at the UE each time the phase locked loop is switched to another frequency), there is an overlap region 321 in the frequency domain where multiple subbands overlap. Since the subbands partially overlap in pairs in the frequency domain, the UE 121 can estimate the phase offset by comparing the phase of the PRS received on a given frequency in the first subband with the phase of the PRS received on the same given frequency on the second subband in the overlap region. This enables the UE 121 to form a virtual broadband 390. Measurements are obtained across the bandwidth 391 of the virtual broadband 390. This corresponds to splicing multiple subbands.

[0053] Pairwise partial overlap in the frequency domain may mean that the subbands are different from each other but have overlapping regions in the frequency domain. For example, subband A may span from frequency A to frequency B, and subband B may span from frequency Bd to frequency C. The overlap is d. Typically, d is much smaller than the distance from A to B and the distance from Bd to C.

[0054] According to an example, the BS transmits one or more PRSs in different subbands successively. The UE monitors one or more PRSs individually in the subbands. The UE combines measurements of the one or more PRSs in the subbands.

[0055] This is a framework to significantly mitigate the performance loss of band-limited UEs. For example, by splicing PRS measurements made in five different 20MHz subbands, a band-limited UE can achieve similar performance to a wideband UE monitoring PRS in a 100MHz wideband. In addition to the framework for using multiple subbands for PRS transmission, additional references will be made below. Figure 4 and Figure 5 To explain Figure 3 Additional details.

[0056] Figure 4 Schematically, a communication node 90 according to various examples is shown. For example, the communication node 90 may implement a band-limited UE, such as UE 121 (see Figure 2 ). The communication node 90 implements a BS (eg, BSs 111, 112, 113 that transmit positioning reference signals 251, 252 (see Figure 2 A BS in ) will also be possible.

[0057] The communication node 90 includes a processor 91 and a memory 92. The communication node 90 also includes an interface 93. Using the interface 93, the communication node 90 can use a wireless carrier (e.g., using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing modulation) to communicate wirelessly with other communication nodes. The processor 91 can load program code from the memory 92 and execute the program code. When loading and executing the program code, the processor 91 can perform the technology disclosed herein, such as: obtaining a configuration of one or more repeated transmissions of a P-RS (e.g., a PRS or an SRS); sending and / or receiving a P-RS according to the configuration; participating in a positioning process for positioning a UE; and the like.

[0058] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method according to various examples. For example, Figure 5 The method may be performed by a communication node (eg, a UE or a BS of a cellular network). For example, Figure 5 The method can be Figure 2 The UE 121 of the present invention may perform the above operations, or it may be performed by a BS (such as BS111 or BS112 or BS113). Alternatively, the BS may be configured and provide the configuration to the LMF. Subsequently, the LMF provides the configuration to the UE. Figure 5 The method can be performed by the processor 91 loading the program code from the memory 92 and executing the program code (see Figure 4 ) is executed.

[0059] At block 3005, a configuration or configurations are obtained. The configuration or configurations are for one or more repeated transmissions of a PRS. For example, a configuration may be obtained that jointly defines a band-limited transmission and a wideband transmission. It will also be possible to obtain multiple configurations (one configuration for band-limited transmission and other configurations for wideband transmission).

[0060] Example parameters that may be set by the configuration include, for example: the number of resource sets per frequency layer; the number of PRBs; the frequency hopping pattern; the comb structure; the sequence design of the PRS; the timing of repetition of the corresponding transmission; and the like.

[0061] In general, obtaining a configuration may involve loading a configuration from a memory. For example, the configuration may be predefined according to a communication protocol such as 3GPP 5G NR. Alternatively or in addition, obtaining a configuration may include receiving a configuration message indicating at least part of a configuration from another communication node. For example, at least part of the configuration may be determined at a BS in a cellular NW, and then provided to one or more UEs served by the BS using corresponding configuration messages. For example, a radio resource control (RRC) control message may be used to provide a configuration. Obtaining a configuration may include determining / generating a configuration. For example, a BS may determine a configuration, and then provide the configuration to the UE using corresponding control messages. In another example, at least part of the configuration may be determined at a LMF in a cellular NW, and then provided to one or more UEs via one of the BSs using corresponding configuration messages. For example, an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) message may be used to provide a configuration.

[0062] At block 3010, the PRS is then transmitted according to the one or more configurations obtained at block 3005. One or more PRS transmissions are performed.

[0063] Block 3010 may include sending one or more PRSs according to the configuration. Block 3010 may include implementing one or more repetitions of the transmission of the PRS according to the configuration. Block 3010 may include attempting to receive (monitor) the PRSs sent according to the configuration. For example, the UE may attempt to receive the downlink PRS and thereby participate in the transmission. The BS may send the DL PRS and thereby participate in the transmission. At block 3010, the UE may implement one or more positioning measurements and thereby participate in the transmission.

[0064] Specifically, at block 3010, the UE may monitor downlink PRS on multiple subbands of a frequency hopping pattern. Figure 3 As discussed, the subbands are overlapped in pairs (see Figure 3 : where an overlapping region 321 in the frequency domain has been shown). Based on the received phases of the PRS received in the first subband and in the second subband (more specifically, in the frequency overlap), the phase offset between adjacent subbands can be estimated and compensated.

[0065] At block 3015, positioning of the UE is then facilitated based on the one or more PRSs transmitted at block 3010. The UE may send a request to a BS or a location management server (such as a 3GPP NR LMF (see Figure 2 :LMF 115)) provides measurement reports. Then based on these measurement reports, multilateration is possible.

[0066] Next, various example implementations of block 3005 and block 3010 will be explained. To this end, reference will be made to Figure 3 and other diagrams.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown, coexistence between broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300 is possible. Specifically, it is possible to interleave the repetition of broadband transmission 200 and the repetition of band-limited transmission 300 in the time domain. This means that it is possible to alternate between broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300. Thus, both broadband UEs and band-limited UEs can be served.

[0068] Next, example details regarding the band-limited UE 121 reusing a portion of the broadband transmission 200 and participating in the band-limited transmission 300 will be disclosed.

[0069] In some examples, UE 121 monitors the PRS in a band-limited fractional portion 380 of broadband 209 of broadband transmission 200. Thus, overall spectral efficiency may be improved.

[0070] In some examples, the configuration may define a band-limited fractional portion 380 of the wideband 209 as part of the frequency hopping pattern 310. Thus, the configuration of block 3005 may include a frequency hopping pattern as well as the wideband 209, the frequency hopping pattern including a plurality of subbands. By defining the band-limited fractional portion 380 as part of the frequency hopping pattern, compact control signaling for configuring band-limited UEs is possible. Furthermore, the band-limited fractional portion 380 has an overlap region 321 with the subband 311 to compensate for phase errors. Thus, a legacy transmission of a PRS may be configured as a first hop in the frequency hopping pattern. A band-limited UE may start using wideband transmissions such that fewer subbands are required. For example, as Figure 3 As shown, there are only four subbands 311 to 314; this enables the UE to monitor the band-limited fractional portion 380 of the wideband 209. In an alternative example, the UE will not monitor the band-limited fractional portion 380; in such a case, it would be possible that the band-limited transmission 300 includes a frequency hopping pattern 310 that includes a total of five subbands, located in the first subband and corresponding to the subbands in the first subband. Figure 3 The frequencies covered by the band-limited fractional portion 380 in .

[0071] Next, we will explain about Figure 5 Example details of the structure of the configuration (e.g., information content regarding corresponding configuration data) obtained at box 3005 of the method.

[0072] According to an example, separate configurations are provided for broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300 (see Figure 5 This will enable the properties of the PRS band-limited transmission 300 to be adapted to the requirements of band-limited UEs.

[0073] For example, separate control messages carrying the two configurations for broadband transmission 200 and for band-limited transmission 300 may be used.

[0074] In some examples, different PRSs are used for band-limited transmission 300 and wideband transmission 200. For example, one or more PRSs of band-limited transmission 300 may have a different transmit power than one or more PRSs of wideband transmission 200 (e.g., power boosted in band-limited transmission 300). For example, a sequence design (e.g., a different sequence identifier) ​​of one or more PRSs of band-limited transmission 300 may be at least partially different from a sequence design of one or more PRSs of wideband transmission 200.

[0075] As another example, the comb structure may differ between the band-limited transmission 300 and the broadband transmission 200 .

[0076] For example, the length of each repetition (number of symbols) may differ between wideband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300. The number of resource sets may differ.

[0077] As another example, the period of repetition of the band-limited transmission 300 is different from (specifically, smaller than) the period of repetition of the wideband transmission 200. This means that the PRS is sent more frequently on the wideband 209 than on the sub-band repetitions.

[0078] As another example, different mute modes may be used.

[0079] In general, it is also possible that the band-limited transmission 300 and the broadband transmission 200 are configured to use at least part of the same parameters. In such a scenario, it will be possible to implement a joint configuration, for example using a single configuration message.

[0080] In an example, a common configuration is provided for both the broadband transmission 200 and the band-limited transmission 300. The configuration may jointly set one or more values ​​of one or more parameters of both the broadband transmission 200 and the band-limited transmission 300. This may reduce control signaling overhead because fewer information elements are required to configure the band-limited transmission 300 and the broadband transmission 200.

[0081] Examples of parameters have been disclosed above for which different values ​​may be used for band-limited transmission 300 and broadband transmission 200. In other examples, for such parameters, the same values ​​may be used for band-limited transmission 300 and broadband transmission 200. Examples of parameters that may be jointly set include the subcarrier allocation of PRS 251, 252, i.e., the comb structure. Other examples include the sequence design of PRS 251, 252. The same sequence ID may be used. It would be possible to use the same muting pattern. The same repetition period may be used. Other examples include one or more resource sets, i.e., resource sets of the same count may be used.

[0082] The size of each subband 311, 312, 313, 314 (i.e., the number of PRBs) can be configured for each frequency layer (configurable) or predefined (static). For example, for SCS15KHz, a RedCap UE with a 20MHz bandwidth can accommodate up to 110 RBs. RedCap UEs can be configured with other numbers of PRBs (not necessarily 110 RBs), particularly in order to optimize hopping operations related to the total bandwidth and overlapping BW used for frequency hopping operations.

[0083] According to an example, the sub-bands 311 to 314 of the frequency hopping pattern 310 may each have the same bandwidth or a varying bandwidth. The bandwidth of the sub-bands 311 to 314 is defined by the configuration of the band-limited transmission 300.

[0084] The bandwidth of the subband may be smaller than the device bandwidth of the band-limited UE 121. This enables matching the bandwidth of the subbands 311 to 314 to the size of the PRB and accommodating the corresponding overlap region 321.

[0085] Next, example details will be disclosed regarding the relationship between broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300. An example of how the respective configurations relate to each other will be disclosed.

[0086] In general, the band-limited transmission 300 may have the same properties as the wideband transmission 200. More specifically, it is possible that the PRS 251, 252 sent as part of the band-limited transmission 300 have the same properties as the PRS 251, 252 sent as part of the wideband transmission 200. Thus, a single configuration for the PRS may be sufficient. Signaling is reduced.

[0087] For example, the band-limited transmission 300 may be configured to have the same resource set as the broadband transmission 200. It will also be possible to use a fractional portion of the resource set of the broadband transmission 200 for the band-limited transmission 300. For example, if the resource set of the broadband transmission 200 has eight PRBs allocated to the PRSs 251, 252, the resource set of the band-limited transmission 300 may have four PRBs allocated to the PRSs 251, 252. Thus, the overhead of resource elements allocated by the BS to the PRSs may be reduced, thereby freeing up resources for other tasks. In practice, N resource blocks of the broadband transmission may be mapped to M resource blocks of the band-limited transmission 300. That is, for the band-limited transmission 300, the count of time-frequency resource elements per resource set may be lower than for the broadband transmission 200.

[0088] In particular, it is possible that the count of time-frequency resource elements per resource set for band-limited transmission 300 is a fraction of the corresponding count for broadband transmission 200. The fraction may be determined by Figure 5 3005. For example, the configuration may indicate the PRBs per resource set used for broadband transmission 200 and also indicate the corresponding fractions; thus, UE 122 may derive the resource blocks per resource set used for band-limited transmission 300 from the configuration.

[0089] More generally, according to an example, there is a predefined mapping between the count of time-frequency REs per resource set for broadband transmission and the count of time-frequency REs for resource sets for band-limited transmission (or vice versa). This enables the configuration to explicitly indicate the value of the count of time-frequency resource elements per resource set for broadband transmission; the UE can then use the predefined mapping to reduce / infer the value of the count of time-frequency resource elements per resource set for band-limited transmission 300.

[0090] Such mapping also applies to other parameters of the band-limited transmission 300 and the broadband transmission 200, respectively. An example would be the count of resource sets 201.

[0091] Therefore, in some examples, the configuration explicitly indicates the value of a given parameter for broadband transmission 200; then, the corresponding value of the given parameter for band-limited transmission 300 is set based on the corresponding predefined mapping. The mapping may be indicated by the configuration, for example, the mapping may be transmitted from the BS to the UE or from the LMF to the UE; alternatively, it is possible that the mapping is specified by the communication protocol used for communication on the wireless carrier, that is, the mapping is predefined according to the communication standard.

[0092] The mapping may be from broadband transmission 200 to band-limited transmission 300, or vice versa. Figure 6In this regard, a mapping 900 is defined between the number of resource sets 201 for broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300 (see Figure 6 ). For example, the count of resource sets 201 for band-limited transmission 300 may be obtained by multiplying the count of resource sets 201 for broadband transmission 200 by a fraction given by the count of repeated PRBs for broadband transmission 200 divided by the count of repeated PRBs for band-limited transmission 300.

[0093] Next, details about the time domain configuration and relative arrangement of broadband transmission 200 and band-limited transmission 300 are disclosed. Figure 3 3 shows a time gap 325 between the broadband 209 and the sub-band 311 and a time gap 322 between adjacent sub-bands in the sub-bands 311 to 314. Figure 3 In the example shown, these time slots 322, 325 are of similar size. Different time slots may be used depending on the digital scheme of the PRS transmission.

[0094] The duration of the time gap may be expressed as the number of time slots of the communication protocol.A time slot comprises a predefined number of symbols of the OFDM modulation.

[0095] The configuration may specify one or more such time gaps 322 between portions of a repeated transmission 200. Alternatively or in addition, the configuration may specify a time gap 325 between a broadband transmission 200 and a repeated transmission 300.

[0096] By properly configuring the time gaps 322, 325, it is possible to enable the UE 120, 121 to re-tune its RF receiver (or RF transmitter for UL P-RS). At the same time, scheduling strategies can be implemented to accommodate other transmissions in the band-limited transmission 300 than the wideband transmission.

[0097] For example, time gap 322 and / or time gap 325 are specified by configuration as a function of the subcarrier spacing of the carrier. For example, a larger subcarrier spacing (SCS) may have a time gap 322 and / or time gap 325 of shorter duration, and vice versa. For example, a 15kHz SCS has 1 time slot, while a 60kHz has 4 time slots. With this arrangement, the operation of a wideband carrier with multiple digital schemes can be properly arranged to obtain time alignment across different transmissions with different digital schemes. This configuration may be predefined in the specification. For example, a table representing time gaps that depend on NR digital scheme parameters (i.e., SCS). Accordingly, both the UE and the BS (implemented by gNB in ​​3GPP NR) adopt this configuration.

[0098] Time gap 322 may be configured as part of the configuration of frequency hopping pattern 310 .

[0099] Next, example details regarding frequency hopping pattern 310 are disclosed.

[0100] The configuration may indicate a frequency hopping pattern 310. For example, the frequency offsets between the various hopped sub-bands 311, 312, 314, 315 relative to each other or to a common reference frequency may be defined. Figure 3 As shown, it would be possible that the center frequency 706 of sub-band 312 (corresponding to the second hop) is defined relative to a reference frequency 701, which is defined relative to sub-band 311 (its lower frequency). Similarly, the center frequency 702 of sub-band 313 may be defined relative to frequency 705 (which is the lower frequency of sub-band 312 of the previous hop). It would also be possible to define the frequencies of sub-bands 311 to 314 using a common reference frequency (e.g., the lower limit of the system bandwidth).

[0101] More generally, the configuration may indicate the frequency of a given subband (ie, the frequency range occupied by the subband) by indicating a relative frequency shift relative to a reference frequency, for example, the reference frequency being defined relative to other subbands or being defined globally for all fields alike.

[0102] In some examples, the frequency offset between adjacent subbands 311 to 314 is uniform. Alternatively, the configuration indicates a change in the frequency offset from subband to subband. Thus, the relative frequency offset between the hops 301 to 303 of the frequency hopping pattern 310 may be configurable. This change in the value of a parameter from subband to subband is not limited to the frequency offset. Other parameters that may vary from subband to subband include the number of time-frequency resources (e.g., PRBs or REs) allocated to the PRS per subband, for example, by defining the number of resource sets 201 and / or by defining a comb structure.

[0103] In some examples, the size of the overlap region 321 is fixed, such as a single PRB or some fraction thereof. It would also be possible to vary the size of the overlap region 321. For example, the number of REs defining the overlap region may vary as a function of the comb size and the number of symbols per slot. The configuration may indicate an overlap bandwidth (i.e., the frequency domain extension / size of the overlap region 321), which may be defined based on (i.e., as a function of) the frequency domain density of the time-frequency resource elements allocated to the PRS.

[0104] This is based on the following finding: Due to the properties of the comb structure, the time-frequency REs 208 within the overlap region 321 may not be fully occupied by PRSs from a given gNB / TRP. Only the occupied REs 208 in the overlap can be effectively used for phase error calibration. The number of effective REs 208 in the overlap can be calculated by the following equation:

[0105]

[0106] Among them, L oRE is the number of overlapping valid resource elements, L oPRB is the number of overlapping physical resource blocks, L PRS is the number of occupied PRS symbols per slot, and For the DL-PRS configuration, only these {L PRS , } combinations: {2,2}, {4,2}, {6,2}, {12,2}, {4,4}, {12,4}, {6,6}, {12,6}, and {12,12}.

[0107] The number of overlapping PRBs L oPRB can be dynamically adapted to ensure that the number of effective REs L for different comb structures oRE Keep the same. The following is a list of different {L PRS , All possible L in oPRB of table.

[0108]

[0109]

[0110] Table 1: Number of overlapping physical resource blocks L oPRB As {L PRS , }

[0111] Given the above function, the total amount of overlapping valid REs is always 72N. This helps to reliably compensate for phase errors.

[0112] According to an example, the frequency hopping pattern is static. The frequency hopping pattern may be preconfigured. The frequency hopping pattern may be defined in the specification of the communication protocol (e.g., always four hops at a certain overlap and certain frequencies). Therefore, no dedicated signaling is required to signal the corresponding configuration (part of the configuration). In other examples, the frequency hopping pattern is configurable: a plurality of possible patterns may be predefined. The network (e.g., LMF 115) notifies the UE of the frequency hopping pattern. Therefore, it will be possible to provide a configuration of one or more values ​​of one or more parameters of the frequency hopping pattern by a codebook index of a predefined codebook including a plurality of predefined candidate frequency hopping patterns. This reduces the control signaling overhead required for signaling the configuration.

[0113] Accordingly, the codebook may include multiple entries associated with different frequency hopping patterns. By indicating a specific entry of the codebook, a specific frequency hopping pattern may be selected. Next, details regarding muting the repetition of the band-limited transmission 300 are disclosed.

[0114] It is possible that some repetitions of the band-limited transmission 300 are muted. This means that the configuration may specify periodic repetitions of the band-limited transmission 300, or more generally, multiple repetitions. Then, after the configuration is made, some of these repetitions are skipped. Thus, the spectrum allocation of the PRS may be reduced. The configuration of the band-limited transmission 300 may accordingly specify whether one or more of the multiple repetitions of the band-limited transmission 300 are muted. This is in Figure 7 Shown in. Figure 7 A plurality of repetitions 601 to 603 of a band-limited transmission 300 and a plurality of repetitions 611 to 613 of a broadband transmission 200 are shown.

[0115] In general, according to the example, periodic muting is possible. Therefore, the period of sending PRS using band-limited transmission 300 can be longer than the period of sending PRS using wideband transmission 200. In particular, for RedCap UEs, this can be a viable option because the latency requirements associated with positioning can be relaxed. This can be due to, for example, the reduced mobility of such devices (such as IoT devices). Accordingly, the configuration can include a repeated muting mode that specifies the period of repeated muting.

[0116] In other examples, the band-limited transmission may be muted aperiodically. For example, if the BS needs to use the time-frequency resource elements for other transmissions, an instance-specific muting command may be provided. Accordingly, the configuration may include an aperiodic muting command that specifies individual repetitions 601, 602, 603 to be muted.

[0117] It will also be possible that muting according to the muting pattern is triggered by a non-periodic command. For example, the muting pattern may specify a certain period of muting, and this may be preconfigured and then activated by a corresponding command.

[0118] The above disclosed scenarios, according to which the transmitter side frequency hopping mode is implemented. The transmitter side frequency hopping mode is not required in all scenarios. For example, Figure 8 As shown, in other examples, the UE can implement a frequency hopping pattern on the receiver side. In this regard, the broadband transmission 200 is repeated (repetitions 611, 612, 613, 614), and the UE 121 can monitor different fractional portions 381, 382, ​​383, 384 of the corresponding broadband in subsequent repetitions 611, 612, 613, 614. The examples disclosed above with respect to the configuration of the transmitter-side frequency hopping pattern 310 also apply to the receiver-side frequency hopping pattern (e.g., with respect to the overlap region 321, etc.).

[0119] Fig. 9 1 is a signaling diagram of communication between a band-limited UE 121, a serving BS 111, other BSs 112, 113, and a LMF 115.

[0120] At block 5005, the serving BS determines the PRS configuration for both the broadband transmission 200 and the band-limited transmission 300. Accordingly, block 5005 implements block 3005 from the BS perspective. In other examples, the PRS configuration is (at least partially) determined at the LMF 115. It would also be possible to determine at least part of the PRS configuration at the UE 121.

[0121] Then, at 5015, BS111 provides the configuration 70 to LMF 115 using a corresponding positioning protocol control message 4010, which is (optionally) triggered by the corresponding request 4005 provided by LMF 152 to BS111 at 5010.

[0122] At 5020, UE 121 provides one or more of its capabilities associated with monitoring PRS to LMF 115 in a corresponding control message 4015.

[0123] For example, UE 121 may indicate whether it can monitor band-limited PRS transmissions (such as PRS transmission 300) on multiple subbands. The UE may indicate whether it can perform virtual bandwidth calculations, which include, for example, compensating for phase offsets based on phase comparisons between PRSs received on different subbands within the same overlapping region. In general, a higher number of subbands will increase UE complexity. The UE may also indicate that it is not capable of virtual bandwidth calculations; wherein positioning may be limited to PRSs received on a single subband.

[0124] exist Fig. 9 In the illustrated case, the UE 121 is able to perform virtual bandwidth calculations; and accordingly, at 5025, the LMF 115 provides the configuration 70 to the UE 121 in a corresponding control message 4020. Thus, the UE 121 obtains the configuration 70.

[0125] This is followed by a measurement request 4025 provided by the LMF 152 to the UE 121 at 5030 .

[0126] Then, at 5035, one or more PRSs (e.g., PRSs 251, 252) are transmitted in the respective PRS transmissions 200, 300, and the UE monitors the PRSs 251, 252. Thus, the BS 111 and the UE 121 participate in the PRS transmissions 200, 300. At 5035, multiple repetitions of the respective PRS transmissions 200, 300 may be transmitted. At 5040, the UE 121 implements the respective PRS measurements. The UE implements the PRS measurements on multiple subbands of the frequency hopping pattern of the band-limited PRS transmission 300.

[0127] At 5045, the UE then provides a measurement report message 4030 to the LMF 115. This may include a dedicated information element associated with PRS measurements on the band-limited transmission 300.

[0128] The LMF 115 may then locate the UE.

[0129] It is possible that a conflict occurs between the PRS transmission 200, 300 (specifically, the band-limited PRS transmission 300) and other transmissions. The other transmissions may be, for example, synchronization signal blocks, tracking reference signals or common search space transmissions, data transmissions (particularly data for ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) applications). There are multiple options for determining that a conflict occurs. For example, the UE may perform PRS measurements and determine based on the PRS measurements that the PRS transmission is interfered or missing (i.e., there is no PRS). Alternatively or in addition, the BS may indicate the conflict by means of a signaled conflict indicator. For example, a layer 1 indication may be provided in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0130] In such cases, various measures may be taken to mitigate conflicts. For example, a portion or the entire repetition of the band-limited PRS transmission 300 may be dropped or postponed in the time domain. Muting may be applied (see Figure 7 ). It will also be possible to rearrange the frequency hopping pattern, for example, to order the frequency hopping pattern from ascending frequency (see Figure 3) are rearranged in descending frequency order. In this regard, it is possible to provide a conflict indicator from BS 111 to UE 121, or to provide a conflict indicator from LMF 115 to UE 121. The conflict indicator may indicate that another transmission occurs in a PRB or RE that has been pre-allocated to the repetitive band-limited transmission 300. Then, an adjustment to at least one of the timing or frequency hopping pattern of the repetitive band-limited transmission 300 may be indicated and performed.

[0131] The UE may be explicitly notified of such a rearrangement of the frequency hopping pattern. If the UE is not notified of such a conflict, the UE may also indicate in its measurement report that the measurement was affected or corrupted by the conflict. For illustration, at block 5040, when the UE performs PRS measurements, the UE may decide at some point to partially or completely discard the PRS measurements for a given subband for a given repetition of a band-limited PRS transmission. This may be in response to a conflict being detected in the corresponding subband. In the case where the PRS measurements are partially discarded, i.e., some values ​​determined based on the reception properties of the PRS transmitted in the corresponding subband are used, this may also be indicated in the measurement report.

[0132] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method according to various examples. Fig.10 The method may be performed by a wireless communication node such as a BS (eg, a serving BS of a band-limited UE). Fig.10 The method may be performed by BS111. Fig.10 The method may be performed by the processor 91 when the program code is loaded from the memory 92 and when the program code is executed.

[0133] Fig.10 The method of shows aspects related to obtaining a configuration for repeated transmission. More specifically, Fig.10 The method of illustrates aspects related to obtaining a configuration for repeating band-limited PRS transmissions and for repeating wideband PRS transmissions, such as the band-limited transmission 300 and the wideband transmission 200.

[0134] At block 3105, the BS determines a configuration for wideband PRS transmission. This may include setting values ​​for parameters such as: period; count of resource sets; muting pattern; sequence ID of PRS; comb structure. Thus, the BS obtains the configuration.

[0135] Then, at block 3110, the BS sends a corresponding configuration message indicating the configuration that has been determined at block 3105. The configuration message may be sent directly to the UE or sent to the UE via a location management server (such as 3GPP LMF). The UE receives the configuration message and thereby obtains the configuration.

[0136] The BS then determines other configurations for band-limited PRS transmission at block 3115. This may be in response to a need to provide band-limited PRS transmission, for example, because one or more band-limited UEs have requested positioning.

[0137] It is possible that at least one value for one or more parameters differs between band-limited PRS transmission and wideband PRS transmission. It is also possible that all values ​​differ.

[0138] In addition, the configuration determined at block 3115 may include a configuration of a frequency hopping pattern. This may include one or more parameters such as: count of subbands; frequency of subbands; overlap between subbands; time gap between subbands; sequence of subbands. In other examples, the configuration of the frequency hopping pattern may also be predetermined (e.g., in a communication protocol). In some examples, it will be possible that the frequency hopping pattern is configured by a codebook that depends on candidate frequency hopping patterns. This may be a table of candidate configurations for the frequency hopping pattern, and the corresponding index may then be signaled.

[0139] At block 3120, the BS sends another configuration message indicating the configuration that has been determined at block 3115. For example, it would be possible that the configuration message indicates only those values ​​of one or more parameters that differ between the band-limited transmission and the wideband transmission. Thus, by default, the values ​​used for the band-limited PRS transmission may be inherited from the wideband PRS transmission. Thus, the configuration message at block 3120 may be viewed as a "delta update" of the values ​​of one or more parameters using the wideband PRS transmission as a reference. This is particularly useful if the band-limited PRS transmission of the wideband PRS transmission has repetitions that are staggered in the time domain.

[0140] Scenarios where multiple values ​​of a given parameter vary from subband to subband are conceivable. For example, the number of time-frequency resources (e.g., comb patterns, bandwidth, resource sets, or number of symbols) may vary from subband to subband. It would also be possible to change the frequency offset between adjacent subbands. According to the example, it is then possible to indicate multiple values ​​by signaling a rule set that provides as output a value for a given subset. Accordingly, the rule set may indicate a change in value from subband to subband. Thus, a rule set may be signaled instead of signaling all values ​​for all subbands; and the UE may infer the expected value for each subband by applying the rule set. Thus, control signaling overhead is reduced.

[0141] Fig.10The method is only one example of configuring band-limited PRS transmission. In some examples, all parameters of band-limited PRS transmission can be pre-configured according to the communication protocol. In such a scenario, there is no need to send a configuration message. The configuration can be obtained by loading the configuration from a memory. In other examples, there may be a pre-configured mapping from the value of the wideband PRS transmission to the value of the band-limited PRS transmission; in such a case, because the UE can use the mapping to infer the value of the corresponding parameter of the band-limited PRS transmission from the value of the parameter of the wideband PRS transmission, it may not be necessary to send a configuration message at box 3120.

[0142] In summary, a technique for locating a UE using P-RS transmission has been disclosed. A frequency hopping pattern including multiple subbands is used to provide band-limited transmission of one or more P-RSs. There is overlap between adjacent subbands in the frequency domain. A time gap is provided between adjacent subbands, thereby providing time for the UE's receiver to re-tune.

[0143] Various properties of band-limited transmission of one or more P-RSs have been disclosed. For example, it has been disclosed that the bandwidth of a subband of a frequency hopping pattern may be configurable, for example, by a BS. Alternatively, it would also be possible that the bandwidth of a subband is static, for example, the bandwidth of a subband is predefined according to a communication protocol. It has been disclosed that band-limited transmission of one or more PRSs may complement / coexist with wideband transmission of one or more PRSs. This means that multiple repetitions of a band-limited transmission may be interleaved in the time domain with multiple repetitions of a wideband transmission.

[0144] Techniques have been disclosed that allow muting of individual repetitions of a band-limited transmission of a PRS.

[0145] According to examples, details about frequency hopping operations have been disclosed. For example, details about frequency placement or specifically about the starting frequencies of subbands of a frequency hopping pattern have been disclosed. For example, the frequencies may be fixed or may be configurable (e.g., configured by the BS). Indexing the subbands of the frequency hopping pattern has been disclosed. Techniques that enable flexible reconfiguration of the frequency hopping pattern to avoid conflicts with other transmissions have been disclosed.

[0146] Details regarding the overlap between adjacent subbands in a frequency hopping pattern in the frequency domain have been disclosed. For example, the amount of overlap may be configured and / or may be a function of the configuration of band-limited transmission or PRS, for example, the amount of overlap may be a function of the comb size.

[0147] Aspects have been disclosed regarding collision handling for band-limited transmission of one or more PRSs.

[0148] Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to certain preferred embodiments, equivalents and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such equivalents and modifications, and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

[0149] For example, various examples have been disclosed in the context of examples employing downlink PRS to locate a UE. The techniques described herein may also be applied to uplink P-RS, such as UL SRS, transmitted by a UE and received by multiple BSs. In such a case, the measurement report is not provided by the UE to the location management server; rather, the measurement report is provided by the BS receiving the uplink positioning reference signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, wherein the multiple repetitions (601, 602, 603) of the repetition transmission (300) are interleaved in the time domain with multiple repetitions (611, 612, 613) of other repetition transmissions (200) of the one or more reference signals (251, 252), the other repetition transmissions (200) being on a broadband (209) having a bandwidth greater than that of each of the multiple subbands (311, 312, 313, 314).

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The configuration specifies whether one or more repetitions (602) of the plurality of repetitions (601, 602, 603) of the repetitive transmission (300) are muted.

3. The method according to claim 2, in, The configuration comprises a repetitive mute pattern which specifies the period of the mute for repetitions (601, 602, 603) of the repetitive transmission (300).

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, in, The configuration includes a non-periodic muting command that specifies individual ones of the repetitions (601, 602, 603) of the repetitive transmission (300) to be muted.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The configuration specifies one or more time gaps (322) between portions of the repeated transmission (300) on adjacent subbands of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314), and / or The configuration specifies another time gap (325) between the other repeated transmission (200) and the repeated transmission (300).

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: - obtaining (3005) further configurations of said further repeated transmissions (200).

7. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) A configuration of multiple repeated transmissions (200, 300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the multiple repeated transmissions (200, 300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band for a first repeated transmission (300) of the multiple repeated transmissions (200, 300), the plurality of subbands partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, and the frequency hopping pattern also comprising a wideband (200) for a second repeated transmission (200) of the multiple repeated transmissions (200, 300), the wideband having a bandwidth larger than that of each of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314).

8. A method of operating a wireless terminal (121) connectable to a communication network via an access node (111, 112, 113) using a wireless carrier, the method comprising: - obtaining (3005) a configuration of repeated transmissions (300) of one or more reference signals for locating the wireless terminal (121), the configuration indicating a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier that partially overlap in pairs in the frequency domain and also indicating a broadband (209) having a bandwidth greater than each of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314); and - based on the configuration: monitoring the one or more reference signals (251, 252) in at least one of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) and also in a band-limited fractional portion (380) of the wideband (209).

9. The method according to claim 8, in, The band-limited fractional portion (380) of the wideband (209) overlaps (321) with one or more subbands (311) of the at least one subband of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314).

10. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission, the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, The bandwidth of at least one of the plurality of sub-bands (311, 312, 313, 314) is smaller than a device bandwidth associated with the wireless terminal (121).

11. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtaining (3005) a configuration of a plurality of repeated transmissions (200, 300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) for locating a wireless terminal (121) connectable to a communication network via an access node (111, 112, 113) using a wireless carrier, The configuration indicates a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier for a first repetition transmission (300) among the plurality of repetition transmissions (200, 300), wherein the plurality of subbands partially overlap in pairs in the frequency domain, wherein the configuration indicates a broadband (209) for a second repetition transmission (200) of a plurality of repetition transmissions (200, 300), the broadband having a larger bandwidth than each of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314), The configuration jointly sets one or more values ​​of one or more parameters of the first repetition transmission (300) and the second repetition transmission (200).

12. The method according to claim 11, in, The one or more parameters include at least one of the following: subcarrier allocation of the one or more reference signals (251, 252) on both the multiple subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) used for the first repetition transmission (300) and the wideband (209) used for the second repetition transmission (200), or sequence design of the one or more reference signals (251, 252) for both the first repetition transmission (300) and the second repetition transmission (200).

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, in, The one or more parameters include one or more resource sets (201) of time-frequency resources (208) for both the first repetition transmission (300) and the second repetition transmission (200).

14. The method according to claim 13, in, The first count of the time-frequency resources (208) per resource set (201) of the first repetition transmission (300) is a fraction of the second count of the time-frequency resources (208) per resource set (201) of the second repetition transmission (200).

15. The method according to claim 14, in, The fraction is specified by a predefined mapping between a count of time-frequency resources (208) per resource set (201) for the second repetition transmission (200) to a count of time-frequency resources (208) per resource set (201) for the first repetition transmission (300).

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, in, the configuration explicitly indicating a value of the one or more values ​​of a given parameter of the one or more parameters for one of the first transmission (300) or the second transmission (200), Therein, other values ​​of the given parameter for the other of the first transmission or the second transmission are set based on a mapping (900).

17. The method according to claim 16, in, The mapping is dictated by the configuration or fixed by a communication protocol used to communicate over the wireless carrier.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, in, The given parameter is a count of a frequency set (201).

19. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, The configuration indicates that the value of at least one parameter is from subband (311, 312, 313, 314) to sub-band (311, 312, 313, 314).

20. The method according to claim 19, in, The at least one parameter comprises a number of time-frequency resources (208) per subband (311, 312, 313, 314) allocated to the one or more reference signals (251, 252).

21. The method according to claim 19 or 20, in, The at least one parameter includes a given subband (311, 312, 313, 314) of the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) to the plurality of subbands (311, The frequency offset of adjacent sub-bands (311, 312, 313, 314) in FIG. 312, 313, 314).

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, in, Said obtaining (3005) comprises receiving a configuration message indicating a set of rules defining said variation of said value as a function of said sub-band.

23. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (200) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (200), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain (321), Therein, the configuration includes a time gap (322) between adjacent subbands as a function of a subcarrier spacing of the carrier.

24. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, The configuration indicates one or more values ​​of one or more parameters of the frequency hopping pattern (310) by a codebook index of a predefined codebook including a plurality of predefined candidate frequency hopping patterns.

25. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, Therein, the configuration indicates a bandwidth of an overlapping region (321), wherein the overlapping region is defined based on a frequency domain density of time-frequency resource elements (208) allocated to the one or more reference signals (251, 252).

26. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration for repeated transmission of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, wherein the configuration indicates a frequency (702, 703, 706) of a given sub-band of the plurality of sub-bands (311, 312, 313, 314) by indicating a relative frequency shift relative to a reference frequency (701, 705, 709).

27. The method according to claim 26, in, The reference frequency (701, 705) is relative to the plurality of sub-bands (311, The other sub-bands in (312, 313, 314) adjacent to the given sub-band (311, 312, 313, 314) are defined.

28. A method of operating a wireless communication node (90, 111, 112, 113, 115, 121), the method comprising: - obtain (3005) a signal for positioning using a wireless carrier via an access node (111, 112, 113) a configuration of repeated transmission (300) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) of a wireless terminal (121) that can be connected to a communication network, the configuration comprising a frequency hopping pattern (310) for the repeated transmission (300), the frequency hopping pattern (310) comprising a plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) of a carrier frequency band of the wireless carrier, the plurality of subbands (311, 312, 313, 314) partially overlapping in pairs in the frequency domain, - based on the configuration: participating in the repeated transmission (300), and - When participating in the repeated transmission: determining that a collision with another transmission occurs in the time-frequency resources (208) pre-allocated to the one or more reference signals (251, 252).

29. The method according to claim 28, in, The determining that the collision occurred includes receiving a collision indicator indicating that another transmission occurred in a time-frequency resource (208) pre-allocated to the one or more reference signals (251, 252).

30. The method according to claim 29, in, The conflict indicator indicates an adjustment to at least one of the timing of the repeated transmissions or the frequency hopping pattern (310).

31. The method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, in, The determining that the conflict occurs includes performing positioning measurements based on the one or more reference signals (251, 252).

32. A method of operating a wireless terminal (121) connectable to a communication network via an access node (111, 112, 113) using a wireless carrier, the method comprising: - obtaining (3005) a configuration of repeated transmissions (200) of one or more reference signals (251, 252) for locating the wireless terminal (121) in a frequency band (209), - based on the configuration: monitoring the one or more reference signals (251, 252) in different band-limited fractional parts (381, 382, ​​383, 384) of the frequency band (209) in subsequent repetitions (611, 612, 613) of the repeated transmission (200).

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