Location and network energy savings

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a network node transmits to a network entity at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node will block transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both, and blocking transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both, based on the one or more temporal opportunities.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 486,333, filed on February 22, 2023, entitled “POSITIONING AND NETWORKENERGY SAVINGS,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications.

[0004] Related technical description

[0005] Wireless communication systems have evolved over many generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0006] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data speeds, increased connectivity, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on Positioning Reference Signals (RS-P) such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS procedures and technology, and high-density 5G deployments, enable highly accurate positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should neither be considered an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects nor be considered to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0008] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network node includes: sending at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and preventing sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0009] In one aspect, a method of communication performed by a location server includes: receiving at least one configuration from a network node indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and receiving an indication from the network node that the network node is to prevent sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0010] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receiving an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0011] In one aspect, a network node includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: send at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities to a network entity via the one or more transceivers, during which the network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0012] In one aspect, a location server includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receive at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities from a network node via the one or more transceivers, during which the network node will prevent the sending of downlink transmissions, the receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive, from the network node via the one or more transceivers, an indication that the network node will prevent the sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0013] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0014] In an aspect, a network node includes: means for sending at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for preventing sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0015] In one aspect, a location server includes: means for receiving, from a network node, at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for receiving, from the network node, an indication that the network node is to prevent sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0016] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for receiving an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0017] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: send at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0018] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a location server, cause the location server to: receive from a network node at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive from the network node an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0019] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0020] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided solely for illustration and not limitation of the aspects.

[0022] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0023] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C Example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0024] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0025] Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0026] Figure 5 An example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) capability transfer procedure, an assistance data transfer procedure, and a location information transfer procedure between a target device and a location server according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0027] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 7 is a diagram of example positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations for PRS transmission for a given base station in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figures 8A to 8CExample discontinuous reception (DRX) configurations according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0030] Figures 9A to 9C Examples of relative timing of discontinuous transmission (DTX) on-time and scheduled PRS transmission time according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0031] Figures 10 to 12 Example methods of communication according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided below in the description and related drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid obscuring the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0033] Various aspects generally relate to network energy conservation. Some aspects more specifically relate to the interaction between a cell's discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and the transmission / reception of positioning reference signals. In some examples, downlink and / or uplink restrictions are defined to allow a cell to reduce its activity and save power. In some examples, dynamic adaptation of a cell's DTX / DRX configuration may be supported by a base station. In some examples, a location server may request a specific muting configuration for downlink positioning reference signals from a base station. In some examples, rather than completely muting downlink transmissions, a base station may perform "soft muting," in which certain parameters of the downlink transmission (such as transmit power and / or the number of antenna elements) are reduced.

[0034] Certain aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to achieve one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by signaling a cell's DTX / DRX configuration and / or muting configuration to a UE (via a base station or location server), the described techniques can be used to improve resource utilization, at least when the UE will not attempt to measure downlink positioning reference signals or transmit uplink positioning reference signals during inactive times of the cell.

[0035] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0036] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different techniques and methods may be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0037] Furthermore, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be viewed as being fully embodied within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each of the various aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0038] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). Generally speaking, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet, laptop, consumer asset location device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber equipment," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally speaking, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms are also possible for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.).

[0039] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily support wireless access for UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE can transmit signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can transmit signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0040] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because, as used herein, a TRP is the point through which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0041] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting a signal to the UE) and / or as a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0042] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply as a "signal" when the context clearly indicates that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0043] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100, which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of the two, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0044] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul links 122. The base stations 102 may also interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or external to the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be integrated with the base stations 102. The UEs 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location servers 172 via another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), or the like. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intermediate nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0045] Among other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of the following: delivering user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0046] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communicating with a base station (e.g., over a frequency resource, such as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, or frequency band) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) that distinguishes cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0047] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some areas of the geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with the larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0048] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than to the uplink).

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure prior to communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0050] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve access network coverage and / or increase access network capacity. NR in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band are referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW frequencies extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 mm. Super high frequencies (SHF) extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW frequencies and beamforming. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0052] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts it in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located relative to the transmitting network node and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To alter the directionality of an RF signal during transmission, the network node controls the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that form RF beams that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship, so that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0053] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antenna is physically co-located. In NR, four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships exist. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0054] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of the antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) the RF signal received from that direction. Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0055] The transmit beam and receive beam can be spatially correlated. This spatial correlation means that parameters for a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) used for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about the first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the receive beam parameters.

[0056] Note that depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0057] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges designated FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, despite a portion of FR1 being greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes arises with FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, despite being distinct from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz), which is designated as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0058] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz-114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz-300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0059] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "millimeter wave" or the like may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0060] In multi-carrier systems such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier," or "anchor carrier," or "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," or "secondary serving cells," or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. A secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink carrier and primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" may be used interchangeably.

[0061] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate and / or data reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubled data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0062] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0063] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 are capable of sidelink communication. Sidelink-capable UEs (SL-UEs) can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using the Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) can also communicate directly with each other via wireless sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of the core cellular network standard (e.g., LTE, NR) that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without going through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, and more. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be located within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or, for other reasons, unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, each group of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to every other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communication. In other cases, sidelink communication is performed between the SL-UEs without involving the base station 102.

[0064] In one aspect, sidelink 160 may operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as with other wireless communications between other RATs. A "medium" may include one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers). In one aspect, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared between various RATs. While various licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded their operation into unlicensed frequency bands, such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology, commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include various variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0065] Note that although Figure 1 Only two of these UEs are illustrated as SL-UEs (i.e., UE 164 and UE 182), but any of the illustrated UEs may be SL-UEs. Furthermore, while only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs (including UE 164) may be capable of beamforming. Where SL-UEs are beamforming capable, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward a base station (e.g., base station 102, base station 180, small cell 102′, access point 150), and so forth. Thus, in some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0066] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the UE illustrated (for simplicity, Figure 1Any UE (shown as a single UE 104 in FIG. 1 ) may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that UEs 104 may use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., UE 104) to determine its location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit a signal with a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code marked with a set number of chips. While typically located in SVs 112, transmitters may also be located in ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UEs 104 may include one or more specialized receivers specifically designed to receive signals 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SVs 112.

[0067] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 may be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, and the like, such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS)-Assisted Geo-Augmented Navigation, or the GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN). Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0068] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also known as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities external to the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user devices. Thus, UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112 instead of or in addition to communication signals from terrestrial base station 102.

[0069] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity via the D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity via the D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported by any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® wait.

[0070] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to include control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNBs 222 to 5GC 210, specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In additional configurations, ng-eNBs 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, ng-eNBs 224 can communicate directly with gNBs 222 via backhaul connections 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0071] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance data to the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0072] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is illustrated. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the 5GC 210 can be functionally considered to include control plane functions provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulated services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interoperability with EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. Furthermore, the AMF 264 supports functionality for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0073] The functions of the UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and transmitting and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the delivery of location service messages between the UE 204 and a location server (such as the SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0074] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic steering configuration at the UPF 262 for routing traffic to the correct destination, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0075] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance data for the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0076] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) of the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server.

[0077] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and specifically the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223, referred to as an "Xn-C" interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface, referred to as a "Uu" interface.

[0078] The functionality of a gNB 222 is divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions, including delivery of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, and more, in addition to those functions specifically assigned to the gNB-DU 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols for the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers for the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB 222 is typically hosted by one or more independent gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0079] The deployment of a communication system, such as a 5G NR system, can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, network nodes, network entities, mobility elements of the network, RAN nodes, core network nodes, network elements, or network equipment (such as a base station or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality) can be implemented in a converged or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), a NR base station, a 5G NR NNB, an access point (AP), a transmit / receive point (TRP), or a cell) can be implemented as a converged base station (also known as a standalone base station or a single-chip base station) or a disaggregated base station.

[0080] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0081] Base station type operation or network design may take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN, such as the network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which enables flexibility in network design. The various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0082] Figure 2C An example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226), which may communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via backhaul links, or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both. CUs 280 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via corresponding midhaul links, such as the F1 interface. DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via corresponding fronthaul links. The RUs 287 can communicate with corresponding UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 can be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0083] Each of the units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, as well as near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO framework 255) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via the wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via the wireless transmission medium, or both.

[0084] In some aspects, the CU 280 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 280 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 for network control and signaling.

[0085] The DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more higher physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation), depending at least in part on a functional split, such as that defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 285 may further host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285 or with control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0086] Lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, a RU 287 controlled by a DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functionality, low-PHY layer functionality (such as performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs), Inverse FFTs (iFFTs), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, both real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 285 and CU 280 in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0087] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, the CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate with 4G RAN hardware (such as the Open eNB (O-eNB) 261) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 255 .

[0088] The non-RT RIC 257 can be configured to include logic that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 can be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logic that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through data collection and actions via an interface (e.g., via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 259.

[0089] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and may be received from non-network data sources or from network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to execute corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or through the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0090] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are illustrated that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent thereof). Figure 2A and Figure 2B The depicted NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a dedicated network) is implemented to support the operations described herein. It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices with different specific implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0091] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, and / or means for preventing transmission, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a particular spectrum). The WWAN transceiver 310 and the WWAN transceiver 350 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, information, etc.) according to a designated RAT, and conversely, receive and decode the signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, information, pilots, etc.), respectively. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0092] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communicating over a wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth ® 、Zigbee ® 、Z-Wave ®, PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.) and other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.). Short-range wireless transceiver 320 and short-range wireless transceiver 360 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth ® Transceiver, Zigbee ® and / or Z-Wave ® transceiver, NFC transceiver, UWB transceiver or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0093] At least in some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include a satellite signal receiver 330 and a satellite signal receiver 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), and the like. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and, at least in some cases, perform calculations using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to determine the positions of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0094] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0095] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired or wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitter 314, transmitter 324, transmitter 354, transmitter 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, receiver 352, receiver 362). In some implementations, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations, the transceiver can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other implementations, the transceiver can be implemented in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), so that a corresponding device can only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 , short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 ) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0096] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be generally referred to as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred based on the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0097] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, as well as for providing other processing functionality. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 may provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for computing, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, and the like. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0098] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively, include memory circuitry implementing memory 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 may provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 342, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 388, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 398, which can be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0099] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0100] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0101] Referring in more detail to the one or more processors 384, in a downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0102] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols are then separated into parallel streams. Each stream is then mapped to orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived based on a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0103] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for UE 302, they may be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0104] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0105] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0106] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0107] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0108] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0109] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C1 is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionality in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components in are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of , a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, specific implementations of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, illustrations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0110] Various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data bus 334, data bus 382, ​​and data bus 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide for communication between different logical entities where the different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304).

[0111] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components of the present invention may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Each circuit may utilize and / or incorporate at least one memory component to store information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 through 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 through 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 through 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions may be described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a network entity," and the like. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by a specific component or combination of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0112] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may operate independently of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a dedicated network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0113] NR supports a variety of cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. Figure 4Examples of various positioning methods according to various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process illustrated in scenario 410, the UE measures the difference between the arrival times (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (TDOA) measurements) and reports these differences to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the UE's position.

[0114] For DL-AoD positioning, as illustrated in scenario 420, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0115] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE sends one or more uplink reference signals, which are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of reception of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known locations of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the UE's position.

[0116] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle of the receive beams to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position.

[0117] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multiple round-trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), which then transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as the received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest slot boundary of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities can then transmit their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can transmit its Rx-Tx time difference measurements to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, illustrated in scenario 430, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to determine the first entity's position based on the distance to the second entities and the known positions of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve position accuracy, as illustrated in scenario 440.

[0118] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0119] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include the identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots including PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots including PRS, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to the specific positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE itself may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0120] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data may also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty, or search window, around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (µs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 32 µs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 8 µs.

[0121] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position fix, position fix, or fix. A location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The location estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The location estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0122] The Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) is used point-to-point between a location server (e.g., LMF 270) and a target device (e.g., a UE) to locate the target device using positioning-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources (physical entities or portions of physical entities that provide signals measurable by the target device to obtain the target device's location). An LPP session is used between the location server and the target device to obtain position-related measurements or a position estimate, or to transfer assistance data. Currently, a single LPP session is used to support a single location request, while multiple LPP sessions can be used between the same endpoints to support multiple different location requests. Each LPP session consists of one or more LPP transactions (or procedures), each of which performs a single operation (capability exchange, assistance data transfer, or location information transfer). Each LPP transaction involves the exchange of one or more LPP messages between the location server and the target device. The general format of an LPP message consists of a set of common fields followed by a body. The body (which may be empty) contains information specific to the particular message type. Each message type contains information specific to one or more positioning methods and / or information common to all positioning methods.

[0123] An LPP session generally includes at least a capability transfer or indication procedure, an assistance data transfer or delivery procedure, and a location information transfer or delivery procedure. Figure 5 Illustrated are an example LPP capability transfer process 510, LPP assistance data transfer process 530, and LPP location information transfer process 550 between a target device (labeled "target") and a location server (labeled "server") according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0124] The purpose of the LPP Capabilities Transfer procedure 510 is to enable the transfer of capabilities from a target device (e.g., UE 204) to a location server (e.g., LMF 270). In this context, capabilities refer to positioning and protocol capabilities related to LPP, as well as the positioning methods supported by LPP. During the LPP Capabilities Transfer procedure 510, the location server (e.g., LMF 270) indicates the types of capabilities required by the target device (e.g., UE 204) in an LPP Request Capabilities message. The target device responds with an LPP Offer Capabilities message. The capabilities included in the LPP Offer Capabilities message should correspond to any capability types specified in the LPP Request Capabilities message. Specifically, for each positioning method for which a capability request was included in the LPP Request Capabilities message, if the target device supports that positioning method, the target device includes the target device's capabilities for the supported positioning method in the LPP Offer Capabilities message. For the LPP Capabilities Indication procedure, the target device provides unsolicited capabilities to the location server in an LPP Offer Capabilities message (i.e., without receiving an LPP Request Capabilities message).

[0125] The purpose of the LPP Assistance Data Delivery process 530 is to enable a target device to request assistance data from a location server to assist in positioning, and to enable the location server to deliver assistance data to the target device without a request. In the LPP Assistance Data Delivery process 530, the target device transmits an LPP Request Assistance Data message to the location server. The location server responds to the target device with an LPP Provide Assistance Data message containing assistance data. The delivered assistance data should match or be a subset of the assistance data requested in the LPP Request Assistance Data message. The location server may also provide any unsolicited information it deems useful to the target device. The location server may also send one or more additional LPP Provide Assistance Data messages containing further assistance data to the target device. With the LPP Assistance Data Delivery process, the location server provides unsolicited assistance data necessary for positioning. Assistance data may be provided periodically or aperiodically.

[0126] The purpose of the LPP Location Information Transfer procedure 550 is to enable a location server to request location measurement data and / or a position estimate from a target device, and to enable a target device to transfer location measurement data and / or a position estimate to a location server without a request. In the LPP Location Information Transfer procedure 550, the location server transmits an LPP Request Location Information message to the target device requesting location information, indicating the type of location information requested and potentially associated QoS. The target device responds to the location server with an LPP Provide Location Information message to transfer the location information. Unless the location server explicitly allows additional location information, the transferred location information must match or be a subset of the location information requested in the LPP Request Location Information message. More specifically, if the requested information is compatible with the capabilities and configuration of the target device, the target device includes the requested information in the LPP Provide Location Information message. Otherwise, if the target device does not support one or more of the requested positioning methods, the target device continues to process the message as if it contained only information for supported positioning methods and handles the signaling content of the unsupported positioning methods through LPP error detection. If requested by the LPP Request Location Information message, the target device transmits an Additional LPP Provide Location Information message to the location server to deliver additional location information.The LPP Location Information Delivery procedure supports the delivery of positioning estimates based on unsolicited services.

[0127] LPP also defines procedures related to error indication when a receiving endpoint (destination device or location server) receives erroneous or unexpected data or detects that some data is missing. Specifically, when a receiving endpoint determines that a received LPP message contains errors, the receiving endpoint may return an error message indicating one or more errors to the sending endpoint and discard the received / erroneous message. If the receiving endpoint is able to determine that the erroneous LPP message is an LPP error or abort message, the receiving endpoint discards the received message without returning an error message to the sending endpoint.

[0128] LPP also defines procedures related to abort indications, allowing a target device or location server to abort an ongoing procedure due to an unexpected event (e.g., an LCS client canceling a location request). The abort procedure can also be used to stop an ongoing procedure (e.g., periodic location reporting from a target device). During the abort procedure, a first endpoint determines that a procedure P must be aborted and transmits an abort message to a second endpoint, carrying the transaction ID of procedure P. The second endpoint then aborts procedure P.

[0129] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 6 FIG6 is a diagram 600 illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0130] LTE (and in some cases NR) utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), while the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, for a system bandwidth of 1.25 megahertz (MHz), 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, the nominal Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0131] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR supports multiple parameter sets (µ). For example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (µ=0), 30 kHz (µ=1), 60 kHz (µ=2), 120 kHz (µ=3), and 240 kHz (µ=4) or larger may be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz SCS (µ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (µs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30 kHz SCS (µ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. For 60kHz SCS (µ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7µs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (µ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33µs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (µ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17µs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 800.

[0132] exist Figure 6 In the example, a 15 kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1 ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 6 , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0133] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 6In the parameter set for cyclic prefixes, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0134] Some REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). These reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and sounding reference signals (SRS), depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 6 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled “R”) are illustrated.

[0135] The set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting PRSs is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0136] The PRS resource within a given PRB is transmitted with a specific comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N," the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of one symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb size 4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, and 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, for DL-PRS, comb sizes of comb size 2, comb size 4, comb size 6, and comb size 12 are supported. Figure 6 An example PRS resource configuration for comb-4 (which spans four symbols) is illustrated. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate a comb-4 PRS resource configuration.

[0137] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot using a full frequency domain staggered pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in any downlink or flexible (FL) symbol in a slot that is configured by higher layers. There may be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the symbol-by-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-symbol Comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1,0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol Comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (as in Figure 6 ); 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4,10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.

[0138] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to transmit a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by the TRP ID). Furthermore, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor") across all time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of a first PRS resource of a first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity may have a length selected from: 2^µ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, where µ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0139] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (one TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource" (or simply "resource") may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not imply whether the UE knows the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted.

[0140] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically recurring time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning opportunity," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply "occasion," "instance," or "repetition."

[0141] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to simply as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets with identical values ​​for certain parameters across one or more transmission timeframes (TRPs). Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (implying that all parameter sets supported for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported for PRS), the same point A, the same value for the downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and up to two PRS resource sets can be configured per frequency layer per TRP.

[0142] The concept of frequency layers is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but differs in that component carriers and BWPs are used by a single base station (or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit data channels, whereas frequency layers are used by several (typically three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. A UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it supports when communicating its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session). For example, a UE can indicate whether it supports one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0143] Currently, a location server (e.g., LMF 270) sends positioning assistance data to a UE (e.g., UE 204), which includes a PRS configuration for the PRS that the UE is expected to measure during a positioning session. This PRS configuration may include the PRS parameters described above. Currently, although on-demand (aperiodic) and semi-persistent PRS configurations have been discussed, PRS is always sent periodically.

[0144] It should be noted that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, and the like, as defined in LTE and NR. Furthermore, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, or sidelink positioning reference signals, unless the context indicates otherwise. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRSs, downlink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "DL-PRS," uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., SRS for positioning, i.e., PTRS) may be referred to as "UL-PRS," and sidelink positioning reference signals may be referred to as "SL-PRS." In addition, for signals that can be sent in the downlink, uplink, and / or sidelink (e.g., DMRS), these signals may be prefixed with "DL," "UL," or "SL" to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" may be different from "DL-DMRS."

[0145] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example PRS configuration 700 for PRS transmission for a given base station in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In , time is represented horizontally, increasing from left to right. Each long rectangle represents a time slot, and each short (shaded) rectangle represents an OFDM symbol. Figure 7 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a PRS resource set 710 (labeled as “PRS resource set 1”) includes two PRS resources: a first PRS resource 712 (labeled as “PRS resource 1”) and a second PRS resource 714 (labeled as “PRS resource 2”). The base station transmits PRS on PRS resources 712 and 714 in the PRS resource set 710 .

[0146] The PRS resource set 710 has an opportunity length (N_PRS) of two slots and a periodicity (T_PRS) of, for example, 160 slots or 160 milliseconds (ms) (for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing). Thus, both PRS resources 712 and 714 are two consecutive slots in length and repeat every T_PRS slots, starting with the slot in which the first symbol of the respective PRS resource appears. Figure 7 In the example of , the PRS resource 712 has a symbol length (N_symb) of two symbols, and the PRS resource 714 has a symbol length (N_symb) of four symbols. The PRS resource 712 and the PRS resource 714 may be transmitted on separate beams of the same base station.

[0147] Each instance of a PRS resource set 710 (illustrated as instances 720a, 720b, and 720c) includes two opportunities of length "2" (i.e., N_PRS = 2) for each PRS resource 712, 714 in the PRS resource set. PRS resources 712 and 714 repeat once every T_PRS time slot up to a muting sequence periodicity of T_REP. Therefore, a bitmap of length T_REP may be required to indicate which opportunities of instances 720a, 720b, and 720c of the PRS resource set 710 are muted (i.e., not transmitted).

[0148] In one aspect, additional constraints may be placed on PRS configuration 700. For example, a base station may configure the following parameters to be the same for all PRS resources (e.g., PRS resources 712, 714) in a PRS resource set (e.g., PRS resource set 710): (a) opportunity length (N_PRS), (b) number of symbols (N_symb), (c) comb type, and / or (d) bandwidth. Furthermore, the subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix may be configured to be the same for all PRS resources in all PRS resource sets, either for one base station or for all base stations. Whether this is configured for one base station or for all base stations may depend on the UE's ability to support the first and / or second options.

[0149] Even when there is no traffic being sent to the UE from the network, the UE is expected to monitor every downlink subframe on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). This means that the UE must always be "on," or active, even when there is no traffic, because the UE cannot know exactly when the network will send data to it. However, being constantly active is a significant power drain on the UE.

[0150] To address this issue, UEs can implement discontinuous reception (DRX) and / or connected-mode discontinuous reception ("CDRX" or "C-DRX") techniques. DRX and CDRX are mechanisms by which the UE enters "sleep" mode for scheduled periods and "awake" for other periods. During these awake or active periods, the UE checks to see if there is any data from the network, and if not, returns to sleep mode.

[0151] To implement DRX and CDRX, the UE and network need to be synchronized. In a worst-case scenario, the network might attempt to transmit some data to the UE while it's in sleep mode, and the UE might wake up when there's no data to receive. To prevent this scenario, the UE and network should have a well-defined agreement on when the UE can be in sleep mode and when it should be awake / active. This agreement has been standardized in various technical specifications. Note that DRX includes CDRX, and thus references to DRX refer to both DRX and CDRX unless otherwise indicated.

[0152] The network (e.g., serving cell) may configure the UE with DRX / CDRX timing using an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message (for CDRX) or an RRC Connection Setup message (for DRX). The network may signal the following DRX configuration parameters to the UE. (1) DRX cycle: the duration of one "on time" plus one "off time". This value is not explicitly specified in the RRC message; instead, it is calculated from the subframe / slot time and the "long DRX cycle start offset". (2) On duration timer: the duration of the "on time" within one DRX cycle. (3) DRX inactivity timer: how long the UE should remain "on" after receiving a PDCCH. When this timer is on, the UE remains in the "on state", which may extend the on period into a period that was originally an "off" period. (4) DRX retransmission timer: the maximum number of consecutive PDCCH subframes / slots that the UE should remain active to wait for incoming retransmissions after the first available retransmission time. (5) Short DRX cycle: A DRX cycle that can be implemented during the "off" period of a long DRX cycle. (6) DRX short cycle timer: The number of consecutive subframes / time slots that should be followed by a short DRX cycle after the DRX inactivity timer expires.

[0153] Figures 8A to 8C Example DRX configurations according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. Figure 8A An example DRX configuration 800A is illustrated in which a long DRX cycle (the time from the start of one On Duration to the start of the next On Duration) is configured and no PDCCH is received during the cycle. Figure 8BAn example DRX configuration 800B is illustrated in which a long DRX cycle is configured and a PDCCH is received during the On duration 810 of the illustrated second DRX cycle. Note that the On duration 810 ends at time 812. However, based on the length of the DRX Inactivity Timer and the time when the PDCCH is received, the time the UE is awake / active ("Active Time") is extended to time 814. Specifically, upon receiving the PDCCH, the UE starts the DRX Inactivity Timer and remains in the Active state until the timer expires (the timer is reset each time a PDCCH is received during the Active Time).

[0154] Figure 8C An example DRX configuration 800C is illustrated in which a long DRX cycle is configured and a PDCCH and a DRX command MAC control element (MAC-CE) are received during the ON duration 820 of the illustrated second DRX cycle. Note that due to the PDCCH being received at time 822 and the subsequent expiration of the DRX inactivity timer at time 824, the active time that began during the ON duration 820 will normally end at time 824, as described above with reference to Figure 8B However, in Figure 8C In the example of , the active time is shortened to time 826 based on the time of receiving the DRX command MAC CE instructing the UE to terminate the DRX inactivity timer and the start duration timer.

[0155] In more detail, the active time of a DRX cycle is the time during which the UE is considered to be monitoring the PDCCH. The active time may include the time during which: the on-duration timer is running, the DRX inactivity timer is running, the DRX retransmission timer is running, the MAC contention resolution timer is running, a scheduling request has been transmitted on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and is pending, an uplink grant for a pending HARQ retransmission may occur and data exists in the corresponding HARQ buffer, or a newly transmitted PDCCH indicating a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) addressed to the UE has not been received after successfully receiving a random access response (RAR) for a preamble not selected by the UE. In addition, in non-contention-based random access, after receiving the RAR, the UE should be in the active state until a newly transmitted PDCCH indicating the C-RNTI addressed to the UE is received.

[0156] To conserve network-side energy (referred to as Network Energy Saving (NES)), network-side techniques similar to UE-side C-DRX have been introduced. More specifically, cell-level discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanisms (referred to as "cell DTX / DRX") are under discussion. These mechanisms may include aligning the cell DTX / DRX cycle with the UE DRX cycle of UEs in RRC Connected mode, as well as inter-node information exchange regarding cell DTX / DRX. However, it has been agreed that SSB transmission should not be altered due to cell DTX / DRX, and any impact on RRC Idle and / or inactive UEs should be avoided.

[0157] The impact of cell DTX / DRX on DL-PRS transmission has not yet been agreed upon. On the UE side, if C-DRX is configured for the UE, it will not affect the transmission of DL-PRS by the TRP (because, as explained above, if DL-PRS is configured, it is transmitted periodically). Furthermore, the UE's DL-PRS measurement requirements apply regardless of whether C-DRX is configured. That is, the UE is expected to measure all PRS opportunities regardless of the DRX cycle.

[0158] This disclosure provides techniques for interacting a cell's DTX / DRX cycle with the transmission of DL-PRS and / or reception of SRS. At a high level, the disclosed techniques include uplink and / or downlink restrictions (e.g., in addition to those defined by a traditional C-DRX configuration) to allow the cell to reduce its activity and save power. The proposed techniques also support dynamic adaptation of the cell's DTX / DRX configuration.

[0159] Figures 9A to 9C An example of the relative timing of DTX on time and scheduled DL-PRS transmission time according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 9A As shown, in a fully overlapping relationship of DL-PRS and DTX On-time, a scheduled DL-PRS opportunity 910 (comprising multiple repetitions of a DL-PRS resource 912, only one of which is labeled for clarity) occurs entirely within a scheduled DTX On-time window 920. Thus, the DL-PRS opportunity 910 fully overlaps the DTX On-time window 920. The DTX cycle time is shown as the time from the start of the DTX On-time window 920 to the start of the next DTX On-time window 930.

[0160] like Figure 9BAs shown, in the partial overlap relationship between DL-PRS and DTX on time, the scheduled DL-PRS opportunity 910 partially overlaps with the DTX on time window 920. One portion of the DL-PRS opportunity 910 overlaps with a portion of the DTX on time window 920, while another portion of the DL-PRS opportunity 910 overlaps with a portion of the DTX off time window 940. Figure 9C As shown, in a zero overlap relationship of DL-PRS and DTX on time, the scheduled DL-PRS opportunity 910 does not overlap with the DTX on time window 920 at all, but instead completely overlaps with the DTX off time window 940.

[0161] Note that although Figures 9A to 9C An example of interaction between a DTX cycle of a cell and DL-PRS transmission is illustrated, but it should be understood that the DTX cycle may instead be a DRX cycle, and the DL-PRS transmission may instead be SRS reception.

[0162] The concept of "PRS muting" can be used in NESs. PRS muting means not transmitting certain PRS resources, PRS resource sets, PRS opportunities, etc. Currently, the PRS muting configuration for a cell is provided by a DU (e.g., DU 285) to a CU (e.g., CU 280), which in turn provides it to a LMF (e.g., LMF 270), and then to a UE (e.g., UE 204). Muting is typically performed to reduce or even prevent interference between TRPs. However, for energy conservation purposes, a cell may also mute certain PRS resources, PRS resource sets, PRS opportunities, etc.

[0163] With respect to signaling between a base station (e.g., gNB) and a location server (e.g., LMF) regarding the interaction between cell DTX / DRX and PRS, when defining a cell DTX / DRX configuration that will affect PRS transmission, the base station may provide its DTX / DRX configuration to the location server. The DTX / DRX configuration may apply to all cells supported by the base station, or may be per-cell (meaning that different DTX / DRX configurations may exist for different cells supported by the same base station).

[0164] In some cases, the base station may configure an extended C-DRX configuration with additional restrictions for the UE. The additional restrictions may indicate times during which the UE should not expect transmissions from the cell (because the cell will not transmit during those times) and / or times during which the UE is not allowed to transmit to the cell (because the cell will not receive during those times). In these cases, the base station may provide the extended C-DRX configuration to the location server as an alternative or in addition to providing the DTX / DRX configuration to the location server.

[0165] In the case where the base station provides its cell DTX / DRX configuration to the location server, the base station may also indicate to the location server whether its PRS transmission will be muted in accordance with (according to) its DTX / DRX configuration. For example, the base station may indicate that for partial overlap between DL-PRS and DTX off time (e.g. Figure 9B As shown in ), the base station will still send DL-PRS, but for a complete overlap between DL-PRS and DTX off time (as shown in Figure 9C As shown in Figure 2), the base station will mute (not send) DL-PRS.

[0166] Based on information from the base station, the location server can indicate to the UE whether the PRS will be muted according to the DTX / DRX configuration of the cell. This indication can be included in the LPP Provide Assistance Data message of the LPP Request Location Information message indicating the PRS configuration for the cell. The location server can also indicate to the UE the cell DTX / DRX cycle for a given cell / TRP.

[0167] With respect to support for dynamic and / or semi-persistent muting patterns, a base station can directly and dynamically notify a UE of the muting pattern for PRSs transmitted by a serving base station. More specifically, a base station can support multiple different muting patterns and select one of these muting patterns as appropriate (e.g., based on coordination with other base stations, channel conditions, such as a request from a location server, etc.). Thus, a base station can pre-configure a UE with all possible muting patterns for the base station (or UE-specific muting patterns) via RRC signaling and then indicate the adaptation, activation, deactivation, and / or switching of these muting patterns via Layer 1 (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI)), Layer 2 (e.g., MAC Control Element (MAC-CE)), or Layer 3 (e.g., RRC) signaling. The dynamic indication can refer to one of the pre-configured patterns (e.g., including an identifier for one of the pre-configured patterns).

[0168] Alternatively, the silent mode may be pre-configured to the UE by the location server (e.g., providing assistance data messages via LPP), and the adaptation, activation, deactivation and / or switching of the silent mode may then be signaled to the UE via L1, L2 or L3 signaling (i.e., from the base station).

[0169] In some cases, instead of an explicit indication of the muting pattern to be used in a cell, the indication may be implicitly provided by another parameter (e.g., the cell DTX / DRX configuration or the UE's C-DRX). That is, if the UE is provided with the cell DTX / DRX configuration (or an extended C-DRX configuration that includes restrictions corresponding to times during which the cell will not transmit and / or receive), the UE may determine, based on the configuration, that the DL-PRS will be muted / canceled during the associated cell inactivity period.

[0170] For DL-PRS transmitted by neighboring base stations or cells or TRPs (i.e., nearby base stations or cells or TRPs other than the UE's serving base station or cell or TRP), the UE is configured with the PRS configuration of these base stations by the location server (e.g., providing assistance data messages via LPP). Due to the latency of LPP signaling, it may not be feasible for the location server to support dynamic muting pattern configuration for the UE. However, the location server may provide the UE with one or more periodic and / or semi-persistent muting patterns for each neighboring base station or cell or TRP. One of the pre-configured muting patterns may then be activated / indicated to the UE by the serving base station via L1, L2, or L3 signaling. In some cases, the indication to the UE may come from the neighboring base station itself (e.g., broadcast or unicast to the UE via over-the-air (OTA) signaling).

[0171] In some cases, a location server can request a specific muting pattern from a base station. Currently, a location server can request various parameters associated with DL-PRS (e.g., via the New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) PRS Configuration Request message). However, a location server currently cannot request a muting pattern. In scenarios where multiple nearby base stations wish to mute their DL-PRS (e.g., for NES purposes), this can negatively impact positioning performance / accuracy for nearby UEs, as too many DL-PRS may be muted for a UE to meet the requested accuracy. Therefore, it would be beneficial for a location server to be able to coordinate muting patterns across multiple base stations.

[0172] In one aspect, the NRPPa PRS Configuration Request message can be extended to include the requested muting pattern (for a given base station / TRP / cell). The request can include the requested muting pattern configuration (e.g., the PRS occasions to be muted), or the base station (or TRP or cell) may have provided the location server with one or more sets of muting patterns that it can implement. The location server can then be limited to requesting a muting pattern from the provided muting pattern list.

[0173] In some cases, a base station may indicate to a location server that it wishes to mute its PRS (or, simply put, that it wishes to save energy). The location server may use this indication to select one or more of the muting patterns previously offered by the base station and its neighboring base stations. The location server may then instruct the base station, and optionally the neighboring base stations, to implement the selected muting pattern.

[0174] In some cases, a base station may support "soft muting," in which the base station may transmit DL-PRS at reduced transmit power and / or using fewer spatial elements. More specifically, instead of completely turning off PRS transmission in a subset of opportunities (PRS opportunities to be muted), the base station may instead transmit PRS in a different configuration. For example, the base station may transmit PRS at reduced transmit power and / or on a subset of spatial elements (e.g., antenna elements). Reducing the number of spatial elements can affect the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and beam shape of the DL-PRS (reducing the number of antenna elements results in a wider beam shape).

[0175] If a base station supports "soft muting," the base station may provide a delta configuration associated with its soft muting occasions to a location server (or a neighboring base station). The delta configuration may indicate a reduction in transmit power and / or antenna beam information (e.g., beam shape resulting from the reduction of spatial elements), depending on whether the base station supports one or both of the reduced transmit power and the reduced spatial elements.

[0176] In some cases, "soft muting" may alternatively or additionally include changes to other parameters of the DL-PRS. Such parameters may include, for example, bandwidth (e.g., reduced bandwidth), comb size (e.g., increased comb size), periodicity (e.g., extended periodicity), repetition factor (e.g., fewer repetitions), number of symbols (e.g., fewer symbols), QCL information, number of frequency layers (e.g., fewer frequency layers), etc.

[0177] Figure 10 An example method 1000 of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, the method 1000 may be performed by a network node (eg, a base station, a TRP, a cell, a CU, a DU, etc.).

[0178] At 1010, the network node transmits at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node will prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both to a network entity (e.g., a UE or a location server). In one aspect, operation 1010 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, one or more network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0179] At 1020, the network node prevents transmission of a DL-PRS, reception of a UL-PRS (e.g., SRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities. In one aspect, operation 1020 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 360, one or more network transceivers 380, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0180] Figure 11 Illustrated is an example method 1100 of communications in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In one aspect, the method 1100 may be performed by a location server (eg, LMF 270).

[0181] At 1110, the location server receives at least one configuration from the network node indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of downlink transmissions, the reception of uplink transmissions, or both. In one aspect, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0182] At 1120, the location server receives an indication from the network node that the network node will prevent transmission of DL-PRS, reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities. In an aspect, operation 1120 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0183] Figure 12 An example method 1200 of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, the method 1200 may be performed by a UE (eg, any of the UEs described herein).

[0184] At 1210, the UE receives at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both. In one aspect, operation 1210 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0185] At 1220, the UE receives an indication that the network node will prevent transmission of DL-PRS, reception of UL-PRS (e.g., SRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities. In an aspect, operation 1220 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0186] It will be appreciated that the technical advantage of methods 1000 to 1200 is that they enable a UE to obtain a cell's DTX / DRX configuration or PRS muting configuration, thereby reducing power consumption and improving resource utilization on both the network and UE sides. For example, the UE will not attempt to measure DL-PRS or transmit UL-PRS during the cell's inactive time. Methods 1000 to 1200 achieve these goals in a more efficient, dynamic, flexible, and / or granular manner.

[0187] In the detailed description above, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in each example. This disclosure should not be interpreted as an intention that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer than all the features of the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be incorporated into the description accordingly, with each clause itself serving as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses in the clause, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to specific combinations. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations unless it is explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). In addition, it is also expected that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0188] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0189] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, the method comprising: sending at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and preventing sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0190] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one configuration further indicates that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0191] Clause 3. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein preventing the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both comprises: preventing the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both for a DL-PRS transmission, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both that at least partially overlaps with a time opportunity in the one or more time opportunities; or preventing the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both only for a DL-PRS transmission, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both that completely overlaps with a time opportunity in the one or more time opportunities.

[0192] Clause 4. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0193] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, further comprising, after sending the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, sending to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node an activation of the at least one configuration, a deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0194] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is sent to the UE via downlink control information (DCI), medium access control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0195] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 4 to 6, wherein the network entity is a location server.

[0196] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising sending, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of a DL-PRS muting configuration of a neighboring network node of the UE, deactivation of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, switching to the DL-PRS muting configuration from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, or a change to one or more parameters of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node.

[0197] Clause 9. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 8, the method further comprising: receiving a request from the network entity to provide one or more DL-PRS muting configurations to the network entity, wherein the at least one configuration is one DL-PRS muting configuration of the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations, and wherein the at least one configuration is sent to the network entity in response to the request.

[0198] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the request includes recommended parameters for the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0199] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 9 to 10, wherein the request comprises a New Radiopositioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) PRS Configuration Request message.

[0200] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 9 to 11, further comprising sending an indication to the network entity that the network node is to prevent the sending of DL-PRS, the receiving of UL-PRS, or both.

[0201] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, further comprising receiving, from the network entity, an indication of the at least one configuration implementing the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0202] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 1 to 13, wherein preventing the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both comprises transmitting DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0203] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the reduced resource set comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of located frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0204] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 14 to 15, further comprising sending an indication of the reduced set of resources to the network entity.

[0205] Clause 17. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 16, wherein the network entity comprises a location server or a user equipment (UE) configured to measure DL-PRS from the network node, send UL-PRS to the network node, or both.

[0206] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 1 to 17, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0207] Clause 19. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 18, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0208] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 1 to 19, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0209] Clause 21. A method of communication performed by a location server, the method comprising: receiving from a network node at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node will prevent the sending of downlink transmissions, the receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and receiving from the network node an indication that the network node will prevent the sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0210] Clause 22. The method of clause 21, further comprising: sending the at least one configuration to a user equipment (UE); and sending the indication to the UE that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0211] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0212] Clause 24. The method of clause 23, further comprising sending an indication to the network node implementing the at least one configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0213] Clause 25. A method as set forth in any one of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0214] Clause 26. The method of any of clauses 21 to 25, further comprising sending a request to the network node to provide the at least one configuration to the location server, wherein the at least one configuration is received in response to the request.

[0215] Clause 27. The method of clause 26, wherein the request includes recommended parameters for the at least one configuration.

[0216] Clause 28. A method according to any of clauses 21 to 27, wherein receiving the indication that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both comprises receiving an indication that the network node is to transmit DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0217] Clause 29. The method of clause 28, wherein the reduced resource set comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of located frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0218] Clause 30. The method of any of clauses 21 to 29, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0219] Clause 31. A method according to any of clauses 21 to 30, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0220] Clause 32. The method of any of clauses 21 to 31, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0221] Clause 33. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receiving an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0222] Clause 34. The method of clause 33, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0223] Clause 35. The method of clause 34, further comprising receiving activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0224] Clause 36. The method of clause 35, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is received from the network node via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0225] Clause 37. A method as set forth in any of clauses 33 to 36, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0226] Clause 38. The method of any of clauses 33 to 37, wherein the at least one configuration is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0227] Clause 39. The method of any of clauses 33 to 38, wherein the indication is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0228] Clause 40. The method of any of clauses 33 to 39, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0229] Clause 41. A method according to any of clauses 33 to 40, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0230] Clause 42. The method of any of clauses 33 to 41, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0231] Clause 43. A network node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: send at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities to a network entity via the one or more transceivers, during which the network node will prevent the transmission of downlink transmissions, the reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and prevent the transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0232] Clause 44. The network node of clause 43, wherein the at least one configuration further indicates that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0233] Clause 45. A network node according to any of clauses 43 to 44, wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both, comprises the one or more processors being configured to: prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both, for a DL-PRS transmission, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both that at least partially overlaps with a time opportunity of the one or more time opportunities; or prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both, only for a DL-PRS transmission, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both that completely overlaps with a time opportunity of the one or more time opportunities.

[0234] Clause 46. A network node according to any of clauses 43 to 45, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

[0235] Clause 47. A network node according to clause 46, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: after sending the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, send, via the one or more transceivers, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, switching from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0236] Clause 48. A network node according to clause 47, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is sent to the UE via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0237] Clause 49. The network node of any of clauses 46 to 48, wherein the network entity is a location server.

[0238] Clause 50. A network node according to any of clauses 43 to 49, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send, via the one or more transceivers, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, an activation of a DL-PRS muting configuration of a neighboring network node of the UE, a deactivation of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node to the DL-PRS muting configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node.

[0239] Clause 51. A network node according to any of clauses 43 to 50, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, a request from the network entity to provide one or more DL-PRS muting configurations to the network entity, wherein the at least one configuration is one DL-PRS muting configuration of the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations, and wherein the at least one configuration is sent to the network entity in response to the request.

[0240] Clause 52. The network node of clause 51, wherein the request comprises recommended parameters for the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0241] Clause 53. A network node as set forth in any of clauses 51 to 52, wherein the request comprises a New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) PRS Configuration Request message.

[0242] Clause 54. A network node as described in any of clauses 51 to 53, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send an indication to the network entity via the one or more transceivers that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both.

[0243] Clause 55. The network node of clause 54, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive, from the network entity via the one or more transceivers, an indication of the at least one configuration to implement the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0244] Clause 56. A network node as described in any of clauses 43 to 55, wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both, including the one or more processors being configured to: transmit DL-PRS via the one or more transceivers on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0245] Clause 57. The network node of clause 56, wherein the reduced resource set comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0246] Clause 58. The network node of any of clauses 56 to 57, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send an indication of the reduced set of resources to the network entity via the one or more transceivers.

[0247] Clause 59. A network node as set forth in any of clauses 43 to 58, wherein the network entity comprises a location server or a user equipment (UE) configured to measure DL-PRS from the network node, send UL-PRS to the network node, or both.

[0248] Clause 60. The network node of any of clauses 43 to 59, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0249] Clause 61. A network node as described in any of clauses 43 to 60, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0250] Clause 62. The network node of any of clauses 43 to 61, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0251] Clause 63. A location server, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receive from a network node via the one or more transceivers at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node will prevent the sending of downlink transmissions, the receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive from the network node via the one or more transceivers an indication that the network node will prevent the sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0252] Clause 64. A location server according to clause 63, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send the at least one configuration to a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; and send the indication to the UE via the one or more transceivers that the network node will prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0253] Clause 65. A location server according to clause 64, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node will prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0254] Clause 66. The location server of clause 65, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send an indication of the at least one configuration implementing the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the network node via the one or more transceivers.

[0255] Clause 67. The location server of any of clauses 64 to 66, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0256] Clause 68. A location server according to any one of clauses 63 to 67, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send a request to the network node via the one or more transceivers to provide the at least one configuration to the location server, wherein the at least one configuration is received in response to the request.

[0257] Clause 69. The location server of Clause 68, wherein the request includes recommended parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0258] Clause 70. A location server according to any of clauses 63 to 69, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the indication that the network node will prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both, including the one or more processors being configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication that the network node will transmit DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0259] Clause 71. The location server of clause 70, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 72. The location server of any of clauses 63 to 71, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0261] Clause 73. A location server according to any of clauses 63 to 72, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0262] Clause 74. The location server of any of clauses 63 to 73, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0263] Clause 75. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities during which a network node is to prevent the transmission of downlink transmissions, the reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive, via the one or more transceivers, an indication that the network node is to prevent the transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0264] Clause 76. A UE according to clause 75, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0265] Clause 77. A UE according to clause 76, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive, via the one or more transceivers, activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0266] Clause 78. A UE according to clause 77, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is received from the network node via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0267] Clause 79. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 78, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0268] Clause 80. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 79, wherein the at least one configuration is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0269] Clause 81. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 80, wherein the indication is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0270] Clause 82. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 81, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0271] Clause 83. A UE as described in any of clauses 75 to 82, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0272] Clause 84. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 83, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0273] Clause 85. A network node comprising: means for sending at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions to a network entity, during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for preventing sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0274] Clause 86. The network node of clause 85, wherein the at least one configuration further indicates that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0275] Clause 87. A network node as described in any of clauses 85 to 86, wherein the means for preventing the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both comprises: means for preventing the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both for a DL-PRS transmission, a UL-PRS reception, or both that at least partially overlaps with a time opportunity of the one or more time opportunities; or means for preventing the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both only for a DL-PRS transmission, a UL-PRS reception, or both that completely overlaps with a time opportunity of the one or more time opportunities.

[0276] Clause 88. A network node according to any of clauses 85 to 87, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

[0277] Clause 89. The network node of clause 88, further comprising: means for sending, after sending the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, switching from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0278] Clause 90. The network node of clause 89, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is sent to the UE via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0279] Clause 91. The network node of any of clauses 88 to 90, wherein the network entity is a location server.

[0280] Clause 92. A network node according to any of clauses 85 to 91, the network node further comprising: means for sending, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of a DL-PRS muting configuration of a neighbouring network node of the UE, deactivation of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighbouring network node, switching to the DL-PRS muting configuration from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighbouring network node, or a change to one or more parameters of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighbouring network node.

[0281] Clause 93. A network node according to any of clauses 85 to 92, the network node further comprising: a component for receiving a request from the network entity to provide one or more DL-PRS muting configurations to the network entity, wherein the at least one configuration is one DL-PRS muting configuration of the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations, and wherein the at least one configuration is sent to the network entity in response to the request.

[0282] Clause 94. The network node of clause 93, wherein the request comprises recommended parameters for the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0283] Clause 95. The network node of any of clauses 93 to 94, wherein the request comprises a New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) PRS Configuration Request message.

[0284] Clause 96. The network node of any of clauses 93 to 95, further comprising means for sending an indication to the network entity that the network node is to prevent the sending of DL-PRS, the receiving of UL-PRS, or both.

[0285] Clause 97. The network node of clause 96, further comprising means for receiving, from the network entity, an indication of the at least one configuration implementing the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0286] Clause 98. A network node as set forth in any of clauses 85 to 97, wherein said means for preventing said transmission of DL-PRS, said reception of UL-PRS, or both, comprises means for transmitting DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0287] Clause 99. The network node of clause 98, wherein the reduced resource set comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 100. The network node of any of clauses 98 to 99, further comprising means for sending an indication of the reduced set of resources to the network entity.

[0289] Clause 101. A network node as set forth in any of clauses 85 to 100, wherein the network entity comprises a location server or a user equipment (UE) configured to measure DL-PRS from the network node, send UL-PRS to the network node, or both.

[0290] Clause 102. The network node of any of clauses 85 to 101, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0291] Clause 103. A network node as described in any of clauses 85 to 102, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0292] Clause 104. The network node of any of clauses 85 to 103, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0293] Clause 105. A location server comprising: means for receiving from a network node at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for receiving from the network node an indication that the network node is to prevent sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0294] Clause 106. The location server of clause 105, further comprising: means for sending the at least one configuration to a user equipment (UE); and means for sending the indication to the UE that the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0295] Clause 107. The location server of clause 106, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0296] Clause 108. The location server of clause 107, the location server further comprising means for sending an indication to the network node implementing the at least one configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0297] Clause 109. The location server of any of clauses 106 to 108, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0298] Clause 110. The location server of any of clauses 105 to 109, further comprising means for sending a request to the network node to provide the at least one configuration to the location server, wherein the at least one configuration is received in response to the request.

[0299] Clause 111. The location server of clause 110, wherein the request includes recommended parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0300] Clause 112. A location server according to any of clauses 105 to 111, wherein the means for receiving the indication that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both comprises: means for receiving an indication that the network node is to transmit DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0301] Clause 113. The location server of clause 112, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0302] Clause 114. The location server of any of clauses 105 to 113, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0303] Clause 115. A location server as described in any of clauses 105 to 114, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0304] Clause 116. The location server of any of clauses 105 to 115, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0305] Clause 117. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and means for receiving an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0306] Clause 118. A UE according to clause 117, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0307] Clause 119. The UE of clause 118, further comprising: means for receiving activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0308] Clause 120. A UE according to clause 119, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is received from the network node via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0309] Clause 121. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 117 to 120, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0310] Clause 122. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 117 to 121, wherein the at least one configuration is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0311] Clause 123. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 117 to 122, wherein the indication is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0312] Clause 124. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 117 to 123, wherein the at least one configuration comprises a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0313] Clause 125. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 117 to 124, wherein the network node is a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0314] Clause 126. The UE of any of clauses 117 to 125, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0315] Clause 127. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to: send at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of downlink transmissions, the reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and prevent the transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0316] Clause 128. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 127, wherein the at least one configuration further indicates that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

[0317] Clause 129. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 127 to 128, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to prevent the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both, include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to perform the following operations: preventing the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both, for a DL-PRS transmission, a UL-PRS reception, or both that at least partially overlaps with a time opportunity in the one or more time opportunities; or preventing the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both, only for a DL-PRS transmission, a UL-PRS reception, or both that completely overlaps with a time opportunity in the one or more time opportunities.

[0318] Clause 130. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 127 to 129, wherein: the at least one configuration includes a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

[0319] Clause 131. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 130, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: after sending the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, send to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node an activation of the at least one configuration, a deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0320] Clause 132. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 131, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is sent to the UE via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0321] Clause 133. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 130 to 132, wherein the network entity is a location server.

[0322] Clause 134. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 127 to 133, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: send to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node an activation of a DL-PRS muting configuration of a neighboring network node of the UE, a deactivation of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node to the DL-PRS muting configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node.

[0323] Clause 135. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 127 to 134, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: receive a request from the network entity to provide one or more DL-PRS muting configurations to the network entity, wherein the at least one configuration is one DL-PRS muting configuration of the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations, and wherein the at least one configuration is sent to the network entity in response to the request.

[0324] Clause 136. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 135, wherein the request comprises recommended parameters for the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0325] Clause 137. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 135 to 136, wherein the request comprises a New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) PRS Configuration Request message.

[0326] Clause 138. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 135 to 137, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: send an indication to the network entity that the network node will prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both.

[0327] Clause 139. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 138, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: receive an indication from the network entity of at least one configuration to implement the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0328] Clause 140. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 127 to 139, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both, include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to perform the following operations: send DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0329] Clause 141. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 140, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0330] Clause 142. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 140 to 141, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network node, cause the network node to: send an indication of the reduced set of resources to the network entity.

[0331] Clause 143. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 127 to 142, wherein the network entity comprises: a location server or a user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) configured to measure DL-PRS from the network node, send UL-PRS to the network node, or both.

[0332] Clause 144. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 127 to 143, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0333] Clause 145. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 127 to 144, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0334] Clause 146. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 127 to 145, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0335] Clause 147. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a location server, cause the location server to: receive from a network node at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node will prevent the sending of downlink transmissions, the receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive from the network node an indication that the network node will prevent the sending of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the receiving of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0336] Clause 148. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 147, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to: send the at least one configuration to a user equipment (UE); and send the indication to the UE that the network node will prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0337] Clause 149. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 148, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0338] Clause 150. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 149, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to: send an indication to the network node of at least one configuration that implements the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations.

[0339] Clause 151. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 148 to 150, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0340] Clause 152. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 147 to 151, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to: send a request to the network node to provide the at least one configuration to the location server, wherein the at least one configuration is received in response to the request.

[0341] Clause 153. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 152, wherein the request comprises recommended parameters for the at least one configuration.

[0342] Clause 154. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 147 to 153, wherein the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to receive the indication that the network node will prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the location server, cause the location server to perform the following operations: receive an indication that the network node will transmit DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

[0343] Clause 155. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 154, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: reduced transmit power, a reduced number of spatial elements, a different beam shape or radiation pattern, a reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, an increased comb size of the DL-PRS, a longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, a reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, a reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, reduced quasi-co-location (QCL) information, a reduced number of positioning frequency layers of the DL-PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0344] Clause 156. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 147 to 155, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0345] Clause 157. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 147 to 156, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0346] Clause 158. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 147 to 157, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0347] Clause 159. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which a network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; and receive an indication that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time occasions.

[0348] Clause 160. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 159, wherein: the at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of the DL-PRS.

[0349] Clause 161. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 160, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, a switch from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or a change to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

[0350] Clause 162. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 161, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is received from the network node via: downlink control information (DCI), medium access control control element (MAC-CE) signaling, or radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0351] Clause 163. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 159 to 162, wherein the network node comprises a serving network node of the UE or a neighboring network node of the UE.

[0352] Clause 164. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 159 to 163, wherein the at least one configuration is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0353] Clause 165. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 159 to 164, wherein the indication is received from: a location server or the network node.

[0354] Clause 166. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 159 to 165, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: a discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration, a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration, or a DL-PRS muting configuration.

[0355] Clause 167. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 159 to 166, wherein the network node is: a base station, a transmit reception point (TRP) supported by the base station, a cell supported by the base station, a central unit (CU) of the base station, or a distributed unit (DU) of the base station.

[0356] Clause 168. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 159 to 167, wherein the reception of UL-PRS comprises reception of a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0357] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0358] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0359] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0360] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In an alternative embodiment, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0361] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included within the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc. Disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0362] Although the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. For example, the functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, any component, function, action or instruction described or claimed herein should not be interpreted as critical or necessary unless explicitly described as such. In addition, as used herein, the terms "set", "group" and the like are intended to include one or more of the elements described. In addition, as used herein, the terms "have", "have", "include", "include" and the like do not exclude the presence of one or more additional elements (for example, an element "having" A may also have B). In addition, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on", unless explicitly stated otherwise. Moreover, as used herein, the term "or" when used in a series is intended to be open-ended and can be used interchangeably with "and / or" unless otherwise expressly stated (e.g., if used in conjunction with "either" or "only one"), or these alternatives are mutually exclusive (e.g., "one or more" should not be interpreted as "one and more"). In addition, although components, functions, actions, and instructions may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is also contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Thus, as used herein, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to include one or more of the elements described. Additionally, as used herein, the terms "at least one" and "one or more" include "one" component, function, action, or instruction that performs or is capable of performing the functionality described or claimed, and also include "two or more" components, functions, actions, or instructions that perform or are capable of performing the functionality described or claimed in combination.

Claims

1. A network node, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, to a network entity at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and Transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both is suppressed based on the one or more time opportunities. 2 . The network node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one configuration further indicates that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time occasions.

3. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both, comprises the one or more processors being configured to: preventing, for a DL-PRS transmission, a UL-PRS reception, or both, that at least partially overlaps with a time opportunity in the one or more time opportunities, the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both; or The transmission of the DL-PRS, the reception of the UL-PRS, or both are blocked only for the DL-PRS transmission, the UL-PRS reception, or both that completely overlap with a time opportunity of the one or more time opportunities.

4. The network node according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

5. The network node of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: After transmitting the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, switching to the at least one configuration from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration in the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, or changes to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration.

6. The network node of claim 5 , wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is sent to the UE via: Downlink Control Information (DCI), Medium Access Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

7. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: and transmitting, via the one or more transceivers, to a user equipment (UE) served by the network node, activation of a DL-PRS muting configuration of a neighboring network node of the UE, deactivation of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, a switch to the DL-PRS muting configuration from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node, or a change to one or more parameters of the DL-PRS muting configuration of the neighboring network node.

8. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receiving, from the network entity via the one or more transceivers, a request to provide one or more DL-PRS muting configurations to the network entity, wherein the at least one configuration is one DL-PRS muting configuration of the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations, and wherein the at least one configuration is sent to the network entity in response to the request.

9. The network node of claim 8, wherein the request comprises recommended parameters for the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations.

10. The network node of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication is sent to the network entity via the one or more transceivers that the network node is to prevent the sending of the DL-PRS, the receiving of the UL-PRS, or both.

11. The network node of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication of the at least one configuration implementing the one or more DL-PRS muting configurations is received from the network entity via the one or more transceivers.

12. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to prevent the transmission of a DL-PRS, the reception of a UL-PRS, or both, comprises the one or more processors being configured to: The DL-PRS is transmitted via the one or more transceivers on a reduced set of resources compared to a normal DL-PRS transmission.

13. The network node of claim 12, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: Reduced transmit power, Reduced number of space components, Different beam shapes or radiation patterns, The reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, The increased comb size of the DL-PRS, The longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, The reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, The reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, Reduced quasi-co-site (QCL) information, The DL-PRS reduces the number of positioning frequency layers or Any combination of them.

14. The network node of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication of the reduced set of resources is sent to the network entity via the one or more transceivers.

15. The network node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one configuration comprises: Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) configuration, Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration, or DL-PRS silent configuration.

16. A location server, comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receiving, via the one or more transceivers, from a network node at least one configuration indicating one or more time opportunities during which the network node is to prevent transmission of downlink transmissions, reception of uplink transmissions, or both; as well as An indication is received from the network node via the one or more transceivers that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

17. The location server of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: transmitting the at least one configuration to a user equipment (UE) via the one or more transceivers; and The indication that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both based on the one or more time opportunities is sent to the UE via the one or more transceivers.

18. The location server according to claim 17, wherein: The at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

19. The location server of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: An indication of implementing the at least one of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations is sent to the network node via the one or more transceivers.

20. The location server of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: A request is sent to the network node via the one or more transceivers to provide the at least one configuration to the location server, wherein the at least one configuration is received in response to the request.

21. The location server of claim 20, wherein the request includes recommended parameters of the at least one configuration.

22. The location server of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors configured to receive the indication that the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS, the reception of UL-PRS, or both comprises the one or more processors configured to: An indication is received via the one or more transceivers that the network node is to transmit DL-PRS on a reduced set of resources compared to normal DL-PRS transmission.

23. The location server of claim 22, wherein the reduced set of resources comprises: Reduced transmit power, Reduced number of space components, Different beam shapes or radiation patterns, The reduced bandwidth of the DL-PRS, The increased comb size of the DL-PRS, The longer periodicity of the DL-PRS, The reduced repetition factor of the DL-PRS, The reduced number of symbols per opportunity of the DL-PRS, Reduced quasi-co-site (QCL) information, The DL-PRS reduces the number of positioning frequency layers or Any combination of them.

24. The location server of claim 16, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) configuration, Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration, or DL-PRS silent configuration.

25. A user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; one or more transceivers; and one or more processors, the one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories and the one or more transceivers, the one or more processors configured to: receiving, via the one or more transceivers, at least one configuration indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and An indication is received via the one or more transceivers that the network node is to prevent transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both based on the one or more time opportunities.

26. The UE according to claim 25, wherein: The at least one configuration comprises a plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations, each DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations indicating a set of time occasions during which the network node is to prevent the transmission of DL-PRS.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Activation of the at least one configuration, deactivation of the at least one configuration, switching from a previous DL-PRS muting configuration of the plurality of DL-PRS muting configurations to the at least one configuration, or changes to one or more parameters of the at least one configuration are received via the one or more transceivers.

28. The UE of claim 27, wherein the activation of the at least one configuration, the deactivation of the at least one configuration, the switching from the previous DL-PRS muting configuration to the at least one configuration, or the change to the one or more parameters of the at least one configuration is received from the network node via: Downlink Control Information (DCI), Medium Access Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling, or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

29. The UE of claim 25, wherein the at least one configuration comprises: Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) configuration, Discontinuous Reception (DRX) configuration, or DL-PRS silent configuration.

30. A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, the method comprising: sending at least one configuration to a network entity indicating one or more time occasions during which the network node is to prevent sending of downlink transmissions, receiving of uplink transmissions, or both; and Transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), reception of an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), or both is suppressed based on the one or more time opportunities.

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