Fixed transmit timing

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to constant transmission. In an example method, a terminal device transmits a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, where the RS configuration for positioning is effective in a plurality of cells. On the basis of determining that the at least one condition for maintaining the fixed transmission timing is not satisfied, the terminal device performs at least one operation so that the transmission timing of a subsequent RS for positioning is fixed in the case of an update of the transmission timing or in the case of no update of the transmission timing. In this way, the positioning measurement accuracy can be improved, and the signaling overhead between the terminal device and the network devices and between the network devices is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically, to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for fixed transmission timing. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technology, the extended and improved New Radio (NR) has included support for Low Power High Precision Positioning (LPHAP). LPHAP can provide high positioning accuracy while allowing user equipment (UE) battery operation for mobility and long-term use.

[0003] As defined in TS 22.104, enhancements for enabling LPHAP use cases may include extending the eDRX (Discontinuous Receive) period beyond 10.24s in the RRC_INACTIVE state to meet battery life requirements for LPHAP. The location-specific enhancement of eDRX with a period exceeding 10.24s is defined as a portion of the Rel-18 work item (WI) regarding extended and improved NR positioning. Work to achieve this goal is coordinated with work in the Rel-18WI regarding eRedCap (Reduced Capability). For this purpose, the feature of extending the eDRX period beyond 10.24s is defined as a portion of the Rel-18WI on eRedCap. Furthermore, input from RAN1 can be facilitated via LS if necessary. However, UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state need to use uplink and downlink positioning to specify the SRS (Probe Reference Signal) configuration based on the SRS positioning validity area to avoid frequent RRC connections for SRS (re)configuration. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Typically, the example embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for fixed transmission timing.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: transmit a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells; and, based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing is not met, perform at least one operation to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning, either with an update to the transmission timing or without an update to the transmission timing.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: transmit to a terminal device a reference signal (RS) configuration valid in a plurality of cells for positioning; transmit to the terminal device configuration information for a fixed transmission timing; and receive the RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing at a terminal device, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells; and performing at least one operation to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining the fixed transmission timing is not met. An example of the condition is that the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold. Another example of the condition is that the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting, at a network device, a reference signal (RS) configuration valid in multiple cells for positioning to a terminal device; transmitting configuration information for a fixed transmission timing to the terminal device; and receiving the RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: means for transmitting a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a terminal device at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells; and means for performing at least one operation to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining the fixed transmission timing is not met. An example of the condition is that the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold. Another example of the condition is that the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for transmitting, at a network device, a reference signal (RS) configuration valid in a plurality of cells to a terminal device; components for transmitting configuration information for a fixed transmission timing to the terminal device; and components for receiving the RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing a device to execute at least the method according to any one of the third to fourth aspects described above.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a computer program including instructions is provided, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least one of the methods according to the third to fourth aspects described above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes: a transmitting circuit configured to transmit a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells; and an execution circuit configured to perform at least one operation based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining the fixed transmission timing is not met, such that the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning is fixed. An example of the condition is that the time difference between the DL (Deep Stream) reception timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold. Another example of the condition is that the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL reception timing.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: a transmitting circuit configured to transmit to a terminal device a reference signal (RS) configuration valid in a plurality of cells for positioning; a transmitting circuit configured to transmit to the terminal device configuration information for a fixed transmission timing; and a receiving circuit configured to receive the RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0015] It should be understood that the overview section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 Examples of network environments in which some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented are shown;

[0018] Figure 2A The processing flow of a method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0019] Figure 2B Examples of fixed SRS transmission timing with DL receive timing changes are shown according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 Detailed examples of processing flows according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0021] Figure 4 Another detailed example of a processing flow according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 5Another detailed example of a processing flow according to some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 6 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 7 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0026] Figure 9 A block diagram illustrating an example of a computer-readable medium according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0030] The embodiments described in this disclosure with references to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., may include specific features, structures, or characteristics, but not every embodiment must include such specific features, structures, or characteristics. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a specific feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed that the influence of such feature, structure, or characteristic on other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether explicitly described or not.

[0031] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “including,” and / or “comprising of” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following”: “” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0033] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more, or all of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part having a software hardware processor (including a digital signal processor), software, and memory that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions, and (c) Software (e.g., firmware) is required to operate hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, but the software may not exist when it is not required for operation.

[0034] The definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also encompasses only hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or portions thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. The term "circuit" also encompasses, for example and if applicable to elements of a particular claim, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits for servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0035] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocol, including but not limited to fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to a variety of communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that embody the nature of this disclosure. This should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the aforementioned systems.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Header (RRH), a relay, or a low-power node such as a femtosecond or picosecond.

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), and consumer electronics devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0038] The Rel-18 NR WID (Work Item Description) defines the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) configuration for positioning in multiple cells [RAN2, RAN1]. Further details, including issues such as interference, timing advance, spatial relationship information, path loss reference, and common SRS parameters across multiple cells, can be discussed during specification work. Pre-configurations for one or more SRS configurations [RAN2, RAN3] used for positioning are specified. SRS used for positioning activation / request procedures [RAN2, RAN1] are specified. Solutions for reporting DL PRS measurements for UEs in RRC_IDLE state and measurements in RRC_CONNECTED state [RAN2] are specified. Solutions for aligning eDRX and PRS configurations [RAN2] are specified. Corresponding new core requirements, along with identification and specification of the impact on existing RAN4 specifications, including RRM measurements and procedures [RAN4], are specified.

[0039] In the Rel-18 NR Positioning Study (SI), RAN1 discusses how to reduce power consumption to extend the battery life of UEs in the RRC_INACTIVE state. LPHAP devices may only require positioning services, so it can be assumed that LPHAP devices will remain in the RRC_INACTIVE state for extended periods. One of the identified solutions is to support uplink (UL) or downlink (DL) positioning methods using SRS configurations for effective positioning across multiple cells. More specifically, the gNB provides the UE with one or more SRS configurations for positioning, and the UE uses the SRS valid across multiple cells without reconfiguration or updates, even if the UE moves to another cell. The RRC_INACTIVE state is an example of the "inactive state" mentioned in this invention. The RRC_IDLE state is an example of the "idle mode" in this invention.

[0040] At the RAN1#112 meeting, RAN1 reached the following agreement regarding LPHAP. For SRS positioning configurations used in multiple cells for a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the SRS positioning validity area consists of cells configured in the same frequency band and the same carrier, and the following parameters regarding the BWP information for the SRS configuration used for positioning are typically applied across cells within the validity area: locationAndBandwidth, subcarrierSpacing, and cyclicPrefix, where they are RRC configuration parameters defined in 3GPP TS 38.331.

[0041] For a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state, at least the following parameters in the SRS configuration used for positioning in multiple cells are typically configured across cells within the effective area: srs-PosConfig, SRS-PosResourceSet, srs-PosResourceSetId, srs-PosResourceIdList, resourceType, SRS-PosResource, srs-PosResourceId, transmissionComb, resourceMapping, freqDomainShift, freqHopping, groupOrSequenceHopping-r16, resourceType, and FFS (regardless of whether sequenceId is typically configured across cells or per cell), where they are the RRC configuration parameters defined in 3GPP TS 38.331.

[0042] From RAN1's ​​perspective, it is feasible to configure an SRS positioning validity area-specific timing advance (TA) timer (e.g., with a large value) for a UE in the RRC_INACTIVE state. Details can be further elaborated up to RAN2. For TA verification, it is feasible to use an area-specific RSRP change threshold (where RS is the reference RS for the RSRP change threshold).

[0043] The Rel-18 LPHAP SI identifies features needed to extend UE battery life because the target requirement is >= 6 months. This SI suggests the network could try keeping LPHAP devices in RRC_INACTIVE state to conserve power. RAN1 indicates that UL-based positioning is more power-efficient than DL-based positioning, and we should minimize radio data transmission reception (e.g., PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) and PUSCH (Physical Uplink Shared Channel)). This prompts NR positioning-enhanced WIs to support new types of SRS configurations that are effective across multiple cells without requiring network reconfiguration or updates.

[0044] Power gain is demonstrated in Rel-18NR positioning SI for RRC_INACTIVE by allowing the UE to maintain a valid positioning SRS configuration across multiple cells. This allows the UE to avoid SRS reconfiguration when connecting or moving to other cells. However, it comes with transmission timing issues. The UE needs to use an appropriate TA (Timing Advance) value based on its connected cell and / or location, and the TA information used needs to be transmitted to neighboring cells because it requires the UE to transmit timing information to perform UL positioning measurements. However, due to the unavoidable signaling exchange between the UE and the network, network reconfiguration or updates to the TA consume more power for the UE. This is particularly challenging for RRC_INACTIVE UEs, where reconfiguration and timely transmission of TA information to neighboring cells are not easy. Furthermore, several companies are attempting to introduce positioning functionality for RRC_IDLE UEs that include SRS transmission. Signaling to RRC_IDLE UEs will be highly restricted, but the RRC_IDLE UE should use an appropriate TA, and neighboring cells still require UL SRS transmission timing information to perform UL timing measurements.

[0045] LPHAP devices aim for low power consumption and high positioning accuracy. In Rel-18, the NR positioning SI identifier used for LPHAP is beneficial for reducing RACH (Random Access Channel) procedures, PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) monitoring, PDSCH reception, and PUSCH transmission for LPHAP devices. However, proper use of the TA is necessary for operating UL-based positioning, so reconfiguration or updates may be unavoidable.

[0046] In view of the above, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for fixed transmission timing. In particular, the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can improve UL positioning measurement accuracy and reduce signaling overhead between terminal devices and network devices, as well as between network devices.

[0047] Figure 1 Examples of network environments 100 in which some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented are shown; in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, network environment 100 may also be referred to as communication system 100 (e.g., part of a communication network). For illustrative purposes only, various aspects of the exemplary embodiments will be described in the context of network devices and terminal devices communicating with each other. However, it should be understood that the description herein can be applied to other types of apparatus or other similar apparatuses referred to using other terms.

[0048] like Figure 1As shown, network environment 100 may include terminal device 110, which may include a first device 110 (hereinafter also referred to as UE 110 or terminal device 110). Network environment 100 may also include a second device 120, a third device 130, a fourth device 140, and a fifth device 150 (hereinafter also referred to as network device 120, network device 130, network device 140, and network device 150, or gNB 120, gNB 130, gNB 140, and gNB 150, etc.). Network environment 100 may also include a sixth device 162 (hereinafter also referred to as network device 162, or location management function (LMF) 162, location server 162, etc.). Terminal device 110 may be configured to communicate with the network via one or more of network devices 120, network device 130, network device 140, network device 150, and network device 162. In a network environment, a terminal device can be served simultaneously by one or more network devices 120, 130, 140, 150, and 162. Network device 162 in communication system 100 provides one or more services (e.g., network connectivity) to a terminal device 110, which can be installed within an associated geographic area or can roam throughout the associated geographic area. In network environment 100, the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is referred to as an uplink, UL, or reverse link, while the link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is referred to as a downlink, DL, or forward link.

[0049] It should be understood that the number of network devices, terminal devices, or TRPs is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices, terminal devices, or gNBs appropriate for implementing embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more terminal devices may be located in environment 100.

[0050] The configured SRS is valid in the last serving cell and non-serving cells 102 to 105 (neighboring cells), and the terminal device 110 may not expect a new SRS configuration even if the connected cell / gNB is changed. However, not all parameters are valid across multiple cells 102 to 105, such as the DL path loss reference RS, the spatial relationship information of the transmission beams used to determine each SRS resource, and timing advance.

[0051] Communication in network environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as fourth-generation (4G) and fifth-generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0052] Figure 2A A processing flow of a method 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe the processing flow 200. It should be understood that, although referenced... Figure 1 The network environment 100 describes the processing flow 200, but the processing flow 200 can also be applied to other similar communication scenarios.

[0053] In processing flow 200, terminal device 110 may receive (215) a location-related reference signal (RS) configuration 202 valid in multiple cells (e.g., cells 102 to 105), and receive (225) configuration information for a fixed transmission timing 204 from network device 120. Then, terminal device 110 may transmit (230) a location-related RS 206 to network device 120 at the fixed transmission timing. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may be in an idle state. The location-related RS may include a sidelink reference signal for location and / or a sounding reference signal (SRS) for location.

[0054] In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing may be configured by the network device 120 together with the RS configuration for positioning, or by the network device 120 via broadcast signaling or dedicated signaling. In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing may be the transmission timing used by the terminal device 110 in a previous serving cell (such as cell 103 to cell 105), or the fixed transmission timing may be indicated to the terminal device 110 when initiating a positioning session.

[0055] Terminal device 110 can then determine whether the conditions for maintaining a fixed transmission timing are met. In some embodiments, the condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing may be that the time difference between the DL reception timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold. In some embodiments, the condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing may be that the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL reception timing.

[0056] In some embodiments, the threshold may be determined based on the following factors: the configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; the time synchronization difference between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; the maximum permissible TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; the cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy. In some embodiments, the threshold may be configured by network device 120; predetermined; or determined based on the capabilities of terminal device 110.

[0057] If terminal device 110 determines (240) that at least one condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing is not met, terminal device 110 may perform at least one operation to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs used for positioning, either with or without an update to the transmission timing. In some embodiments, when performing one or more operations, terminal device 110 may send a request to network device 120 for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine the DL reception timing. Upon receiving the updated reference information from network device 120, terminal device 110 may maintain a fixed transmission timing. In some embodiments, to maintain a fixed transmission timing, terminal device 110 may use the DL reception timing determined by the updated reference information.

[0058] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may continue to use a fixed transmission timing until it receives updated reference information. In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 does not receive updated reference information before the timer expires, it may also stop transmitting subsequent RS for positioning.

[0059] In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be a first fixed transmission timing, which the terminal device 110 can update based on configuration information provided by the network device 120 to obtain a second fixed transmission timing; alternatively, the terminal device 110 can update the first fixed transmission timing based on any value to obtain a second fixed transmission timing in the absence of configuration information. In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be maintained independently of: DL receive timing; configured timing advance (TA) values; or uplink (UL) transmission timing of data reference signals or channels (including physical uplink shared channels and physical uplink control channels) other than RS used for positioning. In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be defined within a predetermined error range.

[0060] In some embodiments, the configuration information includes one or more candidate values, and the terminal device 110 can update the first fixed transmission timing by selecting a value from one or more candidate values; and the terminal device 110 can adjust the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing based on the value.

[0061] In some embodiments, one or more candidate values ​​are associated with one or more cell IDs or one or more Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) IDs, and the terminal device 110 may select the value by determining, from one or more cell IDs or from one or more TRP IDs, the cell ID or TRP ID corresponding to the cell or TRP with the highest received signal quality; and the terminal device 110 may select a value associated with the determined cell ID or TRPID from one or more candidate values. Received signal quality may include reference signal received power (RSRPP), the reference signal received power of the first path of arrival (RSRPP for each path), and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The terminal device 110 may then report a second fixed transmission timing and / or the selected value to the network device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit subsequent RS for positioning at the second fixed transmission timing.

[0062] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 can determine DL reception timing from information configured for the terminal device by network device 120; and maintain a fixed transmission timing by using DL reception timing determined based on a selected candidate reference. Among a plurality of candidate references, the selected candidate reference is associated with maximum reference signal received power (RSRP), maximum reference signal received power per path (RSRPP) of a first path of arrival, or shortest propagation time. Information about the candidate references among the plurality of candidate references may be a DL RS index; a cell index and DL RS transmitted from a cell having that cell index; or a cell ID, a TRP ID within the cell, a DL positioning reference signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a DL PRS resource ID.

[0063] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may receive a request from network device 120 for the terminal device to report the selected candidate references to the network device. Then, terminal device 110 may report the selected candidate references to network device 120.

[0064] On the other hand, network device 120 can send (210) a configuration of a reference signal (RS) valid for positioning in multiple cells to terminal device 110. Network device 120 can also send (220) configuration information for a fixed transmission timing 204 to terminal device 110. Then, network device 120 can receive (235) the RS for positioning at the fixed transmission timing from terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates the fixed transmission timing. In some embodiments, the configuration information indicates conditions for maintaining the fixed transmission timing, and these conditions may include a time difference between the DL reception timing and the fixed transmission timing within a threshold, or the fixed transmission timing being earlier than the DL reception timing. In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is limited to a predetermined error range. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 is in an inactive or idle state.

[0065] In some embodiments, network device 120 may also be configured to determine a threshold based on the following factors: the configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; the time synchronization difference between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; the maximum permissible TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; the cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

[0066] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive a request from terminal device 110 for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine DL reception timing, and network device 120 may send the updated reference information to terminal device 110.

[0067] In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and the configuration information is further used to update the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing. In some embodiments, the configuration information includes one or more candidate values ​​for updating the first fixed transmission timing to the second fixed transmission timing. In some embodiments, the configuration information may also include multiple candidate references for the terminal device to determine the DL reception timing. In some embodiments, the multiple candidate references include a DL RS index; a cell index and a DL RS transmitted from a cell having the cell index; or a cell ID, a TRP ID within the cell, a DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a DL PRS resource ID.

[0068] In some embodiments, network device 120 may receive a report of a second fixed transmission timing or a value selected from one or more candidate values ​​from terminal device 110, and network device 120 may send the second fixed transmission timing to at least one adjacent network device 130 or core network device 140. In some embodiments, network device 120 may send a request to terminal device 110 to report the selected candidate reference, and network device 120 may receive a report on the selected candidate reference from terminal device 110.

[0069] In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is maintained independently of the following factors: DL receive timing, configured timing advance (TA) values, or uplink (UL) transmission timing of a reference signal or channel other than the RS used for positioning.

[0070] Figure 2B Examples of fixed SRS transmit timing with DL receive timing variation according to some example embodiments of this disclosure are shown. Maintaining identical transmit timing for the UE may be impractical due to hardware limitations, therefore error tolerances may exist and may be required. This applies to methods 300 to 500 described below.

[0071] Figure 3 Detailed examples of processing flow 300 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. It should be noted that processing flow 300 can be considered as another example of processing flow 200. For example, UE 301 may be one of the example devices of terminal device 110, gNBs 302 to 303 may be example devices of network device 120, and location management function (LMF) 304 may be one of the example devices of network device 162. It should be understood that these devices are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The process will now be described in detail.

[0072] Typically, UE 301 is configured with one or more SRS configurations valid for positioning in two or more cells. This SRS configuration can be used for RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE UEs, and the SRS configuration may include multiple SRS resource sets and multiple SRS resources in each SRS resource set. UE 301 is configured to use a fixed transmission timing to transmit the configured SRS for positioning. Therefore, UE 301 can maintain the transmission timing independently of the downlink (DL) receive timing and / or UL transmission timing used for other data / channels. In some embodiments, the configured BWP can be transmitted independently of the UL SRS. For example, depending on the use case, the SRS configuration may not be bound to the active or initial BWP. When the UE (RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE) operates in the active / initial UL BWP (bandwidth portion) for data communication, it is not expected that the UE (RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE) will force the maintenance of a fixed UL transmission timing.

[0073] In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be configured by the network along with the SRS configuration. That is, the configuration information required for the fixed transmission timing can be included in the SRS configuration. In some embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be the transmission timing used by UE 301 in the last serving cell. In another embodiment, the fixed transmission timing can be indicated when initiating a location session.

[0074] At 305, when initiating a location session, UE 301 can request gNB 302 to provide configuration information for different references, such as DL RS and a cell index with DL RS index, to update the DL receive timing. In this method, UE 301 relies on updates or reconfigurations from gNB 302. At 315, UE 301 can determine the DL receive timing. At 320, UE 301 can send SRS to gNB 302 and neighboring gNB 303 at the configured transmit timing. At 325, gNB 302 can send DL RS to UE 301.

[0075] At 330, UE 301 can assess and determine whether either the first or second condition is met. The first condition is that if the time difference between the DL receive timing and the UL SRS transmit timing exceeds a threshold, UE 301 can report the event to the network. This threshold is closely related to the maximum configurable TA. Without considering other factors, gNB 302 determines the TA value based on the propagation delay estimated from the UL RS or RACH. At UE 302, the transmit timing is the TA value indicated before the DL receive timing. Therefore, if the time difference between the UL transmit timing and the DL receive timing is greater than the maximum configurable TA value, it violates the current NR system. The threshold configuration is actually dependent on the gNB decision, but the gNB can at least consider the maximum configurable TA value and time synchronization between the gNBs.

[0076] The second condition is that if the UE DL receive timing is changed to a timing earlier than the UE UL transmit timing, UE 301 reports the event to the network. In some embodiments, if UE 301 determines that neither the first nor the second condition is met, the UE continues to transmit SRS at the configured transmit timing. This condition is to avoid violating the current system. The UE UL uplink frame timing precedes the UE DL receive timing. UE 301 first determines the DL receive timing based on the SSB (or SS / PBCH block), but the UE itself does not determine the TA. UE 301 transmits a specific RACH preamble associated with the SSB. Based on this predetermined UE behavior, the gNB can estimate the propagation time because the gNB does not have UE location information. The gNB then instructs the UE to set the UL transmit timing to the TA preceding the UE DL receive timing. When the UE fixes the UL transmit timing, the event occurs if the UE DL receive timing precedes the UE UL transmit timing.

[0077] For example, UE301 can use the RACH procedure to report events to the network. Based on the current NR system, UE301 may need to change the UL SRS transmission timing to use the configured TA value. However, in this disclosure, UE301 can still use a fixed UL SRS transmission timing, and it waits until the network guarantees a different UE DL reception timing.

[0078] In some embodiments, to determine the threshold, the network may consider the current configurable range of the TA value. In the current system, the UE UL transmission timing is determined by the TA based on the reference UE DL Rx timing. Therefore, if the time difference between the UE DL receive timing and the UE UL SRS transmission timing exceeds the maximum configurable TA value, it violates the current system design, and thus this threshold would be reasonable.

[0079] In some embodiments, the network may consider the CP (Cyclic Prefix) length for time synchronization differences between multiple cells in a valid region to avoid interference issues. The threshold may be configured by the network (e.g., via RRC or LPP), or it may be hardcoded into the specification, or it may depend on the UE's capabilities. If UE 301 does not receive a response from the network until the timer expires, the UE may stop SRS transmission.

[0080] At 335, if UE 301 determines that either the first condition or the second condition is met, UE 301 may send a request to change the reference information to use a different DL receive timing. At 340, UE 301 may send the SRS at the configured transmit timing before the timer expires. At 345, gNB 302 may update the reference information for the UE used to determine the UE DL receive timing, wherein the information includes the DL RS and / or cell ID, such that the time difference between the UE DL Rx timing and the UE UL SRS transmit timing is within a threshold.

[0081] When the threshold is configured by the network, it can be calculated based on the following: the maximum distance within the effective area (i.e., the diameter in the case of a circular effective area), the maximum allowable TA value, the number of cells in the effective area, the cyclic prefix, and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the TRP that still allows for accurate RTOA measurements.

[0082] At position 350, UE 301 can send an SRS to gNB 302 and neighboring gNB 303 at a fixed transmission time. At position 355, after receiving the SRS, gNB 302 can perform a UL measurement. At position 360, after receiving the SRS, neighboring gNB 303 can perform a UL measurement. At position 365, gNB 302 can report the UL measurement to LMF 304. At position 370, neighboring gNB 303 can report the UL measurement to LMF 304.

[0083] Figure 4 Another detailed example of process flow 400 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. It should be noted that process flow 400 can be considered as another example of process flow 200. It should be understood that these devices are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The process will be described in detail below.

[0084] At 405, when initiating a location session, UE 401 can request gNB 402 to provide 410 the SRS configuration, thresholds, and fixed SRS transmission information valid across multiple cells. At 415, UE 401 can determine the DL receive timing. At 420, UE 401 can transmit SRS to gNB 402 and neighboring gNB 403 at the configured transmission timing.

[0085] At 425, UE 401 can evaluate and determine whether a first condition or a second condition is met. The first condition is that the time difference between the DL Rx timing and the UL SRS transmission timing exceeds a threshold, and the second condition is that the UE DL receive timing is changed to an earlier timing than the UE UL transmission timing. At 430, if either the first or second condition is met, UE 401 can attempt to update the UL SRS receive timing based on the provided set of time offset values. In some embodiments, UE 401 can update the UL transmission timing based on configuration from the network.

[0086] UE 401 can be configured with one or more candidate values ​​for UL SRS transmission timing changes. For example, the network provides the UE with... It can be included in the SRS configuration or the System Information Block (SIB), where N>=1. This value is an incremental value representing the time offset, and UE 401 can add it to the current SRS transmission timing or subtract it from the current SRS transmission timing.

[0087] If the time difference between the UE DL Rx timing and the UE UL SRS transmission timing exceeds a threshold, then UE401 selects these values. The UE selects an increment value and modifies the UL SRS transmission timing based on the selected value, ensuring that the time difference between the UEDL Rx timing and the UE UL SRS transmission timing is within a threshold. How the UE 401 selects the increment value can optionally be associated with another parameter. For example, each increment value can be associated with a specific cell ID within the validity area. When the UE needs to apply an increment value, it first looks at the cell ID of the strongest cell and then selects the associated increment value. Similarly, the SSB can be associated with an increment value.

[0088] In some embodiments, gNB 402 may also preemptively signal to UE 401 to notify based on incremental values. Update timing. For example, LMF / gNB may be able to detect excessive drift from the UE.

[0089] At 435, UE 401 can report updated UL SRS transmission timing information to gNB 402. In some embodiments, UE 401 can report a selected value to serving gNB 402. At 440, serving gNB 402 can provide the updated UL SRS transmission timing of the UE to neighboring gNB 403. In some embodiments, based on the current NRPPa (NR Positioning Protocol A) protocol, serving gNB 402 can provide the updated UL SRS transmission timing of the UE to LMF 404, and LMF 404 transmits this information to neighboring cells. The fixed UL SRS transmission timing can be limited to a certain error range or requirement. At 445, UE 401 can transmit SRS to gNB 402 at the updated UL SRS transmission timing. At 450, UE 401 can transmit SRS to gNB 402 and neighboring gNB 403 at the updated UL transmission timing.

[0090] At 455, after receiving the SRS, gNB 402 can perform a UL measurement. At 460, after receiving the SRS, the neighboring gNB 403 can perform a UL measurement. At 465, gNB 402 can report the UL measurement to LMF 404. At 470, the neighboring gNB 403 can report the UL measurement to LMF 404. If the network does not provide configuration, UE 401 can choose any value to update the transmission timing such that the UL SRS transmission timing is within the threshold. If the updated UL SRS transmission timing based on the provided set of time offset values ​​avoids satisfying the condition, UE 401 can continue transmitting SRS at the configured transmission timing.

[0091] Figure 5 Another detailed example of a processing flow 500 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. It should be noted that processing flow 500 can be considered as another example of processing flow 200. It should be understood that these devices are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing the present disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The process will be described in detail below.

[0092] In this method, UE 501 can minimize reconfiguration or updates from the network. At 505, when initiating a location session, UE 501 can request gNB 502 to provide 510 the valid SRS configuration, thresholds, and fixed SRS transmission information across multiple cells. At 415, UE 501 can determine the DL receive timing. At 520, UE 501 can transmit SRS to gNB 402 and neighboring gNB 403 at the configured transmission timing.

[0093] At 525, gNB 502 can provide UE 501 with information on multiple candidate references (such as reference cells) for UE DL reception timing. At 530, gNB 502 can also send DL RS to 501, which is used by UE 501 to determine DL reception timing. More specifically, the candidate reference information can be a DL RS index, a specific cell index, and a DL RS sent from a cell. For example, a specific cell ID and a DL SSB index can be included in the reference information to determine DL Rx timing such as (cell #1, SSB #1), (cell #2, SSB #2).

[0094] In some embodiments, the candidate reference information may be (cell ID, TRP ID, PRS resource set ID, PRS resource ID). More specifically, a specific cell ID, the TRP ID within the cell, and the PRS resource set ID and PRS resource ID sent from the TRP can be configured as candidate reference information for UE 501 to determine DL Rx timing, such as (cell #1, TRP #1, PRS resource set #1, PRS resource #1).

[0095] The criteria for selecting candidates may include UE501 being configurable to select candidates from the provided reference information, which shows the maximum RSRP (Reference Received Power), RSRPP (Reference Received Power Per Path), or shortest propagation time of the first arrival path.

[0096] At 535, UE 501 can evaluate and determine whether either the first or second condition is met. The first condition is that the time difference between the DL Rx timing and the UL SRS transmission timing exceeds a threshold, and the second condition is that the UE DL receive timing is changed to an earlier timing than the UE UL transmission timing. At 540, if either the first or second condition is met, UE 501 can switch (or select) a candidate reference to change the DL receive timing so that the time difference between the DL receive timing and the UL SRS transmission timing is within the threshold.

[0097] UE 501 can select a candidate from the reference information, but UE 501 maintains the UL SRS transmission timing. At 545, UE 501 can transmit SRS to gNB 502 and the adjacent gNB 503 at the configured transmission timing as described above, where the updated DL receive timing avoids satisfying conditions by using the candidate provided in the reference information. In other words, UE 501 attempts to maintain a fixed transmission timing by changing the DL receive timing. UE 501 can try to use one of several candidates and try to find a candidate that avoids satisfying both conditions. If the candidate selected in the reference information does not satisfy both conditions, UE 501 can use it to determine the DL receive timing. Therefore, the UE can maintain the current fixed transmission timing. Therefore, UE 501 does not need to report transmission timing information. If UE 501 fails to find a candidate in the reference information that does not satisfy both conditions, UE 501 can report this information to the network.

[0098] Optionally, at 550, gNB 502 may request UE 501 to report updated reference information. At 560, UE 501 may report to gNB 502 what it has selected. UE 501 is not required to report the reference after the update, but may be instructed to report the selected reference to gNB 502 in the measurement report. At 565, gNB 502 may perform UL measurements. At 570, adjacent gNB 503 may perform UL measurements. At 575, gNB 502 may report UL measurements to LMF 504. At 580, adjacent gNB 503 may report UL measurements to LMF 504.

[0099] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method 600 implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this flowchart for discussion purposes. Figure 1 Method 600 is described from the perspective of terminal device 110.

[0100] At block 602, terminal device 110 transmits a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells. At block 604, terminal device 110 may perform at least one operation based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing is not met, so that the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning is fixed, either with or without an update to the transmission timing.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be at least one of the following: configured by the network device together with the RS configuration for positioning; configured by the network device via broadcast signaling or dedicated signaling; the transmission timing used by the terminal device in a previous serving cell; or indicated to the terminal device when initiating a positioning session. In some embodiments, at least one condition may include: the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold, or the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the threshold may be determined based on at least one of the following: the configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; the time synchronization difference between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; the maximum permissible TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; the cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the threshold may be one of the following: configured by the network device; predetermined; or determined based on the capabilities of the terminal device. In some example embodiments, the at least one operation includes: receiving a request from the network device for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine the DL reception timing; and maintaining a fixed transmission timing based on the updated reference information received from the network device.

[0104] In some example embodiments, maintaining a fixed transmission timing based on received updated reference information from the network device may further include using a DL reception timing determined by the updated reference information. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also perform at least one of the following: continuing to use the fixed transmission timing until updated reference information is received; and ceasing to transmit subsequent PRS based on the fact that no updated reference information has been received until the timer expires.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and at least one of the operations may include: updating the first fixed transmission timing based on configuration information provided by the network device to obtain a second fixed transmission timing; or updating the first fixed transmission timing based on any value to obtain a second fixed transmission timing in the absence of configuration information.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may include one or more candidate values, and the terminal device may update the first fixed transmission timing by selecting a value from one or more candidate values ​​and adjusting the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing based on the value.

[0107] In some example embodiments, one or more candidate values ​​are associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more transmit / receive point (TRP) IDs, and a terminal device may select the value by: determining a cell ID or TRP ID corresponding to the cell or TRP with the highest received signal quality from one or more cell IDs or from one or more TRP IDs; and selecting a value associated with the determined cell ID or TRPID from one or more candidate values.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the quality of the received signal may include at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRPP), reference signal received power per path (RSRPP) of the first path of arrival, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0109] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also report at least one of a second fixed transmission timing or a selected value to the network device. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also transmit subsequent RS for positioning at the second fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, at least one operation may include selecting a candidate reference from a plurality of candidate references configured by the network device to determine the DL receive timing; and maintaining the fixed transmission timing by using the DL receive timing determined based on the selected candidate reference.

[0110] In some example embodiments, among a plurality of candidate references, the selected candidate reference is associated with the maximum reference received power (RSRP), the maximum reference received power per path (RSRPP) of the first path of arrival, or the shortest propagation time. In some example embodiments, the information of a candidate reference among the plurality of candidate references may include at least one of the following: a DL RS index; a cell index and a DL RS transmitted from a cell having that cell index; or a cell ID, a TRPID within the cell, a Location Reference Signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a PRS resource ID.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also receive from the network device a request from the network device to report the selected candidate reference to the network device; and report the selected candidate reference to the network device. In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing may be maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing, configured timing advance (TA) values, or uplink (UL) transmission timing of reference signals or channels other than RS used for positioning.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is limited to a predetermined error range. In some example embodiments, at least one of the following is true: the terminal device is in an idle state; the device is in an inactive state; the RS for positioning includes a side link reference signal for positioning; or the RS for positioning includes a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0113] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method 700 implemented at a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this flowchart for discussion purposes. Figure 1 Method 700 is described from the perspective of network device 120.

[0114] At block 702, network device 120 can send a reference signal (RS) configuration valid for positioning in multiple cells to the terminal device. At block 704, network device 120 can send configuration information for fixed transmission timing to the terminal device. At block 706, network device 120 can receive the RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate at least one of the following conditions for maintaining a fixed transmission timing: the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold, or the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the threshold may also be determined based on at least one of the following: the configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; the time synchronization difference between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; the maximum permissible TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; the cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

[0117] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also receive a request from terminal device for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine the DL reception timing; and send updated reference information to the terminal device. In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and configuration information is also used to update the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the configuration information includes one or more candidate values ​​for updating the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the one or more candidate values ​​may be associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) IDs. In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also receive a report of the second fixed transmission timing or a selected value from one or more candidate values ​​from a terminal device; and transmit the second fixed transmission timing to at least one neighboring network device or core network device.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may further include multiple candidate references for the terminal device to determine the DL reception timing. In some example embodiments, the multiple candidate references may include at least one of the following: a DL RS index; a cell index and a DL RS transmitted from a cell having the cell index; or a cell ID, a TRP ID within the cell, a DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a DL PRS resource ID.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the network device may also: send a request to the terminal device requesting the terminal device to report the selected candidate reference; and receive a report of the selected candidate reference from the terminal device. In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing may be maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing, configured timing advance (TA) values, or uplink (UL) transmission timing of reference signals or channels other than RS used for positioning.

[0121] In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing may be defined within a predetermined error range. In some example embodiments, at least one of the following is true: the terminal device is in an idle state; the RS for positioning includes a side link reference signal for positioning; or the RS for positioning includes a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0122] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of method 600 (e.g., terminal device 110) may include components for performing the various steps of method 600. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module.

[0123] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for transmitting a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for performing at least one operation based on determining that at least one condition for maintaining a fixed transmission timing is not met, such that the transmission timing of subsequent RSs for positioning is fixed, either with or without an update to the transmission timing.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing can be at least one of the following: configured by the network device together with the RS configuration for positioning; configured by the network device via broadcast signaling or dedicated signaling; the transmission timing used by the terminal device in a previous serving cell; or indicated to the terminal device when initiating a positioning session. In some embodiments, at least one condition may include: the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold, or the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the threshold may be determined based on at least one of the following: the configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; the time synchronization difference between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; the maximum allowable TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; the cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the threshold may be one of the following: configured by the network device; predetermined; or determined based on the capabilities of the terminal device. In some example embodiments, the at least one operation includes: sending a request to the network device to receive updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine the DL reception timing; and maintaining a fixed transmission timing based on the updated reference information received from the network device.

[0127] In some example embodiments, based on updated reference information received from the network device, the apparatus includes components for maintaining a fixed transmission timing, and may further include: using a DL reception timing determined by the updated reference information. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also perform at least one of the following: continuing to use the fixed transmission timing until updated reference information is received; and stopping the transmission of subsequent PRS based on the fact that no updated reference information has been received until the timer expires.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and the means includes components for at least one operation, which may include: updating the first fixed transmission timing based on configuration information provided by the network device to obtain a second fixed transmission timing; or updating the first fixed transmission timing based on any value to obtain a second fixed transmission timing in the absence of configuration information.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may include one or more candidate values, and the device includes components for updating a first fixed transmission timing by: selecting a value from one or more candidate values; and adjusting the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing based on the value.

[0130] In some example embodiments, one or more candidate values ​​are associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more transmit / receive point (TRP) IDs, and the means includes components for selecting a value by: determining a cell ID or TRP ID corresponding to the cell or TRP with the highest received signal quality from one or more cell IDs or from one or more TRP IDs; and selecting a value associated with the determined cell ID or TRP ID from one or more candidate values.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the quality of the received signal may include at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRPP); and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first path of arrival.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for reporting at least one of a second fixed transmission timing or a selected value to a network device. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for transmitting subsequent RS for positioning at the second fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for at least one operation, which may include: selecting a candidate reference from a plurality of candidate references configured by the network device for a terminal device to determine a DL receive timing; and maintaining the fixed transmission timing by using the DL receive timing determined based on the selected candidate reference.

[0133] In some example embodiments, among a plurality of candidate references, the selected candidate reference is associated with the maximum reference received power (RSRP), the maximum reference received power per path (RSRPP) of the first path of arrival, or the shortest propagation time. In some example embodiments, the information of a candidate reference among the plurality of candidate references may include at least one of the following: a DL RS index; a cell index and a DL RS transmitted from a cell having that cell index; or a cell ID, a TRPID within the cell, a DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a DL PRS resource ID.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: receiving from the network device a request from the terminal device to report a selected candidate reference to the network device; and components for reporting the selected candidate reference to the network device. In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing can be maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing, configured timing advance (TA) values, or uplink (UL) transmission timing of a reference signal or channel other than the RS used for positioning.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is limited to a predetermined error range. In some example embodiments, at least one of the following is true: the terminal device is in an idle state; the RS for positioning includes a side link reference signal for positioning; or the RS for positioning includes a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0136] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing additional steps in some embodiments of method 600. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause performance of the apparatus.

[0137] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of method 700 (e.g., network device 120) may include components for performing the various steps of method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes a means for transmitting to a terminal device a reference signal (RS) configuration valid in multiple cells for positioning. In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes a means for transmitting to the terminal device configuration information for a fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes a means for receiving the positioning RS from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate a fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the configuration information may indicate at least one of the following conditions for maintaining a fixed transmission timing: the time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmission timing is within a threshold, or the fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL receive timing.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for determining a threshold based on at least one of the following: a configurable range of timing advance (TA) values; time synchronization differences between multiple cells; the maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration for positioning; the maximum permissible TA value; the number of cells in the effective area; a cyclic prefix; and the maximum tolerable timing offset at the transmit-receive point (TRP) to still achieve predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving from a terminal device a request for receiving updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine DL reception timing; and a component for sending the updated reference information to the terminal device. In some example embodiments, the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and configuration information is further used to update the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the configuration information includes one or more candidate values ​​for updating the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing. In some example embodiments, the one or more candidate values ​​may be associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) IDs. In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes components for receiving a report of the second fixed transmission timing from a terminal device or a value selected from one or more candidate values; and for transmitting the second fixed transmission timing to at least one neighboring network device or core network device.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the configuration information may further include multiple candidate references for the terminal device to determine the DL reception timing. In some example embodiments, the information of a candidate reference among the multiple candidate references may include at least one of the following: a DL RS index; a cell index and a DL RS transmitted from a cell having the cell index; or a cell ID, a TRP ID within the cell, a Location Reference Signal (PRS) resource set ID transmitted from the TRP, and a (PRS) resource ID.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending a request to a terminal device, requesting the terminal device to report a selected candidate reference; and receiving a report of the selected candidate reference from the terminal device. In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing can be maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing, configured timing advance (TA) values, or uplink (UL) transmission timing of a reference signal or channel other than the RS used for positioning.

[0145] In some example embodiments, a fixed transmission timing may be defined within a predetermined error range. In some example embodiments, at least one of the following is true: the terminal device is in an idle state; the RS for positioning includes a side link reference signal for positioning; or the RS for positioning includes a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0146] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing additional steps in some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause performance of the apparatus.

[0147] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The device 800 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 110 and network devices 120 to 162 are shown. As shown, device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to processor 810.

[0148] Communication module 840 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements.

[0149] Processor 810 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: as non-limiting examples, general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures. Device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0150] Memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-off periods.

[0151] Computer program 830 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. Program 830 may be stored in ROM 824. Processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 830 into RAM 822.

[0152] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 830, enabling device 800 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2A to 7 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0153] In some example embodiments, program 830 may be tangibly included in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 800 (such as in memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by device 800. Device 800 may load program 830 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0154] Figure 9 A block diagram of an example of a computer-readable medium 900 according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. A program 830 is stored on the computer-readable medium 900. It should be noted that although the computer-readable medium 900... Figure 9 The program 930 is depicted in the form of a CD or DVD, but the computer-readable medium 900 may be any other form suitable for carrying or storing the program 930.

[0155] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0156] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, which are executed in a device targeting a real or virtual processor to perform the functions described above. Figure 3 ,refer to Figure 4Or refer to Figure 5 Methods 300, 400, or 500 are described. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0157] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0158] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0159] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer floppy disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transient” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), not a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0160] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in sequence, or requiring all illustrated operations to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0161] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: A reference signal (RS) for positioning is transmitted at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS configuration for positioning is valid in multiple cells; and Based on the determination that at least one condition for maintaining the fixed transmission timing is not met, at least one operation is performed to fix the transmission timing of the subsequent RS for positioning, either with or without an update to the transmission timing.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the fixed transmission timing is at least one of the following: It is configured by the network device together with the RS configuration used for positioning; Configured by network devices via broadcast signaling or dedicated signaling; The transmission timing used by the terminal device in the previous serving cell; or Instruct the terminal device when a location session is initiated.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein at least one condition includes: The time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmit timing is within a threshold; or The fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL reception timing.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the threshold is determined based on at least one of the following: The configurable range of the timing advance (TA) value; Time synchronization differences between multiple cells; The maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for positioning; Maximum allowed TA value; The number of cells in the effective region; Cyclic prefix; At the transmit-receive point (TRP), the maximum tolerable timing offset is achieved while still maintaining the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

5. The terminal device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the threshold is one of the following: Configured by network devices; Pre-booked; or It is determined based on the capabilities of the terminal device.

6. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one operation includes: Send a request to the network device for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine the DL reception timing; as well as The fixed transmission timing is maintained based on the updated reference information received from the network device.

7. The terminal device of claim 6, wherein maintaining the fixed transmission timing based on receiving the updated reference information from the network device further includes: The DL reception timing is determined using the updated reference information.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to perform at least one of the following: Continue using the fixed transmission timing until the updated reference information is received; and Based on the fact that no updated reference information has been received until the timer expires, subsequent RS transmissions for positioning are stopped.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and wherein the at least one operation includes one of the following: Based on the configuration information provided by the network device, update the first fixed transmission timing to obtain the second fixed transmission timing; or In the absence of the configuration information, the first fixed transmission timing is updated based on any value to obtain the second fixed transmission timing.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the configuration information includes one or more candidate values, and wherein the terminal device is configured to update the first fixed transmission timing by: Select a value from the one or more candidate values; and Based on the value, the first fixed transmission timing is adjusted to the second fixed transmission timing.

11. The terminal device of claim 10, wherein the one or more candidate values ​​are associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) IDs, and wherein the terminal device is configured to select the value by: Determine the cell ID or TRP ID corresponding to the cell or TRP with the highest received signal quality from the one or more cell IDs or from the one or more TRP IDs; and Select the value associated with the determined cell ID or TRP ID from the one or more candidate values.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11, wherein the received signal quality includes at least one of the following: Reference signal received power (RSRP); The reference signal received power per path (RSRPP) of the first arrival path; and Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

13. The terminal device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Report to the network device at least one of the second fixed transmission timing or the selected value.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The subsequent RS for positioning is transmitted at the second fixed transmission timing.

15. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one operation comprises: From a plurality of candidate references configured by the network device for the terminal device, a candidate reference is selected to determine the DL reception timing; as well as The fixed transmission timing is maintained by using a DL receive timing determined based on the selected candidate reference.

16. The terminal device of claim 15, wherein among the plurality of candidate references, the selected candidate reference is associated with the maximum reference signal received power (RSRP), the maximum reference signal received power per path (RSRPP) of the first arrival path, or the shortest propagation time.

17. The terminal device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the information of the candidate references in the plurality of candidate references includes at least one of the following: DL RS index; Cell index and DL RS sent from a cell having said cell index; or Cell ID, TRP ID within the cell, DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Set ID sent from the TRP, and DL PRS Resource ID.

18. The terminal device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Receive from the network device a request from the terminal device to report the selected candidate reference; and The selected candidate reference is reported to the network device.

19. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the fixed transmission timing is maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing; The configured timing advance (TA) values; or Used for uplink (UL) transmission timing of reference signals or channels other than the RS used for positioning.

20. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the fixed transmission timing is limited within a predetermined error range.

21. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein at least one of the following: The terminal device is inactive. The terminal device is in an idle state; The RS used for positioning includes a side-link reference signal for positioning; or The RS used for positioning includes a detection reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

22. A network device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: Sends reference signals (RS) valid in multiple cells for location configuration to the terminal device; Send configuration information for fixing the transmission timing to the terminal device; and At the fixed transmission timing, RS for positioning is received from the terminal device.

23. The network device of claim 22, wherein the configuration information indicates the fixed transmission timing.

24. The network device according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the configuration information indicates at least one of the following conditions for maintaining the fixed transmission timing: The time difference between the DL receive timing and the fixed transmit timing is within a threshold; or The fixed transmission timing is earlier than the DL reception timing.

25. The network device of claim 24, wherein the network device is further configured to determine the threshold based on at least one of the following: The configurable range of the timing advance (TA) value; Time synchronization differences between multiple cells; The maximum distance within the effective area of ​​the RS configuration used for the positioning; Maximum allowed TA value; The number of cells in the effective region; Cyclic prefix; At the transmit-receive point (TRP), the maximum tolerable timing offset is achieved while still maintaining the predetermined relative time of arrival (RTOA) measurement accuracy.

26. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 25, wherein the network device is further configured to: Receive from the terminal device a request for updated reference information for the terminal device, the reference information being used to determine DL reception timing; and The updated reference information is sent to the terminal device.

27. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 26, wherein the fixed transmission timing is a first fixed transmission timing, and the configuration information is further used to update the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing.

28. The network device of claim 27, wherein the configuration information includes one or more candidate values ​​for updating the first fixed transmission timing to a second fixed transmission timing.

29. The network device of claim 28, wherein the one or more candidate values ​​are associated with one or more cell IDs or with one or more Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) IDs.

30. The network device according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the network device is further configured to: Receive from the terminal device a report of the second fixed transmission timing or a value selected from one or more candidate values; and Send the second fixed transmission time to at least one neighboring network device or core network device.

31. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein the configuration information further includes a plurality of candidate references for the terminal device to determine the DL reception timing.

32. The network device of claim 31, wherein the plurality of candidate references includes at least one of the following: DL RS index; Cell index and DL RS sent from a cell having said cell index; or Cell ID, TRP ID within the cell, DL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Set ID sent from the TRP, and DL PRS Resource ID.

33. The network device according to claim 31 or 32, wherein the network device is further configured to: Send a request to the terminal device to report the selected candidate reference; and The terminal device receives a report of the selected candidate reference.

34. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 33, wherein the fixed transmission timing is maintained independently of at least one of the following: DL receive timing; The configured timing advance (TA) values; or Used for uplink (UL) transmission timing of reference signals or channels other than the RS used for positioning.

35. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 34, wherein the fixed transmission timing is limited within a predetermined error range.

36. The network device according to any one of claims 22 to 35, wherein at least one of the following: The terminal device is inactive; or The terminal device is in an idle state; or The RS used for positioning includes a side-link reference signal for positioning; or The RS used for positioning includes a detection reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

37. A method comprising: A reference signal (RS) for positioning is transmitted at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS configuration for positioning is valid in multiple cells; as well as Based on the determination that the fixed transmission timing cannot be maintained, at least one operation is performed to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs used for positioning.

38. A method comprising: Send the reference signal (RS) configuration, which is valid for positioning in multiple cells, to the terminal device; Send configuration information for fixing the transmission timing to the terminal device; and At the fixed transmission timing, RS for positioning is received from the terminal device.

39. An apparatus comprising: A component for transmitting a reference signal (RS) for positioning at a fixed transmission timing, wherein the RS for positioning is configured to be valid in multiple cells; as well as A component for performing at least one operation to fix the transmission timing of subsequent RSs used for positioning, based on the determination that the fixed transmission timing cannot be maintained.

40. An apparatus comprising: Components used to send reference signals (RS) configurations for positioning that are valid in multiple cells to terminal devices; A component for sending configuration information for fixed transmission timing to the terminal device; as well as A component for receiving RS for positioning from the terminal device at the fixed transmission timing.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a device to perform at least the method according to any one of claims 37 to 38.

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