Systems and methods for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) related information indication

Abstract

The present disclosure presents systems and methods for global navigation satellite system (GNSS) related information indication. The wireless communication device may send a message to the wireless communication node according to the configuration in response to successful execution of the GNSS positioning. The configuration may be from a wireless communication node, and may be a configuration for sending one or more messages indicating successful performance of GNSS positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communications, including but not limited to systems and methods for indicating information related to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Background Technology

[0002] The standards organization Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently specifying a new air interface called 5G New Radio (5G NR) and a Next Generation Packet Core Network (NG-CN or NGC). 5G NR will have three main components: the 5G Access Network (5G-AN), the 5G Core Network (5GC), and User Equipment (UE). To facilitate the implementation of different data services and requirements, the elements of the 5GC (also known as Network Functions (NFs)) have been simplified, with some elements being software-based and others hardware-based, allowing for customization as needed. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are intended to address problems related to one or more issues existing in the related art, and provide additional features that will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Example systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are disclosed herein according to various embodiments. However, it should be understood that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not as limiting, and that various modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments by those skilled in the art who have read this disclosure, while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0004] At least one aspect relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium that carries out the following: A wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) may, in response to successful GNSS positioning, send a message to a wireless communication node (e.g., a base station (BS)) according to a configuration (e.g., a time window, a timer length, resources, or restrictions). This configuration may originate from the wireless communication node and may be a configuration for sending one or more messages indicating successful GNSS positioning. The configuration may include information about at least one of the following: a specific time window; a timer; or one or more resources. This configuration may be accomplished via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or by resources selected by a Medium Access Control Control Element (MAC CE), or indicated by scheduling via Downlink Control Information (DCI). Resources are used to carry the messages.

[0005] In some embodiments, resources may include at least one of the following: a preamble index; a Random Access Channel (RACH) Occasion (RO) configuration; a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) resource; a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resource corresponding to a configured licensed transmission; or uplink (UL) resources located at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window. The UE may send the preamble using a dedicated index (or mask) or via a dedicated RO. In some examples, the preamble itself may be considered a message. The UE may send a Scheduling Request (SR). In some examples, the SR itself may be considered a message. In some examples, upon receiving an SR, the 5G Next Generation Node B (gNB) may schedule subsequent PUSCH transmissions for the UE to report information, such as the effective duration. PUSCH resources may refer to resources used for PUSCH transmissions based on configuration licenses. The configuration of this resource may come from the RRC. In some examples, the periodicity of the PUSCH resources used for configuring authorization can be determined based on at least one of the following: the effective duration of GNSS, the length of the measurement gap acquired by GNSS, and the window used for reporting messages. UL resources can be subject to specific constraints in resource configuration in the time domain. In some examples, timing advance (TA) for UL transmissions can be considered when configuring UL resources in the time domain.

[0006] In some embodiments, a specific time window may begin at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window (e.g., during a gap). The length of the specific time window may be indicated in the configuration. If the wireless communication node does not receive a message at the end of the specific time window, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning successfully. When a specific time window begins after the end of a GNSS measurement time window, at least one of the following is true: the start time of the specific time window is indicated in the configuration; or the specific time window begins after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

[0007] In some embodiments, the timer may start at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window. The duration of the timer may be configured by the network. If the wireless communication node does not receive a message when the timer expires, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning. When the timer starts after the end of the GNSS measurement time window, at least one of the following is true: the start time of the timer is indicated in the configuration; or the timer starts after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

[0008] In some embodiments, one or more resources may be configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window. If a wireless communication node does not receive a message within one or more resources, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning. This configuration may be configured or indicated via signaling from the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device. The signaling may include at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling. Before or after the GNSS measurement time window, one or more resources may be configured by the wireless communication node via at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, RRC signaling, or MAC CE signaling.

[0009] In some embodiments, a message indicating successful GNSS positioning may include at least one of the following: signaling defined as indicating successful GNSS positioning (e.g., dedicated signaling, or RRC / MAC-CE signaling) or an indication (e.g., bit or field value) in such signaling; a message providing or reporting the effective duration of GNSS (e.g., the duration for which GNSS positioning information is acquired via GNSS measurements); or an uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the UE may not be able to ensure that UL transmissions are successfully received by the gNB. The UE can only ensure that UL transmissions are performed within the configured time window / timer / resource.

[0010] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication of the effective duration of GNSS to a wireless communication node (e.g., BS). This indication may include at least one of the following: an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the start time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a first time offset (e.g., number of time slots) relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration (e.g., transmission limits, timing limits), as the start time of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the end time of the effective duration of GNSS; or an indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration. The wireless communication device can send this instruction to the wireless communication node via RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0011] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication to the wireless communication node based on transmission restrictions, which include at least one of the following: a specific time window that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; a timer duration that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; or one or more resources configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window.

[0012] In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may send an indication to a wireless communication node via a resource, which includes at least one of the following: a PUCCH resource; a PUSCH resource corresponding to a configured licensed transmission; or a UL resource located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window. The UE may send an SR. Then, in some examples, the SR itself may be considered a message. In some examples, after receiving the SR, the gNB may schedule subsequent PUSCH transmissions for the UE to report information, such as the effective duration. The PUSCH resource may refer to a resource used for PUSCH transmissions based on configuration licenses. The configuration of the PUSCH resource may come from the RRC. In some examples, the periodicity of the PUSCH resource used for configuration licenses may be determined based on at least one of the GNSS effective duration, the length of the measurement gap acquired by the GNSS, and the window used for reporting messages. There are some specific constraints on the configuration of time-domain resources. In some examples, when configuring UL resources in the time domain, the TA used for UL transmissions may be considered. In some examples, once the effective duration is quantized in a predefined table or according to a threshold configured by the gNB (e.g., via the RRC), the bits representing the GNSS effective duration may be carried by the PUCCH accordingly.

[0013] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may send a configuration to a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) for sending a message indicating successful GNSS positioning. In response to successful GNSS positioning, the wireless communication node can receive a message from the wireless communication device according to this configuration.

[0014] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send signaling to the wireless communication node. The signaling may include an indication of the effective duration of GNSS. This indication may include at least one of the following: an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the start time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a first time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the start time of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the end time of the effective duration of GNSS; or an indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration.

[0015] In some embodiments, the signaling may include at least one of the following: RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication to the wireless communication node based on transmission restrictions, which include at least one of the following: a specific time window that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; a timer duration that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; or one or more resources configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only and depict only exemplary embodiments of the present invention to facilitate the reader's understanding. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered as limitations on the breadth, scope, or applicability of the present invention. It should be noted that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for clarity and ease of illustration.

[0018] Figure 1 An example cellular communication network in which the techniques disclosed herein can be implemented according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 Block diagrams of an example base station and a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 3 Example implementations of a non-terrestrial network (NTN) according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0021] Figure 4 Example GNSS positioning during RRC_CONNECTED mode is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 An example waiting time window following a GNSS measurement time window / gap is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 An example wait timer following a GNSS measurement time window / gap is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0024] Figure 7 Example dedicated resources following GNSS measurement time windows / gap are shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure; and

[0025] Figure 8A flowchart is shown for an example method for indicating GNSS-related information according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0026] 1. Mobile communication technology and environment

[0027] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network and / or system 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is illustrated, wherein the techniques disclosed herein can be implemented. In the following discussion, wireless communication network 100 can be any wireless network, such as a cellular network or a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network, and is referred to herein as "network 100". Such an example network 100 includes base stations 102 (hereinafter referred to as "BS102"; also referred to as wireless communication nodes) and user equipment 104 (hereinafter referred to as "UE104"; also referred to as wireless communication devices) that can communicate with each other via communication links 110 (e.g., wireless communication channels), and a cluster of cells 126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 covering a geographic area 101. Figure 1 In this context, BS102 and UE 104 are contained within the corresponding geographical boundaries of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, and 140 may include at least one base station that operates with its allocated bandwidth to provide sufficient wireless coverage to its intended users.

[0028] For example, BS102 can operate on the allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide sufficient coverage to UE 104. BS102 and UE 104 can communicate via downlink radio frame 118 and uplink radio frame 124, respectively. Each radio frame 118 / 124 can be further divided into subframes 120 / 127, which may include data symbols 122 / 128. In this disclosure, BS102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of "communication nodes" that can generally practice the methods disclosed herein. According to various embodiments of this scheme, such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and / or wired communication.

[0029] Figure 2A block diagram of an example wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) / Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signals) according to some embodiments of this scheme is shown. System 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating characteristics that do not need to be described in detail herein. In one illustrative embodiment, as described above, system 200 can be used in applications such as... Figure 1 The wireless communication environment 100 is a wireless communication environment in which communication (e.g., transmission and reception) data symbols are used.

[0030] System 200 typically includes a base station 202 (hereinafter referred to as "BS202") and a user equipment 204 (hereinafter referred to as "UE204"). BS202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each module being coupled and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 220. UE 204 includes a UE transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each module being coupled and interconnected with each other as needed via a data communication bus 240. BS202 communicates with UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for data transmission as described herein.

[0031] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, system 200 may also include, in addition to Figure 2 Any number of modules other than those shown. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described according to their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement such functionality in a manner suitable for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0032] According to some embodiments, UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as "uplink" transceiver 230, which includes a radio frequency (RF) transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-duplex manner. Similarly, according to some embodiments, BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as "downlink" transceiver 210, which includes an RF transmitter and an RF receiver, each including circuitry coupled to antenna 212. A downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to downlink antenna 212 in a time-duplex manner. The operation of the two transceiver modules 210 and 230 can be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver circuitry is coupled to the downlink antenna 232 so that transmissions via wireless transmission link 250 are received while the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Conversely, the operation of the two transceivers 210 and 230 can be coordinated in time such that the downlink receiver is coupled to the downlink antenna 212 so that transmissions via the wireless transmission link 250 are received simultaneously while the uplink transmitter is coupled to the uplink antenna 232. In some embodiments, there is tight time synchronization with a minimum guard time between changes in duplex direction.

[0033] UE transceiver 230 and base transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via wireless data communication link 250 and cooperate with RF antenna arrangements 212 / 232 appropriately configured to support specific wireless communication protocols and modulation schemes. In some illustrative embodiments, UE transceiver 210 and base transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not necessarily limited to application to specific standards and related protocols. Rather, UE transceiver 230 and base transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

[0034] According to various embodiments, for example, BS202 may be an evolved Node B (eNB), a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femtocell, or a picocell. In some embodiments, UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user equipment, such as mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, laptops, wearable computing devices, etc. Processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented or implemented using a general-purpose processor, content-addressable memory, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof for performing the functions described herein. In this way, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

[0035] Furthermore, the steps of the methods or algorithms described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be directly embodied in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 214 and 236 respectively, or any actual combination thereof. Memory modules 216 and 234 can be implemented as random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this respect, memory modules 216 and 234 can be coupled to processor modules 210 and 230 respectively, such that processor modules 210 and 230 can read information from and write information to memory modules 216 and 234 respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

[0036] Network communication module 218 typically represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of base station 202 that enable bidirectional communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 may be configured to support Internet or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) services. In a typical deployment, but not limited to, network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface, enabling base station transceiver 210 to communicate with traditional Ethernet-based computer networks. In this way, network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). The terms “configured for,” “configured as,” and their conjugates, used herein for a particular operation or function, refer to devices, components, circuits, structures, machines, signals, etc., physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform a particular operation or function.

[0037] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (referred to herein as the "OSI model") defines the conceptual and logical layout of network communications used by systems (e.g., wireless communication devices, wireless communication nodes) that are open to interconnecting and communicating with other systems. The model is divided into seven sub-components or layers, each representing a set of concepts providing services to the layers above and below it. The OSI model also defines logical networks and efficiently describes computer packet transmissions using different layer protocols. The OSI model may also be referred to as the seven-layer OSI model or the seven-layer model. In some embodiments, the first layer may be the physical layer. In some embodiments, the second layer may be the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. In some embodiments, the third layer may be the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer. In some embodiments, the fourth layer may be the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. In some embodiments, the fifth layer may be the RRC layer. In some embodiments, the sixth layer may be the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer or the Internet Protocol (IP) layer, and the seventh layer is another layer.

[0038] Various exemplary embodiments of this solution are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to make and use this solution. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of this solution. Therefore, this solution is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Furthermore, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely exemplary. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods or processes can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of this solution. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or actions in a sample order, and unless otherwise expressly stated, this solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0039] 2. Systems and methods for indicating GNSS-related information

[0040] In NTN, propagation delays can be large and rapidly changing due to satellite altitude and mobility. To handle large and variable propagation delays, a UE pre-compensation solution can be applied. The UE can perform autonomous estimation and pre-compensation of TA based on its location and satellite ephemeris. It can be assumed that the UE's location is obtained through GNSS operation. However, in IoT-NTN, due to limited device capabilities, cellular operation and GNSS positioning may not be performed simultaneously. Therefore, in the IoT-NTN defined below, the UE may not update GNSS information during cellular operation. Since GNSS information may only be valid for a period of time, especially when the UE is moving, a valid duration associated with GNSS information can be defined to indicate during this period that UL synchronization can be maintained without updating GNSS information. The UE performing GNSS operation can determine GNSS-related information (e.g., whether GNSS positioning was successful and how long the GNSS information can be valid). To reach consensus with the network, the UE can report certain GNSS information to the network, which can avoid potential resource waste and interference due to the scheduling of UL transmissions when UL synchronization is lost. In this disclosure, a method for GNSS information reporting can be implemented.

[0041] Figure 3 An example structure of a transparent NTN according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. The link between the UE (e.g., user equipment, UE104, UE204, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal, etc.) and the satellite can be a serving link. The link between the BS (e.g., base station, BS102, BS202, gNB, eNB, wireless communication node, etc.) and the satellite can be a feeder link and can be shared by all UEs within the same cell.

[0042] In IoT-NTN, due to UE capabilities limitations, it cannot be assumed that the UE performs both cellular and GNSS operations simultaneously. In the first type of IoT-NTN, it can be assumed that the UE performs GNSS measurements only in idle mode. The UE can report the effective duration of GNSS in msg5. If the effective duration of GNSS expires, UL synchronization can be considered / assumed to be lost. The UE can then return to idle mode. In the second type of IoT-NTN, a UE can perform GNSS measurements in RRC_CONNECTED mode. However, when performing GNSS measurements, the UE may not detect DL transmissions and may send UL transmissions instead.

[0043] The UE can report the effective duration of GNSS and the time window after the effective duration expires to the network. The UE can determine when to perform GNSS positioning. After initial access, the UE can report the effective duration of GNSS to the network. When the effective duration expires, the UE can reacquire GNSS position to maintain UL synchronization within the time window. During the time window, the UE can suppress uplink transmissions, and the network can suppress scheduling uplink transmissions by the UE. Figure 4 As shown, after GNSS is reacquired, cellular operations can continue until the next GNSS expiration and the next reacquisition.

[0044] Furthermore, other solutions can also enable the UE to perform GNSS positioning in RRC_CONNECTED mode. For example, the network can configure GNSS measurement gaps before the effective duration expires. The network can also indicate the start time and length of the measurement gap via specific signaling. In any case, when performing GNSS measurements, time windows / gap can be utilized to avoid simultaneous cellular and GNSS operations.

[0045] Implementation Example 1: Successful GNSS Positioning Indication

[0046] If UE is supported to perform GNSS positioning during RRC_CONNECTED mode in IoT-NTN, a time window / gap can be defined for GNSS measurements. Cellular operations can be omitted during the time window / gap. To avoid scheduling transmissions during the time window / gap, the UE and eNB can agree on the timing of the time window / gap (e.g., the start and length of the time window / gap). Furthermore, it is advantageous that the eNB also knows whether GNSS positioning was successful. By knowing whether GNSS positioning was successful, the eNB can avoid scheduling UL transmissions when UL synchronization is lost due to GNSS positioning failure.

[0047] To indicate successful GNSS positioning, one of the following solutions can be considered.

[0048] (i) Explicit dedicated signaling can be defined to indicate successful GNSS positioning. The UE can report successful GNSS positioning after the time window / gap of GNSS measurement. A bit can be defined to indicate whether GNSS positioning was successful. For example, if a "1" is reported, the network can consider / assume that the UE successfully acquired a new GNSS location during the time window / gap. If a "0" is reported or the bit is not present, the network can consider / assume that the UE failed to acquire a new GNSS location during the time window / gap. This report can be indicated via MAC CE or RRC signaling.

[0049] (ii) Successful GNSS positioning can be implied by reporting a new effective GNSS duration. The UE can report the effective duration associated with GNSS information. The GNSS information indicates the time during which the GNSS position can be used for pre-compensation. When a new effective GNSS duration is reported, this report can implicitly indicate successful GNSS positioning.

[0050] (iii) Successful GNSS positioning can be implicitly indicated by any successful UL transmission after the time window / gap. A solution for GNSS measurements during RRC_CONNECTED mode can be implemented. The time window / gap for GNSS measurements can begin after the previous valid GNSS duration has expired. In this case, if the UE fails to acquire a new GNSS location, UL synchronization may be lost, and UL transmissions cannot be expected. Therefore, if the network successfully receives a UL transmission, it can implicitly indicate that the UE has successfully acquired a new GNSS location.

[0051] Regardless of which of the above solutions is applied, the UE can transmit or report something after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. With the introduction of a success indication mechanism, the eNB can avoid scheduling UL or DL ​​transmissions after the GNSS measurement time window / gap but before receiving a success indication (e.g., especially when there is no valid GNSS information (e.g., when the previous valid GNSS duration has expired)).

[0052] If the UE fails to locate via GNSS, it may be unable to maintain UL synchronization (e.g., when performing GNSS positioning after the previous GNSS validity period has expired), and UL transmission will be impossible in this case. Therefore, if the eNB does not receive a success indication long after the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB may consider / perceive GNSS positioning failure. With this in mind, some limitation can be introduced on the success indication. If the timing used for performing UL transmission or reporting is based on the UE implementation, the success indication from the UE to the eNB may be very late after successful GNSS positioning. If the success indication is too late, the eNB may consider / perceive the UE's GNSS positioning failure and release the RRC connection before receiving the success indication. Misalignment may occur between the UE and the eNB. To address this issue, at least one of the following methods can be considered.

[0053] (i) A waiting time window can be defined. The waiting time window can start from the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 5 (As shown). During the waiting time window, the eNB may wait for a UE indication of successful GNSS positioning. When the waiting time window ends, the eNB may not wait for a success indication and may consider / consider that the UE failed to locate via GNSS. The length of this time window can be predefined or configured by the network through at least one of System Information Block (SIB) broadcasts, RRC signaling, or MAC CE signaling. The UE may indicate successful GNSS positioning within the time window (via the methods described above, such as explicit signaling, reporting the effective duration of GNSS, or any UL transmission). If no success indication is received by the end of the time window, GNSS positioning may be considered / considered to have failed. Figure 5 An example waiting time window following a GNSS measurement time window / gap is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0054] (ii) A wait timer can be defined. The wait timer can start from the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap (e.g., as...). Figure 6(As shown). When the wait timer is running, the eNB may wait for a UE indication of successful GNSS positioning. When the wait timer expires, the eNB may not wait for a success indication and may consider / consider the UE's GNSS positioning to have failed. The length of this timer can be predefined or configured by the network via at least one of SIB broadcast, RRC signaling, or MAC CE signaling. The UE may indicate successful GNSS positioning before the timer expires (via the methods described above, such as explicit signaling, reporting the effective duration of GNSS, or any UL transmission). If there is no successful indication before the timer expires, the GNSS positioning may be considered / considered to have failed. Figure 6 An example wait timer following a GNSS measurement time window / gap is shown according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0055] (iii) Dedicated resources can be defined. Dedicated resources for success indication can be configured after the GNSS measurement time window / gap (e.g., such as...). Figure 7 (As shown). Resources can be configured by the network via at least one of SIB broadcast, RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI indication. The UE can use the configured resources to indicate successful GNSS positioning (via the methods described above, such as explicit signaling, reporting the effective duration of GNSS, or any UL transmission). If a success indication is not performed using the configured resources, GNSS positioning can be considered / deemed a failure. Figure 7 Example dedicated resources are shown after GNSS measurement time windows / gap according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0056] The combination of solutions and constraints may include at least one of the following: explicit signaling + time window; explicit signaling + timer; explicit signaling + configured resources; effective duration + time window; effective duration + timer; effective duration + configured resources; any UL transmission + time window; any UL transmission + timer; or any UL transmission + configured resources. Based on the above possible solutions and constraints for success indication, at least one of the following examples is possible.

[0057] Example 1: Dedicated signaling can be defined for the UE to report successful GNSS positioning. The reporting signaling can be RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. A waiting time window can be defined for the reporting signaling. The length of the waiting time window can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC / MAC CE signaling. The start of the waiting time window can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS position during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report successful GNSS positioning during the waiting time window following the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE may not report a success signaling, or may report a failure signaling. If the eNB receives a success signaling within the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB receives a failure signaling within the waiting time window, or does not receive a success signaling until the end of the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be failed. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE, or it can trigger the UE to reconnect to the network.

[0058] Example 2: Dedicated signaling can be defined for the UE to report successful GNSS positioning, similar to Example 1. A wait timer can be defined for the signaling report. The length of the wait timer can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC signaling / MAC CE signaling. The start of the wait timer can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS location during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report successful GNSS positioning after the GNSS measurement time window / gap but before the wait timer expires. Otherwise, the UE can either not report a success signaling or report a failure signaling. If the eNB receives a success signaling before the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB receives a failure signaling before the wait timer expires, or receives a success signaling only after the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be unsuccessful. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE or trigger the UE to re-access the network.

[0059] Example 3: Dedicated signaling can be defined for the UE to report successful GNSS positioning, similar to Example 1. The eNB can configure time and / or frequency resources for the UE to report success signaling. Time resource configuration can include an indication of the start SFN and timeslot number, a start time offset relative to the end / start of the GNSS measurement time window / slot, a start time offset relative to the reception time of configuration information, or the length of the time resource. Frequency resource configuration can include an indication of the start offset of the Physical Resource Block (PRB) (e.g., relative to point A), the start PRB index, or the width of the frequency resource.

[0060] At least one of the following configuration methods can be considered.

[0061] (a) Before the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. The UE can apply the configured resources to report after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. This can minimize reporting delay.

[0062] (b) After the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling. The UE can then use the configured resources for reporting. Scheduling delays can be disregarded.

[0063] (c) After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast the time offset and time domain length to indicate the time resources used for successful reporting signaling. After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast frequency resources shared by all successful reporting signaling. The UE can use the configured resources for reporting. Signaling overhead can be saved due to the broadcast application.

[0064] If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS location during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report successful GNSS positioning using the configured resources after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE may not report a success signal or may report a failure signal. If the eNB receives a success signal in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB receives a failure signal in the configured resources or does not receive a success signal in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be unsuccessful. The eNB may release the RRC connection with the UE or may trigger the UE to re-access the network.

[0065] Example 4: The UE can report the effective duration of GNSS positioning after a successful GNSS positioning. The reporting signaling can be RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. A waiting time window can be defined for the reporting signaling. The length of the waiting time window can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC / MAC CE signaling. The start of the waiting time window can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS position during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report the effective duration of GNSS positioning during the waiting time window following the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE may not report the effective duration of GNSS positioning, or may report the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information. If the eNB receives the new effective duration of GNSS positioning within the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive the effective duration of GNSS positioning until the end of the waiting time window, or receives the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information within the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be unsuccessful. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE, or trigger the UE to reconnect to the network.

[0066] Example 5: The UE can report the effective duration of GNSS after successful GNSS positioning, similar to Example 4. A wait timer can be defined for the reporting signaling. The length of the wait timer can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC signaling / MAC CE signaling. The start of the wait timer can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS position during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report the effective duration of GNSS after the GNSS measurement time window / gap but before the wait timer expires. Otherwise, the UE may not report the effective duration of GNSS, or may report the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information. If the eNB receives the new effective duration of GNSS before the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive the effective duration of GNSS before the wait timer expires, or receives the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information before the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap a failure. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE, or trigger the UE to reconnect to the network.

[0067] Example 6: The UE can report the effective duration of GNSS after successful GNSS positioning, similar to Example 4. The eNB can configure time and / or frequency resources for the UE to report the effective duration of GNSS. The time resource configuration can be an indication of the start SFN and slot number, a start time offset relative to the end / start of the GNSS measurement time window / slot, a start time offset relative to the reception time of the configuration information, or the length of the time resource. The frequency resource configuration can be an indication of the start offset of the PRB (e.g., relative to point A), the start PRB index, or the width of the frequency resource.

[0068] At least one of the following configuration methods can be considered.

[0069] (a) Before the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. The UE can apply the configured resources to report the effective duration of GNSS after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. This minimizes reporting delay.

[0070] (b) After the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling. The UE can use the configured resources to report the effective duration of GNSS. Scheduling delays can be disregarded.

[0071] (c) After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast the time offset and time domain length to indicate the time resources used for successful reporting signaling. After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast frequency resources shared by all successful reporting signaling. The UE can use the configured resources to report the effective duration of GNSS. Signaling overhead can be saved due to the broadcast application.

[0072] If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS location during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can report the effective GNSS duration using the configured resources after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE may not report the effective GNSS duration, or may report the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information. If the eNB receives the new effective GNSS duration in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive the new effective GNSS duration in the configured resources, or may receive the remaining effective duration of the old GNSS information in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be unsuccessful. The eNB may release the RRC connection with the UE, or may trigger the UE to re-access the network.

[0073] Example 7: The UE can perform a UL transmission after successful GNSS positioning to obtain an implicit indication of success. The UL transmission can be any type of UL transmission (e.g., SR, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), PUSCH, or PUCCH). A waiting time window can be defined for such a UL transmission. The length of the waiting time window can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC signaling / MAC CE signaling. The start of the waiting time window can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS position during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can perform at least one UL transmission during the waiting time window following the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE can perform no UL transmission. If the eNB receives a UL transmission within the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive any UL transmission before the end of the waiting time window, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap a failure. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE, or it can trigger the UE to reconnect to the network.

[0074] Example 8: The UE can perform a UL transmission after a successful GNSS positioning to obtain an implicit indication of success. The UL transmission can be any type of UL transmission (e.g., SR, PRACH, PUSCH, or PUCCH). A wait timer can be defined for this UL transmission. The length of the wait timer can be broadcast in the SIB or configured by the eNB via dedicated RRC signaling / MAC CE signaling. The start of the wait timer can be the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap. If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS position during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE can perform at least one UL transmission after the GNSS measurement time window / gap but before the wait timer expires. Otherwise, the UE can perform no UL transmission. If the eNB receives a UL transmission before the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive any UL transmission before the wait timer expires, or receives the remaining valid duration of old GNSS information before the wait timer expires, the eNB can consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap a failure. The eNB can release the RRC connection with the UE, or trigger the UE to reconnect to the network.

[0075] Example 9: The UE can perform a UL transmission after successful GNSS positioning to obtain an implicit indication of success. The UL transmission can be any type of UL transmission (e.g., SR, PRACH, PUSCH, or PUCCH). The eNB can configure time and / or frequency resources for this UL transmission for the UE. The time resource configuration can be an indication of the start SFN and slot number, a start time offset relative to the end / start of the GNSS measurement time window / slot, a start time offset relative to the reception time of the configuration information, or the length of the time resource. The frequency resource configuration can be an indication of the start offset of the PRB (e.g., relative to point A), the start PRB index, or the frequency resource width. The configured resources can be RO, PRACH preamble resources, PUCCH resources, or PUSCH resources.

[0076] At least one of the following configuration methods can be considered.

[0077] (a) Before the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. The UE can apply the configured resources for UL transmission after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. This can minimize reporting delays.

[0078] (b) After the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can directly configure time and / or frequency resources using dedicated RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling. The UE can use the configured resources to perform UL transmissions. Scheduling delays can be disregarded.

[0079] (c) After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast the time offset and time domain length to indicate the time resources used for successful reporting signaling. After each GNSS measurement time window / gap, the eNB can use the SIB to broadcast frequency resources shared by all successful reporting signaling. The UE can use the configured resources to perform UL transmissions. Signaling overhead can be saved due to the broadcast application.

[0080] If the UE successfully acquires a new GNSS location during the GNSS measurement time window / gap, the UE may perform at least one UL transmission using the configured resources after the GNSS measurement time window / gap. Otherwise, the UE may not perform any UL transmission. If the eNB receives a UL transmission in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be successful. Otherwise, if the eNB does not receive any UL transmission in the configured resources, the eNB may consider / deem the GNSS positioning within the corresponding GNSS measurement time window / gap to be unsuccessful. The eNB may release the RRC connection with the UE, or may trigger the UE to re-access the network.

[0081] Implementation Example 2: Reporting of Effective GNSS Duration After GNSS Measurement Time Window / Gap

[0082] A solution can be implemented that enables the UE to acquire GNSS information in RRC_CONNECTED mode. When the GNSS validity duration expires, a GNSS measurement time window / gap can begin so that the UE can reacquire the GNSS location. After reacquiring the GNSS location, the UE can maintain UL synchronization and continue cellular operation. Since the UE and eNB can agree on the validity duration of each GNSS message, UE reporting of the GNSS validity duration can be supported. The solution for GNSS validity duration reporting can include at least one of the following: (a) the length of time between the start of the validity timer and the random access transmission of the radio device; (b) the length of time between the start of the validity timer and the information transmission; (c) the length of time of the remaining validity timer after the random access transmission; (d) the length of time of the remaining validity timer after the information transmission; (e) the timestamp of the start time of the validity timer; (f) the timestamp of the expiration time of the validity timer; or (g) the length of the validity timer. As can be seen from the above solutions, the potential solutions are mainly aimed at initial access. In this disclosure, attention can be paid to the reporting of the effective duration of GNSS after the GNSS measurement time window / gap, and at least one of the following potential solutions can be considered: (a) the UE reports the remaining effective duration after the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap; (b) the UE reports the remaining effective duration after reporting signaling; (c) the UE reports the start time and length of the effective duration of GNSS; (d) the UE reports the length of the effective duration of GNSS; or (e) the UE reports the length of the effective duration of GNSS. In solution (b), the remaining effective duration can be counted from the start time of transmitting the reporting signaling or from the end time of transmitting the reporting signaling. The start time of transmitting the reporting signaling can be the start of the first subframe of the message carrying the reporting signaling. The end time of transmitting the reporting signaling can be the start of the last subframe of the message carrying the reporting signaling. The end time of transmitting the reporting signaling can be the end of the last subframe of the message carrying the reporting signaling. In solution (c), the start time can be reported using a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window / gap used for GNSS positioning, or a time offset relative to the end of the waiting time window / expiration time (for success indication) after the GNSS measurement time window / gap used for that GNSS positioning, or using the SFN and slot number. When the time offset is used for start time indication, it can be represented by the number of slots. In solution (d), the start time of the effective GNSS duration can be the end time of the GNSS measurement time window / gap.In solution (e), the start time of the effective duration of GNSS can be the end time of the waiting time window after the GNSS measurement time window / gap / the expiration time of the waiting timer (for success indication).

[0083] When UE mobility is stable, the effective duration of a new GNSS may be the same as that of the old GNSS. In this case, additional enhancements can be used to save signaling overhead. For example, the absence of a GNSS effective duration report can indicate that the effective duration of the new GNSS remains unchanged or is the same as the previous one. This report can be triggered when the difference between the new and previous GNSS effective durations is equal to or greater than a threshold. The threshold can be predefined, determined by the UE, or configured by the network. This can be applied when the network considers / determines that GNSS positioning has been successful (e.g., by transmitting a message indicating successful GNSS positioning from the UE to the BS using a method other than reporting a new GNSS effective duration, such as an explicit success indication or any UL transmission successfully received by the BS as described above, or the network always assumes successful GNSS positioning). Furthermore, additional signaling can be defined for GNSS effective duration reports. This additional signaling can be a one-bit signaling. When a "1" is reported, it may indicate that the new GNSS effective duration remains unchanged or is the same as the previous one. The signaling for reporting detailed effective durations mentioned in the previous paragraph may not be transmitted. When a "0" is reported, the signaling for reporting the detailed effective duration mentioned in the previous paragraph can be transmitted. Conversely, when a "0" is reported, it may indicate that the new GNSS effective duration remains unchanged or is the same as the previous one. The signaling for reporting the detailed effective duration mentioned in the previous paragraph may not be transmitted. When a "1" is reported, the signaling for reporting the detailed effective duration mentioned in the previous paragraph can be transmitted.

[0084] The UE can report the above information via RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling. This report can follow the limitations mentioned in Implementation Example 1 (e.g., reporting within a specific time window / timer / resource after the GNSS measurement time window / gap).

[0085] It should be understood that one or more features in the above embodiments are not specific to any particular embodiment, but can be combined in any way (e.g., in any priority and / or order, simultaneously or otherwise).

[0086] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method 800 for indicating GNSS-related information is shown. Method 800 can be used in conjunction with this document. Figure 1 and Figure 2This can be implemented using any one or more components and devices described in detail. Generally, in some embodiments, method 800 can be performed by a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE). Depending on the embodiment, additional, fewer, or different operations may be performed in method 800. At least one aspect of the operation relates to a system, method, apparatus, or computer-readable medium.

[0087] A wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) may send a message to a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) according to a configuration (e.g., time window, timer length, resources, restrictions) in response to successful GNSS positioning. This configuration may originate from the wireless communication node and may be a configuration for sending one or more messages indicating successful GNSS positioning. The configuration may include information about at least one of the following: a specific time window; a timer; or one or more resources. This configuration may be accomplished via RRC signaling or resources selected by the MAC CE, or indicated by scheduling via the DCI. Resources are used to carry the messages.

[0088] In some embodiments, resources may include at least one of the following: a preamble index; an RO configuration; a PUCCH resource; a PUSCH resource corresponding to a configured authorized transmission; or a UL resource located at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window. The UE may send the preamble using a dedicated index (or mask) or via a dedicated RO. In some examples, the preamble itself may be considered a message. The UE may send an SR. In some examples, the SR itself may be considered a message. In some examples, after receiving an SR, the gNB may schedule subsequent PUSCH transmissions for the UE to report information, such as the effective duration. A PUSCH resource may refer to a resource used for configured authorized PUSCH transmissions. The configuration of this resource may come from the RRC. In some examples, the periodicity of the PUSCH resource used for configured authorization may be determined based on the effective duration of GNSS, the length of the measurement gap acquired by GNSS, and at least one of the windows used for reporting messages. UL resources may be specific constraints on resource configuration in the time domain. In some examples, when configuring UL resources in the time domain, the TA used for UL transmissions may be considered.

[0089] In some embodiments, a specific time window may begin at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window (e.g., during a gap). The length of the specific time window may be indicated in the configuration. If the wireless communication node does not receive a message at the end of the specific time window, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning successfully. When a specific time window begins after the end of a GNSS measurement time window, at least one of the following is true: the start time of the specific time window is indicated in the configuration; or the start of the specific time window is after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

[0090] In some embodiments, the timer may start at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window. The duration of the timer may be configured by the network. If the wireless communication node does not receive a message when the timer expires, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning. When the timer starts after the end of the GNSS measurement time window, at least one of the following is true: the start time of the timer is indicated in the configuration; or the start of the timer is after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

[0091] In some embodiments, one or more resources may be configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window. If a wireless communication node does not receive a message within one or more resources, the wireless communication node may determine that the wireless communication device has failed to perform GNSS positioning. This configuration may be configured or indicated via signaling from the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device. The signaling may include at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, or DCI signaling. Before or after the GNSS measurement time window, one or more resources may be configured by the wireless communication node via at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, RRC signaling, or MAC CE signaling.

[0092] In some embodiments, a message indicating successful GNSS positioning may include at least one of the following: signaling defined as indicating successful GNSS positioning (e.g., dedicated signaling, or RRC / MAC-CE signaling) or an indication (e.g., bit or field value) in signaling; a message providing or reporting the effective duration of GNSS (e.g., the duration for which GNSS positioning information is acquired via GNSS measurements); or an uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the UE may not be able to ensure that UL transmissions are successfully received by the gNB. The UE can only ensure that UL transmissions are performed within the configured time window / timer / resource.

[0093] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication of the effective duration of GNSS to a wireless communication node (e.g., BS). This indication may include at least one of the following: an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the start time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a first time offset (e.g., number of time slots) relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration (e.g., transmission limits, timing limits), as the start time of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the end time of the effective duration of GNSS; or an indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration. The wireless communication device can send this instruction to the wireless communication node via RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0094] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication to the wireless communication node based on transmission restrictions, which include at least one of the following: a specific time window that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; a timer duration that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; or one or more resources configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window.

[0095] In some embodiments, a wireless communication device may send an indication to a wireless communication node via a resource, which includes at least one of the following: a PUCCH resource; a PUSCH resource corresponding to a configured licensed transmission; or a UL resource located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window. The UE may send an SR. Then, in some examples, the SR itself may be considered a message. In some examples, after receiving the SR, the gNB may schedule subsequent PUSCH transmissions for the UE to report information, such as the effective duration. The PUSCH resource may refer to a resource used for PUSCH transmissions based on configuration licenses. The configuration of the PUSCH resource may come from the RRC. In some examples, the periodicity of the PUSCH resource used for configuration licenses may be determined based on at least one of the GNSS effective duration, the length of the measurement gap acquired by the GNSS, and the window used for reporting messages. There are some specific constraints on the configuration of time-domain resources. In some examples, when configuring UL resources in the time domain, the TA used for UL transmissions may be considered. In some examples, once the effective duration is quantized in a predefined table or according to a threshold configured by the gNB (e.g., via the RRC), the bits representing the GNSS effective duration may be carried by the PUCCH accordingly.

[0096] In some embodiments, a wireless communication node (e.g., a BS) may send a configuration to a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE) for sending a message indicating successful GNSS positioning. In response to successful GNSS positioning, the wireless communication node can receive a message from the wireless communication device according to this configuration.

[0097] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send signaling to the wireless communication node. The signaling may include an indication of the effective duration of GNSS. This indication may include at least one of the following: an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the start time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the end time of sending a message carrying the indication of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a first time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the start time of the effective duration of GNSS; an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration, as the end time of the effective duration of GNSS; or an indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or a window indicated by configuration.

[0098] In some embodiments, the signaling may include at least one of the following: RRC signaling or MAC CE signaling.

[0099] In some embodiments, the wireless communication device may send an indication to the wireless communication node based on transmission restrictions, which include at least one of the following: a specific time window that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; a timer duration that begins at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window; or one or more resources configured to be located at or after the end of a GNSS measurement time window.

[0100] While various embodiments of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that they are given by way of example only and not by way of limitation. Similarly, various figures may depict exemplary architectures or configurations, provided to enable those skilled in the art to understand the exemplary features and functionality of the present solution. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the present solution is not limited to the exemplary architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, one or more features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of this disclosure should not be limited to any of the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0101] It should also be understood that any reference to elements in this document using names such as "first," "second," etc., generally does not restrict the number or order of those elements. Rather, these names are used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or examples of a single element. Therefore, references to first and second elements do not imply that only two elements can be used, or that the first element must somehow precede the second element.

[0102] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols referenced in the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will further understand that any of the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, processors, devices, circuits, methods, and functions described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of program or design code containing instructions (which, for convenience, may be referred to herein as "software" or "software module"), or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally according to their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art can implement the described functions in various ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions will not depart from the scope of this disclosure.

[0104] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein may be implemented or executed by integrated circuits (ICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, or any combination thereof, including general-purpose processors. Logic blocks, modules, and circuits may further include antennas and / or transceivers for communication with various components within a network or device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

[0105] If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium capable of transferring a computer program or code from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer.

[0106] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements to perform the relevant functions described herein. Furthermore, for the purposes of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the relevant functions according to embodiments of this solution.

[0107] Additionally, in embodiments of this solution, memory or other storage and communication components may be employed. It should be understood that, for clarity, embodiments of this solution have been described above with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable functional distribution among different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains can be used without departing from this solution. For example, functions illustrated as being performed by a separate processing logic element or controller may be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Therefore, references to specific functional units are merely references to suitable devices for providing the described functions and do not indicate a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0108] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: In response to a successful GNSS positioning operation, the wireless communication device sends a message to the wireless communication node according to its configuration. The configuration originates from the wireless communication node and is configured to send one or more messages indicating successful GNSS positioning.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration includes information about at least one of the following: Specific time window; Timer; or One or more resources.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The resources include at least one of the following: Preamble index; Random Access Channel (RACH) timing (RO) configuration; Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources; The physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources corresponding to the configured licensed transmissions; or Uplink UL resources located at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Includes at least one of the following: The specific time window begins at the end of or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; The length of the specific time window is indicated in the configuration; or If the wireless communication node does not receive the message at the end of the specific time window, the wireless communication node determines that the wireless communication device has failed to perform the GNSS positioning.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, When the specific time window begins after the end of the GNSS measurement time window, it includes at least one of the following: The start time of the specific time window is indicated in the configuration; or The specific time window begins after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Includes at least one of the following: The timer starts at the end of or after the GNSS measurement time window; The duration of the timer is configured by the network; or If the wireless communication node does not receive the message when the timer expires, the wireless communication node determines that the wireless communication device has failed to perform the GNSS positioning.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, When the timer starts after the end of the GNSS measurement time window, it includes at least one of the following: The start time of the timer is indicated in the configuration; or The timer starts after a time offset relative to the end of the GNSS measurement time window, wherein the time offset is indicated in the configuration or is predefined.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein, If the wireless communication node does not receive the message within one or more of the resources, the wireless communication node determines that the wireless communication device has failed to perform the GNSS positioning.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration is configured or indicated via signaling from the wireless communication node to the wireless communication device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The signaling includes at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC CE) signaling, or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Before or after the GNSS measurement time window, the one or more resources are configured by the wireless communication node via at least one of the following: System Information Block signaling, Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC CE) signaling.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The message indicating successful GNSS positioning includes at least one of the following: It is defined as a signaling instruction indicating successful execution of the GNSS positioning or an indication in the signaling; Provide or report messages about the effective duration of GNSS; or Uplink transmission.

13. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The wireless communication device sends an indication of the effective duration of GNSS to the wireless communication node, the indication including at least one of the following: An indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the GNSS measurement time window has ended; An indication of the remaining portion of the GNSS effective duration after the start time of sending the message carrying the indication of the effective duration of the GNSS; An indication of the remaining portion of the GNSS effective duration after the end time of sending the message carrying the indication of the effective duration of the GNSS; The indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of the GNSS; The start time is an indication of a first time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration, which serves as the start time of the effective duration of the GNSS. The end time of the effective duration of the GNSS is an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration; or The indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising: The wireless communication device sends the instruction to the wireless communication node via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC CE) signaling.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising: The wireless communication device sends the indication to the wireless communication node according to transmission restrictions, the transmission restrictions including at least one of the following: A specific time window that begins at the end of or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; or The duration of the timer starting at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window.

16. The method according to claim 2 or 13, comprising: The wireless communication device sends the indication to the wireless communication node via resources, wherein the resources include at least one of the following: Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources; The physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) resources corresponding to the configured licensed transmissions; or Uplink UL resources located at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window.

17. A method comprising: Configuration for a wireless communication node to send a message to a wireless communication device indicating successful execution of GNSS positioning; and In response to successful GNSS positioning, the wireless communication node receives the message from the wireless communication device according to the configuration.

18. A method comprising: The wireless communication device sends signaling to the wireless communication node. The signaling includes an indication of the effective duration of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The instruction includes at least one of the following: An indication of the remaining portion of the effective duration of GNSS after the GNSS measurement time window has ended; An indication of the remaining portion of the GNSS effective duration after the start time of sending the message carrying the indication of the effective duration of the GNSS; An indication of the remaining portion of the GNSS effective duration after the end time of sending the message carrying the indication of the effective duration of the GNSS; The indication of the start and end times of the effective duration of the GNSS; The start time is an indication of a first time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration, which serves as the start time of the effective duration of the GNSS. The end time of the effective duration of the GNSS is an indication of a second time offset relative to the start or end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration; or The indication of the length of the effective duration of GNSS, wherein the start time of the effective duration of GNSS is the end time of the GNSS measurement time window or the window indicated by the configuration.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The signaling includes at least one of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or Media Access Control - Control Element (MAC CE) signaling.

21. The method of claim 18, comprising: The wireless communication device sends the indication to the wireless communication node according to transmission restrictions, the transmission restrictions including at least one of the following: A specific time window that begins at the end of or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; The duration of the timer starting at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window; or One or more resources are configured to be located at or after the end of the GNSS measurement time window.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

23. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-21.

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