Positioning enhancement with cell dtx / drx

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a device and method for positioning enhancement and a computer readable storage medium. An apparatus receives a first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type indicating a positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and an inactive period. The apparatus receives, based on a first positioning configuration, at least one first positioning signal of a first type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during a cell active period and an inactive period. Alternatively, the apparatus transmits at least one first positioning signal of a first type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during a cell active period and an inactive period based on the first positioning configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically, to methods, apparatus, devices, and computer-readable storage media for location enhancement. Background Technology

[0002] In Rel-18, discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX) mechanisms are supported in cells used for network energy conservation purposes, which can be collectively referred to as cell DTX / DRX. Cell DTX / DRX allows a gNB to partially or completely shut down the transmission and reception of user data services, control signaling, and reference signals during the cell DTX / DRX inactive period when the gNB is in sleep mode.

[0003] When cell DTX / DRX is activated in the network, some UE-specific transmissions and / or receptions (such as location reference signals (PRS)) may be completely or partially dropped during cell DTX inactivity periods of the UE's serving cell and its neighboring cells. Furthermore, location-related periodic reporting may not be performed by the UE, and detection reference signals (SRS) may be completely or partially dropped during cell DRX inactivity periods. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an instruction to transmit a positioning signal of a first type during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and, based on the first positioning configuration, receive at least one first positioning signal of the first type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the serving cell inactive period; or, based on the first positioning configuration, transmit at least one first positioning signal of the first type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the serving cell inactive period. The apparatus may be implemented in a user equipment, or it may be the user equipment itself.

[0005] In a second aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: receive cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with a serving cell from a second apparatus controlling a serving cell for a third apparatus; determine a first positioning configuration based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the first positioning configuration including an indication to transmit a first type of positioning signal during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmit the first positioning configuration to at least the second apparatus, the third apparatus, or a fourth apparatus, the fourth apparatus controlling a non-serving cell. The first apparatus may be implemented in a Location Management Function (LMF) or may be an LMF.

[0006] In a third aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: transmit cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell of the second apparatus to a first apparatus for location management; receive a first positioning configuration from the first apparatus, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmit at least one first positioning signal of the first type based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or receive at least one first positioning signal of the first type from a third apparatus based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information. The second apparatus may be implemented in a serving gNB, or it may be a serving gNB.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a fourth apparatus is provided. The fourth apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fourth apparatus to at least: exchange cell discontinuous operation configuration information with a second apparatus controlling a serving cell for a third apparatus, the fourth apparatus controlling a non-serving cell for the third apparatus; receive a first positioning configuration from a first apparatus for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmit at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or receive at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information. The fourth apparatus may be implemented in a neighboring gNB, or it may be a neighboring gNB.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a fifth apparatus is provided. The fifth apparatus includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to at least: receive cell discontinuous operation configuration information from a group of sixth apparatuses associated with location services, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status; determine candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and requirements for location services; and transmit information regarding the candidate cell DTX / DRX modes to the group of sixth apparatuses. The fifth apparatus may be implemented in an LMF (Local Multi-Functional Function), or may be an LMF.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of this disclosure, a sixth apparatus is provided. The sixth apparatus includes: at least one processor; at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the sixth apparatus to at least: transmit cell discontinuous operation configuration information to a fifth apparatus for location management, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including a cell DTX / DRX mode of a cell controlled by the sixth apparatus, a cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and a transmission status of a location signal regarding the cell DTX activation state; and receive information from the fifth apparatus regarding the DTX / DRX mode of a candidate cell. This sixth apparatus may be implemented in a gNB, or may be a gNB.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving at a device a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and, based on the first positioning configuration, receiving at least one first positioning signal of the first type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period; or, based on the first positioning configuration, transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a first device, cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with a serving cell from a second device that controls a serving cell for a third device; determining a first positioning configuration based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmitting the first positioning configuration to at least a second device, a third device, or a fourth device, the fourth device controlling the non-serving cell.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting, at a second device and to a first device for location management, cell discontinuity operation configuration information associated with a serving cell of the second device; receiving from the first device a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuity operation configuration information; or receiving from a third device at least one first positioning signal of the first type based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuity operation configuration information.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: exchanging cell discontinuous operation configuration information with a second device controlling a serving cell for a third device, and a fourth device controlling a non-serving cell for the third device; receiving a first positioning configuration from a first device for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during a serving cell activation period and a serving cell inactive period; and transmitting at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or receiving at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0014] In the eleventh aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, at a fifth device and from a group of sixth devices associated with location services, cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status; determining candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and the need for location services; and transmitting information about the candidate cell DTX / DRX modes to the group of sixth devices.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting cell discontinuous operation configuration information from a sixth device to a fifth device for location management, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including a cell DTX / DRX mode of a cell controlled by the sixth device, a cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and a transmission status of a location signal regarding the cell DTX activation state; and receiving information regarding the DTX / DRX mode of a candidate cell from the fifth device.

[0016] In a thirteenth aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: components for receiving a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication to transmit a first type of positioning signal during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and components for receiving at least one first positioning signal of the first type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period based on the first positioning configuration; or components for transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period based on the first positioning configuration.

[0017] In a fourteenth aspect of this disclosure, a first apparatus is provided. The first apparatus includes: means for receiving cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell from a second means for controlling a serving cell for a third means; means for determining a first positioning configuration based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and means for transmitting the first positioning configuration to at least a second means, a third means, or a fourth means, the fourth means controlling a non-serving cell.

[0018] In a fifteenth aspect of this disclosure, a second apparatus is provided. The second apparatus includes: means for transmitting cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with a serving cell of the second apparatus to a first apparatus for location management; means for receiving a first positioning configuration from the first apparatus, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and means for transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or means for receiving at least one first positioning signal of the first type from a third apparatus based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0019] In a sixteenth aspect of this disclosure, a fourth apparatus is provided. The fourth apparatus includes: means for exchanging cell discontinuous operation configuration information with a second means for controlling a serving cell for a third apparatus, the fourth apparatus controlling a non-serving cell for the third apparatus; means for receiving a first positioning configuration from a first means for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during a serving cell activation period and an inactivation period; and means for transmitting at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or means for receiving at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0020] In a seventeenth aspect of this disclosure, a fifth apparatus is provided. The fifth apparatus includes: components for receiving cell discontinuous operation configuration information from a sixth group of devices associated with location services, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status; components for determining candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and the demand for location services; and components for transmitting information regarding the candidate cell DTX / DRX modes to the sixth group of devices.

[0021] In an eighteenth aspect of this disclosure, a sixth apparatus is provided. The sixth apparatus includes: components for transmitting cell discontinuous operation configuration information to a fifth apparatus for location management, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including a cell DTX / DRX mode of a cell controlled by the sixth apparatus, a cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and a transmission status of a location signal regarding the cell DTX activation state; and components for receiving information regarding the DTX / DRX mode of a candidate cell from the fifth apparatus.

[0022] In a nineteenth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least one of the methods according to the seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth aspects.

[0023] It should be understood that the summary portion 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

[0024] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented is shown; Figure 2 A signaling diagram for setting up the positioning process is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the timing of PRS transmissions monitored by the UE according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 4 Signaling diagrams for an example location process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 5 Signaling diagrams for an example location process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 6 Signaling diagrams for an example location process according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; Figure 7 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at an apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 8 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 9 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 10 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a fourth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 11 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a fifth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 12 A flowchart is shown illustrating a method implemented at a sixth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 13 A simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and Figure 14 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0026] 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 help those skilled in the art to understand and implement this disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0027] 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.

[0028] References to "an embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is to be noted that those skilled in the art will recognize, whether explicitly described or not, that such features, structures, or characteristics apply in conjunction with other embodiments.

[0029] It should be understood that although terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used before names (or similar designations) to describe various elements herein, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another, and they do not restrict the order of the nouns (or similar designations). For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0030] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0031] As used herein, unless explicitly stated otherwise, the action “in response to A” does not indicate that the action is performed immediately after “A” occurs and may include one or more intervention steps.

[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 “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” “possessing,” “containing,” and / or “covering,” as used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[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 (e.g., implemented with purely analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor having software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions) and (c) The operation requires software (e.g., firmware) for the operation of (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or parts thereof, but the software may be absent when the operation does not require the software.

[0034] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or processors (or processors), or portions of hardware circuitry or servers and their accompanying software and / or firmware implementations. For example, where applicable to certain claim elements, the term "circuit" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in 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 New Radio (NR), 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 first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G), sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or under development protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement this disclosure will inevitably emerge. The scope of this disclosure should not be considered limited to the systems described above.

[0036] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications 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 Head (RH), a Remote Radio Head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node (such as femtoseconds, picoseconds, non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment (such as satellite network equipment), low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites, spacecraft network equipment, etc.). In some example embodiments, the Radio Access Network (RAN) separation architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at the IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves similarly to a UE toward its parent node, and the DU portion of the IAB node behaves similarly to a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0037] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device with wireless communication capabilities. By way of example and not limitation, terminal device may also refer to communication equipment, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image acquisition 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 (LEE), laptop mounted devices (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPE), 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 the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) portion of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device," "communication device," "terminal," "user equipment," and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0038] As used herein, the terms “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” can refer to any resource used to perform communication, such as communication between a terminal device and a network device, including resources in the time domain, frequency domain, spatial domain, code domain, or any other combination of time-domain, frequency-domain, spatial-domain, and / or code-domain resources used to implement communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated otherwise, resources in both the frequency and time domains will be used as examples of transmission resources used to describe some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. It should be noted that the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0039] As previously mentioned, during cell DTX inactivity periods, PRS and / or SRS transmissions may be completely or partially dropped in the serving cell and neighboring cells of the UE. In this case, the UE will not expect to receive, transmit, and / or process such signals. For example, the UE may not need to monitor PRS during cell DRX inactivity periods. This will affect the accuracy and latency of the positioning process based on positioning signals, as fewer average samples can be considered when calculating UE location information, and the requested positioning request is fulfilled with a longer delay. Furthermore, if the Location Management Function (LMF), as the central entity in the 5G positioning architecture, is unaware of cell DTX / DRX activation and its impact on gNB or UE behavior, this may result in misalignment with the LMF. In the embodiments, ' / ' can represent 'or' or 'and'.

[0040] To avoid impacts, this invention provides a positioning solution for discontinuous cell operation. According to this solution, a new type of positioning signal is defined for both DL and UL, called a persistent positioning signal with respect to cell DTX. The transmission of the persistent positioning signal is unaffected by discontinuous cell operation. The LMF can configure the Radio Access Network (RAN) node and UE using an indication of whether the location signal to be transmitted / received is a persistent positioning signal. In this way, the accuracy and latency of the positioning process can be improved in the case of cell DTX / DRX.

[0041] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0042] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. Communication environment 100 can support discontinuous cell operation, including at least one of cell DTX or cell DRX. Figure 1 As shown, the communication environment 100 may include terminal devices 110 that can communicate with each other and multiple network devices 120 to 140.

[0043] Terminal device 110 can be a UE served by network device 130. Network devices 130 and 140 can be RAN nodes, such as gNBs, Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs), etc., which control cells 132 and 142 respectively. Figure 1 In the example shown, cell 132 is the serving cell for terminal device 110, and cell 142 is the neighboring cell for terminal device 110. Figure 1 Only one serving cell and one neighboring cell are shown, but multiple serving cells and / or neighboring cells may exist. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a neighboring cell may be referred to as a non-serving cell.

[0044] Network device 120 can be a core network (CN) node and implements LMF. LMF 120 is the entity used to configure location measurements for UEs in the network. Network devices 130 and 140 can operate based on the cell DTX / DRX mechanism. The cell DTX / DTX mechanism allows network devices 130 and 140 to partially or completely shut down, partially or completely disable, transmission and reception of user data services, control signaling, and reference signals during cell inactive periods. Individual DRX and DTX configurations can be applied by network devices 130 and 140. In other words, the cell DTX active period may not be aligned with the cell DRX active period.

[0045] In the context of this disclosure, terminal device 110 may also be referred to as UE 110. Network device 120 may also be referred to as LMF 120. Network device 130 and network device 140 may also be referred to as gNB 130 and gNB 140, and cell 132 and cell 142 may be referred to as serving cell 132 and neighboring cell 142, respectively.

[0046] Location can involve the process of determining the location of the UE. There are two main location modes: UE-assisted or LMF-based location (where the calculation of the UE's location occurs on the network side) and UE-based location (where the calculation of the UE's location occurs on the UE side). Both modes are supported in communication environment 100.

[0047] Figure 2 A signaling diagram of setup operation 200 for the positioning process is shown. The positioning process involves signaling exchange between the UE and network nodes to calculate and update the UE's location. The positioning process may be based on the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP).

[0048] To monitor the location of a mobile UE, periodic location reports are required. This allows the location process to be repeated at certain periodic time intervals, resulting in location updates for the UE 208.

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, the 5GC entity (i.e., Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 202 requests (210) to locate UE 208 to the location service of service AMF 206 for UE 208.

[0050] Then, AMF 206 transmits a location service request (215) to LMF 204. Therefore, LMF 204 requests (220) UE capabilities. In response, UE 208 provides (225) its capabilities to LMF 204. These capabilities may relate to what UE 208 can measure, such as supported frequencies, frequency bands, positioning technologies, etc. Additionally, LMF 204 provides (230) auxiliary data to UE 208.

[0051] To this end, LMF 204 then requests (235) location information, such as location estimates or positioning measurements from UE 208. UE 208 provides (240) the location information to LMF 204. For example, UE 208 can be configured to monitor PRS from the serving cell and at least one non-serving cell and report PRS measurements to LMF 204. The measurements can be based on the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD).

[0052] Upon receiving the location information, LMF 204 provides a location service response (245) to AMF 206. Therefore, AMF 206 transfers the location service response (250) to GMLC 202 in step 1a and includes any desired results (e.g., location estimation for the UE).

[0053] In this case, UE 208 is configured to periodically update ProvideLocationInformation messages, which are messages containing UE measurement reports used by the network to calculate the UE's location. The periodicity of the reports is configured by the network based on the application, such that applications with highly mobile UEs are associated with shorter periodic values ​​than those with less mobile UEs.

[0054] like Figure 2 As shown, UE 208 then periodically provides (255) location information to LMF 204, and the location information is then transmitted (260, 265) to GMLC 202 via AMF 206.

[0055] In some example embodiments, gNB 130 and gNB 140 can exchange their respective cell DTX / DRX configuration information. Additionally, gNB 130 and gNB 140 can provide LMF 120 with information regarding the activation / deactivation of their energy-saving features in the respective cells. Cell DTX / DRX configuration information has the same meaning as cell discontinuous operation configuration information. Cell discontinuous operation configuration information (e.g., cell DTX / DRX configuration information) may include one or more of the following: The cell DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start timeslot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; An indication of at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically based on cell load; and During the inactive periods of cell DTX / DRX, indications for location signal transmission / reception are partially or completely omitted.

[0056] Deterministic cell DTX inactivity periods can refer to continuous or known cell DTX inactivity periods. Optional cell DTX inactivity periods can refer to cell DTX inactivity periods with an occurrence probability of less than 100%. For example, optional inactivity periods can be dynamically determined based on cell load.

[0057] LMF 120 can configure at least one positioning configuration for terminal device 110, network device 130, and network device 140. This positioning configuration can be generated based on received cell discontinuous operation configuration information. The positioning configuration can be a PRS configuration, SRS configuration, etc.

[0058] Taking PRS as an example, multiple PRS transmission timings can be configured. During the cell DTX active period of a cell, PRS is transmitted from the cell during the PRS transmission timing. During the cell DTX inactive period, PRS is discarded or omitted during the PRS transmission timing. Therefore, terminal device 110 does not need to measure PRS based on the PRS configuration during the cell DTX inactive period. It should be understood that in the example embodiment, PRS transmission timings from different cells may or may not be aligned.

[0059] In some example embodiments, a new type of location signal, referred to as a persistent location signal, can be defined. Specifically, the transmission of the persistent location signal is unaffected by cell discontinuous operation. Referring to the example of PRS, compared to the normal PRS (also referred to as a non-persistent PRS) as described above, the persistent PRS will not be discarded and is therefore transmitted during the cell DTX inactive period. Therefore, terminal device 110 can measure the PRS based on the PRS configuration during the cell DTX inactive period.

[0060] In the context of this disclosure, the active and inactive periods of the serving cell can be configured based on the cell DTX configuration or cell DRX configuration associated with the serving cell.

[0061] To enable persistent location signals, an indication can be added to the location configuration. This indication specifies whether the location signal is persistent or non-persistent. In other words, the indication can indicate the type of location signal. For example, the indication can be in the form of a flag. In an example embodiment, a first value of the indication can indicate a persistent location signal, and a different second value of the indication can indicate a non-persistent location signal. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the presence of the indication in the location configuration can indicate a persistent location signal, and the absence of the indication can indicate a non-persistent location signal.

[0062] Additionally, in some example embodiments, multiple location configurations can be configured, which may include a persistent location configuration, i.e., a location service with high requirements and a non-persistent location configuration for location services with less stringent requirements.

[0063] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, network devices 130 and 140 may also indicate whether they will partially or completely discard or omit PRS transmissions during cell DTX inactive periods.

[0064] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, LMF 120 may further indicate whether a positioning configuration for at least one neighboring cell is considered "conditional persistence". In example embodiments, LMF 120 may add a conditional persistence indication to the positioning configuration for a neighboring cell to indicate the need for positioning signal transmission during certain windows corresponding to the DTX activation period of the serving cell, regardless of cell discontinuous operation of the neighboring cells. This is especially true when there are multiple neighboring cells for the terminal device.

[0065] Such indications can be in the form of flags. In an example embodiment, the presence of an indication in the location configuration may indicate that the location configuration is considered "conditionally persistent" (i.e., the PRS is transmitted during the serving cell DTX active period). The absence of an indication in the location configuration may indicate that the location configuration is considered "non-persistent".

[0066] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of PRS transmission timing 300 monitored by the UE according to some example embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 3 In the example, the UE is configured to monitor the timing of PRS transmissions from the serving cell and two neighboring cells 1 and 2. Solid arrows indicate persistent PRS transmissions that are transmitted independently of the serving cell's DTX state, dashed arrows indicate non-persistent PRS transmissions that are discarded if they occur during the serving cell's DTX active period, and dashed arrows indicate conditionally persistent PRS transmissions that are transmitted only during the serving cell's DTX active period.

[0067] It should be understood that PRS is used in DL positioning and SRS is used in UL positioning, and the above improvements for PRS and DL positioning scenarios with cell DTX enabled also apply to SRS and UL positioning scenarios with cell DRX enabled. Therefore, similar configurations and operations will not be re-implemented.

[0068] Furthermore, in some example embodiments, the operations described in connection with the terminal device can be implemented at the network device or other devices, and the operations described in connection with the network device can be implemented at the terminal device or other devices.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the link from network device 130 to terminal device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 130 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, network device 130 is a transmit (TX) device (or transmitter), and terminal device 110 is a receive (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and network device 130 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0070] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of devices and their connections shown is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Communication network 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices and connections may be deployed in communication network 100.

[0071] Communication in communication environment 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can 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 future-developed technologies.

[0072] Now for reference Figure 4 It illustrates a signaling diagram for an example positioning process 400 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the positioning process 400 involves at least terminal device 110 and network devices 120 to 140. For discussion purposes, reference is also made to… Figure 1 To describe the positioning process 400.

[0073] At the start of the positioning process 400, network devices 120 to 140 may exchange location service information, such as cell discontinuous operation configuration information of their respective cells.

[0074] Network device 130 transmits (405) cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with serving cell 132 to LMF 120.

[0075] Discontinuous operation configuration information for a cell (such as cell DTX configuration information or cell DRX configuration information) may include, but is not limited to: The cell DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start timeslot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or Indications for partial or complete omission of location signal transmission during the inactive period of the cell's DTX.

[0076] LMF 120 determines (410) one or more positioning configurations that include a first positioning configuration. The first positioning configuration includes an indication of a first type of location signal to be transmitted or received during the serving cell DTX active period and the cell DTX inactive period. In other words, the first positioning configuration can configure persistently transmitted PRS regardless of the cell DTX state, or the first positioning configuration can configure persistently received SRS regardless of the cell DRX state.

[0077] exist Figure 4 In this example, the positioning signal is given as PRS for illustrative purposes. However, it should be understood that other signals are also applicable to the implementation of the example embodiment, for example, for UL positioning, the positioning signal may be SRS. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the indication may be in the form of a flag. If the flag is present, the first location configuration may be considered "persistent," and in this case, the PRS is transmitted by cells 132 and 142, and is therefore monitored by terminal device 110 during the serving cell DTX active period and the serving cell DTX inactive period. If the flag is not present, the first location configuration may be considered "non-persistent," and in this case, the PRS is discarded and is therefore not monitored by terminal device 110 during the serving cell DTX inactive period.

[0079] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, multiple location signal configurations may be configured. For example, one of the multiple location signal configurations may be a persistent PRS configuration for implementing location services with high requirements, and the other (multiple) non-persistent PRS configurations may be used for location services with less stringent requirements.

[0080] LMF 120 then transmits (415, 420, 425) the first positioning configuration to terminal device 110, network device 130, and network device 140. Upon receiving the first positioning configuration, terminal device 110, network device 130, and network device 140 can verify whether the received PRS configuration indicates a persistent or non-persistent PRS type.

[0081] Based on the first positioning configuration, the serving gNB / TRP and neighboring gNB / TRP (e.g., network device 130 and network device 140) determine the type of persistent PRS. Then, when cell DTX is activated at serving cell 132, the serving gNB and neighboring gNB transmit the persistent PRS configured by LMF 120 for cell discontinuous operation (e.g., cell DTX). From the perspective of terminal device 110, it can monitor (430) the persistent PRS during both the active and inactive periods of the serving cell.

[0082] like Figure 4 As shown, during the inactive period of the serving cell DTX, network devices 130 and 140 transmit a persistent PRS (435, 440) based on the first positioning configuration. Additionally, during the active period of the serving cell, network devices 130 and 140 transmit a PRS (445, 450) based on the first positioning configuration.

[0083] Alternatively, if the LMF 120 transmission does not include the indicated second positioning configuration, terminal device 110, network device 130, and network device 140 can verify that the received second positioning configuration indicates a non-persistent PRS type. In this case, network device 130 and network device 140 can discard the PRS transmission during the inactive period of the serving cell DTX. From the perspective of terminal device 110, it can avoid monitoring the PRS during the inactive period of the serving cell DTX.

[0084] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit location information, including PRS measurements, to LMF 120 for positioning calculation purposes.

[0085] As previously described, for UL positioning, the positioning signal can be an SRS. In this case, if a first positioning configuration including an indication is received, terminal device 110 can transmit persistent SRS to cells 132 and 142 during both the cell DRX active and inactive periods. From the network's perspective, network devices 130 and 140 can monitor persistent SRS during both the serving cell DRX active and inactive periods. Otherwise, if a second positioning configuration without an indication is received, terminal device 110 can transmit SRS only during the serving cell DRX active period.

[0086] Figure 5 Signaling diagrams for an example positioning process 500 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the positioning process 500 involves at least terminal device 110 and network devices 120 to 140. For discussion purposes, reference is also made to… Figure 1 To describe the positioning process 500.

[0087] Similar to the positioning process 400, at the beginning, network devices 120 to 140 can exchange location service information, such as cell discontinuous operation configuration information of their respective cells.

[0088] Network device 130 transmits (505) cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with serving cell 132 to LMF 120.

[0089] LMF 120 determines (510) at least one positioning configuration including an indication of a third type of positioning signal to be transmitted from at least one non-serving cell. The third type of positioning signal can be transmitted within a predetermined time window. For example, the predetermined time window may correspond to a serving cell activation period.

[0090] exist Figure 5 In this example, the positioning signal is given as PRS for illustrative purposes. However, it should be understood that other signals are also applicable to the implementation of the example embodiment; for example, for UL positioning, the positioning signal may be SRS. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the indication may be in the form of a flag. If the flag is present, at least one location configuration may be considered "conditionally persistent," and in this case, the PRS is transmitted by cell 142 during the serving cell DTX active period. This may be based on the exchanged location service information. If the flag is not present, at least one location configuration may be considered "non-persistent," and in this case, the PRS is discarded and therefore not monitored by terminal device 110 during the serving cell DTX inactive period.

[0092] Additionally or alternatively, in some example embodiments, multiple positioning signal configurations can be configured. For example, in Figure 5In the example, LMF 120 can be configured with a first positioning configuration and a second positioning configuration. The first positioning configuration includes a "persistent" indication indicating the persistent type of the first PRS, while the second positioning configuration does not include a "persistent" indication indicating the non-persistent type of the second PRS for network device 130. Furthermore, LMF 120 can be configured with a first positioning configuration and a second positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including a "persistent" indication indicating the persistent type of the first PRS, and the second positioning configuration having a conditional "persistent" indication indicating the conditional persistent type of the second PRS for network device 140.

[0093] LMF 120 then transmits at least one positioning configuration (515, 520, 525) to terminal device 110, network device 130, and network device 140. Upon receiving the first positioning configuration, terminal device 110 and network device 130 can verify whether the received PRS configuration indicates a persistent or non-persistent PRS type. Additionally, network device 140 can verify whether the received PRS configuration indicates a conditionally persistent or non-persistent PRS type.

[0094] When the serving cell DTX is configured and activated, the serving cell / TRP continues to transmit (and the UE continues to monitor) the persistent PRS configured during the inactive period. The neighboring cell / TRP transmits the conditional persistent PRS only during the serving cell DTX activation period and the neighboring cell DTX inactive period. For example, refer back to the reference. Figure 3 The conditional persistent PRS configured for neighboring cell 1 is transmitted during the active DTX period of the serving cell and the inactive DTX period of neighboring cell 1.

[0095] According to the first positioning configuration, when cell discontinuous operation (e.g., cell DTX) is activated at serving cell 132, the serving gNB / TRP and neighboring gNB / TRPs (e.g., network device 130 and network device 140) can transmit a persistent PRS configured by LMF 120. From the perspective of terminal device 110, it can monitor (530) the persistent PRS during both the serving cell activation period and the inactivation period.

[0096] like Figure 5 As shown, during the inactive period of the serving cell DTX, network devices 130 and 140 transmit a first PRS of persistent type (535, 540) based on a first location configuration. During the active period of the serving cell, network devices 130 and 140 transmit a first PRS of persistent type (545, 550) based on the first location configuration. Additionally, during this period, network devices 130 and 140 also transmit a second PRS of non-persistent type or conditionally persistent type (555, 560) based on a second location configuration.

[0097] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may transmit location information, including PRS measurements, to LMF 120 for positioning purposes.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the LMF can recommend appropriate cell DTX / DRX mode configurations for each gNB / TRP node that would satisfy one or more positioning requirements. In this case, whether to confirm and activate the recommended cell DTX / DRX mode depends on the gNB / TRP node.

[0099] Figure 6 Signaling diagrams for an example positioning process 600 according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the positioning process 600 involves GMLC 602, AMF 604, RAN node 606, LMF 120, and UE 110. RAN node 606 can represent more than one gNB, such as... Figure 1 Network devices 130 and 140 are shown.

[0100] Operations 610 to 650 are similar Figure 2 Operations 210 to 250 described herein will not be repeated here. When cell DTX / DRX is enabled in the network, RAN node 606 can provide (655) cell discontinuous operation configuration information. Cell discontinuous operation configuration information may include the cell DTX / DRX mode for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and the transmission status of location signals regarding the cell DTX activation status.

[0101] LMF 120 can determine candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on cell discontinuous operation configuration information and location service requirements. Therefore, LMF 120 can provide (660) recommendations on the appropriate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration to meet the location service requirements based on the information about the candidate cell DTX / DRX modes.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the recommended cell DTX / DRX mode configuration can be adequately aligned among the NG-RAN nodes involved in the positioning process 600, i.e., if the UE 110 is configured to monitor PRS from multiple cells controlled by multiple gNBs, the timing of PRS transmissions from the corresponding cells should be aligned or at least close in time to ensure accurate location calculation.

[0103] In some example embodiments, RAN node 606 may transmit (665) an acknowledgment of activation of the candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration to LMF 120. Therefore, LMF 120 may prepare (670) at least a positioning configuration for RAN node 606 based on the acknowledgment of the cell DTX / DRX mode configuration.

[0104] According to the example embodiment, persistent location configuration for PRS and / or SRS is enabled, unaffected by cell discontinuous operation configuration. Specifically, persistent PRS is transmitted during the serving cell DTX inactive period, while persistent SRS is transmitted during the serving cell DRX inactive period. Furthermore, the LMF provides both the gNB / TRP and the UE with a location configuration including an indication of the type of location signal. The UE knows only the cell DTX / DRX mode from the serving cell (not from neighboring cells) and whether PRS and / or SRS are discarded, and this can be provided by Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration. Thus, the location process can be configured flexibly and dynamically to meet different requirements for location services.

[0105] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an example method 700 implemented at a device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention is shown. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The angle description method of the terminal device 110 in the middle is 700.

[0106] In block 710, the device receives a first positioning configuration that includes a first type of indication of positioning signals to be transmitted during both active and inactive periods of the serving cell.

[0107] In block 720, the device transmits at least one first positioning signal of a first type to at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during cell activation and inactivation periods, based on a first positioning configuration. Transmission implies at least one of sending or receiving.

[0108] Specifically, in the case of DL positioning, at block 720, the device, based on a first positioning configuration, receives at least one first positioning signal of a first type from at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during cell activation and inactivation periods.

[0109] In the case of UL positioning, at frame 720, the device, based on a first positioning configuration, transmits at least one first positioning signal of a first type to at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during cell activation and inactivation periods.

[0110] In some example embodiments, method 700 may further include: receiving a second positioning configuration; and when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, receiving at least one second positioning signal of a second type from at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration; or when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type to at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration.

[0111] In some example embodiments, it is indicated that a positioning signal indicating a first type exists in the first positioning configuration, and that a positioning signal indicating a second type does not exist in the first positioning configuration.

[0112] In some example embodiments, at least one first positioning signal and at least one second positioning signal received from at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell are positioning reference signals for downlink transmission, and at least one first positioning signal and at least one second positioning signal transmitted to at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell are detection reference signals for positioning for uplink transmission.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactivation period are configured according to the cell discontinuous transmission DTX configuration or cell discontinuous reception DRX configuration associated with the serving cell.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes a terminal device, and a first positioning configuration and a second positioning configuration are configured by the device for implementing LMF.

[0115] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating an example method 800 implemented at a first device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The angular description method of network device 120 in 800.

[0116] At box 810, the first device receives cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell from the second device that controls the serving cell for the third device.

[0117] In block 820, the first device determines a first positioning configuration based on cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both the active and inactive periods of the serving cell.

[0118] At frame 830, the first device transmits a first positioning configuration to at least a second device, a third device, or a fourth device, and the fourth device controls the non-serving cell.

[0119] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes: determining a second positioning configuration related to a second type of positioning signal to be transmitted during the serving cell activation period based on cell discontinuous operation configuration information; and transmitting the second positioning configuration to at least a second device, a third device, or a fourth device.

[0120] In some example embodiments, it is indicated that a positioning signal indicating a first type exists in a first positioning configuration, and that a positioning signal indicating a second type does not exist in a second positioning configuration.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration includes at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or During the inactive period of the cell DTX, the indication of location signal transmission is partially or completely omitted.

[0122] In some example implementations, the first location configuration is determined based on the requirements for location services.

[0123] In some example embodiments, multiple location configurations are determined, and the multiple location configurations include at least a first location configuration and a second location configuration. The first location configuration includes information about a first type of location signal and corresponds to strict requirements for location services, while the second location configuration includes information about a second type of location signal and corresponds to lenient requirements for location services.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the at least one cell includes a serving cell and at least one non-serving cell controlled by a fourth device, and the information also indicates a third type of location signal from the at least one non-serving cell, and the third type of location signal is transmitted within a predetermined time window.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the predetermined time window corresponds to the cell DTX activation period associated with the serving cell.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the second indicator contains information indicating a third type of location signal from at least one non-serving cell, and the second indicator does not contain information indicating a second type of location signal from at least one non-serving cell.

[0127] In some example embodiments, multiple location configurations are determined, and the multiple location configurations include at least a third location configuration that includes information indicating a third type of location signal associated with at least one non-serving cell.

[0128] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes receiving from a third device location information including measurements of at least one location signal monitored based on at least one location configuration.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, the third device includes a terminal device, and the fourth device includes a second network device.

[0130] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating an example method 900 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed...] Figure 1 The angular description method of network device 130 in 900.

[0131] At frame 910, the second device transmits cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell of the second device to the first device for location management.

[0132] In block 920, the second device receives a first positioning configuration from the first device, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both active and inactive periods of the serving cell.

[0133] At 930, the second device transmits at least one first positioning signal of a first type based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information. Transmission includes at least one of sending or receiving.

[0134] Specifically, in the case of DL positioning, at frame 930, the second device transmits at least one first positioning signal of a first type based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0135] Alternatively, in the case of UL positioning, at frame 930, the second device receives at least one first positioning signal of the first type from the third device based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0136] In some example embodiments, method 900 further includes: receiving a second positioning configuration; and when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information, or when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, receiving at least one second positioning signal of a second type during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates that activation / deactivation is performed immediately, at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or within an activation / deactivation window or period, or at least one of these. Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or During the inactive period of the cell DTX, the indication of location signal transmission is partially or completely omitted.

[0138] In some example embodiments, it is indicated that a positioning signal indicating a first type exists in a first or second positioning configuration, and that a positioning signal indicating a second type does not exist in a first or second positioning configuration.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal for positioning.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, and the third device includes a terminal device.

[0141] Figure 10A flowchart illustrating an example method 1000 implemented at a fourth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The method for describing the angle of network device 140 in 1000.

[0142] At box 1010, the fourth device exchanges cell discontinuous operation configuration information with the second device that controls the serving cell for the third device, and the fourth device controls the non-serving cell for the third device.

[0143] In block 1020, the fourth device receives a first positioning configuration from the first device for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both the active and inactive periods of the serving cell.

[0144] At frame 1030, the fourth device transmits at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information. Transmission means at least one of sending or receiving.

[0145] Specifically, in the case of DL positioning, at frame 1030, the fourth device transmits at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0146] Alternatively, in the case of UL positioning, in frame 1030, the fourth device receives at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0147] In some example embodiments, method 1000 further includes: receiving a second positioning configuration; and when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information, or when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, receiving at least one second positioning signal of a second type during a serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0148] In some example embodiments, it is indicated that a positioning signal indicating a first type exists in a first or second positioning configuration, and that a positioning signal indicating a second type does not exist in a first or second positioning configuration.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception DTX / DRX mode configuration of the fourth device.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first location configuration is configured based on the requirements for location services.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal for positioning.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, the third device includes a terminal device, and the fourth device includes a second network device.

[0153] Figure 11 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1100 implemented at a fifth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The method for describing the angle of network device 120 in the text is 1100.

[0154] In block 1110, the fifth device receives cell discontinuous operation configuration information from the sixth group of devices associated with location services. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status.

[0155] At box 1120, the fifth device determines the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode from multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on cell discontinuous operation configuration information and location service requirements.

[0156] At frame 1130, the fifth device transmits information about the candidate cell's DTX / DRX mode to the sixth device group.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the transmission status of the location signal regarding the cell DTX active state indicates whether the location signal should be transmitted during the cell DTX inactive period.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes multiple location signal transmission opportunities from the corresponding cell provided by the sixth device group, which are aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

[0159] In some example embodiments, method 1100 further includes: receiving confirmation of activation of candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration from a corresponding one of the sixth device group; and determining at least one positioning configuration for the sixth device group based on the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the positioning signal includes either PRS or SRS.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the fifth device includes equipment for implementing LMF, and the sixth device group includes a set of network devices.

[0162] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example method 1200 implemented at a sixth device according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided. For the purposes of discussion, [the following will be discussed]. Figure 1 The angular description method of network device 130 in 1200.

[0163] At frame 1210, the sixth device transmits cell discontinuous operation configuration information to the fifth device for location management. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell DTX / DRX mode of the cell controlled by the sixth device, the cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and the transmission status of the location signal regarding the cell DTX activation status.

[0164] At frame 1220, the sixth device receives information about the DTX / DRX mode of the candidate cell from the fifth device.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the transmission status of the location signal during cell DTX activation indicates whether the location signal should be transmitted during cell DTX inactive periods.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes multiple location signal transmission opportunities from the corresponding cell provided by the sixth device group, which are aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

[0167] In some example embodiments, method 1200 further includes transmitting to a fifth device an acknowledgment of activation of the candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the positioning signal includes either PRS or SRS.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the fifth device includes a device for implementing LMF, and the sixth device includes a network device.

[0170] Example devices, equipment and media In some example embodiments, the means capable of performing any of the methods 700 (e.g., Figure 1 The terminal device 110 in the process may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of method 700. This component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The component may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 In terminal device 110.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the equipment includes: components for receiving a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication to transmit a first type of positioning signal during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and components for receiving at least one first positioning signal of the first type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period based on the first positioning configuration; or components for transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell during the serving cell active period and the non-serving cell inactive period based on the first positioning configuration.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for receiving a second positioning configuration and, when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, receiving at least one second positioning signal of a second type from at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell based on the second positioning configuration, or transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type to at least one of a serving cell or a non-serving cell based on the second positioning configuration when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication.

[0173] In some example embodiments, it is indicated that a positioning signal indicating a first type exists in the first positioning configuration, and that a positioning signal indicating a second type does not exist in the first positioning configuration.

[0174] In some example embodiments, at least one first positioning signal and at least one second positioning signal received from at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell are positioning reference signals for downlink transmission, or the at least one first positioning signal and the at least one second positioning signal transmitted to the at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell are detection reference signals for positioning uplink transmission.

[0175] In some example embodiments, the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactivation period are configured according to the cell discontinuous transmission DTX configuration or cell discontinuous reception DRX configuration associated with the serving cell.

[0176] In some example embodiments, the device includes a terminal device, and the first positioning configuration and the second positioning configuration are configured by a device for implementing the Location Management Function (LMF).

[0177] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing additional operations in some example embodiments of method 700 or terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0178] In some example embodiments, a first means capable of performing any of the methods 800 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 120 in the process may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The first device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 120.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: components for receiving cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell from a second device that controls a serving cell for a third device; components for determining a first positioning configuration based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, the first positioning configuration including an indication that a first type of positioning signal will be transmitted during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and components for transmitting the first positioning configuration to at least a second device, a third device, or a fourth device that controls the non-serving cell.

[0180] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: components for determining a second positioning configuration related to a second type of positioning signal to be transmitted during the serving cell activation period based on cell discontinuous operation configuration information; and components for transmitting the second positioning configuration to at least a second device, a third device, or a fourth device.

[0181] In some example embodiments, the indication is present in the first positioning configuration, indicating the first type of positioning signal, and the indication is absent in the second positioning configuration, indicating the second type of positioning signal.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration includes at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) or discontinuous reception (DRX) mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or Instructions for partially or completely omitting location signal transmission during the inactive period of the cell's DTX.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes a component for receiving from the third device location information including measurements of at least one location signal monitored based on at least one location configuration.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, the third device includes a terminal device, and the fourth device includes a second network device.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes components for performing additional operations in some example embodiments of method 800 or network device 120. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the first device.

[0186] In some example embodiments, a second means capable of performing any of the methods 900 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 130 in the process may include components for performing the corresponding operations 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. The second device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 130.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the second device includes components for transmitting cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell of the second device to a first device for location management; components for receiving a first positioning configuration from the first device, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be received during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; and components for transmitting at least one first positioning signal of the first type based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or components for receiving at least one first positioning signal of the first type from a third device based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the second device further includes: a component for receiving a second positioning configuration; and a component for transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information during the serving cell activation period when the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, or for receiving at least one second positioning signal of the second type based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information during the serving cell activation period when the second positioning configuration does not include the indication.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates the presence of a positioning signal of the first type in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration, and the indication does not indicate the absence of a positioning signal of the second type in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or During the inactive period of the cell DTX, the indication of location signal transmission is partially or completely omitted.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal.

[0192] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a device for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, and the third device includes a terminal device.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the second means further includes components for performing additional operations in some example embodiments of method 900 or network device 130. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the second means.

[0194] In some example embodiments, a fourth device capable of performing any of method 1000 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 140 in the process may include components for performing corresponding operations of method 1000. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The fourth device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 140.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the fourth device includes: means for exchanging cell discontinuous operation configuration information with a second means for controlling a serving cell for a third device, the fourth means controlling a non-serving cell for the third device; means for receiving a first positioning configuration from a first means for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell activation period and an inactivation period; and means for transmitting at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information; or means for receiving at least one first positioning signal based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the fourth device further includes: a component for receiving a second positioning configuration; and a component for transmitting at least one second positioning signal of a second type during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication, or a component for receiving at least one second positioning signal of a second type during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and cell discontinuous operation configuration information when the second positioning configuration does not include an indication.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates the presence of a positioning signal of the first type in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration, and the indication does not indicate the presence of a positioning signal of the second type in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode configuration or discontinuous reception (DRX) mode configuration of the fourth device.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the first location configuration is configured based on the requirements for location services.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal.

[0201] In some example embodiments, the first device includes means for implementing LMF, the second device includes a first network device, the third device includes a terminal device, and the fourth device includes a second network device.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the fourth device also includes components for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 1000 or network device 140. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the fourth device.

[0203] In some example embodiments, a fifth device capable of performing any of method 1000 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 120 in the process may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1100. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The fifth device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 120.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the fifth device includes: components for receiving cell discontinuous operation configuration information from a sixth group of devices associated with location services, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status; components for determining candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and requirements for location services; and components for transmitting information regarding candidate cell DTX / DRX modes to the sixth group of devices.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the transmission status of the location signal with respect to the cell DTX active state indicates whether the location signal should be transmitted during the cell DTX inactive period.

[0206] In some example embodiments, the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes multiple location signal transmission opportunities from the corresponding cell provided by the sixth device group, which are aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the fifth device further includes: a component for receiving confirmation of activation of a candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration from a corresponding one of the sixth device groups; and a component for determining at least one positioning configuration for the sixth device group based on the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the positioning signal includes either PRS or SRS.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the fifth device includes equipment for implementing LMF, and the sixth device group includes a set of network devices.

[0210] In some example embodiments, the fifth device further includes components for performing additional operations in some example embodiments of method 1100 or network device 120. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the fifth device.

[0211] In some example embodiments, a sixth device capable of performing any of method 1200 (e.g., Figure 1 The network device 130 in the process may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 1100. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module. The sixth device may be implemented as or included in... Figure 1 Among the network devices in 130.

[0212] In some example embodiments, the sixth device includes: components for transmitting cell discontinuous operation configuration information to a fifth device for location management, the cell discontinuous operation configuration information including cell DTX / DRX mode of a cell controlled by the sixth device, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and transmission status of a location signal regarding cell DTX activation status; and components for receiving information regarding candidate cell DTX / DRX modes from the fifth device.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the transmission status of the location signal regarding cell DTX activation indicates whether the location signal will be transmitted during cell DTX inactive periods.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes multiple location signal transmission opportunities from the corresponding cell provided by the sixth device group, which are aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the sixth device further includes a component for transmitting confirmation of activation of the candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration to the fifth device.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the positioning signal includes either a PRS or an SRS used for positioning.

[0217] Optionally, the fifth device includes a device for implementing LMF, and the sixth device includes a network device.

[0218] In some example embodiments, the sixth device also includes components for performing additional operations in some example embodiments of method 1200 or network device 130. In some example embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the sixth device.

[0219] Figure 13 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 1300 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1300 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 110 or any of network devices 120 to 140 shown. As shown, device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310, one or more memories 1320 coupled to processor 1310, and one or more communication modules 1340 coupled to processor 1310.

[0220] Communication module 1340 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 1340 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, communication module 1340 may include at least one antenna.

[0221] As a non-limiting example, processor 1310 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1300 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0222] Memory 1320 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) 1324, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laser disc, and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1322 and other volatile memories that will not be maintained during power outages.

[0223] Computer program 1330 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 1310. The instructions of program 1330 may include instructions for performing operations / actions of some example embodiments of this disclosure. Program 1330 may be stored in memory (e.g., ROM 1324). Processor 1310 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1330 into RAM 1322.

[0224] Example embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 1330, enabling device 1300 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 12 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0225] In some example embodiments, program 1330 may be tangibly included in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1300 (such as in memory 1320) or in other storage devices accessible by device 1300. Device 1300 may load program 1330 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 1322 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0226] Figure 14 An example of a computer-readable medium 1400 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disc. The computer-readable medium 1400 has a program 1330 stored thereon.

[0227] In general, 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, and others can be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that 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, as non-limiting examples.

[0228] Some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor to perform any of the methods described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform a particular task or implement a particular abstract data type. 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 within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0229] Program code for performing the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The 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 performed. 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.

[0230] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier wave to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carrier waves include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0231] 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 disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0232] Furthermore, although operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or sequentially, or requiring that all shown operations be performed 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 foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as a description of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated otherwise, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0233] 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. An apparatus 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 device to at least: Receive a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication that a first type of positioning signal will be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is received from at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactive period. or Based on the first positioning configuration, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is transmitted to at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell during the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactivation period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Receive the second location configuration; as well as When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, based on the second positioning configuration, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is received from the serving cell or the non-serving cell during the serving cell activation period; or When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, based on the second positioning configuration, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is transmitted to the serving cell or the non-serving cell during the serving cell activation period.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication in the first positioning configuration indicates the presence of a positioning signal of the first type, and the indication in the first positioning configuration does not indicate a positioning signal of the second type.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one first positioning signal and the at least one second positioning signal received from the serving cell or the non-serving cell are positioning reference signals for downlink transmission, or The at least one first positioning signal and the at least one second positioning signal transmitted to at least one of the serving cell or the non-serving cell are detection reference signals for locating uplink transmissions.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactivation period are configured according to a cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) configuration or a cell discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration associated with the serving cell.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the apparatus includes a terminal device, and the first positioning configuration and the second positioning configuration are configured by a device for implementing a positioning management function (LMF).

7. A first 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 first device to at least: Receive cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell from a second device that controls the serving cell for the third device; Based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, a first positioning configuration is determined, the first positioning configuration including an indication that a first type of positioning signal will be transmitted during the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactive period; as well as The first positioning configuration is transmitted to at least the second device, the third device, or the fourth device, wherein the fourth device controls non-serving cells for the third device.

8. The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: Based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, a second positioning configuration related to the second type of positioning signal to be transmitted during the serving cell activation period is determined; and The second positioning configuration is transmitted to at least the second device, the third device, or the fourth device.

9. The first apparatus according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the indication exists in the first positioning configuration indicating the first type of positioning signal, and the indication does not exist in the second positioning configuration indicating the second type of positioning signal.

10. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the cell discontinuous operation configuration comprises at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) or discontinuous reception (DRX) mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or During the inactive period of the cell DTX, the indication of location signal transmission is partially or completely omitted.

11. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to at least: The third device receives location information including measurements of at least one positioning signal monitored based on at least one positioning configuration.

12. The first apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the first apparatus includes a device for implementing LMF, the second apparatus includes a first network device, the third apparatus includes a terminal device, and the fourth apparatus includes a second network device.

13. A second device, comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: Transmit cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell of the second device to the first device for location management; Receives a first positioning configuration from a first device, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be received during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is transmitted; or... Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is received from the third device.

14. The second apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to at least: Receive the second location configuration; as well as When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is transmitted during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information. or When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is received during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

15. The second apparatus according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the indication exists in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration indicating the first type of positioning signal, and the indication does not exist in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration indicating the second type of positioning signal.

16. The second apparatus according to claims 13 to 15, wherein the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes at least one of the following: The cell discontinuous transmission or discontinuous reception DTX / DRX mode configuration for each cell includes at least one of the following: cell DTX / DRX mode period, start time slot, start offset, or on duration. The cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication indicates immediate activation / deactivation, activation / deactivation at a predetermined relative or absolute time, or activation / deactivation within an activation / deactivation window or time period; Extension of the cell DTX activation period based on the cell DTX inactive timer; An indication of at least one deterministic cell DTX inactive period to occur; The indication should be based on at least one optional cell DTX inactive period that occurs opportunistically due to cell load; or During the inactive period of the cell DTX, the indication of location signal transmission is partially or completely omitted.

17. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal.

18. The second apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the first apparatus includes a device for implementing LMF, the second apparatus includes a first network device, and the third apparatus includes a terminal device.

19. A fourth 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 fourth device to at least: The fourth device exchanges cell discontinuous operation configuration information with the second device that controls the serving cell for the third device, and controls the non-serving cell for the third device. Receives a first positioning configuration from a first device for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication to transmit a first type of positioning signal during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal is transmitted; or... Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal is received.

20. The fourth apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fourth apparatus to at least: Receive the second location configuration; as well as When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is transmitted during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information. or When the second positioning configuration does not include the indication, at least one second positioning signal of the second type is received during the serving cell activation period based on the second positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information.

21. The fourth device according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the indication exists in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration indicating the first type of positioning signal, and the indication does not exist in the first positioning configuration or the second positioning configuration indicating the second type of positioning signal.

22. The fourth apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode configuration or discontinuous reception (DRX) mode configuration of the fourth apparatus.

23. The fourth device according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the transmitted at least one first positioning signal includes a positioning reference signal, and the received at least one first positioning signal includes a detection reference signal.

24. The fourth apparatus according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the first apparatus includes a device for implementing LMF, the second apparatus includes a first network device, the third apparatus includes a terminal device, and the fourth apparatus includes a second network device.

25. A fifth 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 fifth device to at least: Receive cell discontinuous operation configuration information from the sixth device group associated with location services. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status. Based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and the demand for the location service, candidate cell DTX / DRX modes are determined from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes; Information about the DTX / DRX mode of the candidate cell is transmitted to the sixth device group.

26. The fifth apparatus of claim 25, wherein the transmission status of the positioning signal with respect to the cell DTX activation state indicates whether the positioning signal should be transmitted during a cell DTX inactive period.

27. The fifth apparatus of claim 25, wherein the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes a plurality of positioning signal transmission opportunities from the corresponding cell provided by the sixth apparatus group, the plurality of positioning signal transmission opportunities being aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

28. The fifth apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to at least: Receive confirmation of activation of the candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration from a corresponding one of the sixth device groups; and Based on the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration, at least one positioning configuration is determined for the sixth device group.

29. The fifth device according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the positioning signal includes one of PRS or SRS.

30. The fifth apparatus according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the fifth apparatus includes equipment for implementing LMF, and the sixth apparatus group includes a group of network devices.

31. A sixth 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 sixth device to at least: The cell discontinuous operation configuration information is transmitted to the fifth device for location management. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell DTX / DRX mode of the cell controlled by the sixth device, the cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and the transmission status of the positioning signal regarding the cell DTX activation status. The fifth device receives information about the DTX / DRX mode of the candidate cell.

32. The sixth apparatus of claim 31, wherein the transmission status of the positioning signal with respect to cell DTX activation indicates whether the positioning signal will be transmitted during a cell DTX inactive period.

33. The sixth apparatus of claim 31, wherein the candidate cell DTX / DRX mode configuration includes a plurality of positioning signal transmission opportunities from a corresponding cell provided by the sixth apparatus group, the plurality of positioning signal transmission opportunities being aligned with time intervals below a threshold.

34. The sixth apparatus of claim 31, wherein the at least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the sixth apparatus to at least: The fifth device transmits confirmation of the activation of the candidate cell discontinuous operation configuration.

35. The sixth device according to any one of claims 31 to 34, wherein the positioning signal includes one of a PRS or an SRS for positioning.

36. The sixth apparatus according to any one of claims 31 to 35, wherein the fifth apparatus includes a device for implementing LMF, and the sixth apparatus includes a network device.

37. A method comprising: The device receives a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during both a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is received from at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during the cell activation period and the cell inactivation period. or Based on the first positioning configuration, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is transmitted to at least one of the serving cell or non-serving cell during the cell activation period and the cell inactivation period.

38. A method comprising: At the first device, cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell is received from the second device that controls the serving cell for the third device; Based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, a first positioning configuration is determined, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during the serving cell activation period and the serving cell inactive period; as well as The first positioning configuration is transmitted to at least the second device, the third device, or the fourth device, wherein the fourth device controls the non-serving cell.

39. A method comprising: The second device transmits cell discontinuous operation configuration information associated with the serving cell of the second device to the first device for location management; The device receives a first positioning configuration, the first positioning configuration including an indication of a first type of positioning signal to be received during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is transmitted; or... Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal of the first type is received from the third device.

40. A method comprising: The fourth device exchanges cell discontinuous operation configuration information with the second device that controls the serving cell for the third device, and controls the non-serving cell for the third device. Receives a first positioning configuration from a first device for location management, the first positioning configuration including an indication of at least one of a first type of positioning signal to be transmitted during a serving cell active period and a serving cell inactive period; as well as Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal is transmitted; or... Based on the first positioning configuration and the cell discontinuous operation configuration information, at least one first positioning signal is received.

41. A method comprising: At the fifth device, cell discontinuous operation configuration information is received from the sixth device group associated with location services. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes multiple cell DTX / DRX modes for each cell, cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indications, and transmission status of location signals regarding cell DTX activation status. Based on the cell discontinuous operation configuration information and the demand for the location service, candidate cell DTX / DRX modes are determined from the multiple cell DTX / DRX modes; Information about the DTX / DRX mode of the candidate cell is transmitted to the sixth device group.

42. A method comprising: The sixth device transmits cell discontinuous operation configuration information to the fifth device. The cell discontinuous operation configuration information includes the cell DTX / DRX mode of the cell controlled by the sixth device, the cell DTX / DRX mode activation / deactivation indication, and the transmission status of the positioning signal of the cell DTX activation status. The fifth device receives information about the DTX / DRX mode of the candidate cell.

43. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method of claim 37, claim 38, claim 39, claim 40, claim 41 or claim 42.

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