Validity Conditions for Positioning Support Data

Abstract

An apparatus and system are described for validity conditions for preconfigured assistance data used during a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) location procedure. The validity conditions are used to determine whether the assistance data is still valid for performing location measurements. The validity conditions may indicate that the assistance data is limited to a single positioning session or may be used for multiple sessions. In the latter case, the validity conditions may indicate geographic, timing, or number of sessions restrictions. If the UE determines that the assistance data is no longer valid based on the validity conditions, the UE may request new assistance data prior to performing measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] [Claims of Priority] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 246,273, filed September 20, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Embodiments relate to next generation (NG) wireless networks. In particular, some embodiments relate to positioning assistance data in a New Radio (NR) wireless system.

Background Art

[0003] The use and complexity of NG or NR wireless systems, including 5G networks and especially beginning to include Sixth Generation (6G) networks, are increasing due to both an increase in the types of devices and user equipment (UE) using network resources, and an increase in the amount and bandwidth of data used by various applications such as video streaming operating on these UEs. The corresponding network environment, including routers, switches, bridges, gateways, firewalls, and load balancers, is becoming increasingly complex due to the huge increase in the number and diversity of communication devices. As expected, with the emergence of any new technology, a number of problems have piled up, including complexities related to UE location.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] In the various figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may represent like components in different figures. Like numbers with different subscripts may represent different examples of like components. The figures generally illustrate, but do not limit, the various embodiments discussed herein.

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Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] The following description and drawings sufficiently disclose specific embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments. Other embodiments may incorporate changes in structure, logic, electrical, process, and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for portions and features of other embodiments. The embodiments described in the claims encompass all available equivalents of the claims.

[0015] FIG. 1A shows the architecture of a network according to some aspects. Network 140A includes 3GPP (registered trademark) LTE / 4G and NG network functions that can be extended to 6G and later generation capabilities. Thus, although 5G is referenced, it should be understood to be extended to the structure, system, and functions of 6G (and later) as much as possible. The network functions can be implemented as separate network elements on dedicated hardware, as software instances running on dedicated hardware, and / or as virtualized functions instantiated on a suitable platform such as, for example, dedicated hardware or cloud infrastructure.

[0016] Network 140A is shown to include user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102. UE 101 and 102 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device such as a portable (laptop) or desktop computer, wireless headset, drone, or any other computing device including a wired and / or wireless communication interface. UE 101 and 102 can be collectively referred to as UE 101 herein, and UE 101 can be used to execute one or more of the techniques disclosed herein.

[0017] Any of the wireless links described herein (e.g., used in Network 140A or any other shown network) may operate in accordance with any exemplary wireless communication technology and / or standard. Any spectrum management scheme may include, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (license shared access (LSA) at 2.3 - 2.4 GHz, 3.4 - 3.6 GHz, 3.6 - 3.8 GHz and other frequencies, and spectrum access system (SAS) at 3.55 - 3.7 GHz and other frequencies, etc.). Different single carrier or Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiplexing (OFDM) modes (CP - OFDM, SC - FDMA, SC - OFDM, filter bank - based multi - carrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.), particularly 3GPP NR, may be used by allocating OFDM carrier data bit vectors to corresponding symbol resources.

[0018] In some aspects, either UE101 and 102 can include a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) or Machine-Type Communication (MTC) Internet of Things (IoT) UE or a Cellular IoT (CIoT) UE that can include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize temporary UE connections. In some aspects, either UE101 and 102 can include a NarrowBand (NB) IoT UE (e.g., an Extended NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) UE and a Further Extended (FeNB-IoT) UE, etc.). The IoT UE can utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Services (ProSe) or Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be an exchange of data initiated by a machine. The IoT network can include interconnecting IoT UEs that can include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) in a temporary connection. The IoT UE can execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connection to the IoT network. In some aspects, either UE101 and 102 can include an Extended MTC (eMTC) UE or a Further Extended MTC (FeMTC) UE.

[0019] UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to be communicatively coupled, for example, to be connected to a Radio Access Network (RAN) 110. The RAN 110 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The RAN 110 may include one or more gNBs, one or more of which may be implemented by multiple units. Although gNBs may be referred to herein, the same aspects may apply to other generation NodeBs such as 6th generation NodeBs, and thus, it should be noted that they may alternatively be referred to as Radio Access Network NodeBs (xNBs).

[0020] Each of the gNBs may implement protocol entities in the 3GPP protocol stack, where the layers are considered to be layered from lowest to highest, in order, the Physical Layer (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) / Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) (for the control plane / user plane). The protocol layers in each gNB may be distributed across different units, namely, a Central Unit (CU), at least one Distributed Unit (DU), and a Remote Radio Head (RRH). The CU provides functions such as control of user data transfer, except for functions exclusively assigned to the DU, and may perform mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management.

[0021] Higher protocol layers (PDCP and RRC for the control plane and PDCP and SDAP for the user plane) can be implemented in the CU, and the RLC and MAC layers can be implemented in the DU. The PHY layer can be split, with the higher PHY layer also implemented in the DU, while the lower PHY layer is implemented in the RRH. The CU, DU, and RRH can be implemented by different manufacturers, but can still be connected by appropriate interfaces between them. The CU can be connected by multiple DUs.

[0022] Interfaces within the gNB include the E1 and fronthaul (F) F1 interfaces. The E1 interface can be between the CU control plane (gNB-CU-CP) and the CU user plane (gNB-CU-UP), and thus can support the exchange of signaling information between the control plane and the user plane via the E1AP service. The E1 interface can separate the radio network layer and the transport network layer and enable the exchange of UE-related information and UE-unrelated information. The E1AP service can be a non-UE-related signaling connection for a single UE and a non-UE-related service for the entire E1 interface instance between gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP using UE-related services, and is associated with the UE-related signaling connection maintained for the UE.

[0023] The F1 interface can be arranged between the CU and the DU. The CU can control the operation of the DU across the F1 interface. Since the signaling in the gNB is split into control plane and user plane signaling, the F1 interface can be split into an F1-C interface for control plane signaling between the gNB-DU and the gNB-CU-CP, and an F1-U interface for user plane signaling between the gNB-DU and the gNB-CU-UP, which support the separation of the control plane and the user plane. The F1 interface can separate the radio network and the transport network layers and enable the exchange of UE-related information and UE-unrelated information. Additionally, the F2 interface can exist between the lower and higher parts of the NR PHY layer. The F2 interface can also be separated into F2-C and F2-U interfaces based on control plane and user plane functions.

[0024] UEs 101 and 102 each utilize connections 103 and 104, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in more detail below); in this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces enabling a communication coupling and may conform to cellular communication protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocol, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, Push-to-Talk over Cellular (POC) protocol, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, 5G protocol, 6G protocol, etc.

[0025] In one aspect, UE101 and UE102 can further directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 can alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface including one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), and a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH).

[0026] UE102 is shown as being configured to access an access point (AP) 106 via a connection 107. The connection 107 can include, for example, a local wireless connection such as a connection compliant with any IEEE802.11 protocol, according to which the AP106 can include a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi (registered trademark)) router. In this example, the AP106 is shown as being connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (to be described in more detail below).

[0027] RAN 110 can include one or more access nodes that enable connections 103 and 104. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and can include terrestrial stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographical area (e.g., a cell). In some aspects, communication nodes 111 and 112 can be transmission / reception points (TRPs). When communication nodes 111 and 112 are NodeBs (e.g., eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs can function within the communication cell of the NodeB. RAN 110 can include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, such as macro RAN node 111, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having a smaller coverage area, a smaller user capacity, or a higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), such as low-power (LP) RAN node 112.

[0028] Either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 can terminate the air interface protocol and can serve as the first point of contact to UEs 101 and 102. In some aspects, either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 can perform various logical functions for RAN 110, including, but not limited to, radio bearer management, dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling for uplink and downlink, and mobility management, such as radio network controller (RNC) functions. In one example, either of nodes 111 and / or 112 can be a gNB, an eNB, or another type of RAN node.

[0029] RAN 110 is shown as communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 via an S1 interface 113. In an aspect, CN 120 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (e.g., as shown with reference to FIGS. 1B through 1C). In this aspect, S1 interface 113 is split into two parts: an S1-U interface 114 that carries traffic data between RAN nodes 111 and 112, and a serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and an S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115 that is a signaling interface between RAN nodes 111 and 112, and an MME 121.

[0030] In this aspect, CN 120 includes an MME 121, an S-GW 122, a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) 123, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 124. MME 121 can be similar in function to the control plane of a legacy serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN). MME 121 can manage mobility aspects during access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. HSS 124 can include a database of network users that contains subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions of network entities. CN 120 can include one or some HSSs 124 depending on, for example, the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the devices, the network configuration, etc. For example, HSS 124 can provide support such as routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / address resolution, location dependency, etc.

[0031] The S-GW 122 can terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 110 and route data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 can be a local mobility anchor point for RAN node-to-node handover and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other roles of the S-GW 122 can include lawful interception, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0032] The P-GW 123 can terminate the SGi interface towards the PDN. The P-GW 123 can route data packets between the CN 120 and an external network such as a network including the application server 184 (alternatively referred to as the application function (AF)) via the Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. The P-GW 123 can also communicate data to other external networks 131A which can include the Internet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, and other networks. Generally, the application server 184 can be an element-providing application (e.g., UMTS packet service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.) that uses IP bearer resources with a core network. In this aspect, the P-GW 123 is shown as communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the IP interface 125. The application server 184 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) session, Push-to-Talk (PTT) session, group communication session, social networking service, etc.) for the UEs 101 and 102 via the CN 120.

[0033] P-GW 123 can further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is a policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, in some aspects, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the Internet Protocol connectivity access network (IP-CAN) session of the UE. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with the IP-CAN session of the UE, namely, a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 can be communicatively coupled to the application server 184 via the P-GW 123.

[0034] In some aspects, the communication network 140A can be an IoT network or a 5G or 6G network including a 5G New Radio network that uses communication in licensed (5G NR) and unlicensed (5G NR-U) spectra. One of the current success factors of IoT is NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT). Operation in unlicensed spectrum can include dual connectivity (DC) operation in unlicensed spectrum and stand-alone LTE systems, and accordingly, LTE-based technologies operate solely in unlicensed spectrum without the use of an "anchor" in licensed spectrum, which is called MuLTEFire. Additional enhanced operations of LTE systems in both licensed and unlicensed spectra are expected in future releases and 5G systems. Such enhanced operations can include techniques for sidelink resource allocation for NR sidelink V2X communication and UE processing behavior.

[0035] The NG system architecture (or 6G system architecture) can include a RAN 110 and a core network (CN) 120. The NG-RAN 110 can include multiple nodes such as gNBs and NG-eNBs. The CN 120 (e.g., 5G core network (5GC)) can include an access and mobility function (AMF) and / or a user plane function (UPF). The AMF and UPF can be communicatively coupled to gNBs and NG-eNBs via NG interfaces. More specifically, in some embodiments, gNBs and NG-eNBs can be connected to the AMF via an NG-C interface and to the UPF via an NG-U interface. gNBs and NG-eNBs can be coupled to each other via an Xn interface.

[0036] In some embodiments, the NG system architecture can use reference points between various nodes. In some embodiments, each of the gNB and the NG-eNB can be implemented as a base station, a mobile edge server, a small cell, a home eNB, etc. In some embodiments, the gNB can be a master node (MN), and the NG-eNB can be a secondary node (SN) in the 5G architecture.

[0037] Figure 1B shows a non-roaming 5G system architecture according to some embodiments. In particular, Figure 1B shows a 5G system architecture 140B in a reference point representation, which can be extended to a 6G system architecture. More specifically, the UE 102 can communicate with the RAN 110 and one or more other CN network entities. The 5G system architecture 140B includes multiple network functions (NFs) such as an AMF 132, a session management function (SMF) 136, a policy control function (PCF) 148, an application function (AF) 150, a UPF 134, a network slice selection function (NSSF) 142, an authentication server function (AUSF) 144, and a unified data management (UDM) / home subscriber server (HSS) 146.

[0038] UPF134 can provide a connection to the data network (DN) 152, which can include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. AMF132 can be used to manage access control and mobility and can also include a network slice selection function. AMF132 can provide UE-based authentication, authorization, mobility management, etc., and can be independent of the access technology. SMF136 can be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policies. Therefore, SMF136 can be responsible for session management and the allocation of IP addresses to UEs. SMF136 can also select and control UPF134 for data transfer. SMF136 can be associated with a single session of UE101 or multiple sessions of UE101. That is, UE101 can have multiple 5G sessions. Different SMFs can be assigned to each session. The use of different SMFs can allow each session to be managed individually. As a result, the functions of each session can be independent of each other.

[0039] UPF134 can be deployed in one or more configurations according to the desired service type and can be connected to the data network. PCF148 can be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to PCRF in a 4G communication system). UDM can be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to HSS in a 4G communication system).

[0040] AF150 can provide information to the packet flow to PCF148, which is responsible for policy control to support the desired QoS. PCF148 can set the mobility and session management policies of UE101. For this purpose, PCF148 can use the packet flow information to determine the appropriate policies for the proper operation of AMF132 and SMF136. AUSF144 can store data for UE authentication.

[0041] In some embodiments, the 5G system architecture 140B includes an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 168B and a plurality of IP multimedia core network subsystem entities such as a Call Session Control Function (CSCF). More specifically, the IMS 168B includes a CSCF, which can function as a Proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 162BE, a Serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 164B, an Emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) (not shown in FIG. 1B), or an Interrogating CSCF (I-CSCF) 166B. The P-CSCF 162B can be configured to be the first point of contact for the UE 102 within the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 168B. The S-CSCF 164B can be configured to handle the session state in the network, and the E-CSCF can be configured to handle certain aspects of an emergency session, such as routing an emergency request to the correct emergency center or PSAP. The I-CSCF 166B can be configured to function as a point of contact within the operator's network for all IMS connections destined for subscribers of that network operator or roaming subscribers currently located within the network operator's service area. In some embodiments, the CSCF 166B can be connected to another IP multimedia network 170B, such as an IMS operated by a different network operator.

[0042] In some embodiments, the UDM / HSS 146 can even be coupled to an Application Server (AS) 160B, which can include a Telephony Application Server (TAS) or another application server. The AS 160B can be coupled to the IMS 168B via the S-CSCF 164B or the I-CSCF 166B.

[0043] The reference point representation indicates that interactions can exist between the corresponding NF services. For example, FIG. 1B shows the following reference points: N1 (between UE 102 and AMF 132), N2 (between RAN 110 and AMF 132), N3 (between RAN 110 and UPF 134), N4 (between SMF 136 and UPF 134), N5 (between PCF 148 and AF 150, not shown), N6 (between UPF 134 and DN 152), N7 (between SMF 136 and PCF 148, not shown), N8 (between UDM 146 and AMF 132, not shown), N9 (between two UPFs 134, not shown), N10 (between UDM 146 and SMF 136, not shown), N11 (between AMF 132 and SMF 136, not shown), N12 (between AUSF 144 and AMF 132, not shown), N13 (between AUSF 144 and UDM 146, not shown), N14 (between two AMFs 132, not shown), N15 (between PCF 148 and AMF 132 in a non-roaming scenario or between PCF 148, the visited network, and AMF 132 in a roaming scenario, not shown), N16 (between two SMFs, not shown), and N22 (between AMF 132 and NSSF 142, not shown). Other reference point representations not shown in FIG. 1B can also be used.

[0044] FIG. 1C shows a 5G system architecture 140C and a service-based representation. In addition to the network entities shown in FIG. 1B, the system architecture 140C can also include a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 154 and a Network Repository Function (NRF) 156. In some aspects, the 5G system architecture can be service-based, and the interactions between network functions can be represented by the corresponding point-to-point reference points Ni or service-based interfaces.

[0045] In some aspects, as shown in FIG. 1C, service-based representations can be used to represent network functions within a control plane that enable other permitted network functions to access those services. In this regard, the 5G system architecture 140C can include the following service-based interfaces: Namf158H (service-based interface indicated by AMF132), Nsmf158I (service-based interface indicated by SMF136), Nnef158B (service-based interface indicated by NEF154), Npcf158D (service-based interface indicated by PCF148), Nudm158E (service-based interface indicated by UDM146), Naf158F (service-based interface indicated by AF150), Nnrf158C (service-based interface indicated by NRF156), Nnssf158A (service-based interface indicated by NSSF142), and Nausf158G (service-based interface indicated by AUSF144). Other service-based interfaces not shown in FIG. 1C (e.g., Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) can also be used.

[0046] The NR-V2X architecture can support high-reliability low-latency sidelink communications having various traffic patterns, including periodic and aperiodic communications with random packet arrival times and sizes. The techniques disclosed herein can be used to support high reliability in distributed communication systems having a dynamic topology, including sidelink NR V2X communication systems.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to some embodiments. The communication device 200 can be a dedicated network device such as a dedicated computer, a personal or laptop computer (PC), a tablet PC or a smartphone such as a UE, an eNB, a server configured to operate as a network device, software running on a server, a virtual device, or any machine that can execute (sequentially or otherwise) instructions that identify actions performed by the machine. For example, the communication device 200 can be implemented as one or more of the devices shown in FIGS. 1A - 1C. Note that the communication described herein can be encoded before transmission by an entity (e.g., UE, gNB) transmitting to a receiving entity (e.g., gNB, UE) for reception by the receiving entity, and decoded after reception by the receiving entity.

[0048] As described herein, an example can include or operate on logic or a number of components, modules or mechanisms. A module and a component are tangible entities (e.g., hardware) that can perform specific operations and can be configured or arranged in a particular manner. In one example, a circuit can be arranged as a module in a particular manner (e.g., internally or with respect to an external entity such as another circuit). In one example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., stand - alone, client or server computer systems) or one or more hardware processors can be configured by firmware or software (e.g., a plurality of instructions, an application portion, or an application) as modules that operate to perform a plurality of specific operations. In one example, the software can reside on a machine - readable medium. In one example, the software causes the hardware to perform specific operations when executed by the underlying hardware of the module.

[0049] Accordingly, the terms "module" (and "component") are understood to include a physically constructed entity that is specifically configured (e.g., hardwired) or temporarily (e.g., transiently) configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a particular manner or to perform some or all of any of the operations described herein. Considering an example where a module is temporarily configured, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any given point in time. For example, if a module has a general-purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general-purpose hardware processor can be configured as different modules at different times. Thus, software can configure the hardware processor, for example, to configure a particular module at one point in time and a different module at a different point in time.

[0050] The communication device 200 may include a hardware processor (or equivalent processing circuitry) 202 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a GPU, a hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), a main memory 204, and a static memory 206, and some or all of these may communicate with each other via an interlink (e.g., a bus) 208. The main memory 204 may include any or all of removable storage and non-removable storage, volatile memory, or non-volatile memory. The communication device 200 may further include a display unit 210 such as a video display, an alphanumeric input device 212 (e.g., a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214 (e.g., a mouse). In one example, the display unit 210, the input device 212, and the UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The communication device 200 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., a drive unit) 216, a signal generation device 218 (e.g., a speaker), a network interface device 220, and one or more sensors such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, a compass, an accelerometer, or other sensors. The communication device 200 may further include an output controller for communicating with or controlling one or more peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, a card reader, etc.), such as a serial (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), parallel, or other wired or wireless (e.g., Infrared (IR), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) connection).

[0051] Storage device 216 may include a non-transitory machine-readable medium 222 (hereinafter simply referred to as a machine-readable medium) that stores one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224 (e.g., software) that are implemented or utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The instructions 224 may also be present, in whole or at least in part, within the main memory 204, within the static memory 206, and / or within the hardware processor 202 during execution thereof by the communication device 200. While the machine-readable medium 222 is shown as a single medium, the term "machine-readable medium" may include a single medium or a plurality of media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated cache and server) configured to store one or more instructions 224.

[0052] The term "machine-readable medium" can include any medium that can store, encode, or carry instructions for execution by the communication device 200 and that can cause the communication device 200 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure, or any medium that can store, encode, or carry data structures used by or associated with such instructions. A plurality of non-limiting examples of machine-readable media can include a plurality of solid-state memories, and magneto-optical media. Specific examples of machine-readable media can include semiconductor memory devices: e.g., non-volatile memories such as electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical disks, random access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

[0053] Command 224 can further be transmitted or received via a communication network using a transmission medium 226 through a network interface device 220 that utilizes any one of a number of wireless local area network (WLAN) transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, Internet Protocol (IP), Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.). Exemplary communication networks can include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), a mobile phone network (e.g., a cellular network), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, and a wireless data network. Communication via the network can include one or more different protocols such as, among others, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard group known as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), the IEEE 802.16 standard group known as WiMax (registered trademark), the IEEE 802.15.4 standard group, the Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard group, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) standard group, a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a next generation (NG) / fifth generation (5G) standard, etc. In one example, the network interface device 220 can include one or more physical jacks (e.g., Ethernet (registered trademark), coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas for connecting to the transmission medium 226.

[0054] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components configured to provide the described functionality, such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or group), and / or memories (shared, dedicated, or group), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or programmable system on chips), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionality. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) having program code for executing the functions of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0055] The term "processor circuit" or "processor" as used herein thus refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations, or of recording, storing, and / or transferring digital data. The term "processor circuit" or "processor" may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single or multi-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating on computer-executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes.

[0056] Any of the wireless links described in this specification is hereinafter, namely, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) wireless communication technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) wireless communication technology, GSM Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) wireless communication technology, and / or, for example, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Freedom of Multimedia Access (FOMA), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3GPP Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, Third Generation (3G), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (Third Generation) (UMTS(3G)), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) (W-CDMA(UMTS)), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High-Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-Time Division Duplex (UMTS-TDD), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), Time Division-SynchronousCode Division Multiple Access: TD-CDMA), 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation: Pre-4G), 3GPP Release 9, 3GPP Release 10, 3GPP Release 11, 3GPP Release 12, 3GPP Release 13, 3GPP Release 14, 3GPP Release 15, 3GPP Release 16, 3GPP Release 17 and subsequent releases (e.g., Release 18, Release 19, etc.), 3GPP 5G, 5G, 5G New Radio (5G NR), 3GPP 5G New Radio, 3GPP LTE Extra, LTE Advanced Pro, LTE Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), MuLTEFire, UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Long Term Evolution Advanced (4th Generation)Evolution Advanced (4th Generation): LTE Advanced (4G), cdmaOne (2G), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (Third Generation): CDMA2000 (3G), Evolution-Data Only: EV-DO, Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation): AMPS (1G), Total Access Communication System / Extended Total Access Communication System: TACS / ETACS, Digital AMPS (2nd Generation): D-AMPS (2G), Push-To-Talk: PTT, Mobile Telephone System: MTS, Improved Mobile Telephone System: IMTS, Advanced Mobile Telephone System: AMTS, OLT (Offentlig Landmobil Telefoni in Norwegian, Public Land Mobile Telephony), MTD (abbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D in Swedish, or Mobile Telephony System D), Public Automated Land Mobile: Autotel / PALM, ARP (Autoradiopuhelin in Finnish, i.e., "Car Radio Phone"), Nordic Mobile Telephony: NMT, high-capacity version of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone: NTT Highcapacity: High-capacity), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, DataTAC, Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), Personal Handy-phone System (PHS (registered trademark)), Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (WiDEN), iBurst, 3GPP Generic Access Network, or Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA) also known as GAN standard, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless communication technologies such as Zigbee (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) standard, millimeter wave standards in general (wireless systems operating at 10 - 300 GHz and above, such as WiGig, IEEE802.11ad, IEEE802.11ay, etc.), technologies operating above 300 GHz and THz band, (3GPP / LTE-based, or IEEE802.11p or IEEE802.11bd and others) Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), and Vehicle-to-X (V2X), and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), and Infrastructure-to-Vehicle (I2V) communication technologies, 3GPP cellular V2X, dedicated short-range communication such as advanced road traffic systemsCommunications: DSRC) communication systems and others (usually operating at 5850 MHz to 5925 MHz or higher (usually up to 5935 MHz in accordance with the proposed changes in CEPT Report 71)), European ITS-G5 systems (i.e., the European flavor of IEEE 802.11p-based DSRC including ITS-G5A (i.e., operation of ITS-G5 in the European ITS frequency band dedicated to ITS for safety-related applications in the frequency range 5.875 GHz to 5.905 GHz)), ITS-G5B (i.e., operation in the European ITS frequency band dedicated to ITS non-safety applications in the frequency range 5.855 GHz to 5.875 GHz), ITS-G5C (i.e., operation of ITS applications in the frequency range 5.470 GHz to 5.725 GHz), DSRC in Japan in the 700 MHz band (including 715 MHz to 725 MHz), IEEE 802.11bd-based systems, etc., and may operate in accordance with any one or more of the wireless communication technologies and / or standards including but not limited to these.

[0057] Aspects described herein may be used in the context of any spectrum management scheme, including dedicated license spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, license-exempt spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (LSA = License Shared Access at 2.3 - 2.4 GHz, 3.4 - 3.6 GHz, 3.6 - 3.8 GHz and further frequencies, and SAS = Spectrum Access System / CBRS = Citizen Broadband Radio System etc. at 3.55 - 3.7 GHz and further frequencies).Applicable spectral bands include the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) spectrum as well as other types of spectrum / bands, such as bands with national allocations (450 - 470 MHz, 902 - 928 MHz (Note: allocated, for example, in the United States (FCC Part 15)), 863 - 868.6 MHz (Note: allocated, for example, in the European Union (ETSI EN300 220 standard)), 915.9 - 929.7 MHz (Note: allocated, for example, in Japan), 917 - 923.5 MHz (Note: allocated, for example, in South Korea), 755 - 779 MHz and 779 - 787 MHz (Note: allocated, for example, in China), 790 - 960 MHz, 1710 - 2025 MHz, 2110 - 2200 MHz, 2300 - 2400 MHz, 2.4 - 2.4835 GHz (Note: It is a globally available ISM band, which is also used by Wi-Fi technology groups (11b / g / n / ax) and by Bluetooth), 2500 - 2690 MHz, 698 - 790 MHz, 610 - 790 MHz, 3400 - 3600 MHz, 3400 - 3800 MHz, 3800 - 4200 MHz, 3.55 - 3.7 GHz (Note: allocated, for example, in the United States for citizen broadband wireless service), 5.15 - 5.25 GHz and 5.25 - 5.35 GHz and 5.47 - 5.725 GHz and 5.725 - 5.85 GHz bands (Note: allocated, for example, in the United States (FCC Part 15) and consists of four U-NII bands in a total of 500 MHz spectrum), 5.725 - 5.875 GHz (Note: allocated, for example, in the EU (ETSI EN301 893 standard)), 5.47 - 5.65 GHz (Note: allocated, for example, in South Korea), 5925 - 7125 MHz and 5925 - 6425 MHz bands (Note: Under consideration in the United States and the EU respectively. It should be noted that next-generation Wi-Fi systems are expected to include the 6 GHz spectrum as an operating band, but as of December 2017, Wi-Fi systems are not yet permitted in this band.)Regulations include the IMT Advanced Spectrum, the IMT2020 Spectrum (expected to include bands such as 3600 - 3800 MHz, 3800 - 4200 MHz, 3.5 GHz band, 700 MHz band, bands within the range of 24.25 - 86 GHz, etc., which are expected to be completed during the period 2019 - 2020), the spectrum made available under the FCC's "Spectrum Frontiers" 5G initiative (including 27.5 - 28.35 GHz, 29.1 - 29.25 GHz, 31 - 31.3 GHz, 37 - 38.6 GHz, 38.6 - 40 GHz, 42 - 42.5 GHz, 57 - 64 GHz, 71 - 76 GHz, 81 - 86 GHz, and 92 - 94 GHz, etc.), the 5.9 GHz (usually 5.85 - 5.925 GHz) and 63 - 64 GHz ITS (Intelligent Transport System) bands, WiGig Band 1 (57.24 - 59.40 GHz), WiGig Band 2 (59.40 - 61.56 GHz), and WiGig Band 3 (61.56 - 63.72 GHz), and WiGig Band 4 (63.72 - 65.88 GHz), and the 57 - 64 / 66 GHz (Note: This band has a nearly global designation for Multi-Gigabit Wireless Systems (MGWS) / WiGig. The United States (FCC Part 15 rules) has allocated a total of 14 GHz of spectrum, while the EU (ETSI EN302 567 standard and ETSI EN301 217-2 standard for fixed P2P) has allocated a total of 9 GHz of spectrum) and other bands currently allocated to WiGig, the 70.2 GHz - 71 GHz band, any band between 65.88 GHz and 71 GHz, bands currently allocated to automotive radar applications such as 76 - 81 GHz, and future bands including 94 - 300 GHz and above. Further, the scheme can be used secondarily based on bands such as the TV white space band (usually below 790 MHz), and in particular, the 400 MHz and 700 MHz bands are promising candidates. In addition to cellular applications, specific applications for vertical markets such as PMSE (Program Making and Special Events), medical, health, surgery, automotive, low latency, drone, etc. applications can be addressed.

[0058] The aspects described herein can also implement hierarchical application of the scheme by introducing hierarchical prioritization of usage (e.g., low / medium / high priority, etc.) for different types of users, such as, for example, based on prioritized access to the spectrum, where Tier 1 users have the highest priority, followed by Tier 2, then Tier 3, and so on.

[0059] The aspects described herein can also be applied to different single carriers or OFDM flavors (CP-OFDM, SC-FDMA, SC-OFDM, filter bank-based multi-carrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.), particularly to 3GPP NR (New Radio), by allocating the OFDM carrier data bit vectors to corresponding symbol resources.

[0060] The 5G network extends beyond traditional mobile broadband services to provide a variety of new services that may have requirements for ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and large data capacity due to considerations for security and performance, such as Internet of Things (IoT), industrial control, autonomous driving, mission-critical communication, etc. Some of the features in this document are defined for the network side, such as AP, eNB, NR, or gNB, and it should be noted that this term is typically used in the context of 3GPP 5G and 6G communication systems, etc. Further, the UE can also play this role and function as an AP, eNB, or gNB; that is, some or all of the features defined for network devices can be implemented by the UE.

[0061] As described above, positioning in NR can include a number of different reference signal measurements and techniques, including, inter alia, Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) based on Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Rx-Tx Time Difference, Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) per beam, Angle of Departure (AoD) and Angle of Arrival (AoA) antenna beam measurements for determination, measurements of Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) from gNB and Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) from UE, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) - based positioning, and the use of positioning assistance data.

[0062] When the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state while the RRC connection with the serving gNB is established, the UE measurement for OTDOA positioning is the RSTD specified in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.214. RSTD is defined as the relative timing difference between PRS signals from different gNBs. The PRS signals occupy consecutive positioning subframes. The RSTD timing difference is shown as the minimum time difference between the boundaries of two subframes received from two gNBs. The RSTD measurement can be an in - band cell where both of the measured gNBs use the same carrier frequency as the UE serving cell, or an inter - band cell where at least one of the measured gNBs uses a different carrier frequency from the UE serving cell. The OTDOA measurement value of the PRS signal is sent to the serving gNB that calculates the UE's position using the known gNB positions and the time difference.

[0063] There is a need for a method for defining validity conditions for pre-configured assistance data in order to reduce latency and signaling overhead associated with the configuration of assistance data for a positioning procedure to a UE. In this context, the relationship between assistance data and a particular positioning procedure is discussed, and various validity criteria associated with the pre-configured assistance data are specified in order to minimize signaling overhead and reduce overall positioning latency.

[0064] One area of enhancement for NR positioning is overall latency reduction and signaling efficiency for the entire positioning procedure. Figure 3 shows a signaling flow in a multi-RTT based positioning session according to several embodiments. The NR multi-RTT procedure (Release 16 RAT-dependent positioning method) is described in 3GPP TS38.305.

[0065] Regarding OTDOA positioning, the UE receives information elements (IEs) from the Location Management Function (LMF) in the 5G core network via the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP). The LMF receives measurement values and assistance information from the NG-RAN and the UE via the AMF and calculates the location of the UE. The requirements for RSTD measurements apply on the condition that the UE has received an nr-DL-TDOA-RequestLocationInformation message from the LMF via LPP. The nr-DL-TDOA-RequestLocationInformation message requires the UE to report one or more DL RSTD measurement values with predefined accuracy requirements according to the Frequency Range (FR). Similarly, the requirements for PRS-RSRP measurements apply on the condition that the UE has received an nr-DL-TDOA-RequestLocationInformation or nr-Multi-RTT-RequestLocationInformation or nr-DL-AoD-RequestLocationInformation message from the LMF via LPP that requires the UE to report one or more DL PRS-RSRP measurement values with predefined accuracy requirements. Similarly, the requirements for round-trip time difference measurements apply on the condition that the UE has received an nr-Multi-RTT-RequestLocationInformation message from the LMF via LPP that requires the UE to report one or more round-trip time difference measurement values with predefined accuracy requirements. The IE includes a reporting configuration for the PRS. Each of the predefined accuracy requirements is stored in a table and can be used by the processing circuitry within the UE.

[0066] The positioning procedure in the NG-RAN can be modeled as LPP protocol transactions that include the exchange of positioning capabilities, the transfer of assistance data, and the transfer of location information (positioning measurements and / or position estimates). For example, the AMF may send a location request for a target UE (which may include the associated Quality Of Service (QOS)) to the LMF. The LMF may obtain location-related information from the UE and / or from the serving NG-RAN node. In the former case, the LMF starts one or more LPP procedures to transfer UE positioning capabilities, provide assistance data to the UE, and / or obtain location information from the UE. The UE may also start one or more LPP procedures after receiving a first LPP message from the LMF (e.g., for requesting assistance data from the LMF). If the LMF desires location-related information about the UE from the NG-RAN, the LMF starts one or more NRPPa procedures. The LMF returns a location response with any obtained location estimate to the AMF.

[0067] In some examples, the location server sends a Request Capabilities message to the UE indicating the type of capabilities required. In the case of OTDOA, this includes an OTDOA-RequestCapabilities IE indicating that the UE's OTDOA capabilities are required.

[0068] The UE responds to the server with a ProvideCapabilities message. If OTDOA capabilities are requested, this message includes: the supported OTDOA mode: LPP supports only the UE assistance mode, the supported frequency bands specifying the frequency bands in which the UE supports RSTD measurements, and the support for inter-frequency RSTD measurements specifying whether the UE supports inter-frequency RSTD measurements.

[0069] The Location Server sends a ProvideAssistanceData message containing OTDOA assistance data to the UE. The OTDOA assistance data includes the serving data reference cell and assistance for up to 72 adjacent cells. If the UE indicates support for inter-frequency RSTD measurements, the adjacent cell assistance data can be provided for up to three frequency layers.

[0070] The Location Server sends a RequestLocationInformation message to the UE to request RSTD measurements. This message typically includes: the location information type (which can only be location measurements (i.e., UE assistance mode) in the case of OTDOA via LPP), the desired accuracy of the location estimate (which can be obtained by the server from the RSTD measurement values provided by the UE), the response time (specifying the maximum response time measured between the reception of RequestLocationInformation and the transmission of ProvideLocationInformation), and environmental characterization providing information about the expected multipath and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) in the current area to the UE.

[0071] The UE then performs RSTD measurements using the provided assistance data. The assistance data includes the candidate cells for measurement along with their PRS configurations. At least when the response time has elapsed, the UE provides the RSTD measurement values to the Location Server in a ProvideLocationInformation message. This message includes: the timestamp of the measurement set in the form of SFN, the identification information of the reference cell used to calculate RSTD (PCI, ARFCN, and / or ECGI), the quality of the TOA measurement from the reference cell, and a list of adjacent cell measurements for up to 24 cells (adjacent cell identification information, RSTD measurement, quality of measurement).

[0072] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, in operation 0, the LMF can obtain the TRP information required for multi-RTT positioning using the procedure in FIG. 3. In operation 1, the LMF can request the positioning capability of the target device using the LPP capability transfer procedure. In operation 2, the LMF sends an NRPPa positioning information request (POSITIONING INFORMATION REQUEST) message to the serving gNB to request UL information about the target device. In operation 3, the serving gNB determines the resources available for UL-SRS, and in operation 3a, configures the target device using the UL-SRS resource set. In operation 4, the serving gNB provides UL-SRS configuration information to the LMF in an NRPPa positioning information response (POSITIONING INFORMATION RESPONSE) message. In operation 5, for semi-persistent or aperiodic SRS, the LMF can request the activation of UE SRS transmission by sending an NRPPa positioning activation request (Positioning Activation Request) message to the serving gNB of the target device. Next, the gNB activates the UE SRS transmission and sends an NRPPa positioning activation response (Positioning Activation Response) message. The target device starts UL-SRS transmission along the time-domain behavior of the UL-SRS resource configuration. In operation 6, the LMF provides UL information to the selected gNB in an NRPPa measurement request (MEASUREMENT REQUEST) message. The message contains all the information required to enable the gNB / TRP to perform UL measurements. In operation 7, the LMF sends a Provide Assistance Data message to the target device. The message contains any assistance data required for the target device to perform the necessary DL-PRS measurements. In operation 8, the LMF sends a Request Location Information message to request multi-RTT measurements.In operation 9a, the target device performs DL-PRS measurements from all gNBs provided in the assistance data in operation 7. In operation 9b, each gNB configured in operation 6 measures UE SRS transmissions from the target device. In operation 10, the target device reports the DL-PRS measurement values for multi-RTT to the LMF in an LPP Provide Location Information message. In operation 11, each gNB reports the UE SRS measurement values to the LMF in an NRPPa Measurement Response message. In operation 12, the LMF sends an NRPPa POSITIONING DEACTIVATION message to the serving gNB. In operation 13, the LMF determines the RTT from the UE and gNB transmit-receive time difference measurement values and calculates the position of the target device for each gNB for which the corresponding UL and DL measurement values were provided in operations 10 and 11.

[0073] Several enhancements aimed at latency reduction for the entire positioning session shown in Figure 3 are being considered. One such enhancement relates to the provision of assistance data that the UE can perform in advance (such as in operation 7). By pre-configuring the assistance data for the UE in advance, the latency associated with this operation does not occur as part of the overall positioning procedure. However, an effectiveness mechanism associated with the pre-configured assistance data can be used to ensure that the UE has up-to-date information when the positioning measurements are performed. For this purpose, the relationship between the pre-configured assistance data and a given positioning session (i.e., whether the pre-configured assistance data can be considered independent of a particular positioning session and what effectiveness conditions can be defined for the use of the pre-configured assistance data in one or more positioning sessions) is discussed.

[0074] Relationship between assistance data and positioning session

[0075] Before considering the applicability of preconfigured assistance data for single or multiple positioning sessions, the fundamental question is whether a direct relationship / dependency between the preconfigured assistance data and any given / specific positioning session is essential. According to conventional designs, the preconfigured assistance data is directly associated with a specific positioning session, i.e., the network can provide the assistance data when the positioning session is initiated, which can then be used by the UE to perform positioning operations. This assistance data can include, for example, DL PRS configurations or AGNSS assistance information that the UE utilizes to perform positioning measurements. In Release 17, preconfiguration of assistance data to the UE is supported at least in LPP sessions, whereby the network can provide this information to the UE before initiating the positioning procedure itself. As mentioned above, one motivation is to eliminate the latency associated with signaling this information during the positioning procedure. In this case, it is considered whether the preconfigured assistance data can be regarded as independent of any positioning session so that the preconfigured assistance data can be associated with multiple positioning sessions.

[0076] In one case, the network can explicitly indicate whether the provided preconfigured assistance data is associated with a specific positioning session and whether the UE is not expected to continue using the preconfigured assistance data subsequently. In this case, the assistance data can be provided as part of the positioning procedure. It is also noted that the network can also indicate whether the assistance data is applicable to single or multiple consecutive positioning sessions. Figure 4 shows the signaling flow in a multi-RTT-based positioning session where the preconfigured assistance data is only valid for a single positioning session according to some embodiments.

[0077] Alternatively, the pre-configured assistance data can be configured independently of any positioning session. In this case, the UE can continue to use the pre-configured assistance data for subsequent positioning sessions until instructed by the network or based on additional validity conditions. The network can configure the assistance data regardless of whether a given positioning session is in progress; additionally, whether the UE can use the pre-configured assistance data for a single positioning session or multiple positioning sessions can instead depend on additional validity conditions. FIG. 5 shows a signaling flow in a multi-RTT-based positioning session where the validity criteria are independent of the positioning session according to some embodiments. The assistance data can also be provided as part of a (first) location session and used in subsequent positioning sessions.

[0078] In any case, when the UE receives an LPP location information request message, the UE may start positioning measurements, and the message functions as an instruction to the UE to utilize pre-configured assistance data. Alternatively, the instruction may be based on additional criteria configured by the network.

[0079] Considering the first scenario (FIG. 4), the instruction can be part of the pre-configured data itself or can be provided to the UE prior to the transmission of the pre-configured assistance data to notify the UE to use the positioning assistance data only for the indicated positioning session. In the case of the second scenario (FIG. 5), additional criteria can be defined to limit the use of the pre-configured assistance data.

[0080] Validity Conditions for the Use of Pre-Configured Assistance Data

[0081] Regarding defining validity conditions for assistance data, there are several different options that can be used. Validity conditions can include spatial and / or temporal conditions defined for the UE, as well as explicit control by the network. Figure 6 shows the signaling flow in a multi-RTT based positioning session where the UE re-acquires assistance data based on the expiration of the validity condition.

[0082] In a first example of a validity condition, the validity can be based on a specific geographical area, whereby the UE is permitted to use pre-configured assistance data only when the UE is present within this validity area (e.g., on a list of cells). If the UE moves outside the pre-defined area, the UE may discard the old configuration, and this movement may trigger an indication to the network (e.g., Request Assistance Data) to request an updated configuration of the assistance data.

[0083] In a second example of a validity condition, the validity can be based on a specific duration, whereby a timer can be defined to control such that the UE can utilize the pre-configured assistance data only while the timer is running. The timer starts when the pre-configured assistance data is provided to the UE, and when it expires, the UE discards the old configuration and may request updated assistance data from the network (if possible). Alternatively, the network can track the validity and proactively provide new pre-configured assistance data to the UE before the validity of the existing pre-configured assistance data expires.

[0084] In a third example of the validity condition, the validity can be based on the number of times the UE has previously utilized assistance data for positioning measurements. In this case, the UE may maintain a running counter of how many positioning sessions have elapsed since the assistance data was used for positioning measurements (e.g., the counter is reset each time a new set of assistance data is used, starting from the first positioning session in which the assistance data was used). When the configured upper limit is reached, the UE may discard the pre-configured assistance data and request new assistance data.

[0085] In a fourth example of the validity condition, the validity can be based on an explicit indication from the network. In this case, the network may choose to explicitly modify or release the pre-configured assistance data to the UE (which may internally be based on any of the above criteria). Additionally, in a situation where multiple sets of pre-configured assistance data (e.g., multiple DL PRS configurations) are provided to the UE, the network may also additionally indicate which specific set is to be utilized for a particular positioning session.

[0086] Examples of the validity condition can be combined in any combination. For example, a validity condition based on a validity area and a validity timer can be defined, in which case the UE can continue to use the pre-configured assistance data only as long as the UE is within the validity area and the validity timer has not yet expired. Similarly, an explicit indication from the network to modify or release the pre-configured assistance data can be defined along with other criteria and can be used with priority over the other criteria.

[0087] The behavior of the UE may change when the UE determines, based on the validity condition, that the pre-configured assistance data is no longer to be used. In this case, legacy LPP signaling can be used by the UE to request the latest positioning assistance data along with additional validity conditions.

[0088] FIG. 7 shows a method for providing traffic steering information according to some embodiments. For convenience, only a part of the operations is shown. There may be other operations. Some of the operations may be combined. In operation 702 of method 700, the UE may receive validity data of pre-configured assistance data. In operation 704, the UE may receive the pre-configured assistance data. In operation 706, the UE may receive an LPP location information request message from the LMF. In operation 708, the UE may send an LPP location information provision message to the LMF. The validity data and the pre-configured assistance data may be received and updated, and the UE may determine whether the pre-configured assistance data is valid using the validity data as described above.

[0089] Example

[0090] Example 1 is an apparatus for a user equipment (UE), comprising: a processing circuit configured to receive pre-configured assistance data from a location management function (LMF); receive a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) location information request message from the LMF; determine whether the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on validity conditions in response to the LTE LPP location information request message; in response to a determination that the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on the validity conditions: perform location measurements; and configure the UE to send an LTE LPP location information provision message including the location measurements to the LMF; and a memory configured to store the validity conditions.

[0091] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 includes that the validity conditions indicate that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for a single positioning session associated with a single LTE LPP location information request message.

[0092] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 includes that the validity conditions and the pre-configured assistance data are received in a single message.

[0093] In Example 4, the subject matter of Examples 1 to 3 is such that the validity condition indicates that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, and each positioning session includes being associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message.

[0094] In Example 5, the subject matter of Example 4 includes that the validity condition and the pre-configured assistance data are received in a single message.

[0095] In Example 6, the subject matter of Examples 4 to 5 includes that the validity condition comprises a geographical location validity condition indicating a geographical area where the pre-configured assistance data is valid.

[0096] In Example 7, the subject matter of Examples 4 to 6 includes that the validity condition comprises a timer that is started in response to the UE receiving the pre-configured assistance data and indicates a period during which the pre-configured assistance data is used by the UE.

[0097] In Example 8, the subject matter of Example 7 is such that the processing circuit: determines whether the timer has expired in response to the LTE LPP location information request message, requests new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to a determination that the timer has expired, receives new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to the request for the new pre-configured assistance data, and configures the UE to perform the location measurement using the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data.

[0098] In Example 9, the subject matter of Examples 7 to 8 is such that the processing circuit: receives new pre-configured assistance data prior to the expiration of the timer and configures the UE to use the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data after the expiration of the timer.

[0099] In Example 10, the subject matter of Examples 4 to 9 includes that the validity condition comprises a threshold number of positioning sessions in which the pre-configured assistance data is used by the UE.

[0100] In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 is that the processing circuit: determines whether a counter has reached the threshold number in response to the LTE LPP location information request message; requests new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to a determination that the counter has reached the threshold number; receives new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to the request for the new pre-configured assistance data; and configures the UE to perform the location measurement using the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data.

[0101] In Example 12, the subject matter of Examples 4 to 11 is that the validity condition comprises an instruction to use the pre-configured assistance data until an instruction to no longer use the pre-configured assistance data is received from the LMF; or the processing circuit configures the UE to receive a plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data, and the validity condition comprises an instruction as to which set of the plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data to use as the pre-configured assistance data, including at least one of the above.

[0102] In Example 13, the subject matter of Examples 4 to 12 is that the processing circuit: transmits an assistance data request message to the LMF in response to a determination that the pre-configured assistance data is invalid based on the validity condition; and configures the UE to receive valid pre-configured assistance data from the LMF prior to performing the location measurement in response to the assistance data request message.

[0103] In Example 14, the subject matter of Examples 1 to 13 is that, in response to a determination that the preconfigured assistance data is not valid based on the validity condition by the processing circuit: the LMF is requested for new preconfigured assistance data, in response to the request for the new preconfigured assistance data, new preconfigured assistance data is received from the LMF, and the UE is configured to perform the location measurement using the new preconfigured assistance data.

[0104] Example 15 is an apparatus for a Location Management Function (LMF), comprising: a processing circuit configured to transmit preconfigured assistance data and validity conditions for the preconfigured assistance data to a User Equipment (UE); transmit a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) location information request message to the UE; and configure the LMF to receive an LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurement from the UE in response to the validity condition indicating that the preconfigured assistance data is valid for the location measurement; and a memory configured to store the validity conditions.

[0105] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 includes that the validity condition indicates that the preconfigured assistance data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, and each positioning session is associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message.

[0106] In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 16 is that: the processing circuit configures the LMF to transmit a plurality of sets of preconfigured assistance data in a single transmission; and the validity condition includes an indication of which set of the plurality of sets of preconfigured assistance data to use as the preconfigured assistance data.

[0107] In Example 18, the subject matter of Examples 16 - 17 is that the processing circuit: receives a support data request message from the UE in response to the validity condition indicating that the pre-configured support data is invalid; and in response to the support data request message, configures the LMF to transmit valid pre-configured support data to the UE prior to receiving the LTE LPP location information providing message.

[0108] Example 19 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), wherein when the instructions are executed, the one or more processors: receive pre-configured support data and validity data from a location management function (LMF) in a single message; receive a long-term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) location information request message from the LMF; determine whether the pre-configured support data is valid based on a validity condition in response to the LTE LPP location information request message; and in response to a determination that the pre-configured support data is valid based on the validity condition: execute a location measurement; and configure the UE to transmit an LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurement to the LMF.

[0109] In Example 20, the subject matter of Example 19 is that the validity condition indicates that the pre-configured support data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, and each positioning session is associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message.

[0110] Example 21 is at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform operations for implementing any of Examples 1 - 20.

[0111] Example 22 is an apparatus comprising means for implementing any of Examples 1 - 20.

[0112] Example 23 is a system for implementing any one of Examples 1 to 20.

[0113] Example 24 is a method for implementing any one of Examples 1 to 20.

[0114] The embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, but it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense. The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this application, illustrate, by way of example and not limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments shown are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, and as a result, structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, this detailed description should not be construed in a limiting sense, and the scope of the various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims and the full scope of equivalents to such claims.

[0115] The subject matter, merely for convenience and without intending to limit the scope of the application to any single inventive concept if more than one inventive concept is actually disclosed, may be referred to herein individually and / or collectively by the term "embodiment". Accordingly, although a plurality of specific embodiments are illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the plurality of specific embodiments shown. The disclosure is intended to cover any adaptation or variation of the various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the above description.

[0116] In this document, the terms "a" or "an" are used to include one or more, independent of any other instance or use of "at least one" or "one or more", as is common in patent documents. In this document, the term "or" is used to refer to non-exclusive, or "A or B" is used to include, unless otherwise stated, "A but not B", "B but not A", and "A and B". In this document, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as plain English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein". Also, in the following claims, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, i.e., a system, UE, article, composition, method of manufacture, or process that includes a plurality of elements in addition to those recited after such terms in a claim is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Additionally, in the following claims, terms such as "first", "second", and "third" are used merely as labels and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.

[0117] The summary of the disclosure is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. § 1.72(b) of the United States Code of Federal Regulations. C.F.R. § 1.72(b) requires that the summary enable the reader to quickly ascertain the essence of the technical disclosure. The summary is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Additionally, in the detailed description above, for purposes of rationalizing the disclosure, it will be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment. This method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than those expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the following claims, the subject matter of the invention lies in less than all of the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving pre-configured assistance data from a location management function (LMF); receiving a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) location information request message from the LMF; determining, in response to the LTE LPP location information request message, whether the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on validity conditions; in response to determining that the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on the validity conditions: performing location measurements; transmitting an LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurements to the LMF; a processing circuit for configuring the UE as described above; and a memory configured to store the validity conditions and the validity conditions indicate that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, each of the plurality of positioning sessions being associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message, wherein the processing circuit is configured to configure the UE to determine, for each of the plurality of positioning sessions, whether the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on the validity conditions in response to the LTE LPP location information request message associated with each of the plurality of positioning sessions.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the validity conditions and the pre-configured assistance data are received in a single message.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the validity conditions comprise geographical location validity conditions indicating a geographical area in which the pre-configured assistance data is valid.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the validity condition is started in response to reception of the pre-configured assistance data by the UE, and includes a timer indicating a period during which the pre-configured assistance data is used by the UE.

5. The processing circuit: determines whether the timer has expired in response to the LTE LPP location information request message associated with each of the plurality of positioning sessions, requests new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to a determination that the timer has expired, receives the new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to the request for the new pre-configured assistance data, and further configures the UE to perform the location measurement using the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data. The apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The processing circuit: receives new pre-configured assistance data prior to expiration of the timer, and uses the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data after expiration of the timer. The apparatus according to claim 4, further configuring the UE.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the validity condition includes a threshold number of positioning sessions in which the pre-configured assistance data is used by the UE.

8. The processing circuit: determines whether a counter has reached the threshold number in response to the LTE LPP location information request message associated with each of the plurality of positioning sessions, requests new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF in response to a determination that the counter has reached the threshold number, In response to the request for the new pre-configured assistance data, receive the new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF, Execute the location measurement using the new pre-configured assistance data instead of the pre-configured assistance data The apparatus according to claim 7, further configuring the UE as follows. **Claim 9** The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the validity condition comprises an instruction to use the pre-configured assistance data until an instruction is received from the LMF not to use the pre-configured assistance data any more. **Claim 10** The processing circuit further configures the UE to receive a plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data, and the validity condition comprises an instruction as to which set of the plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data to use as the pre-configured assistance data in any of the plurality of positioning sessions. The apparatus according to claim 1. **Claim 11** The processing circuit: In response to a determination that the pre-configured assistance data is invalid based on the validity condition, send a assistance data request message to the LMF; Receive valid pre-configured assistance data from the LMF prior to executing the location measurement in response to the assistance data request message The apparatus according to claim 1, further configuring the UE as follows. **Claim 12** In response to a determination that the pre-configured assistance data is not valid based on the validity condition, the processing circuit: Request new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF, In response to the request for the new pre-configured assistance data, receive the new pre-configured assistance data from the LMF, Execute the location measurement using the new pre-configured assistance data The apparatus according to claim 1, further configuring the UE as follows.

13. An apparatus for a Location Management Function (LMF), comprising: transmitting pre-configured assistance data and validity conditions for the pre-configured assistance data to a user equipment (UE); transmitting a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) location information request message to the UE; in response to the validity conditions indicating that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for location measurements, receiving from the UE an LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurements; a processing circuit configured to configure the LMF as such; and a memory configured to store the validity conditions and, the validity conditions indicate that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, each of the plurality of positioning sessions being associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message, the processing circuit, in each of the plurality of positioning sessions: transmitting to the UE the LTE LPP location information request message associated with each of the plurality of positioning sessions; in response to the validity conditions indicating that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for the location measurements, receiving from the UE the LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurements An apparatus configured to configure the LMF as such.

14. The processing circuit is further configured to configure the LMF to transmit a plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data in a single transmission; the validity conditions comprise an indication of which set of the plurality of sets of pre-configured assistance data to use as the pre-configured assistance data in any of the plurality of positioning sessions. The apparatus according to claim 13.

15. The processing circuit is: In response to the validity condition indicating that the pre-configured assistance data is invalid, receive an assistance data request message from the UE; In response to the assistance data request message, before receiving the LTE LPP location information providing message, transmit valid pre-configured assistance data to the UE The apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, further configured as the LMF to:

16. One or more processors of a user equipment (UE) A procedure for receiving pre-configured assistance data and validity data from a location management function (LMF) in a single message; A procedure for receiving a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) location information request message from the LMF; A procedure for determining whether the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on a validity condition in response to the LTE LPP location information request message; In response to the determination that the pre-configured assistance data is valid based on the validity condition: A procedure for performing location measurements; A procedure for transmitting an LTE LPP location information providing message including the location measurement to the LMF A computer program for causing execution of: The validity condition indicates that the pre-configured assistance data is valid for a plurality of positioning sessions, each of the plurality of positioning sessions being associated with a different LTE LPP location information request message; The computer program causes the one or more processors of the UE to execute a procedure for determining whether the preconfigured assistance data is valid based on the validity condition in each of the plurality of positioning sessions in response to the LTE LPP location information request message associated with each of the plurality of positioning sessions.

17. The computer program causes the one or more processors of the UE to execute a procedure for receiving a plurality of sets of preconfigured assistance data, wherein the validity condition comprises an indication of which set of the plurality of sets of preconfigured assistance data to use as the preconfigured assistance data in any of the plurality of positioning sessions. The computer program according to claim 16.

18. In response to a determination that the preconfigured assistance data is not valid based on the validity condition by the one or more processors of the UE: a procedure for requesting new preconfigured assistance data from the LMF; a procedure for receiving the new preconfigured assistance data from the LMF in response to the request for the new preconfigured assistance data; a procedure for performing the location measurement using the new preconfigured assistance data and causing the computer program according to claim 16 to be executed.

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program according to any one of claims 16 to 18.

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