Providing and Using Gaps for Reference Signal Time Difference Measurements - Patent application

Abstract

Facilitates UE location determination in systems having UE inter-frequency measurements with dense positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations, short PRS periods, and frequency hopping. [Solution] The UE is one of a bandwidth-reduced low-complexity UE, an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further (F)eMTC UE, and receives a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request from an entity in a wireless network, sends a dedicated gap request to a base station in response to the RSTD measurement request, including a requested configuration of a dedicated gap, receives a message in response to the dedicated gap request, including a dedicated RSTD measurement gap configuration, and measures multiple positioning reference signals (PRS) during the dedicated RSTD measurement gap.

Description

Cross - reference to related applications

[0001]

[0001] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 543,630, filed on August 10, 2017, entitled "Provision and Use of Gaps for RSTD Measurement for eMTC / FeMTC UEs". Further, this application claims the benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Indian Patent Application No. 201741028437, filed on August 10, 2017, entitled "Provision and Use of Gaps for RSTD Measurement for eMTC / FeMTC UEs". This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Non - provisional Application No. 16 / 054,257, filed on August 3, 2018, entitled "Provision and Use of Gaps for Reference Signal Time Difference Measurement". All of the above - mentioned applications have been assigned to the assignee of this application and are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Field

[0002]

[0002] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to user equipment (UE) location determination and, in particular, to the provision and use of gaps for reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement for extended machine - type communication (eMTC) and / or further extended machine - type communication (FeMTC) UEs. Background

[0003]

[0003] It is often desirable to know the location of a user equipment (UE), and the UE may take the form of a mobile terminal, or a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The BL UE, including extended machine type communication (eMTC) and / or further extended MTC (FeMTC) devices, may be a low complexity and / or low power device having machine-to-machine (M2M) communication or machine type communication (MTC) functionality. The BL UE device may use a positioning service. For example, clothes, asset tracking devices, logistics support devices, etc. may require and / or use a positioning service. However, due to cost, power, and location issues (e.g., deep indoors), the BL UE device may not have access to some location determination resolution methods (e.g., satellite positioning system (SPS)). Therefore, a method (e.g., based on a terrestrial cellular network) for providing and improving location-related services to the UE (including BL UE, eMTC UE, FeMTC UE, and / or IoT devices) is desirable. Overview

[0004]

[0004] In some embodiments, a method for a UE may include receiving, at the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request; transmitting, from the UE to a base station (BS), a dedicated gap request including a configuration for one or more dedicated gaps in response to the RSTD measurement request; and receiving, at the UE, a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request.

[0005]

[0005] In another aspect, a user equipment (UE) may comprise a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, the processor being configured to receive, at the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request, and in response to the RSTD measurement request, transmit from the UE to a base station (BS) a dedicated gap request including a configuration of one or more dedicated gaps requested, and at the UE, be configured to receive a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request.

[0006]

[0006] In a further aspect, a user equipment (UE) may comprise means for receiving, at the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request, means for transmitting from the UE to a base station (BS) a dedicated gap request including a configuration of one or more dedicated gaps requested in response to the RSTD measurement request, and means for receiving, at the UE, a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request.

[0007]

[0007] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may include executable instructions, the executable instructions configuring a processor on a user equipment (UE) to receive, at the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request, and in response to the RSTD measurement request, transmit from the UE to a base station (BS) a dedicated gap request including a configuration of one or more dedicated gaps requested, and at the UE, receive a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request.

[0008]

[0008] The disclosed method may be executed by one or more of a UE, a base station, a location server using LPP, LPPe, or another protocol. The disclosed embodiments are also related to software, firmware, and program instructions that are generated, stored, accessed, read, or modified by a processor using a non-transitory computer-readable medium or computer-readable memory.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Fig. 1A

[0009] FIG. 1A shows an exemplary system capable of providing a location service to a UE.

Fig. 1B

[0010] FIG. 1B shows the architecture of an exemplary system capable of providing a location service to a UE.

Fig. 2A

[0011] FIG. 2A shows the structure of an exemplary LTE (registered trademark) frame having a PRS opportunity.

Fig. 2B

[0012] FIG. 2B illustrates the relationship between a system frame number (SFN), a cell-specific subframe offset, and a PRS period.

Fig. 3A

[0013] FIG. 3A illustrates an LTE-M PRS transmission.

Fig. 3B

Fig. 4A

[0014] FIG. 4A shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary message flow for facilitating location determination and dedicated gap configuration according to some disclosed embodiments.

Fig. 4B

Fig. 5

[0015] Figure 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for a dedicated gap configuration.

Fig. 6

[0016] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for a dedicated gap configuration.

Fig. 7

[0017] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for a dedicated gap configuration.

Fig. 8

[0018] Figure 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for a dedicated gap configuration.

Fig. 9

[0019] Figure 9 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE.

Fig. 10

[0020] Figure 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a base station / eNB.

Fig. 11

[0021] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a location server. Detailed Description

[0010]

[0022] The terms "User Equipment" (UE), "Mobile Station" (MS), or "Target" are used interchangeably herein and may refer to a device such as a cellular or other wireless communication device, a BL device, an eMTC device, a FeMTC device, a Personal Communication System (PCS) device, a Personal Navigation Device (PND), a Personal Information Manager (PIM), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a laptop, or other suitable mobile device capable of receiving wireless communication and / or navigation signals. The terms are also intended to include devices that communicate with a PND, for example, via short-range wireless, infrared, wireline connection, or other connection, regardless of whether assistance data reception and / or position-related processing is performed at the device or at a Personal Navigation Device (PND). The terms "communicate", "communicating", or "communication" as used herein refer to an entity sending, receiving, or relaying signals, or some combination of sending, receiving, or relaying signals. The term "Location" (also referred to herein as "Position") may refer to a geodetic location that includes coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) and optionally an expected error or uncertainty associated with the location. The geodetic location may be absolute (e.g., including latitude and longitude) or relative to some other known absolute location. The location may be a city, may include a place name, a location address, or other linguistic description or definition.

[0011]

[0023] In observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA)-based positioning, a UE may measure the time difference in signals received from multiple base stations such as evolved Node B (eNB). Since the positions of the base stations may be known, the observed time difference may be used to calculate the location of the UE. To further assist in location determination, positioning reference signals (PRS) are often provided by a base station (BS) to improve OTDOA positioning performance. The measured time difference of arrival of PRS from a reference cell (e.g., a serving cell) and one or more neighboring cells is known as the reference signal time difference (RSTD). The UE's position may be determined using the RSTD measurements, the absolute or relative transmission timing of each cell, and the known positions of the BS physical transmission antennas with respect to the reference and neighboring cells.

[0012]

[0024] The term Internet of Things (IoT) is often used to refer to systems that facilitate machine-to-machine (M2M) connectivity between devices. Interconnected devices may include various sensors, measurement devices (e.g., utility meters, parking meters, etc.), electrical appliances, vehicles, etc. Some positioning technologies for location-based services (LBS) that use cellular systems to provide low-power and wide-area device connectivity (e.g., for IoT devices) have been developed by an organization known as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®). Specifically, 3GPP Release 13 includes features that leverage functionality in existing LTE networks to facilitate coverage extension, UE complexity reduction, longer UE battery life, etc. In particular, 3GPP Release 13 describes the outlines of standards for 3GPP MTC technologies including Extended MTC (eMTC), which is also referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) MTC (or "LTE-M"). eMTC, which re-uses a part of the LTE physical layer procedures, facilitates support for IoT services. Thus, eMTC UEs may be deployed on existing LTE networks by appropriately configuring base stations (e.g., eNBs).

[0013]

[0025] Physical channels and signals transmitted or received by eMTC UEs may be included within a narrower (e.g., 1.08 MHz) bandwidth having a carrier bandwidth of 1.4 MHz and may facilitate data rates up to 1 Mbps. Thus, eMTC UEs operate within a new frequency band called "narrowband". The eMTC narrowband may include a predefined set of six adjacent resource blocks (RBs). Although eMTC UEs may be served by cells having a larger bandwidth, the physical channels and signals transmitted or received by eMTC UEs are included within a 1.08 MHz narrowband having a predefined set of six adjacent RBs.

[0014]

[0026] Typically, an LTE PRS signal is mapped to the central resource block of an LTE carrier. The number of LTE PRS resource blocks may vary. For example, the number of LTE PRS resource blocks may be 6, 15, or some specified larger number of RBs. A bandwidth-reduced low-complexity UE (e.g., an eMTC UE) may receive a 6-RB-wide signal. However, to offset the reduced bandwidth limitation, 3GPP Release 13 incorporates frequency hopping between different narrow bands (e.g., for eMTC UEs). A base station (e.g., an eNB) may configure two or four narrow bands, for example, for frequency hopping within a wider LTE transmission band, and the first narrow band may occupy the center of the LTE transmission band. As outlined above, each narrow band may consist of 6 RBs. Thus, the frequency of the transmitted PRS signal may "hop" at some predetermined intervals through the configured (e.g., two or four) narrow bands, which results in PRS frequency hopping.

[0015]

[0027] 3GPP Release 14 anticipates further enhancements to 3GPP MTC technologies such as FeMTC, which enables a dense RPS configuration (e.g., increasing the number of consecutive PRS subframes per positioning opportunity) and more frequent PRS transmissions (resulting in a short PRS period), enabling improved positioning accuracy for eMTC / FeMTC devices. FeMTC UEs may also optionally utilize frequency hopping to add frequency diversity.

[0016]

[0028] Traditionally, a UE may measure PRS during a 6 - millisecond (ms) measurement gap, and the 6 - ms measurement gap occurs at a period of 40 ms or 80 ms. The term "measurement gap" refers to a period that a UE may use to perform measurements. Neither uplink (UL) transmission nor downlink (DL) transmission is scheduled during the measurement gap. In some examples, a UE may use a "self - contained gap" to perform measurements. A self - contained gap refers to a period during which a UE may stop receiving and transmitting with the base station. A self - contained gap may be used by the UE to perform measurements within a specific time limit. When eMTC / FeMTC UEs use OTDOA - based positioning, in some situations, PRS measurements may involve (by the UE) monitoring different frequencies (intra - frequency) and / or different carrier frequencies (inter - frequency) in a narrowband, or synchronizing to them. For example, the serving cell of the UE may belong to a frequency layer operating at frequency f1, while the PRS or assisting data cell is deployed on an inter - frequency layer operating at frequency f2. Due to frequency hopping and / or measurements across different frequencies, the measurement period may become longer. For example, an eMTC / FeMTC UE may synchronize from the serving cell frequency (e.g., f1) to a new frequency (e.g., f2) to perform measurements, and then synchronize back to the serving cell frequency (e.g., f1) to report the measurement results, which may increase the measurement period. In the above situation, the UE may not be able to monitor and / or exchange information across normal data or control channels during a longer measurement period, and the longer measurement period may exceed the period of a specific measurement gap or self - contained gap. Furthermore, the serving base station (e.g., the serving eNB) may not notice that the UE is configured for positioning and may continue to transmit or unicast data to the UE (e.g., when the measurement period exceeds a specific measurement gap period or a specific self - contained gap period), resulting in data loss as a consequence.Accordingly, some of the disclosed embodiments facilitate position determination in situations having frequency hopping and / or inter-frequency measurements while reducing the likelihood of data loss.

[0017]

[0029] Furthermore, a UE (e.g., an eMTC / FeMTC UE) having the processing capability to measure dense PRS configurations (e.g., longer than 6 ms) and / or more frequent PRS transmissions (PRS periods shorter than 40 ms) may not be able to utilize denser PRS configurations and / or increased frequency of PRS transmissions that may be available with eMTC / FeMTC without risk of data loss. Accordingly, the disclosed techniques improve position determination and enable the use of PRS signals for location determination in situations having dense PRS configurations and / or increased frequency of PRS transmissions.

[0018]

[0030] In some embodiments, the UE may request a dedicated gap having a desired configuration. The term "dedicated gap" has some specific configurations (e.g., as requested by the UE and / or UEIt may refer to a dedicated measurement gap or a dedicated autonomous gap as configured by the BS based on the requirements. The autonomous gap refers to a period during which the UE may suspend reception and transmission with the base station. For example, the UE may temporarily suspend communication with all serving BSs or eNBs and perform measurements using a dedicated autonomous gap. The dedicated gap configuration may further include one or more of a dedicated gap length, a dedicated gap period, and / or the number of dedicated gap instances. Thus, the dedicated gap may differ from the conventional measurement gap and the conventional autonomous gap in terms of the period (gap length), the period (gap frequency), and / or the number of occurrences. Thus, the dedicated gap may facilitate location determination in an environment having a dense PRS configuration and / or having an increased frequency of PRS transmissions without the risk of data loss. In contrast, the conventional measurement gap has a default measurement gap length and a default measurement gap period, which may, in part, due to the risk of data loss, prevent UE utilization of a dense PRS configuration and / or an increased frequency of PRS transmissions. The terms "dedicated measurement gap" or "dedicated autonomous gap" are also used here to indicate the type of dedicated gap being described.

[0019]

[0031] For example, the UE may request a dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap of a desired length from a base station such as an eNB. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap requested by the UE may be adjacent to and / or overlap with a network configuration dedicated gap. When receiving a response indicating confirmation of the dedicated gap configuration (e.g., from the eNB), the UE may utilize the dedicated gap to perform measurements of the PRS. During the dedicated gap, the UE may perform measurements of the PRS (a) for a longer time (e.g., longer than 6 ms) and / or (b) more frequently (e.g., with a period shorter than 40 ms). In some embodiments, the UE may perform PRS measurements during the dedicated gap as indicated by the base station (e.g., eNB) in the response. For example, if the dedicated gap configured by the BS matches the dedicated gap requested by the UE, the PRS measurements may be performed during these periods. In some embodiments, the UE dedicated gap request may further specify that the dedicated gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap may be utilized by the UE for inter-frequency PRS measurements. In some embodiments, during the configured dedicated gap, the UE may not need to monitor the data and / or control channels, and / or the BS may stop transmitting to the UE during the configured dedicated gap period.

[0020]

[0032] The disclosed embodiments also relate to a base station (e.g., eNB), and the base station (e.g., eNB) may receive a request for a dedicated gap of a specific length from one or more UEs. In some embodiments, the UE dedicated gap request may further specify that the dedicated gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the UE request may specify that the dedicated gap is requested for inter-frequency PRS measurement. In some embodiments, the base station (e.g., eNB) may respond with a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been received and / or that the dedicated gap is configured with an appropriate length and / or period. In some embodiments, the base station (e.g., eNB) may respond with a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been received, and / or an indication that the dedicated gap is configured with the requested length and / or the requested period and / or the requested number of instances. In some embodiments, the base station may stop transmitting data or control signals to the UE during the configured dedicated gap.

[0021]

[0033] FIG. 1A shows a system 100 capable of providing a location service including the transfer of location assistance data or location information to UE 120. FIG. 1B shows an exemplary system architecture 175 capable of providing a location service including the transfer of location assistance data or location information to UE 120. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, one or more of the blocks shown may correspond to logical entities. The logical entities shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B may be physically separated, or one or more of the logical entities may be included in a single physical server or device. The logical entities and blocks shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are merely exemplary, and the functions associated with the logical entities / blocks may be divided or combined in various ways in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0022]

[0034] Referring to FIG. 1A, system 100 may support the transfer of location assistance data or location information between UE 120 and a location server (LS) 150, which may take the form of an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or another network entity, using messages such as those of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) or LPP extensions (LPPe). The transfer of location information may occur at an appropriate rate to both UE 120 and LS 150 or other entities. Further, the LPP annex (LPPa) protocol may be used for communication between LS 150 (e.g., E-SMLC) and base station 140 (e.g., eNB).

[0023]

[0035] LPP is well known and is described in various publicly available 3GPP technical specifications (e.g., 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.355 titled "LTE Positioning Protocol"). In some embodiments, system 100 may form, comprise, or include a part of an evolved packet system (EPS), and the evolved packet system (EPS) may comprise an evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) and an evolved packet core (EPC). LPPe is defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) (e.g., in OMA-TS-LPPe-V1_0 titled "LPP Extension Specification"), and LPPe may be used in combination with LPP such that each combined LPP / LPPe message is an LPP message with an embedded LPPe message. LPPa is described in the publicly available 3GPP TS36.455 document titled "LTE Positioning Protocol A". Generally, positioning protocols such as LPP and LPPe may be used to coordinate and control positioning. The positioning protocol may define (a) positioning-related procedures that may be performed by LS150 and / or UE120, and / or (b) positioning-related communication or signaling between LS150 and UE120. In the case of LPPa, the protocol may be used between LS150 (e.g., E-SMLC) and BS140 (e.g., eNB), enabling LS150 to request and receive configuration information for BS140 (e.g., details of the PRS signal to be transmitted) and positioning measurements of UE120 made by BS40.

[0024]

[0036] For simplicity, only one UE120, four base stations, and LS150 are shown in FIG. 1A. Generally, system 100 includes additional network 130, LCS client 160, UE120, server 150, and base station 140, along with 145-k (0 ≦ k ≦ N cell , where Ncell It may include a plurality of cells indicated by (where N is the number of cells). System 100 may further include a mixture of cells, such as macro cells like cell 145-1, 145-3, and 145-4, along with small cells (e.g., femtocells) like cell 145-2, in a manner consistent with the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0025]

[0037] UE120 may be able to communicate wirelessly with LS150 through one or more networks 130 that support positioning and location services, which may include a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) location solution defined by OMA and a control plane location solution defined by 3GPP for use by the LTE network, but is not limited thereto.

[0026]

[0038] In control plane (CP) positioning, the signaling used to initiate a positioning event and the signaling related to the positioning event occur through the control channels of the cellular network. In CP positioning, the location server may include or take the form of an E-SMLC.

[0027]

[0039] In user plane (UP) positioning, such as Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) positioning, the signaling to initiate and execute a location-based service (LBS) function may utilize the user data channel and may appear as user data. In UP positioning, the location server may include or take the form of a SUPL Location Platform (SLP).

[0028]

[0040] For example, a Location Service (LCS) may execute instead of the LCS client 160 that accesses the LS 150 and issues a request for the location of the UE 120. The LS 150 may then respond to the LCS client 160 by estimating the location of the UE 120. The LCS client 160 may also be known as a SUPL agent, for example, when the location solution used by the LS 150 and the UE 120 is SUPL. In some embodiments, the UE 120 may issue a location request to some positionable functions within the UE 120 and later receive a location estimate for the UE 120 (not shown in FIG. 1A), which may also include an LCS client or a SUPL agent. The LCS client or SUPL agent within the UE 120 may perform a location service for a user of the UE 120, for example, providing navigation directions or identifying points of interest within the vicinity of the UE 120. In some embodiments, the LS 150 may be a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), an E-SMLC, a Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC), a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC), a Position Determination Entity (DPE), a Standalone SMLC (SAS), and / or the like.

[0029]

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1A, UE 120 may communicate with LS 150 through network 310 and base station 140, and base station 140 may be associated with network 130. UE 120 may receive and measure signals from base station 140 that may be used for position determination. For example, UE 120 may receive and measure signals from one or more of base stations 140-1, 140-2, 140-3, and / or 140-4, which may each be associated with cells 145-1, 145-2, 145-3, and 145-4, respectively. In some embodiments, base station 140 may form part of a wireless communication network, which may be a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), etc.

[0030]

[0042] The WWAN may be a cellular network, such as one having support for 3GPP MTC technology. The WWAN may include a network based on LTE, LTE-M, and / or a variation thereof. LTE-M or eMTC is based on LTE and incorporates features for supporting services for IoT devices and BL UE. LTE-M / eMTC can be deployed on an existing LTE network by reusing a portion of the LTE physical layer and properly configuring a base station (e.g., eNB140-1). Further, the physical channels and signals transmitted or received by an eMTC UE (e.g., UE120) may be included in a narrower bandwidth (e.g., 1.08 MHz) (having a carrier bandwidth of 1.4 MHz), facilitating data rates up to 1 Mbps. Thus, an eMTC UE (also referred to as a "Category M1 UE") operates within a new frequency band called the "narrowband". The eMTC narrowband may include a predefined set of six consecutive resource blocks. 3GPP Release 14 anticipates extensions to 3GPP MTC technologies such as FeMTC, which enables dense RPS configurations (e.g., increasing the number of consecutive PRS subframes per positioning opportunity) and more frequent PRS transmissions (resulting in a short PRS period), enabling improved positioning accuracy for eMTC / FeMTC devices. A FeMTC UE (also referred to as a "Category M2 UE") may also optionally utilize frequency hopping to add frequency diversity.

[0031]

[0043] The local area network (LAN) may be, for example, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3x network. The WLAN may be an IEEE 802.11x network. The WPAN may be a Bluetooth® network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other types of networks.

[0032]

[0044] Figure 1B shows an exemplary system architecture 175 that can provide a location service including the transfer of location assistance data or location information to UE 120. For simplicity, in Figure 1B, only one UE 120, eNB 140-1, and LS 150 are shown. Generally, the architecture may include a plurality of UEs, eNBs, etc. in a manner consistent with the embodiments disclosed herein. Further, in Figure 1B, LS 150 is shown (using a dashed line) to potentially include the functionality of E-SMLC 155, Mobility Management Entity (MME) 115, and Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) 152. However, as outlined above, the logical entities and blocks shown in Figure 1 are merely illustrative, and the functions associated with the logical entities / blocks may be divided or combined in various ways in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0033]

[0045] Figure 1B shows eNB 140-1, MME 115, E-SMLC 155, and GMLC 152. As shown in Figure 1, UE 120 may be able to receive wireless communication from eNB 140-1 through wireless interface LTE-Uu 125. Wireless interface LTE-Uu 125 may be used between UE 120 and eNB 140-1. In some embodiments, eNB 140-1 may be configured to transmit a PRS signal, and the PRS signal may be received by UE 120. In some embodiments, eNB 140-1 may communicate with an operation and maintenance (O&M) system (not shown in Figure 1B) regarding the available physical cell identifier (PCI) and / or PRS signal configuration for eNB 140.

[0034]

[0046] As described in the overview in LTE Release 9, eNB 140-1 may transmit PRS in a period of one of 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes, and the period of each positioning opportunity may be one of 1, 2, 4, or 6 subframes. In some embodiments, LS 150 or E-SMLC 155 may provide OTDOA assistance information to UE 120, which may facilitate PRS measurement by UE 120.

[0035]

[0047] In some embodiments, the PRS signal transmitted by eNB 140-1 may further comply with LTE and / or LTE MTC (e.g., LTE Release 13 / eMTC and / or LTE Release 14 / FeMTC) standards. When the signal transmitted by eNB 140-1 complies with LTE-M (e.g., LTE Release 13 / eMTC, and / or LTE Release 14 / FeMTC), the PRS may be transmitted in a period of one of 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes, and the period of each positioning opportunity may be one of 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes.

[0036]

[0048] In some cases, a UE 120, such as a BLUE or MTC UE or FeMTC UE, may measure PRS during a conventional measurement gap of 6 ms that occurs at a 40 ms period. However, when the PRS broadcast includes a dense PRS configuration (e.g., an increased number of consecutive PRS subframes per positioning opportunity) and / or more frequent PRS transmissions (short PRS period), the UE 120 (e.g., an eMTC UE and / or FeMTC UE) may request a dedicated (self-contained or measurement) gap of an appropriate length from the eNB 140-1 (e.g., based on one or more of the UE signal environment, processing capabilities, and / or desired positioning accuracy). In some embodiments, the UE 120 may request a dedicated measurement gap of a desired length from the eNB 140-1 and may identify that a dedicated measurement gap is required for inter-frequency PRS measurement.

[0037]

[0049] In some embodiments, the dedicated measurement gap requested by the UE may be adjacent to and / or overlap with the network configuration measurement gap. When receiving a response indicating the configuration of the dedicated gap from eNB140-1, UE120 may perform PRS measurements using the dedicated gap. UE120 (e.g., BL UE or MTC UE or FeMTC UE) may perform PRS measurements (a) for a longer time (e.g., longer than 6 ms), and / or (b) more frequently (e.g., with a period shorter than 80 ms or 40 ms). In some embodiments, UE120 may perform PRS measurements during the dedicated gap as indicated by eNB140-1 in the response. For example, when the dedicated gap matches the dedicated gap requested by UE120, the PRS measurements may be performed during these periods. In some embodiments, the UE request may specify that the dedicated gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap may also be utilized by UE120 to facilitate inter-frequency PRS measurements. In some embodiments, UE120 may not monitor either data or the control channel during the dedicated gap.

[0038]

[0050] Conversely, eNB140-1 may receive a request for a dedicated gap of a specific length from UE120-1. In some embodiments, the received UE request may further specify that the dedicated gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the received request may specify that the dedicated gap is requested for inter-frequency PRS measurement. In some embodiments, eNB140-1 may respond to UE120 by transmitting a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been accepted and / or that the dedicated gap is configured with some specific dedicated gap lengths and / or dedicated gap periods. In some embodiments, eNB140-1 may respond by transmitting a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been accepted and / or that the dedicated gap is configured with the requested length and / or the requested period. In some embodiments, the eNB may stop transmitting to the UE during the configured dedicated gap. In some embodiments, the eNB may not expect UE120 to monitor and / or respond to transmissions regarding data and control channels during the dedicated gap.

[0039]

[0051] In some embodiments, eNB140 may communicate with a mobility management entity (MME) 115 through an S1 interface 142 (defined in 3GPP TS36.413 entitled "S1 Application Protocol") between the MME and the eNB. In some embodiments, the SI interface 142 may include an SI CP interface and an SI UP interface. MME115 may support a location session with a location server such as E-SMLC155 to provide location services to UE120.

[0040]

[0052] In some embodiments, the MME 115 and the E-SMLC 155 may communicate through the SLs interface 130. The UE 120 may exchange LCS-related messages (e.g., LPP and / or LPP / LPPe messages) with the E-SMLC 155 to obtain location services. The LCS-related messages may be transferred through the eNB 140 and the MME 115. In some embodiments, the MME 115 may also support UE / subscriber mobility within a cell and may support mobility between cells / networks.

[0041]

[0053] In some embodiments, the E-SMLC 155 may determine the (network-based or UE-assisted) location of the UE 120. The E-SMLC 155 may assist in determining the location of the UE 120 using measurements of radio signals such as positioning reference signals (PRS) (which may be provided by the UE 120). In some embodiments, the LS 150 or the E-SMLC 155 may provide the UE 120 with location assistance information including OTDOA assistance information, which may facilitate PRS measurements by the UE 120. In some embodiments, the MME 150 may communicate with the gateway mobility location center (GMLC) 145 through the SLg interface 135.

[0042]

[0054] In some embodiments, the GMLC 152 may provide an interface to an external client such as the LCS client 160. The LCS client 160 may request the location of the UE 120 to support location-based services (LBS). In some embodiments, the GMLC 152 may support interfacing with the LCS client 160 and may include the functionality required to support LBS. The GMLC 152 may forward the positioning request related to the UE 120 from the LCS client 160 to the MME 115 that provides services to the UE 120 through the SLg interface 135. The GMLC 152 may also forward the location estimate for the UE 120 to the LCE client 160.

[0043]

[0055] Thus, in FIG. 1B, by way of example, the LCS client 160 may initiate a location service request to determine the location of the UE 120. The location service request may be forwarded by the GMLC 152 to the MME 115. The MME 115 may forward the request to the E-SMLC 155, and the E-SMLC 155 may process the request, communicate with the UE 120 (e.g., via the eNB 140-1), and request RSTD measurements. In some examples, the UE 120 may request OTDOA assistance information from the E-SMLC 155 for PRS measurements. The E-SMLC 155 may respond with the requested OTDOA assistance data. In some examples, the UE 120 may request a dedicated measurement gap from the E-SMLC 155 to perform the requested measurements. In some embodiments, the eNB 140-1 may respond by transmitting a message to the UE 120 indicating that OTDOA assistance information is available and / or a dedicated measurement gap is configured.

[0044]

[0056] UE120 may then perform the measurements required in the dedicated measurement gap (as configured), and send the RSTD measurements to the E-SMLC155 (e.g., via eNB140-1), and the E-SMLC155 may estimate the position of the UE120 based on the RSTD measurements. The E-SMLC may send the estimated position of the UE120 to the MME115, and the MME115 may transfer the result to the GMLC152 for transmission to the LCS client 160. For example, UE120 may measure the difference in arrival time of downlink (DL) PRS signals from multiple base stations (such as eNB140) with respect to a reference signal. For example, the reference signal from base station 140-1 is received at time t1, the signal from base station 140-3 is received at time t2, and the RSTD is given by t2 - t1. Generally, t2 and t1 are known as time of arrival (TOA) measurements.

[0045]

[0057] FIG. 2A shows the structure of an exemplary LTE frame having a PRS opportunity. In FIG. 2A, time is shown on the X (horizontal) axis while frequency is shown on the Y (vertical) axis. As shown in FIG. 2A, the downlink and uplink LTE radio frames 210 are each of a 10 ms duration. For the downlink frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, the radio frame 210 is divided into 10 subframes 212 each of a 1 ms duration. Each subframe 212 comprises two slots 214 each of a 0.5 ms duration.

[0046]

[0058] In the frequency domain, the available bandwidth may be divided into equally spaced orthogonal subcarriers 216. For example, for a normal length cyclic prefix using a 15 KHz spacing, the subcarriers 216 may be grouped into 12 groups. Each grouping in FIG. 3A comprising 12 subcarriers 216 is called a resource block, and in the above example the number of subcarriers in a resource block is

Number

Number

Number

[0047]

[0059] Referring to FIG. 1A, in some embodiments, base stations 140-1 to 140-4 corresponding to cells 145-1 to 145-4, respectively, may transmit a positioning reference signal (PRS). The LTE PRS defined in 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release 9 is transmitted by a base station in a special positioning subframe grouped into positioning opportunities. For example, in LTE PRS, positioning opportunity N PRS may comprise 1, 2, 4, or 6 consecutive positioning subframes (N PRS ∈ {1, 2, 4, 6}) and may occur periodically at intervals of 160, 320, 640, or 1280 milliseconds. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the number of consecutive positioning subframes 18 is 4 and is written as N PRS = 4. The positioning opportunity is repeated with a PRS period indicated as T PRS 220 in FIG. 2A. In some embodiments, T PRS 220 may be measured with respect to the number of subframes between the starts of consecutive positioning opportunities.

[0048]

[0060] Within each positioning opportunity, the PRS is transmitted with a certain power. The PRS can also be transmitted with zero power (i.e., muted). When the PRS patterns between cells overlap, muting, which periodically turns off scheduled PRS transmissions, is beneficial. Muting assists in signaling capture by UE120. Muting may be considered as non - transmission of the PRS for a given positioning opportunity in a particular cell. The muting pattern may be signaled to UE120 using a bit string. For example, in the bit string that signals the muting pattern, if the bit at position j is set to "0", the UE may infer that the PRS is muted for the j - th positioning opportunity.

[0049]

[0061] To further improve the audibility of the PRS, the positioning subframe may be a low - interference subframe transmitted without a user data channel. As a result, in an ideal synchronization network, the PRS may be interfered with by other cell PRSs having the same PRS pattern index (i.e., the same frequency shift) rather than from data transmissions. For example, in LTE, the frequency shift is defined as a function of the physical cell identifier (PCI), resulting in six effective frequency reuse factors.

[0050]

[0062] PRS configuration parameters such as the number of consecutive positioning subframes, period, muting pattern, etc. may be configured by network 130 and signaled to UE 120 (e.g., by LS 150) as part of the OTDOA assistance data. For example, location assistance data including the OTDOA assistance data may be transferred using an LPP or LPPe message between UE 120 and LS 150. The OTDOA assistance data may include reference cell information and a list of neighboring cells. The reference cell and the list of neighboring cells may each include PRS configuration parameters for the cell, together with the PCI of the cell.

[0051]

[0063] OTDOA assistance data is typically provided for one or more "neighboring cells" or "adjacent cells" with respect to a "reference cell". For example, the OTDOA assistance data may include an "expected RSTD" parameter, which provides the UE with information about the RSTD value that the UE is expected to measure at its current location, along with the uncertainty of the expected RSTD parameter. The expected RSTD, along with the uncertainty, thus defines a search window for the UE within which the UE is expected to measure the RSTD value. The "expected RSTD" for cells in the OTDOA assistance data neighboring cell list is typically provided with respect to the OTDOA assistance data reference cell. The OTDOA assistance information may also include PRS configuration information parameters, which enable the UE to determine when PRS positioning opportunities occur on signals received from different cells and to determine the PRS sequences transmitted from different cells for measuring the TOA.

[0052]

[0064] Figure 2B shows the system frame number (SFN), the cell-specific subframe offset, and the PRS period T PRSillustrates the relationship with 220. Typically, the cell-specific PRS subframe configuration is the "PRS configuration index" I included in the OTDOA assistance data PRS specified by. The cell-specific subframe configuration period and cell-specific subframe offset for the transmission of the positioning reference signal are listed in Table 1 below and are specified based on I in the 3GPP Release 9 specification PRS .

[0053]

Table 1

[0054]

[0065] The PRS configuration is specified with reference to the system frame number (SFN) of the cell that transmits the PRS. The first subframe of the downlink subframe is

Number

[0055]

[0066] As shown in Figure 2B, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ PRS 252 may be defined with respect to the number of subframes transmitted from system frame number 0, slot number 0 250 to the start of the PRS positioning opportunity. In Figure 2B, the number of consecutive subframes 218, N PRS = 4.

[0056]

[0067] In some embodiments, UE 120 receives a PRS configuration index I in the OTDOS assistance data, and UE 120 uses Table 1 to determine a PRS period T PRS 220 and a PRS subframe offset Δ PRS 252. When obtaining frame and slot timing, i.e., information about the SFN and slot number (n PRS , n f , n s ) for cell 145-k, when the PRS is scheduled in cell 145-k, UE 120 may determine the frame and slot. The OTDOA assistance data is determined by LS 150 and includes assistance data for the reference cell and the number of neighboring cells.

[0057]

[0068] Typically, PRS opportunities from all cells 145 in network 130 are time-aligned. In an SFN-synchronized network, all evolved Node Bs (eNBs) are aligned both in terms of frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Thus, in an SFN-synchronized network, all cells use the same PRS configuration index. On the other hand, in an SFN-asynchronous network, all eNBs are aligned at frame boundaries rather than system frame numbers. Thus, in an SFN-asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell is configured by the network such that PRS opportunities are time-aligned.

[0058]

[0069] If UE 120 can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN or frame number) of at least one of the assistance data cells among the assistance data cells, UE 120 may determine the timing of the PRS opportunity of the assistance data cell. The timings of other assistance data cells may then be derived by UE 120 based on, for example, the assumption that PRS opportunities from different cells overlap.

[0059]

[0070] To calculate the frame and slot in which the PRS is transmitted, the UE 120 may obtain the cell timing (SFN) of one of the reference or neighboring cells in the OTDOA assistance data. For example, as specified in LPP, the cell (serving cell) responsible for the UE 120 may be included in the OTDOA assistance data as a reference cell or as an assistance data neighboring cell. This is because the SFN of the serving cell is always known to the UE 120.

[0060]

[0071] Furthermore, as described above, the PRS may be muted in a certain subframe. The PRS muting configuration of a cell, as specified by LPP, is defined by a periodic muting sequence having a period T REP which is counted with respect to the number of PRS positioning opportunities, where T REP can be 2, 4, 8, or 16. The first bit of the PRS muting sequence corresponds to the first PRS positioning opportunity that starts after the start of the serving data reference cell SFN = 0. The PRS muting configuration is represented by a bit string of length 2, 4, 8, or 16 bits (corresponding to the selected T REP ), and each bit in this bit string can have a value of "0" or "1". When the bit during PRS muting is set to "0", the PRS is muted at the corresponding PRS positioning opportunity. Therefore, for OTDOA, the PRS positioning by the UE 120 facilitates obtaining the cell timing (SFN) of the reference cell.

[0061]

[0072] Thus, in LTE PRS (such as in Release 9), periodic positioning opportunities occur at a period of one of 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes, and the length of each positioning opportunity is one of 1, 2, 4, or 6 subframes. Further, in LTE, the PRS may be fixed at the center of the LTE carrier, and muting may be achieved using a bit string of 2, 4, 8, or 16 bits where each bit is applied to one positioning opportunity.

[0062]

[0073] LTE-M or eMTC is based on LTE and incorporates features to support services for IoT devices and B LUE. LTE-M / eMTC can be deployed on an existing LTE network by reusing a part of the LTE physical layer procedures and properly configuring the base station (e.g., eNB140-1). Further, the physical channels and signals transmitted or received by the MTC UE may be included in a narrower (e.g., 1.08 MHz) bandwidth (having a 1.4 MHz carrier bandwidth), facilitating data rates up to 1 Mbps. Thus, eMTC UEs operate within a new frequency band called the "narrowband." The eMTC narrowband may include a predefined set of six consecutive resource blocks. eMTC UEs may be served by cells with larger bandwidths, but the physical channels and signals transmitted or received by the eMTC UE are included within a 1.08 MHz narrowband having a predefined set of six consecutive resource blocks. Further, Release 13 introduced frequency hopping between different narrowbands. In frequency hopping, different sets of 6 RBs within the LTE transmission band are used to transmit the same signal. Thus, the frequency of the transmitted signal may "hop" at, for example, some predefined intervals. 3GPP Release 14 anticipates extensions to 3GPP MTC technologies such as FeMTC, which enables dense configurations (such as increasing the number of consecutive PRS subframes per positioning opportunity) and more frequent PRS transmissions (short PRS periods), enabling improved positioning accuracy for eMTC / FeMTC devices. Both eMTC and FeMTC UEs may optionally utilize frequency hopping to add frequency diversity, which facilitates improvements in throughput, received signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR), and extended coverage.

[0063]

[0074] Figure 3A illustrates LTE-M PRS transmission, where time is shown on the X-axis and frequency is shown on the Y-axis. As shown in Figure 3A, control and data transmission may occur across the MTC Physical Downlink Control Channel (M-PDCCH), or the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) narrowband 315. For example, the transmission may be monitored and / or received by UE120, which may be a BL UE, or an eMTC / FeMTC UE. Further, the PRS transmission may occur across the PRS narrowband 325. As shown in Figure 3A, the MPDCCH / PDCCH narrowband 315 may not be aligned with the PRS narrowband 325.

[0064]

[0075] Further, as also shown in Figure 3A, the PRS transmission may be concentrated in a number N PRS 318 (N PRS > 6) of consecutive PRS subframes. The PRS transmission may occur with a PRS period T PRS 320 (T PRS = 80 ms). Further, in Figure 3A, measurement gaps 310 are shown that occur in respective 6 ms periods, with a measurement gap period M PRS 328, where M PRS = 40 ms.

[0065]

[0076] Referring to Figure 3A, even if a UE (e.g., an eMTC or FeMTC UE) was capable of intensive PRS measurement, conventionally, the UE could only measure during the 6 ms measurement gap 310 without risk of data loss. Thus, conventionally, the UE could measure at most 6 PRS subframes during any 6 ms measurement gap 310, and thus, the accuracy was limited and the optimal utilization of UE functionality was suppressed.

[0066]

[0077] Since UL and DL transmissions are only guaranteed not to exist during measurement gaps, if the UE measures (or attempts to measure) more than 6 PRS subframes (i.e., the measurement exceeds the 6 ms measurement gap 310), in the conventional situation, the UE 120 may be at risk of data loss during the measurement period. Further, the UE (e.g., a BL UE or an eMTC UE or a FeMTC UE) may monitor PRS transmissions in synchronization with the (intra-frequency) PRS narrowband 325 and may not be able to monitor or transmit on the M-PDCCH or PDCCH narrowband 315. For example, the BL UE processing bandwidth may not be sufficient to simultaneously monitor the M-PDCCH / PDCCH narrowband 315 and the PRS narrowband 325.

[0067]

[0078] In some cases, the network (e.g., network 130) may consist of several frequency layers. For example, in FIG. 1A, the macro cells 145-1, 145-3, and 145-4 may be operating at the radio frequency f2, while a femto cell such as cell 145-2 may be operating at the radio frequency f1. Further, the PRS may be configured and deployed on the frequency layer f2. Thus, in the conventional system, in the above example between frequencies, the UE 120 may (i) stop transmission / reception on the serving cell carrier, (ii) tune the receiver to the frequency (f2) of the adjacent cell carrier, (iii) synchronize to the adjacent cell, (iv) decode the MIB information of the adjacent cell, and (v) tune the receiver back to the serving cell frequency (f1).

[0068]

[0079] Since the UE has stopped transmitting / receiving on the serving cell, information transmitted by a base station (such as an eNB) during the measurement period may be lost. The base station may not have visibility into positioning-related signaling occurring between the UE and the LS150 or between the UE and the E-SMLC155, resulting in data loss, and thus the base station may not recognize OTDOA-related positioning requests / measurements. Accordingly, the base station may continue to transmit to the UE during the measurement period, which may result in data loss as a consequence.

[0069]

[0080] Furthermore, the 6 ms measurement gap 310 may not be sufficient for the UE to synchronize its frequency to an adjacent cell carrier, search for the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to synchronize to the adjacent cell, and decode the LTE physical broadcast channel (PBCH) in order to read the master information block (MIB) containing the SFN of the cell. Thus, in a conventional system, the standard 6 ms measurement gap 310 may not be sufficient for the UE120 to obtain the SFN information of an adjacent cell.

[0070]

[0081] Figure 3B illustrates LTE-M PRS transmission. As shown in Figure 3B, control and data transmission may occur over the MTC physical downlink control channel (M-PDCCH) or the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) narrowband 315. For example, the transmission may be monitored and / or received by the UE120, which may be a BL UE or an eMTC / FeMTC UE. Further, the PRS transmission may occur over the PRS narrowband 325. As shown in Figure 3B, the PRS transmission may be dense with a number N PRS 338 (N PRS >6) of consecutive PRS subframes. The PRS transmission may have a PRS period T of 40 ms PRS 330 (T PRSIt may occur even at ( = 40 ms). Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, conventionally, the measurement gap 310 may each be of a 6 ms period, and the measurement gap period M PRS may occur at 340, where M PRS = 80 ms.

[0071]

[0082] As shown in FIG. 3B, while M PRS is 80 ms 340 (M PRS = 80 ms), on the other hand, T PRS is 40 ms 330 (T PRS = 40 ms), so the PRS transmission 345 cannot be measured by the UE 120 without the risk of data loss, because the measurement gap does not occur during the PRS transmission 345. Conventionally, when PRS transmissions occur more frequently than the measurement gap, the UE may not be able to effectively utilize the PRS transmissions for location determination without the risk of data loss. Further, as outlined above in connection with FIG. 3A, conventionally, even when the measurement gap is available, the UE 120 may only perform measurements during the 6 ms measurement gap period 310 without the risk of data loss. Thus, the UE 120 can measure at most 6 PRS subframes during any 6 ms measurement gap 310, and thus the accuracy is limited and the optimal utilization of the UE location determination functionality is suppressed.

[0072]

[0083] Some of the disclosed techniques improve positioning in the context of dense PRS configurations and / or increased frequency of PRS transmissions and allow the use of PRS signals for location determination. In some embodiments, the UE may request a dedicated gap of a desired length. For example, the UE may request a dedicated measurement gap of a desired length from a base station such as an eNB. When receiving a response indicating confirmation of the dedicated measurement gap configuration (e.g., from the eNB), the UE may utilize the dedicated measurement gap to perform PRS measurements. The UE may perform PRS measurements (a) for a longer time (e.g., longer than 6 ms) and / or (b) more frequently (e.g., with a period shorter than 40 ms). In some embodiments, the UE may perform PRS measurements during the dedicated measurement gap as indicated by the base station (e.g., eNB) in the response. For example, if the dedicated gap matches the dedicated measurement gap requested by the UE, the PRS measurements may be performed during these periods. In some embodiments, the UE request may specify that the dedicated measurement gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap may be utilized by the UE for inter-frequency PRS measurements.

[0073]

[0084] The disclosed embodiments also relate to a base station (e.g., eNB), which may receive requests for dedicated gaps of a specific length from one or more UEs. In some embodiments, the UE request may further specify that the dedicated gap is requested for positioning purposes. In some embodiments, the UE request may specify that the dedicated gap is requested for inter-frequency PRS measurement. In some embodiments, the base station (e.g., eNB) may respond with a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been accepted and / or that the dedicated gap is configured with a specific dedicated gap length and / or dedicated gap period. In some embodiments, the base station (e.g., eNB) may respond with a message indicating that the request for the dedicated gap has been accepted and / or that the dedicated gap is configured with the requested length and / or the requested period.

[0074]

[0085] FIG. 4A shows a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary message flow 400 that facilitates location determination and dedicated gap configuration in accordance with some disclosed embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4A, a portion of the message flow 400 may be performed by UE 120, a base station 140 that may be in the form of eNB 140, and a LS 150 that may be in the form of E-SMLC 155. In some embodiments, the message flow 400 may occur using LPP / LPPe positioning protocol messages, although other types of messages may be used. In some embodiments, UE 120 may be in the form of a BL UE, an eMTC UE, and / or a FeMTC UE.

[0075]

[0086] At 402, if the capabilities of UE120 are not known to LS150, in some embodiments, LS150 may send a capabilities request message to UE120. The capabilities request message may include, among other things, parameters and requests for UE120's positioning and / or OTDOA-related capabilities.

[0076]

[0087] At 404, UE120 may respond with a capabilities offer message sent to LS150. In some embodiments, the capabilities offer message at 404 may be provided by UE120 without being requested (e.g., without a capabilities request message at 402). In some embodiments, the capabilities offer message may be sent instead by UE120 in relation to a request for assistance data (e.g., at 408). The capabilities offer message may include, among other things, other parameters and indications of UE positioning and / or OTDOA-related capabilities.

[0077]

[0088] A flow similar to 402 and 404 but with message transfer in the opposite direction may be executed instead of or in addition to 402 and 404, and may transfer the capabilities of LS150 to UE120 in relation to support for positioning and / or OTDOA capabilities. These are not shown in Figure 4A and, when used, may use the reverse LPP / LPPe mode, which enables UE120 to request and receive capabilities from LS150.

[0078]

[0089] In some embodiments, at 406, LS150 may request location information from UE120 in a location information request message. The request for location information may include a request for RSTD measurements to be performed by UE120.

[0079]

[0090] In some embodiments, to satisfy the request for the location information received at 406, at 408, UE 120 may request PRS assistance information including OTDOA assistance data from LS 150 in an assistance data request message. In some embodiments, UE 120 may specify the particular PRS assistance data or PRS assistance information to request. The terms PRS assistance data and PRS assistance information are used interchangeably herein. The requested PRS assistance data is the number N of consecutive PRS subframes transmitted by one or more base stations PRS 338 and / or the corresponding PRS period T PRS 220 etc., and may include information about the PRS configuration. In some embodiments, the message flow at 408 may not occur, and (e.g., at 410) LS 150 may decide to send assistance data to UE 120 that has not requested it.

[0080]

[0091] At 410, LS 150 may send, in an assistance data provision message, the assistance data that is to be transferred to UE 120. If 408 is executed, the assistance data may include all of the PRS assistance information requested by UE 120 that is available at LS 150. The PRS assistance data transferred at 410 may include the OTDOA assistance data specified in LPP / LPPe and may also include PRS configuration information for one or more base stations. In some embodiments, the PRS period (T PRS ) associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement request, or the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement request may be provided as PRS assistance information. In some embodiments, the message flow 400 may start at 410, and LS 150 may send assistance data to UE 120 that has not requested it together with a location information request message.

[0081]

[0092] In block 420, UE 120 may determine a desired dedicated gap configuration (e.g., for RSTD measurements) based on assistance data (e.g., received at 410) and the current operating mode. The LTE standard specifies an operating mode of "coverage enhancement" or "enhanced coverage" (hereinafter collectively referred to as "CE") for UE 120. For example, a UE connected to a base station may move out of an area with acceptable signal quality and into an area with near-optimal signal quality (e.g., the reported signal quality has deteriorated beyond several thresholds). To maintain communication session continuity and / or reliability, the UE may be reconfigured from the normal coverage ("NC") mode to the CE mode. UE 120 may be configured to operate in the CE mode based on one or more of signaling, location, power, and / or cost considerations. The LTE standard specifies multiple CE modes (e.g., CE mode A for medium coverage, CE mode B for deeper coverage). In the CE mode, several message repetitions may be used to facilitate increased coverage. The number of message repetitions and other CE mode configuration parameters may affect the UE positioning operation. Therefore, in addition to the PRS configuration parameters, the current operating mode of UE 120, such as whether UE 120 is operating in the CE mode or a CE mode subtype (e.g., CE mode A or CE mode B), may be used by UE 120 to determine the desired dedicated gap configuration.

[0082]

[0093] Therefore, in block 420, UE 120 may determine a desired dedicated gap configuration based on assistance data (e.g., PRS configuration parameters for a serving cell and / or one or more neighboring cells) and / or the current UE operating mode (CE mode - e.g., CE mode A or CE mode B - or NC mode). For example, UE 120 may use the PRS period (T PRS ) for the serving cell and / or each neighboring cell, the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity for each neighboring cell, one or more of the desired positioning accuracy, etc., to determine the desired dedicated gap configuration. The desired dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 6 ms measurement gap, and / or the desired dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the PRS period of one or more of the serving / neighboring cells. In some embodiments, the desired dedicated gap configuration may be (further or alternatively) partially based on the signal environment observed by UE 120 and / or the current operating mode. In some cases, the current operating mode of UE 120 may indicate the signal environment. In some embodiments, the desired dedicated gap configuration may be (further or alternatively) partially based on one or more of the number of observed frequency layers, signal strength, signal interference, etc. In some embodiments, the desired dedicated gap configuration may be further determined based on the capabilities of UE 120. For example, the desired dedicated gap configuration may be determined by the range supported by UE 120 for a dense PRS configuration and / or the range supported by UE 120 for a shorter dedicated gap period.

[0083]

[0094] At 430, the UE may request a dedicated gap configuration by sending a request for a dedicated gap to eNB 140. The dedicated gap may be requested as a dedicated measurement gap or as a dedicated autonomous gap. Thus, at 430, the dedicated gap may be either a (dedicated) "measurement gap" or a (dedicated) "autonomous gap". As outlined above, the autonomous gap refers to a period during which the UE 120 may cease receiving and transmitting to the base station. In the following description, the terms "measurement" or "autonomous" may be used to identify the type of dedicated gap when appropriate. The requested measurement gap (as requested at 430) may correspond to the desired measurement gap (as determined at block 420, for example). Thus, the terms "requested" and "desired" associated with the "dedicated gap" are used interchangeably here.

[0084]

[0095] In one embodiment, at 430, the request may include configuration information related to the dedicated gap, including the dedicated gap length and / or the dedicated gap period. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap may be requested as a dedicated RSTD measurement gap. Once configured, no DL control or data channel transmissions will be sent to the UE during the dedicated gap (e.g., the dedicated RSTD measurement gap). Further, the UE will not monitor or process UL / DL data or control channel transmissions during the dedicated gap (e.g., the dedicated RSTD measurement gap).

[0085]

[0096] In an alternative embodiment, at 430, the requirements for the dedicated gap may include configuration information for the autonomous gap. During the autonomous gap, the UE may potentially receive information regarding the LTE Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). The PDSCH is typically used to carry user data. In some embodiments, if the PDSCH is scheduled during the autonomous gap period, the UE may decode some threshold number of PDSCH symbols and, based on the decoding, may send an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal to the serving eNB.

[0086]

[0097] Conventionally, if the base station transmits data to the target device during the idle period generated by the target device, the autonomous gap may, as a result, result in data loss. Thus, in some embodiments, at 430, in the requirements for the dedicated gap, the UE 120 may notify the serving base station regarding its use of the autonomous gap and be able to meet the measurement requirements from the E-SMLC 155 or the Location LS 150. The modifier "dedicated", when used with "autonomous gap", herein refers to the configuration of a dedicated gap, such as a (dedicated) autonomous gap by (e.g., the eNB 140), which may occur in response to the UE 120's request for a dedicated gap indicating the use of the (dedicated) autonomous gap for measurement purposes.

[0087]

[0098] Thus, in some embodiments (e.g., (a) during the configuration of a dedicated gap such as a dedicated autonomous gap and / or (b) in response to requirements for a dedicated gap indicating the use of a dedicated autonomous gap for measurement purposes), the eNB 140 may not schedule data for the device during the dedicated autonomous gap. In other embodiments, the data rate of any transmission to the UE 120 during the dedicated autonomous gap period (e.g., by the eNB 140) can be reduced, thus limiting any data loss. For example, the number of subframes lost during a dedicated autonomous gap may be relatively small and may only appear as fading / channel errors to the serving base station / eNB. Thus, the dedicated autonomous gap can minimize any service quality (QoS) that affects Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Voice over LTE (VoLTE), or other services.

[0088]

[0099] In some embodiments, the requirements for the dedicated gap at 430 are not limited to the length of the dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap, the period of the dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap, the number of instances of the dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap, etc., but may include configuration information for the dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap such as these. The required dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap configuration may be based on the length of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes), and / or the period of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes), and / or the time for in-band and / or inter-band synchronization.

[0089]

[0100] In some embodiments, the UE 120 is in a dedicated measurement gap period G MNmay require a dedicated gap configuration having 6 ms < G MN ≤ N PRS wherein, in some embodiments, UE 120 may require a dedicated measurement gap period G MP having, where necessary, T PRS ≤ G MP ≤ 80 ms or T PRS ≤ G MP ≤ 40 ms. The required dedicated measurement gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap period.

[0090]

[0101] In some embodiments, UE 120 may require a dedicated autonomous gap period G AN having 6 ms < G AN ≤ N PRS wherein, in some embodiments, UE 120 may require a dedicated autonomous gap period G AP having, where necessary, T PRS ≤ G AP ≤ 80 ms or T PRS ≤ G AP ≤ 40 ms.

[0091]

[0102] At 440, the eNB may configure a dedicated gap and transmit a message indicating the dedicated gap configuration. For example, if a dedicated measurement gap is required at 430, then at 440, the eNB 140 may configure a dedicated measurement gap and transmit a message indicating the dedicated measurement gap configuration. As another example, if a dedicated autonomous gap is required at 430, then at 440, the eNB 140 may configure a dedicated autonomous gap and transmit a message indicating the dedicated autonomous gap configuration. For example, the serving base station / eNB 140 may send UE 120 a confirmation that UE 120 may use a dedicated autonomous gap for measurement purposes. In some embodiments, the confirmation that a dedicated autonomous gap may be used by UE 120 may also include a time window during which the dedicated autonomous gap is permitted and a maximum number of subframes permitted for the dedicated autonomous gap.

[0092]

[0103] The required dedicated autonomous gap length or the configured dedicated autonomous gap length may be longer or shorter than the default 6 ms measurement gap. The required dedicated autonomous gap period or the configured dedicated autonomous gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap period. In some cases, the actual dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap configuration at 440 (by eNB 140) may be different from the dedicated gap configuration requested at 430 (e.g., by UE 120). For example, at 440, the dedicated gap configuration (configured by, e.g., base station 140) may be based on network conditions such as quality of service or other parameters and may differ in some respects from the requested dedicated gap configuration (requested at 430, e.g., by UE 120). In some embodiments, the dedicated measurement gap (such as requested by UE 120 and / or configured by eNB 140) may be presented in the form of a dedicated measurement gap pattern, which may indicate the period and / or the number of instances of the dedicated measurement gap (as requested or configured).

[0093]

[0104] In block 445, the UE 120 may then measure the RSTD between the reference cell and the plurality of neighboring cells in the narrowband based on the received OTDOA assistance data and using the configured dedicated gap. For example, in block 445, the UE 120 may synchronize to the PRS narrowband (e.g., PRS narrowband 325) based on the configured dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap (e.g., as configured in 440). In some embodiments, after synchronizing to the PRS narrowband, the UE 120 may perform PRS and RSTD measurements. For example, if the length or duration of the configured dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap is greater than 6 ms, the UE 120 may be able to measure more than 6 PRS subframes. Further, if the dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap period is less than 40 ms (or 80 ms), the UE may then be able to monitor additional PRS transmissions.

[0094]

[0105] In some embodiments, if the PDSCH is scheduled during the dedicated autonomous gap period, the UE may decode some threshold number of PDSCH symbols and, based on the decoding, send an acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NAK) signal to the serving eNB. In some embodiments, (e.g., in response to a request for a dedicated gap indicating the use of the dedicated autonomous gap for measurement purposes (at 430), and sent at 440 during the configuration of the dedicated gap as a dedicated autonomous gap), eNB 140 may not schedule data for the device during the dedicated autonomous gap. In other embodiments, the data rate of any transmission to UE 120 (e.g., by eNB 140) during the dedicated autonomous gap can be reduced, thereby limiting any data loss. For example, the number of subframes lost during the dedicated autonomous gap may be relatively small and thus may only appear as fading / channel errors to the serving base station / eNB. Thus, the dedicated autonomous gap can minimize any service quality (QoS) affecting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Voice over LTE (VoLTE), or other services. Thus, the disclosed embodiments facilitate the effective utilization of the location determination functionality envisioned for eMTC / FeMTC UEs while reducing the risk of data loss.

[0095]

[0106] In some embodiments, during the dedicated measurement gap, UE 120 may not transmit any data and / or monitor transmissions from any primary cell or secondary cell (S cell), any primary S cell (PS cell) (or, e.g., be predicted to monitor by eNB 140). For example, UE 120 may not (a) transmit any data and / or (b) monitor (or be predicted to monitor) transmissions overlapping the dedicated measurement gap on the serving cell (e.g., by eNB 140).

[0096]

[0107] In 447, UE 120 may send a location information providing message having the requested RSTD measurement to LS 150. The location information providing message may include the RSTD measurement determined by UE 120 together with the identifier of the measured cell. In some embodiments, LS 150 may use the received measurement to determine the location of UE 120. In some embodiments, UE 120 may use the RSTD measurement to determine its own location and, optionally, report the estimated location to LS 150. In some embodiments, LS 150 may then provide the location determined by UE 120 to LCS client 160 (not shown in FIG. 4A).

[0097]

[0108] FIG. 4B shows a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary message flow 450 for facilitating location determination and dedicated gap configuration according to some disclosed embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4B, a portion of message flow 450 may be performed by UE 120, a base station 140 which may take the form of eNB 140, and LS 150 which may take the form of E-SMLC 155. In some embodiments, message flow 400 may occur using LPP / LPPe positioning protocol messages, although other types of messages may be used. In some embodiments, UE 120 may take the form of a BL UE, an eMTC UE, and / or a FeMTC UE.

[0098]

[0109] In Figure 4B, at 460, UE 120 may receive a location determination or RSTD measurement request. In some embodiments, the measurement request may include PRS assistance data, including OTDOA assistance data. In some embodiments, the PRS period (T PRS ) associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement request, or the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement request may be provided as PRS assistance information. In some embodiments, following receipt of the RSTD assistance request at 460, UE 120 may separately request PRS assistance data including OTDOA assistance data, and E-SMLC 155 may respond to the PRS assistance data request by transmitting PRS assistance data that may include OTDOA assistance data.

[0099]

[0110] In Figure 4B, the functionality provided by blocks 420 and 445 and the message flows at 430, 440, and 447 correspond to those described above in relation to Figure 4A.

[0100]

[0111] In some embodiments, UE 120 (e.g., eMTC / Category M1 UE and / or FeMTC / Category M2 UE) may use a dedicated gap to perform PRS and / or RSTD measurements on at least one cell with a dense PRS configuration (e.g., N PRS >6), and the dedicated gap may be configured using blocks 402 to 445 (Figure 4A) or 420 to 445 (Figure 4B) above. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap pattern (configured at 440, for example) may use one of the patterns specified in the following table.

[0101]

Table 2

[0102]

[0112] In the above table, the first column indicates some possible values of the dedicated gap length in milliseconds, while the second column indicates some values of the corresponding repetition period or dedicated gap period in milliseconds. In some embodiments, each dedicated gap pattern may be specified and / or identified using a unique dedicated (measurement) gap identifier. In some embodiments, UE120 may be configured to request a dedicated gap pattern and / or dedicated gap configuration based on a unique dedicated gap identifier (e.g., request at 430). In some embodiments, UE120 may be configured to identify and / or update its configuration based on a unique dedicated gap identifier (e.g., received at 440).

[0103]

[0113] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 for dedicated gap configuration. In some embodiments, method 500 may be performed by a base station such as eNB140. In some embodiments, method 500 may be performed by an eNB in a wireless network that supports and / or is configured to support LTE and / or LTE-M.

[0104]

[0114] In block 510, eNB140 may receive from the UE a dedicated gap request for performing RSTD measurements, the dedicated gap request including the desired configuration of the dedicated gap.

[0105]

[0115] The gap requirement is not limited to, for example, the length of the dedicated gap, the period of the dedicated gap, the number of instances of the desired dedicated gap, etc., but may include configuration information for the desired dedicated gap such as these. The desired dedicated gap configuration may be based on the length of the positioning opportunity of one or more base stations associated with the network (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes), and / or the period of the positioning opportunity of one or more base stations associated with the network (e.g., 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes). The desired dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 6 ms measurement gap, and the desired dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap.

[0106]

[0116] In some embodiments, the dedicated gap requirement may include a requirement for a dedicated measurement gap and / or a dedicated autonomous gap. In some embodiments, when the dedicated gap requirement includes a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap, the dedicated gap requirement may indicate that the dedicated autonomous gap is required for RSTD measurement purposes.

[0107]

[0117] In block 520, eNB 140 may respond to the dedicated gap requirement, and the response includes a dedicated gap configuration. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap configuration may be based on one or more of service quality (QoS) parameters or performance parameters. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap configuration may include one or more of the configured gap length, the configured gap period, or the number of instances of the configured gap.

[0108]

[0118] In some embodiments, eNB 140 may respond to a dedicated gap request by configuring a dedicated gap (e.g., at block 520) based on a request for a dedicated gap (e.g., received at block 510). In some embodiments, for example, eNB 140 may respond to a dedicated gap request by configuring a dedicated gap as requested by the UE. In some embodiments, the configuration of the dedicated gap by eNB 140 may be based on a request for a dedicated gap, but may differ in some respects from a dedicated gap configuration request (e.g., received at block 510). For example, eNB 140 may configure a dedicated gap based at least in part on system or network parameters such as, but not limited to, quality of service, performance, etc.

[0109]

[0119] (E.g., at block 520) The response sent to the UE is not limited to, but may include, configuration information for the configured dedicated gap such as the length of the configured dedicated gap, the period of the configured dedicated gap, the number of instances of the configured dedicated gap, etc. The configured dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 6 ms measurement gap, and the configured dedicated gap period may be longer or shorter than the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap.

[0110]

[0120] In some embodiments, when a request for a dedicated gap (e.g., received at block 510) indicates the use of a dedicated autonomous gap for measurement purposes, eNB 140 may not schedule data for the device during the dedicated autonomous gap period (e.g., as configured at block 520).

[0111]

[0121] In some embodiments, the data rate of any transmission from eNB 140 to UE 120 during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured at block 520) may be reduced, thereby limiting any data loss. For example, the data rate may be reduced such that the number of subframes lost during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured at block 520) is relatively small and only appears as fading / channel error to the eNB. In some embodiments, the data rate may be reduced during a dedicated autonomous gap (such as configured at block 520) while maintaining QoS parameters. In some embodiments, the data rate may be reduced during a dedicated autonomous gap (such as configured at block 520) such that any quality of service (QoS) affecting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Voice over LTE (VoLTE), or other services is reduced or minimized or not noticed by the user.

[0112]

[0122] FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 for a dedicated gap configuration. In some embodiments, method 600 may be performed by UE 120, which may be in the form of a BL UE, an eMTC UE, or a FeMTC UE. In some embodiments, method 600 may be performed by UE 120 in a wireless network that supports LTE / LTE-M and includes eMTC / FeMTC devices.

[0113]

[0123] At block 605, UE 120 may receive a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request. For example, the RSTD request may be received from LS 150 or E-SMLC 155. In some embodiments, the RSTD measurement request may include PRS assistance information. In some embodiments, the PRS period (T) associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement requestPRS ) or the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement requirement may be provided as PRS assistance information. In some embodiments, the PRS assistance data may be requested from the UE120 and / or received by the UE120 from the LS150 or the E-SMLC155. For example, in some embodiments, the UE120 may request the PRS assistance data following receipt of an RSTD measurement requirement from the E-SMLC155 (e.g., at block 605). In some embodiments, the PRS assistance data may be received by a UE120 that has not requested it from the LS150 or the E-SMLC155. For example, in some embodiments, the PRS assistance data may be received together with an RSTD measurement requirement from the E-SMLC155 (e.g., at block 605).

[0114]

[0124] At block 610, the UE120 may transmit a dedicated gap request including the desired configuration of the dedicated gap in response to the RSTD measurement requirement. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap request may include a request for a dedicated measurement gap and / or a request for a dedicated autonomous gap. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap request may be transmitted to a base station such as the eNB140. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap request may be transmitted to the eNB140 responsible for the UE120.

[0115]

[0125] In some embodiments, the RSTD measurement requirement may include positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, and (a) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or (b) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, or (c) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves one or more intra-frequency measurements by the UE, or (d) a determination that the time estimated to perform at least one RSTD specified in the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period, or (e) a determination that the default LTE measurement gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRS ) associated with the RSTD measurement requirement, or (f) a determination that the number of subframes (N PRS ) in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a threshold, or a dedicated gap request including a request for a dedicated measurement gap may be further transmitted in response to at least one of combinations of (a) to (e). In some embodiments, the determination in one or more of (a) to (e) above may be based at least in part on the PRS assistance information (e.g., received by UE120).

[0116]

[0126] In some embodiments, the RSTD measurement requirement may include positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, and (g) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or (h) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, or (i) a determination that the RSTD measurement requirement involves one or more intra-frequency measurements by the UE, or (j) a determination that the time estimated to perform at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds the default long term evolution (LTE) autonomous gap period, or (k) a determination that the default LTE autonomous gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRSa determination that it exceeds, or (l) the number of subframes (N PRS ) during at least one PRS positioning opportunity related to the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a threshold, or in response to at least one of the above combinations of (g) to (l), a dedicated gap request including a request for a dedicated autonomous gap may be further transmitted. In some embodiments, the determination in one or more of the above (g) to (l) may be based at least in part on PRS assistance information (e.g., received by UE 120).

[0117]

[0127] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated gap (e.g., at block 610) may be determined based on assistance data (e.g., PRS configuration parameters for the reference cell and / or one or more neighboring cells) and / or the current UE operating mode (CE mode - e.g., CE mode A or CE mode B - or NC mode). In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated gap (e.g., required at block 610) is related to the UE operating mode, the PRS period (T PRS ) associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement requirement, or the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement requirement, or the desired positioning accuracy, or some combination of these, and may be based at least in part on one or more of them. For example, UE 120 may determine and transmit a dedicated gap request (e.g., at block 610) based on one or more of the PRS period (T PRS ) for the serving cell and / or each neighboring cell, the number of subframes (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity for the reference cell and / or each neighboring cell, the desired positioning accuracy, etc. The dedicated gap requested (e.g., at block 610) may be longer or shorter than the default 6 ms measurement gap.

[0118]

[0128] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated gap may be determined (additionally or alternatively) based at least in part on the signal environment observed by UE120. For example, the number of observed frequency layers, signal strength, signal interference, etc. In some embodiments, UE120 may send a dedicated gap request (e.g., at block 610) in response to a determination that the required RSTD measurements involve multiple carrier frequencies. As another example, UE120 may send a dedicated gap request (e.g., at block 610) in response to a determination that the RSTD or PRS measurements involve multiple frequency layers (intra-frequency and / or inter-frequency).

[0119]

[0129] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated gap (e.g., requested at block 610) may further be based on the capabilities of UE120. For example, at least in part use the range supported by UE120 for a dense PRS configuration and / or the range supported by UE120 for a shorter measurement gap period to determine the desired configuration of the dedicated gap.

[0120]

[0130] In some embodiments, the dedicated gap requirements (e.g., at block 610) are not limited to the length of the requested dedicated gap, the period of the requested dedicated gap, the number of instances of the requested dedicated gap, etc., but may include configuration information for the desired configuration of the dedicated gap, such as these. The desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (requested, for example, at block 610) may be based on the length of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes), and / or the period of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes), and / or the time for synchronization within and / or between frequencies, etc. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap requirements (e.g., at block 610) may include the desired dedicated gap period G N and may include, where 6 ms < G N ≦ N PRS In some embodiments, the dedicated gap requirements (e.g., at block 610) may include the desired dedicated gap period G P and may include, where, as required, T PRS ≦ G P ≦ 80 ms or T PRS ≦ G P ≦ 40 ms. In some embodiments, the desired dedicated gap period and / or the desired dedicated gap period may be different from the default conventional measurement gap period and the default conventional measurement gap period, respectively.

[0121]

[0131] In some embodiments, when the dedicated gap requirements (e.g., at block 610) include requirements for dedicated measurement gaps, UE 120 is (a) the dedicated measurement gap period G MN where 6 ms < G MN ≦ NPRS and / or (b) the dedicated measurement gap period G MP where, as required, T PRS ≦ GMP ≤ 80 ms or T PRS ≤ G MP ≤ 40 ms may be used to require a desired configuration of the dedicated gap. In some embodiments, when the dedicated gap configuration requirement (e.g., at block 610) includes a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap, the UE 120 may (i) the dedicated autonomous gap period G AN , where 6 ms < G AN ≤ N PRS and / or (ii) the dedicated autonomous gap period G AP , where, optionally, T PRS ≤ G AP ≤ 80 ms or T PRS ≤ G AP ≤ 40 ms may be used to require a desired configuration of the dedicated gap.

[0122]

[0132] At block 620, UE 120 may receive a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to a dedicated gap request. The dedicated gap configuration (e.g., received at block 620) may be partially based on the dedicated gap request (e.g., sent at block 610). In some embodiments, the dedicated gap configuration (e.g., received at block 620) may indicate that the dedicated gap request was configured as requested by the UE. In some embodiments, the dedicated gap configuration (e.g., received at block 620) may be partially based on the dedicated gap request (e.g., sent at block 610), but may differ in some respects from the desired configuration of the dedicated gap (e.g., as requested at block 610). For example, the dedicated gap may be configured based in part on system or network parameters such as, but not limited to, quality of service, performance, etc. The response may include configuration information for the configured dedicated gap, such as, but not limited to, the length of the configured dedicated gap, the period of the configured dedicated gap, the number of instances of the configured dedicated gap, etc. In some embodiments, the configured dedicated gap period may differ from the default 6 ms measurement period gap, and the configured dedicated gap period may differ from the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap period.

[0123]

[0133] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 700 for measurement gap configuration. In some embodiments, method 700 may be performed by a base station such as eNB 140. In some embodiments, method 700 may be performed by an eNB in a wireless network supporting LTE and / or LTE-M.

[0124]

[0134] In block 710, eNB 140 may receive from UE 120 a dedicated autonomous gap request for performing RSTD measurements, and the dedicated autonomous gap request may include a desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap. In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap request may include an indication that the dedicated autonomous gap is requested for RSTD measurement purposes.

[0125]

[0135] In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap request (e.g., received in block 710) is not limited to, but may include, configuration information for a desired dedicated autonomous gap, such as the length of the dedicated autonomous gap, the period of the dedicated autonomous gap, the number of instances of the desired dedicated autonomous gap, etc. The configuration of the desired dedicated autonomous gap may be based on the length of the positioning opportunity of one or more base stations associated with the network (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes), and / or the period of the positioning opportunity of one or more base stations associated with the network (e.g., 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes). The desired dedicated autonomous gap period may be different from the default 6 ms measurement gap, and the desired dedicated gap period may be different from the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap.

[0126]

[0136] In block 720, eNB 140 may respond to the dedicated autonomous gap request, and the response includes a dedicated autonomous gap configuration. In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap configuration may be based on one or more of the quality of service (QoS) parameters or performance parameters. In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap configuration may include one or more of the length of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, the period of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, or the number of instances of the configured dedicated autonomous gap.

[0127]

[0137] In some embodiments, the eNB 140 may respond to a dedicated autonomous gap request (e.g., at block 720) by configuring a dedicated autonomous gap based on a request for a dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., received at block 710). In some embodiments, for example, the eNB 140 may respond to a dedicated autonomous gap request by configuring a dedicated autonomous gap as requested by the UE 120. In some embodiments, the configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap by the eNB 140 (at block 720) may be based on a request for a dedicated autonomous gap (at block 710), but in some respects may differ from a dedicated gap configuration request (e.g., received at block 710). For example, the eNB 140 may configure a dedicated autonomous gap based at least in part on system or network parameters such as, but not limited to, QoS, performance, etc.

[0128]

[0138] (e.g., at block 720) The response sent to the UE is not limited to, but may include, configuration information for the configured dedicated autonomous gap, such as the length of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, the period of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, the number of instances of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, etc. The configured dedicated autonomous gap period may differ from the default 6 ms measurement gap, and the configured measurement gap period may differ from the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap.

[0129]

[0139] In block 730, the eNB 140 may not schedule data for the UE 120 during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured in block 720 for example). For example, when the request for a dedicated gap (such as received in block 710 for example) indicates the use of an autonomous gap for measurement purposes, the eNB 140 may not schedule data for the UE 120 during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured in block 720 for example).

[0130]

[0140] Alternatively, in block 730, during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured in block 720 for example), the data rate of any transmission from the eNB 140 to the UE 120 may be reduced, thereby limiting any data loss. For example, the data rate may be reduced such that the number of subframes lost during a dedicated autonomous gap period (such as configured in block 720 for example) is relatively small and only appears as fading / channel errors to the eNB. In some embodiments, the data rate may be reduced during a dedicated autonomous gap (such as configured in block 720 for example) while continuing to maintain specified QoS parameters. In some embodiments, the data rate may be reduced during a dedicated autonomous gap (such as configured in block 720 for example) such that any QoS affecting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or Voice over LTE (VoLTE), or other services is decreased or minimized or not noticed by the user.

[0131]

[0141] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method 800 for a dedicated gap configuration. In some embodiments, method 800 may be performed by UE 120, which may take the form of a BL UE, an eMTC UE, or a FeMTC UE. In some embodiments, method 800 may be performed by UE 120 in a wireless network that supports LTE / LTE-M and includes eMTC / FeMTC devices.

[0132]

[0142] At block 810, the UE may receive a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request. For example, the RSTD request may be received from LS 150 or E-SMLC 155. In some embodiments, the RSTD measurement request may include PRS assistance information.

[0133]

[0143] At block 820, the UE may transmit a dedicated autonomous gap request that includes a desired configuration of a dedicated autonomous gap in response to the RSTD measurement request. In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap request may be transmitted to a base station such as eNB 140. In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap request may be transmitted to eNB 140 that is responsible for UE 120.

[0134]

[0144] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the desired autonomous gap (e.g., as requested at block 820) may be determined based on PRS assistance data (e.g., PRS configuration parameters for a reference cell and / or one or more neighboring cells) and / or the current UE operating mode (CE mode - e.g., CE mode A or CE mode B - or NC mode). In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., as requested at block 820) is related to the UE operating mode and the PRS period (T) associated with at least one cell related to the RSTD measurement request. PRS) or the number of sub - frames (N) in each PRS positioning opportunity associated with at least one cell related to RSTD measurement requirements PRS ) or may be at least partially based on one or more of a desired positioning accuracy, or a combination of these. For example, UE120 may determine and transmit a dedicated autonomous gap requirement (e.g., in block 820) based on one or more of the PRS period (T PRS ) for the serving cell and / or each neighboring cell, the number of sub - frames (N PRS ) in each PRS positioning opportunity for the reference cell and / or each neighboring cell, or a desired positioning accuracy, etc.

[0135]

[0145] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap may be determined (additionally or alternatively) at least in part based on the signal environment observed by UE120. For example, the number of observed frequency layers, signal strength, signal interference, etc. In some embodiments, UE120 may transmit a dedicated autonomous gap requirement (e.g., in block 820) in response to a determination that the required RSTD measurement involves multiple carrier frequencies. As another example, UE120 may transmit a dedicated autonomous gap requirement (e.g., in block 820) in response to a determination that the RSTD or PRS measurement involves multiple frequency layers (intra - frequency and / or inter - frequency).

[0136]

[0146] In some embodiments, the desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., required in block 820) may further be based on the capabilities of UE120. For example, at least partially use the range supported by UE120 for a dense PRS configuration and / or the range supported by UE120 for a shorter measurement gap period to determine the desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap.

[0137]

[0147] In some embodiments, the dedicated autonomous gap requirements (e.g., at block 820) are not limited to the length of the required dedicated autonomous gap, the period of the required dedicated autonomous gap, the number of instances of the required dedicated autonomous gap, etc., but may include configuration information for a desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap such as these. The desired configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., required at block 820) may be determined based on the length of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 subframes), and / or the period of the positioning opportunity (e.g., 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 subframes), and / or the time for synchronization within and / or between frequencies, etc. In some embodiments, UE120 is (i) a dedicated autonomous gap period G AN , where 6 ms < G AN ≦ N PRS , and / or (ii) a dedicated autonomous gap period G AP , where, if necessary, T PRS ≦ G AP ≦ 80 ms, or T PRS ≦ G AP ≦ 40 ms, and may request a desired configuration of the dedicated gap.

[0138]

[0148] In block 830, UE 120 may receive a message indicating the configuration of a dedicated autonomous gap in response to the request in block 820. For example, in block 830, UE 120 may receive a message indicating that the configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap corresponds to the requested configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., as requested in block 820). In some embodiments, the configuration of the dedicated autonomous gap (e.g., received in block 830) may be based on the request for the dedicated autonomous gap in (block 820), but may differ in some respects from the dedicated gap configuration request in (e.g., block 820). For example, the dedicated autonomous gap may not be limited to QoS, performance, etc., but may be configured based in part on system or network parameters such as these.

[0139]

[0149] (For example, in block 830) The response received by UE 120 is not limited to the configured length of the dedicated autonomous gap, the configured period of the dedicated autonomous gap, the number of instances of the configured dedicated autonomous gap, etc., but may include configuration information for the configured dedicated autonomous gap such as these. The configured dedicated autonomous gap period may differ from the default 6 ms measurement gap, and the configured dedicated autonomous gap period may differ from the default 40 ms or 80 ms measurement gap.

[0140]

[0150] In block 840, UE 120 may consider the current (first or next) dedicated autonomous gap. In block 850, UE 120 may determine whether PDSCH transmission is scheduled during the current (first or next) dedicated autonomous gap.

[0141]

[0151] If PDSCH transmission is not scheduled during the current (first or next) autonomous gap (i.e., "N" in block 850), in block 870, RSTD measurements may be performed based on the dedicated autonomous gap configuration in block 830.

[0142]

[0152] If PDSCH transmission is scheduled during the current (first or next) autonomous gap (i.e., "Y" in block 850), in block 860, RSTD measurements may be performed based on the dedicated autonomous gap configuration (such as configured in step 830). Further, in block 860, decode the threshold number of PDSCH symbols. Further, in some embodiments, based on the decoding, UE 120 may send an ACK / NAK signal to the serving eNB 140. Thereafter, another iteration may be started in block 840.

[0143]

[0153] FIG. 9 shows a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of UE 120. In some embodiments, UE 120 and / or processor 902 may execute, or be configured to execute, the UE portions of message flows 400 and / or 450, and methods 600 and / or 800. Further, UE 120 and / or processor 902 may be adapted to request a dedicated gap configuration, process a dedicated gap configuration response, and perform RSTD / OTDOA measurements using PRS assistance data 918. UE 120 may take the form of a BL UE, an eMTC UE, or a FeMTC UE.

[0144]

[0154] UE120 may include, for example, one or more processors 902, a memory 904, and a transceiver 910 (e.g., a wireless network interface), which may be operably coupled to the memory 904 by one or more connections 906 (e.g., a bus, a line, a fiber, a link, etc.). In one exemplary implementation, all or a portion of UE120 may take the form of a chipset and / or the like. The transceiver 910 may include, for example, a transmitter 912 that enables the transmission of one or more signals through one or more types of wireless communication networks, and a receiver 914 for receiving one or more signals transmitted through one or more types of wireless communication networks.

[0145]

[0155] Processor 902 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, processor 902 may use data such as PRS assistance data 918, read and execute program code such as UE PRS assistance data engine 916, and execute the disclosed functions. In some embodiments, the program code for UE PRS assistance data engine 916 may be present in memory 904 together with PRS assistance data 918. The program code for UE PRS assistance data engine 916 may be retrieved from memory 904 and executed by processor 902. PRS assistance data 918 may include OTDOA assistance information (including information for non-serving cells). UE 120 and / or processor 920 may execute a portion of message flows 400 and / or 450, as well as methods 600 and / or 800. For example, processor 902 may retrieve and process PRS assistance data 918 including OTDOA assistance information for a reference cell and / or an adjacent cell, etc., by executing code for UE PRS assistance data engine 916, at least in part. UE 120 and / or processor 902 may generate a request for a dedicated gap, including a dedicated measurement gap or a dedicated autonomous gap, process a configuration message received from base station / eNB 140, and / or be configured to configure a dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap based on the configuration message.

[0146]

[0156] In some embodiments, UE120 may include one or more UE antennas (not shown), which may be internal or external. The UE antennas may be used to receive and / or transmit signals, which may be processed by transceiver 910. In some embodiments, UE120 may measure the arrival time of received signals and perform OTDOA / RSTD measurements, and the raw measurements may be processed by processor 902. In some embodiments, UE120 may determine its location based on the RSTD measurements, or may send the RSTD measurements to LS150 or E-SMLC155, and LS150 or E-SMLC155 may determine the location of UE120 based on the RSTD measurements.

[0147]

[0157] The methodologies described herein may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, these methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, processor 902 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0148]

[0158] For the implementation of firmware and / or software, these methodologies may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions may be used in implementing the methodologies described herein. For example, software code may be stored in a computer-readable medium, which may form part of memory 904. Program code (e.g., UE PRS support data engine 916) may be read and executed by processor 902. The memory may be implemented within the processor unit or external to processor 902. As used herein, the term “memory” refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory and is not limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memories are stored.

[0149]

[0159] When implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code (e.g., UE PTS support data engine 916) on a computer-readable medium, and the computer-readable medium may form part of memory 904. For example, memory 904 may include program code such as UE PRS support data engine 916 to generate desired dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap requests and / or process configured dedicated (measurement or autonomous) gap responses and / or support OTDOA / RSTD measurements using PRS support data 918 and / or facilitate UE position determination and support LPP / LPPe and other protocols.

[0150]

[0160] A computer-readable medium may include a physical computer storage medium. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM (registered trademark), CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code 908 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc as used herein include compact disc (CD), laser disc (registered trademark), optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk (registered trademark), and Blu-ray disc (registered trademark). A disk typically reads data magnetically, while a disc optically reads data using a laser. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0151]

[0161] Memory 904 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 904 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although illustrated in this example as being separate from processor 902, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within processor 902, or alternatively, may be collocated / associated with processor 902. Secondary memory may include the same or a similar type of memory as primary memory, as well as, for example, one or more data storage devices or systems such as a disk drive, optical disk drive, tape drive, solid state memory drive, etc. In one implementation, secondary memory may be operably receptive of, or alternatively, may be configured to couple to, a computer-readable medium.

[0152]

[0162] Thus, in one exemplary implementation, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of all or a portion of a computer-readable medium (which may form a portion of memory 904), the computer-readable medium may include computer-executable instructions stored thereon, and the computer-executable instructions may be operable to cause, when executed by processor 902, all or a portion of the exemplary operations described herein to be performed.

[0153]

[0163] FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating base station / eNB 140. In some embodiments, base station eNB 140 and / or processor 1052 may execute, or may be configured to execute, the base station / eNB portions of message flows 400 and / or 450, and methods 500 and / or 700. Further, base station / eNB 140 may enable processing requests for gap configurations, determining appropriate gap configurations, generating gap configuration responses, etc.

[0154]

[0164] In some embodiments, base station / eNB 140 may include, for example, one or more processors 1052, memory 1054, and (where applicable) communication interface 1090 (e.g., wireline or wireless network interface), which may be operably coupled to one or more connections 1056 (e.g., bus, line, fiber, link, etc.). In one exemplary implementation, some portions of base station / eNB 140 may take the form of a chipset and / or the like.

[0155]

[0165] Communication interface 1090 may include various wired and wireless communications that support wired transmission and / or reception, and additionally or alternatively support the transmission and reception of one or more signals across one or more types of wireless communication networks, if desired. Communication interface 1090 may also include interfaces for communication with various other computers and peripheral devices. For example, in one embodiment, communication interface 1090 may comprise a network interface card, an input / output card, a chip, and / or an ASIC that implements one or more of the communication functions performed by NB140. In some embodiments, communication interface 1090 may also interface with network 130 (FIG. 1A) to obtain various network configuration related information.

[0156]

[0166] Processor 1052 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. In some embodiments, processor 1052 may process requests for gap configuration, determine an appropriate gap configuration, and generate gap configuration responses and the like.

[0157]

[0167] The methodologies described herein in the flowcharts and message flows may be implemented by various means depending on the application. For example, these methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, processor 1052 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0158]

[0168] For a firmware and / or software implementation, the methodologies may be realized using procedures, functions, etc. that perform the functions described herein. In some embodiments, for a software and / or firmware implementation, the program code for performing the functions associated with eNB 140 as described herein may be stored in memory 1054. The program code may be read and executed by processor 1052. In some embodiments, memory 1054 may comprise a machine-readable medium. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions may be used in implementing the methodologies described herein. For example, the software may be stored in a removable medium, and the removable medium may form part of memory 1054. The program code may be present in memory 1054 (e.g., on a computer-readable medium) and read and executed by processor 1052. The memory may be realized within or outside of processor 1052. As used herein, the term “memory” refers to any type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or other memory and is not limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.

[0159]

[0169] When implemented in firmware and / or software, the function may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium, and the computer-readable medium may form part of memory 1054. For example, memory 1054 may include program code, which may be read by processor 1052 and, when executed, may process requests for a gap configuration received by BS140, determine an appropriate gap configuration, generate a gap configuration response, and so on.

[0160]

[0170] The computer-readable medium that may form part of memory 1054 may include various physical computer storage media. The storage media may be any available media accessible by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other media that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disc, and Blu-ray disc, and disk typically reproduces data magnetically, while disc reproduces data optically using a laser. Other embodiments of non-transitory computer-readable media include flash devices, USB drives, solid state drives, memory cards, and the like. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0161]

[0171] Memory 1054 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 1054 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. The primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, non-volatile RAM, etc. Although illustrated in this example as being separate from processor 1052, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within processor 1052, or alternatively, may be collocated / associated with processor 1052. The secondary memory may include, for example, the same or a similar type of memory as the primary memory, and / or one or more data storage devices including, for example, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, tape devices, solid state drives, etc. In some embodiments, memory 1054 may comprise one or more databases capable of holding information regarding various entities in system 100 and / or a wider cellular network. In some embodiments, the information in the database may be read, used, and / or updated by processor 1052 during various calculations including, for example, determining an appropriate gap configuration, processing UE requests, etc. In one implementation, the secondary memory may be operably receptive of, or alternatively, may be configurable to be coupled to, a computer-readable medium.

[0162]

[0172] Thus, in one exemplary implementation, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form of all or a portion of a computer-readable medium (which may form a portion of the memory) that includes computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by processor 1052, may be operable to perform all or a portion of the exemplary operations described herein.

[0163]

[0173] FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating LS150, which in some embodiments may take the form of E-SMLC155. In some embodiments, LS150 and / or E-SMLC155 and / or processor 1152 may execute or may be configured to execute the LS portion of message flows 400 and / or 450.

[0164]

[0174] In some embodiments, LS150 and / or E-SMLC155 may include, for example, one or more processors 1152, memory 1154, and (where applicable) communication interface 1190 (e.g., a wireline or wireless network interface), and communication interface 1190 may be operably coupled to one or more connections 1156 (e.g., buses, lines, fibers, links, etc.). In one exemplary implementation, some portions of LS150 and / or E-SMLC155 may take the form of a chipset and / or the like.

[0165]

[0175] Communication interface 1190 may include various wired and wireless communications that support wired transmission and / or reception, and may additionally or alternatively support the transmission and reception of one or more signals across one or more types of wireless communication networks if desired. Communication interface 1190 may also include an interface for communication with various other computers and peripheral devices. For example, in one embodiment, communication interface 1190 may include a network interface card, input / output card, chip, and / or ASIC that implements one or more of the communication functions performed by LS150 and / or E-SMLC155. In some embodiments, communication interface 1190 may also interface with network 130 (FIG. 1A) to obtain various network configuration related information.

[0166]

[0176] Processor 1152 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. In some embodiments, processor 1152 on LS150 / E-SMLC155 may process requests related to location determination, determine UE capabilities, interface with other network entities to facilitate UE location determination, and / or determine UE location information.

[0167]

[0177] The methodologies described herein in the flowchart and message flow may be implemented by various means, depending on the application. For example, these methodologies may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For a hardware implementation, processor 1152 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0168]

[0178] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methodology may be implemented using procedures, functions, etc. that perform the functions described herein. In some embodiments, for a software and / or firmware implementation, program code for performing the functions associated with LS150 and / or E-SMLC155 as described herein may be stored in memory 1154. The program code may be read and executed by processor 1152. In some embodiments, memory 1154 may comprise a machine-readable medium. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions may be used in implementing the methodology described herein. For example, the software may be stored in a removable medium, and the removable medium may form part of memory 1154. The program code may be present in memory 1154 (e.g., on a computer-readable medium) and may be read and executed by processor 1152. The memory may be realized within or external to processor 1152. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory and is not limited to any particular type of memory or number of memories, or the type of medium on which the memories are stored.

[0169]

[0179] When implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium, and the computer-readable medium may form part of memory 1154. For example, memory 1154 may comprise program code that, when read and executed by processor 1152, may process requests related to location determination, assistance data, etc. received by LS150 and / or E-SMLC155.

[0170]

[0180] The computer-readable medium that can form a part of the memory 1154 may include various physical computer storage media. The storage medium may refer to any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc (registered trademark), optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy (registered trademark) disk, and Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc. A disk typically reads data magnetically, while a disc reads data optically using a laser. Other embodiments of non-transitory computer-readable media include flash devices, USB drives, solid state drives, memory cards, etc. The above combinations should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0171]

[0181] Memory 1154 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 1154 may include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, non-volatile RAM, etc. Although illustrated separately from processor 1152 in this example, it should be understood that all or a portion of the primary memory may be provided within processor 1152, or otherwise collocated / associated with processor 1152. Secondary memory may include, for example, memory of the same or a similar type as primary memory, and / or one or more data storage devices including, for example, hard disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid state memory drives, etc. In some embodiments, memory 1154 may comprise one or more databases that may hold information regarding various entities in system 100 and / or a wider cellular network. In some embodiments, the information in the database may be read, used, and / or updated by processor 1152 during various computations. In one implementation, secondary memory may be operable to receive a computer-readable medium, or otherwise be configurable to couple to a computer-readable medium.

[0172]

[0182] Thus, in one exemplary implementation, the methods and / or apparatuses presented herein may take the form of all or a portion of a computer-readable medium that may include computer-executable instructions stored thereon (which may form a part of memory 1154), which, when executed by processor 1152, may be operable to perform all or a portion of the exemplary operations as described herein.

[0173]

[0183] Although the present disclosure has been described in connection with specific embodiments for purposes of illustration, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Various adaptations and modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the foregoing description. The invention described in the original claims of the present application is appended below. [1] In a method related to a UE, receiving, at the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request; and transmitting, by the UE, in response to the RSTD measurement request, a dedicated gap request including a configuration of one or more dedicated gaps to a base station (BS); and receiving, at the UE, in response to the dedicated gap request, a message including a dedicated gap configuration. [2] The method according to [1], wherein the dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message includes a dedicated measurement gap configuration. [3] The RSTD measurement request includes positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, and the dedicated gap request including a request for the dedicated measurement gap is further transmitted in response to at least one of: a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves multiple carrier frequencies, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves one or more intra-frequency measurements by the UE, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement request exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that a default LTE measurement gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRS ) associated with the RSTD measurement request, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the number (N PRS ) of subframes in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement request exceeds a threshold. The method according to [2]. [4] The dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message includes the dedicated autonomous gap configuration as described in [1]. [5] The RSTD measurement request includes positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap request including a request for the dedicated autonomous gap, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves multiple carrier frequencies, or, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves inter-frequency measurement by the UE, or, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves intra-frequency measurement by the UE, or, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement request exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) autonomous gap period, or, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that a default LTE autonomous gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRS ) associated with the RSTD measurement request, or, A determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the number of subframes (N PRS ) in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement request exceeds a threshold, and is further transmitted in response to at least one of them as described in [4]. [6] The configuration required for the one or more dedicated gaps, the current operating mode of the UE, or, at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) period (T PRS ) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement request, or, the number of subframes (N PRS ) in the PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or, the desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or, a combination of these, is based at least in part on one or more of them, and the position of the UE will be determined based on a plurality of RSTD measurements performed by the UE in response to the RSTD measurement request as described in [1]. [7] The PRS period (T) associated with the at least one BS PRS ) or at least one of the number (N PRS ) of subframes during a PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS is provided as PRS assistance information, according to the method described in [6]. [8] The current operating mode of the UE is one of coverage extension (CE) mode A, or CE mode B, or normal coverage (NC) mode, according to the method described in [6]. [9] The UE is one of a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an extended machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further extended MTC (FeMTC) UE, according to the method described in [1].

[10] The configuration required for the one or more dedicated gaps is the required dedicated gap period, or the required dedicated gap cycle, or the number of required dedicated gap instances, or a combination of these, including at least one of these, according to the method described in [1].

[11] The required dedicated gap period and the required dedicated gap cycle are each different from the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and the default LTE measurement gap cycle, according to the method described in

[10] .

[12] The dedicated gap configuration is the configured dedicated gap period, or the configured dedicated gap cycle, or the number of configured dedicated gap instances, or a combination of these, including at least one of these, according to the method described in [1].

[13] The configured dedicated gap period and the configured dedicated gap cycle are each different from the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and the default LTE measurement gap cycle, according to the method described in

[12] .

[14] In a user equipment (UE), a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to receive a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request in the UE, in response to the RSTD measurement request, transmit a dedicated gap request including the configuration required for one or more dedicated gaps from the UE to a first base station (BS), and configured to receive a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request in the UE.

[15] The dedicated gap requirement includes a requirement for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message includes the dedicated measurement gap configuration of the UE described in

[14] .

[16] The RSTD measurement requirement includes positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap requirement that includes a requirement for a dedicated measurement gap is a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves inter-frequency measurement by the UE for one or more frequencies, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves intra-frequency measurement by the UE for one or more frequencies, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the default LTE measurement gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRS ) associated with the RSTD measurement requirement, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the number of subframes (N PRS ) in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a threshold value, and the UE described in

[15] is further transmitted in response to at least one of them.

[17] The dedicated gap requirement includes a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message includes the dedicated autonomous gap configuration of the UE described in

[14] .

[18] The RSTD measurement requirement includes positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap requirement that includes a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap is a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves inter-frequency measurement by the UE for one or more frequencies, or a determination partially based on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves intra-frequency measurement by the UE for one or more frequencies, or A determination, at least in part based on the PRS assistance information, that an estimated time to perform at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirements exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) autonomous gap period, or A determination, at least in part based on the PRS assistance information, that a default LTE autonomous gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T PRS ) associated with the RSTD measurement requirements, or A determination, at least in part based on the PRS assistance information, that a number of subframes (N PRS ) during at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirements exceeds a threshold, A UE as described in

[17] that is further transmitted in response to at least one of the above.

[19] The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is Based at least in part on one or more of the current operating mode of the UE, or A PRS period (T PRS ) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement requirements, or A number of subframes (N PRS ) during a PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or A desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or A combination of these, And is at least in part based on one or more of the above, The position of the UE is determined based on a plurality of RSTD measurements performed by the UE in response to the RSTD measurement requirements, as described in

[14] .

[20] The current operating mode of the UE is one of coverage extension (CE) mode A, or CE mode B, or normal coverage (NC) mode, as described in

[19] .

[21] The UE is one of a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UE, as described in

[14] .

[22] The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is The required dedicated gap period, or The required dedicated gap cycle, or The number of required dedicated gap instances, or A combination of these, And includes at least one of the above, as described in

[14] .

[23] The dedicated gap configuration is The configured dedicated gap period, or The configured dedicated gap cycle, or The number of configured dedicated gap instances, or combinations thereof, The UE according to

[14] , comprising at least one of these.

[24] The configured dedicated gap period and the configured dedicated gap cycle are different from the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and the default LTE measurement gap cycle respectively, in the UE according to

[23] .

[25] In a user equipment (UE), means for receiving, in the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request; means for transmitting, from the UE to a base station (BS), a dedicated gap request including a configuration required for one or more dedicated gaps in response to the RSTD measurement request; The UE comprising means for receiving, in the UE, a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request.

[26] The dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message includes a dedicated measurement gap configuration, in the UE according to

[25] .

[27] The dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message includes a dedicated autonomous gap configuration, in the UE according to

[25] .

[28] In a non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions, the executable instructions configure a processor on a user equipment (UE) to receive, in the UE, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request; transmit, from the UE to a base station (BS), a dedicated gap request including a configuration required for one or more dedicated gaps in response to the RSTD measurement request; receive, in the UE, a message including a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request, the non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[29] The dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message includes a dedicated measurement gap configuration, in the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to

[28] .

[30] The dedicated gap request includes a request for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message includes a dedicated autonomous gap configuration, in the non-transitory computer-readable medium according to

[28] .

Claims

1. In a method for a UE, in the UE, receiving a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request from an entity in a radio network, where the UE is a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an extended machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further extended MTC (FeMTC) UE, and the RSTD measurement request involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, transmitting, by the UE, a dedicated gap request comprising a configuration required for one or more dedicated gaps to a base station (BS) in response to the RSTD measurement request, the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps comprises a gap period of at least 14 ms or a gap cycle greater than 80 ms, the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is at least partially based on the current operating mode of the UE, the current operating mode of the UE is a coverage enhancement (CE) mode in which message repetition is used to facilitate increased coverage, the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is related to a positioning reference signal (PRS) period (T_PRS) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement request, or the number of subframes (N_PRS) in a PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or the desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or a combination thereof, and is further at least partially based on one or more of these, in the UE, receiving a message comprising a dedicated RSTD measurement gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request, measuring a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRS) during the dedicated RSTD measurement gap comprising, The data loss by the UE in the dedicated gap is limited by using, in the dedicated gap, a rate reduced from the rate of transmission of data used outside the dedicated gap by the base station, method.

2. The dedicated gap request comprises a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message comprises a dedicated RSTD measurement gap configuration, according to the method of claim 1.

3. The RSTD measurement request comprises positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap request comprising the request for the dedicated measurement gap is a determination based in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement request involves a plurality of carrier frequencies, or a determination based in part on the PRS assistance information that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement request exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period, or a determination based in part on the PRS assistance information that a default LTE measurement gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T ＰＲＳ ) associated with the RSTD measurement request, or a determination based in part on the PRS assistance information that the number of subframes (N ＰＲＳ ) in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement request exceeds a threshold, The method of claim 2, further transmitted in response to at least one of

4. The dedicated gap request comprises a request for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message comprises a dedicated autonomous RSTD measurement gap configuration, according to the method of claim 1.

5. The RSTD measurement requirements include positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap requirements, which include requirements for the dedicated autonomous gap, A determination, based at least in part on the PRS assistance information, that the RSTD measurement requirements involve multiple carrier frequencies, or A determination, based at least in part on the PRS assistance information, that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirements exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) autonomous gap period, or A determination, based at least in part on the PRS assistance information, that a default LTE autonomous gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T ＰＲＳ ) associated with the RSTD measurement requirements, or A determination, based at least in part on the PRS assistance information, that a number (N ＰＲＳ ) of subframes in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirements exceeds a threshold, The method according to claim 4, further transmitted in response to at least one of the foregoing. **Claim 6**: The method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the UE is determined based on a plurality of RSTD measurements performed by the UE in response to the RSTD measurement requirements. **Claim 7** At least one of a PRS period (T ＰＲＳ ) associated with the at least one BS, or a number (N ＰＲＳ ) of subframes in a PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, is provided as PRS assistance information, the method according to claim 1. **Claim 8** The configuration required for the one or more dedicated gaps is The required dedicated gap period, or The required dedicated gap cycle, or The number of required dedicated gap instances, or The method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of these combinations, The method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of these combinations,

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the required dedicated gap period and the required dedicated gap cycle are each different from a default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and a default LTE measurement gap cycle.

10. The dedicated RSTD measurement gap configuration is a configured dedicated gap period, or a configured dedicated gap cycle, or a number of configured dedicated gap instances, or these combinations, The method according to claim 1, comprising at least one of these combinations,

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the configured dedicated gap period and the configured dedicated gap cycle are each different from a default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and a default LTE measurement gap cycle.

12. In a user equipment (UE), a transceiver, and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor in the UE, receives a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request from an entity in a radio network, and the UE is a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an extended machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further extended MTC (FeMTC) UE, and the RSTD measurement request involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, in response to the RSTD measurement request, transmits a dedicated gap request comprising a required configuration of one or more dedicated gaps from the UE to a first base station (BS), The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps comprises a gap period of at least 14 ms or a gap cycle greater than 80 ms, The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is at least partially based on the current operating mode of the UE, The current operating mode of the UE is a coverage enhancement (CE) mode in which message repetition is used to facilitate increased coverage, The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is a positioning reference signal (PRS) period (TPRS) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement requirement, or, the number of subframes (NPRS) in the PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or, the desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or, combinations thereof, and is further at least partially based on one or more of In the UE, in response to the dedicated gap request, receiving a message including a dedicated gap configuration, measuring a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRS) during a dedicated RSTD measurement gap, and is configured to perform Data loss by the UE during the dedicated gap is limited by the base station using, during the dedicated gap, a rate that is reduced from the rate of transmission of data used outside the dedicated gap. UE.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein the dedicated gap request comprises a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message comprises a dedicated measurement gap configuration.

14. The RSTD measurement requirement comprises positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap requirement including the requirement for the dedicated measurement gap is a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that a default LTE measurement gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T ＰＲＳ ) associated with the RSTD measurement requirement, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that a number of subframes (N ＰＲＳ ) in at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a threshold, The UE according to claim 13, further transmitted in response to at least one of them.

15. The dedicated gap requirement includes a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message includes a dedicated autonomous RSTD measurement gap configuration. The UE according to claim 12.

16. The RSTD measurement requirement includes positioning reference signal (PRS) assistance information, The dedicated gap requirement including the requirement for the dedicated autonomous gap is a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that the RSTD measurement requirement involves multiple carrier frequencies, or a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that an estimated time for performing at least one RSTD measurement specified in the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a default long term evolution (LTE) autonomous gap period, or a default LTE autonomous gap period exceeds at least one PRS period (T ＰＲＳa determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information that exceeds, or the number of subframes (N ＰＲＳ ) during at least one PRS positioning opportunity associated with the RSTD measurement requirement exceeds a threshold, a determination based at least in part on the PRS assistance information, The UE according to claim 15, further transmitted in response to at least one of **Claim 17** The position of the UE is determined based on a plurality of RSTD measurements performed by the UE in response to the RSTD measurement requirement, the UE according to claim 12. **Claim 18** The required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is the required dedicated gap period, or the required dedicated gap cycle, or the number of required dedicated gap instances, or a combination thereof, The UE according to claim 12, comprising at least one of **Claim 19** The dedicated RSTD measurement gap configuration is the configured dedicated gap period, or the configured dedicated gap cycle, or the number of configured dedicated gap instances, or a combination thereof, The UE according to claim 12, comprising at least one of **Claim 20** The configured dedicated gap period and the configured dedicated gap cycle are different from the default long term evolution (LTE) measurement gap period and the default LTE measurement gap cycle, respectively, the UE according to claim 19. **Claim 21** In a user equipment (UE), In the UE, means for receiving a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request from an entity in a radio network, wherein the UE is a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UE, and the RSTD measurement request involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, means for transmitting, from the UE to a base station (BS), a dedicated gap request comprising a configuration required for one or more dedicated gaps in response to the RSTD measurement request; the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps comprises a gap period of at least 14 ms or a gap cycle greater than 80 ms; the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is at least partially based on the current operating mode of the UE; the current operating mode of the UE is a coverage extension (CE) mode in which message repetition is used to facilitate increased coverage; the required configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is at least partially further based on one or more of a positioning reference signal (PRS) period (T_PRS) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement request, or the number of subframes (N_PRS) in a PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or the desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or combinations thereof, and means for receiving, in the UE, a message comprising a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap request; means for measuring a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRS) during a dedicated RSTD measurement gap; and is provided. Data loss by the UE in the dedicated gap is limited by using, in the dedicated gap, a rate that is reduced compared to the rate of transmission of data used outside the dedicated gap by the base station. UE.

22. The dedicated gap request comprises a request for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message comprises a dedicated measurement gap configuration. The UE according to claim 21.

23. The dedicated gap request comprises a request for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message comprises a dedicated autonomous gap configuration. The UE according to claim 21.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including executable instructions, The executable instructions cause a processor on a user equipment (UE) to, In the UE, receive a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement request from an entity in a radio network, and the UE is one of a bandwidth reduction low complexity (BL) UE, or an extended machine type communication (eMTC) UE, or a further extended MTC (FeMTC) UE, and the RSTD measurement request involves one or more inter-frequency measurements by the UE, In response to the RSTD measurement request, transmit from the UE to a base station (BS) a dedicated gap request comprising a configuration requesting one or more dedicated gaps, The requested configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps comprises a gap period of at least 14 ms or a gap cycle greater than 80 ms, The requested configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is at least partially based on the current operating mode of the UE, The current operating mode of the UE is a coverage extension (CE) mode in which message repetition is used to facilitate increased coverage, The requested configuration of the one or more dedicated gaps is A positioning reference signal (PRS) period (TPRS) associated with at least one base station (BS) related to the RSTD measurement requirement, or, The number of subframes (NPRS) in the PRS positioning opportunity associated with the at least one BS, or, The desired accuracy for the position of the UE, or, Combinations thereof, Based at least in part on one or more of: In the UE, receiving a message with a dedicated gap configuration in response to the dedicated gap requirement; Measuring a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRS) during a dedicated RSTD measurement gap; Configured to perform: Data loss by the UE during the dedicated gap is limited by the base station using a rate in the dedicated gap that is reduced compared to the rate of transmission of data used outside the dedicated gap. A computer-readable medium. **Claim 25** The computer-readable medium according to claim 24, wherein the dedicated gap requirement comprises a requirement for a dedicated measurement gap, and the message comprises a dedicated measurement gap configuration. **Claim 26** The computer-readable medium according to claim 24, wherein the dedicated gap requirement comprises a requirement for a dedicated autonomous gap, and the message comprises a dedicated autonomous gap configuration.

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