Method and apparatus for transmitting and receiving signals in wireless communication system

Abstract

A method by which a wireless communication device transmits a signal, according to at least one of embodiments disclosed in the present specification, comprises: receiving reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers by means of higher layer signaling; receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal via at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein the reference signal may be transmitted also on the at least one deactivated or dormant carrier, on the basis that bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers is configured for the reference signal by means of the reference signal configuration information.

Description

Method and device for transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless communication system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method for transmitting or receiving an uplink / downlink signal and a device therefor.

[0002] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication services, such as voice and data. Typically, wireless communication systems are multiple access systems that support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmission power). Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), and single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA).

[0003] PRS / SRS BW aggregation is a technology that aggregates and measures PRS / SRS on multiple PFLs / carriers to improve positioning accuracy. It was introduced. The base station performs BW aggregation based on the LMF's request / judgment.

[0004] Meanwhile, some of the multiple carriers may be switched to a deactivation or dormancy state according to the judgment and instructions of the base station, and such deactivation or dormancy operation may cause a problem of deterioration in BW aggregation performance.

[0005] The technical problem to be solved is to provide a method and a device for transmitting or receiving signals more accurately and efficiently in a wireless communication system. For example, the technical problem to be solved may include providing a method and a device for more efficiently managing / controlling the operation of UL carriers related to data communication, such as deactivation or dormancy operations, and the operation of UL carriers related to positioning, such as BW aggregation, when multiple UL carriers are set and operated for a terminal.

[0006] The technical task to be achieved is not limited to this, and other technical tasks can be inferred from the disclosed embodiments.

[0007] A method for transmitting a signal by a wireless communication device according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: receiving reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers through upper layer signaling; receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein transmission of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one deactivated or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal configuration information.

[0008] Transmission of the reference signal can be performed without transmission of the data signal on at least one of the inactive or dormant carriers.

[0009] The above control information may include information on whether the inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier is for data communication management or positioning.

[0010] Based on the fact that the inactivity or dormancy of at least one carrier is for the purpose of managing the data communication, transmission of the reference signal may be performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0011] The above bandwidth aggregation settings may include multiple sub-settings, each related to a different set of carriers.

[0012] Transmission of the above reference signal may be performed based on specific sub-settings related to a set of carriers including at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0013] The specific sub-settings to be used for transmission of the above reference signal may be determined based on instructions from the network.

[0014] The specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the reference signal may be determined based on inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier.

[0015] The specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the above reference signal can be determined based on a predetermined priority rule.

[0016] The above wireless communication device may be a terminal.

[0017] The above reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0018] A non-transitory recording medium storing instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations when executed by a processor according to another aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the operations performed by the processor include receiving reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers via upper layer signaling; receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal via at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein transmission of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one deactivated or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal via the reference signal configuration information.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication device comprises: a memory storing instructions; and a processor operating by executing the instructions, wherein the operation of the processor includes receiving reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers through upper layer signaling; receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein transmission of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal configuration information.

[0020] The above wireless communication device may further include a transmitter and receiver.

[0021] The above wireless communication device may be a terminal.

[0022] The above wireless communication device may be a processing device configured to control a terminal.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for receiving a signal by a wireless communication device includes transmitting reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers through upper layer signaling; transmitting control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and receiving at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein reception of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one deactivated or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal configuration information.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication device comprises: a memory storing instructions; and a processor operating by executing the instructions, wherein the operation of the processor includes transmitting reference signal configuration information related to a plurality of carriers through upper layer signaling; transmitting control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and receiving at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, wherein reception of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal configuration information.

[0025] According to one embodiment, signals can be transmitted or received more accurately and efficiently in a wireless communication system. More specifically, according to at least one embodiment, when multiple UL carriers are configured and operated for a terminal, the operation of UL carriers related to data communication and UL carriers related to positioning can be more efficiently managed / controlled, thereby not only improving the operational efficiency of the terminal but also ensuring the expected positioning accuracy from an LMF perspective.

[0026] The technical effects are not limited thereto and other technical effects can be inferred from the disclosed embodiments.

[0027] Figure 1 illustrates physical channels used in a 3GPP system, which is an example of a wireless communication system, and a general signal transmission method using the channels.

[0028] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of positioning protocol settings.

[0029] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of Multi RTT.

[0030] Figure 4 illustrates the positioning structure of a next generation RAN (radio access network).

[0031] Figure 5 illustrates an example of location services supported by NG-RAN.

[0032] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a sensing operation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates a procedure related to a sensing operation according to one embodiment of the present specification.

[0034] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a terminal operation proposed according to one embodiment.

[0035] Figure 9 illustrates an example of base station operation proposed according to one embodiment.

[0036] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining signal transmission and reception between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to one embodiment.

[0037] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a signal transmission method of a first wireless communication device according to one embodiment.

[0038] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a signal receiving method of a second wireless communication device according to one embodiment.

[0039] Figure 13 illustrates a flexible network topology to which some examples of this specification may be applied.

[0040] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of a communication system applicable to the present disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a wireless device applicable to the present disclosure.

[0042] As used herein, "A or B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." In other words, as used herein, "A or B" can be interpreted as "A and / or B." For example, as used herein, "A, B or C" can mean "only A," "only B," "only C," or "any combination of A, B and C."

[0043] As used herein, a slash ( / ) or a comma can mean "and / or." For example, "A / B" can mean "A and / or B." Accordingly, "A / B" can mean "only A," "only B," or "both A and B." For example, "A, B, C" can mean "A, B, or C."

[0044] In this specification, "at least one of A and B" may mean "only A", "only B" or "both A and B". Additionally, in this specification, the expressions "at least one of A or B" or "at least one of A and / or B" may be interpreted identically to "at least one of A and B".

[0045] Additionally, in this specification, “at least one of A, B and C” can mean “only A,” “only B,” “only C,” or “any combination of A, B and C.” Additionally, “at least one of A, B or C” or “at least one of A, B and / or C” can mean “at least one of A, B and C.”

[0046] Additionally, parentheses used herein may mean "for example." Specifically, when "control information (ABC)" is indicated, "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." For example, "control information" may include DEF as another example. In other words, "control information" in this specification is not limited to "ABC," and "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information." Furthermore, even when indicated as "control information (i.e., ABC)," "ABC" may be described as an example of "control information."

[0047] Additionally, in this specification, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component and are not used to limit the components, and do not limit the order or importance between the components unless specifically limited. Accordingly, a first component in one embodiment of this specification may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and similarly, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0048] In the following explanation, ‘when, if, in case of’ can be replaced with ‘based on’.

[0049] Technical features individually described in a single drawing in this specification may be implemented individually or simultaneously.

[0050] In this specification, a terminal is a user equipment (UE) or a consumer-side device, and may also be referred to as a base station / second node / IAB node / first node that receives / transmits signals from / to a Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A terminal may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A terminal may correspond to an endpoint on the user side, or may correspond to an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points that are not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a terminal may correspond to a served node. A terminal may be a node with a fixed location, or a node with an unfixed location (or mobile).

[0051] In this specification, a base station (BS) is a device on the network side, and may also be called a second node / IAB node / x-NodeB (x-NodeB, x may be an abbreviation related to radio access technology (RAT)) / Transmission-Reception Point (TRP). A BS may correspond to a physical node or a logical node. A BS may correspond to an endpoint on the network side, or may correspond to an intermediate point between other endpoints. In communication between two points that are not limited to endpoints (including one-to-one / many-to-one / one-to-many / many-to-many communication), a BS may correspond to a serving node. A BS may be a node with a fixed location, or a node with an unfixed location.

[0052] In this specification, higher layer parameters may be set for the terminal, preset, or predefined. For example, the base station may transmit higher layer parameters to the terminal. For example, the terminal may transmit parameters such as capabilities to the base station as higher layer parameters. For example, the higher layer parameters may be transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or medium access control (MAC) signaling.

[0053] In this specification, the information / state / parameter being “configured or pre-configured” can be interpreted as the information / state / parameter being provided / pre-provided to the terminal through pre-defined signaling (e.g., SIB, MAC, RRC) from the base station. In this specification, the information / state / parameter being “defined or pre-defined” can be interpreted as the information / state / parameter being known in advance or pre-stored at the base station and the terminal without signaling between the base station and the terminal.

[0054] The technology described in this specification can be used in various wireless communication systems such as CDMA (code division multiple access), FDMA (frequency division multiple access), TDMA (time division multiple access), OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access), and SC-FDMA (single carrier frequency division multiple access). CDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as UTRA (universal terrestrial radio access) or CDMA2000. TDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as GSM (global system for mobile communications) / GPRS (general packet radio service) / EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). OFDMA can be implemented with wireless technologies such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802-20, E-UTRA (evolved UTRA), LTE (long term evolution), and 5G NR.

[0055] The technology described in this specification can be implemented with 6G wireless technology and applied to various 6G systems. For example, the 6G system can have key factors such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), artificial intelligence (AI) integrated communication, tactile internet, high throughput, high network capacity, high energy efficiency, low backhaul and access network congestion, and enhanced data security.

[0056] The following documents may be referenced for background information, definitions of terms, abbreviations, etc. related to the present invention (Incorporated by Reference).

[0057] - 38.211: Physical channels and modulation

[0058] - 38.212: Multiplexing and channel coding

[0059] - 38.213: Physical layer procedures for control

[0060] - 38.214: Physical layer procedures for data

[0061] - 38.215: Physical layer measurements

[0062] - 38.300: NR and NG-RAN Overall Description

[0063] - 38.304: User Equipment (UE) procedures in idle mode and in RRC Inactive state

[0064] - 38.321Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol specification

[0065] - 38.331: Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol specification

[0066] - 37.213: Introduction of channel access procedures to unlicensed spectrum for NR-based access

[0067] - 36.355: LTE Positioning Protocol

[0068] - 37.355: LTE Positioning Protocol

[0069] 용어 및 약어

[0070] - 5GC: 5G Core Network

[0071] - 5GS: 5G System

[0072] - AoA: Angle of Arrival

[0073] - AP: Access Point

[0074] - CID: Cell ID

[0075] - E-CID: Enhanced Cell ID

[0076] - GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System

[0077] - GPS: Global Positioning System

[0078] - LCS: LoCation Service

[0079] - LMF: Location Management Function

[0080] - LPP: LTE Positioning Protocol

[0081] - MO-LR: Mobile Originated Location Request

[0082] - MT-LR: Mobile Terminated Location Request

[0083] - NRPPa: NR Positioning Protocol A

[0084] - OTDOA: Observed Time Difference Of Arrival

[0085] - PDU: Protocol Data Unit

[0086] - PRS: Positioning Reference Signal

[0087] - RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0088] - RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0089] - RSTD: Reference Signal Time Difference

[0090] - ToA: Time of Arrival

[0091] - TP: Transmission Point

[0092] - TRP: Transmission and Reception Point

[0093] - UE: User Equipment

[0094] - SS: Search Space

[0095] - CSS: Common Search Space

[0096] - USS: UE-specific Search Space

[0097] - PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0098] - PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel;

[0099] - PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control Channel;

[0100] - PUSCH: Physical Uplink Shared Channel;

[0101] - DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0102] - UCI: Uplink Control Information

[0103] - SI: System Information

[0104] - SIB: System Information Block

[0105] - MIB: Master Information Block

[0106] - RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0107] - DRX: Discontinuous Reception

[0108] - RNTI: Radio Network Temporary Identifier

[0109] - CSI: Channel state information

[0110] - PCell: Primary Cell

[0111] - SCell: Secondary Cell

[0112] - PSCell: Primary SCG (Secondary Cell Group) Cell

[0113] - CA: Carrier Aggregation

[0114] - WUS: Wake up Signal

[0115] - TX: Transmitter

[0116] - RX: Receiver

[0117] - RSTD: Reference Signal Time Difference

[0118] - RS: Reference Signal

[0119] - PRS: Positioning Reference Signal

[0120] - SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0121] Figure 1 is a drawing for explaining physical channels used in a 3GPP NR system and a general signal transmission method using them.

[0122] When a terminal is powered on again from a powered-off state or enters a new cell, it performs an initial cell search operation, such as synchronizing with the base station, in step S101. To this end, the terminal receives a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) from the base station. The SSB includes a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), and a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). The terminal synchronizes with the base station based on the PSS / SSS and obtains information such as a cell ID (cell identity). In addition, the terminal can obtain broadcast information within the cell based on the PBCH. Meanwhile, the terminal can check the downlink channel status by receiving a Downlink Reference Signal (DL RS) during the initial cell search phase.

[0123] After completing the initial cell search, the terminal can obtain more specific system information by receiving a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on the physical downlink control channel information in step S102.

[0124] Thereafter, the terminal may perform a random access procedure such as steps S103 to S106 to complete connection to the base station. To this end, the terminal may transmit a preamble through a physical random access channel (PRACH) (S103) and receive a response message to the preamble through a physical downlink control channel and a corresponding physical downlink shared channel (S104). In the case of contention-based random access, a contention resolution procedure such as transmission of an additional physical random access channel (S105) and reception of a physical downlink control channel and a corresponding physical downlink shared channel (S106) may be performed.

[0125] The terminal that has performed the procedure as described above can then perform the general uplink / downlink signal transmission procedure, such as receiving a physical downlink control channel / physical downlink shared channel (S107) and transmitting a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) / physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) (S108). The control information that the terminal transmits to the base station is collectively referred to as uplink control information (UCI). UCI includes HARQ ACK / NACK (Hybrid Automatic Repeat and request Acknowledgement / Negative-ACK), SR (Scheduling Request), CSI (Channel State Information), etc. CSI includes CQI (Channel Quality Indicator), PMI (Precoding Matrix Indicator), RI (Rank Indication), etc. UCI is generally transmitted through PUCCH, but can be transmitted through PUSCH when control information and traffic data must be transmitted simultaneously. Additionally, UCI can be transmitted aperiodically via PUSCH upon request / instruction from the network.

[0126] In NR, uplink and downlink transmissions are organized into frames. Each radio frame is 10 ms long and is divided into two 5 ms half-frames (HF). Each half-frame is divided into five 1 ms subframes (SF). Each subframe is divided into one or more slots, and the number of slots within a subframe depends on the subcarrier spacing (SCS). Each slot contains 12 or 14 Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, depending on the cyclic prefix (CP). When a normal CP is used, each slot contains 14 OFDM symbols. When an extended CP is used, each slot contains 12 OFDM symbols.

[0127] A slot contains multiple symbols in the time domain. For example, in the case of a normal CP, one slot contains 14 symbols, but in the case of an extended CP, one slot contains 12 symbols. A carrier contains multiple subcarriers in the frequency domain. A Resource Block (RB) is defined as multiple (e.g., 12) consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. A Bandwidth Part (BWP) is defined as multiple consecutive Physical RBs (PRBs) in the frequency domain and can correspond to a single numerology (e.g., SCS, CP length, etc.). A carrier can contain up to N (e.g., 5) BWPs. Data communication is performed through activated BWPs, and a terminal can only activate one BWP per carrier. Each element in the resource grid is referred to as a Resource Element (RE), and one complex symbol can be mapped to it.

[0128] Positioning

[0129] Positioning can refer to determining the geographic location and / or velocity of a user equipment (UE) by measuring wireless signals. Location information can be requested by a client (e.g., an application) associated with the UE and reported to the client. Furthermore, the location information may be contained within a core network or requested by a client connected to the core network. The location information may be reported in a standard format, such as cell-based or geographic coordinates, and may also include an estimated error value for the UE's location and velocity and / or the positioning method used for positioning.

[0130] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a positioning protocol configuration for measuring the position of a terminal.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 2, LPP can be used as a point-to-point between a location server (E-SMLC and / or SLP and / or LMF) and a target device to position the target device (UE and / or SET) using position-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources. Through LPP, the target device and the location server can exchange measurement and / or location information based on signal A and / or signal B.

[0132] NRPPa can be used to exchange information between a reference source (ACCESS NODE and / or BS and / or TP and / or NG-RAN node) and a location server.

[0133] The functions provided by the NRPPa protocol may include:

[0134] - E-CID Location Information Transfer. This function allows location information to be exchanged between the reference source and the LMF for E-CID positioning purposes.

[0135] - OTDOA Information Transfer. This function allows information to be exchanged between the reference source and the LMF for OTDOA positioning purposes.

[0136] - Reporting of General Error Situations. This feature allows reporting of general error situations for which no function-specific error message is defined.

[0137] The positioning methods supported by NG-RAN may include GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), OTDOA, E-CID (enhanced cell ID), barometric positioning, WLAN positioning, Bluetooth positioning, terrestrial beacon system (TBS), and UTDOA (Uplink Time Difference of Arrival). Among the above positioning methods, the position of the UE may be measured using any one of the positioning methods, but the position of the UE may also be measured using two or more positioning methods.

[0138] OTDOA (observed time difference of arrival)

[0139] The OTDOA positioning method utilizes the timing measurements of downlink signals received by the UE from multiple TPs, including the eNB, ng-eNB, and PRS-dedicated TPs. The UE measures the timing of the received downlink signals using location assistance data received from a location server. Based on these measurement results and the geographic coordinates of neighboring TPs, the UE's location can be determined.

[0140] A UE connected to a gNB can request a measurement gap for OTDOA measurements from a TP. If the UE does not recognize the SFN for at least one TP in the OTDOA assistance data, the UE can use an autonomous gap to obtain the SFN of the OTDOA reference cell before requesting a measurement gap to perform Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) measurements.

[0141] Here, the RSTD can be defined based on the smallest relative time difference between the boundaries of two subframes received from the reference cell and the measurement cell, respectively. That is, it can be calculated based on the relative time difference between the start time of the subframe of the reference cell that is closest to the start time of the subframe received from the measurement cell. Meanwhile, the reference cell can be selected by the UE.

[0142] Accurate OTDOA measurement requires measuring the time of arrival (TOA) of signals received from three or more geographically dispersed TPs or base stations. For example, the TOA for TP 1, TP 2, and TP 3 can be measured, and based on the three TOAs, the RSTD for TP 1-TP 2, the RSTD for TP 2-TP 3, and the RSTD for TP 3-TP 1 can be calculated. Based on these TOAs, a geometric hyperbola can be determined, and the point where these hyperbolas intersect can be used to estimate the UE's location. Since each TOA measurement may have inaccuracies and / or uncertainties, the estimated UE's location can be known within a certain range depending on the measurement uncertainty.

[0143] E-CID (Enhanced Cell ID)

[0144] In the Cell ID (CID) positioning method, the location of the UE can be measured through geographic information of the UE's serving ng-eNB, serving gNB, and / or serving cell. For example, geographic information of the serving ng-eNB, serving gNB, and / or serving cell can be obtained through paging, registration, etc.

[0145] Meanwhile, the E-CID positioning method may utilize additional UE measurements and / or NG-RAN radio resources in addition to the CID positioning method to improve the UE position estimate. In the E-CID positioning method, some of the same measurement methods as the measurement control system of the RRC protocol may be used, but generally, additional measurements are not performed solely for UE position measurement. In other words, a separate measurement configuration or measurement control message may not be provided to measure the UE's position, and the UE may not expect to be requested to perform additional measurement operations solely for position measurement, and may report measurement values ​​obtained through measurement methods that the UE can generally measure.

[0146] For example, a serving gNB can implement an E-CID positioning method using E-UTRA measurements provided from the UE.

[0147] Examples of measurement elements that can be used for E-CID positioning include:

[0148] - UE measurements: E-UTRA RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), E-UTRA RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality), UE E-UTRA Rx-Tx Time difference, GERAN / WLAN RSSI (Reference Signal Strength Indication), UTRAN CPICH (Common Pilot Channel) RSCP (Received Signal Code Power), UTRAN CPICH Ec / Io

[0149] - E-UTRAN measurements: ng-eNB Rx-Tx Time difference, Timing Advance (T ADV ), Angle of Arrival (AoA)

[0150] Here, T ADV It can be divided into Type 1 and Type 2 as follows.

[0151] T ADV Type 1 = (ng-eNB receive-transmit time difference) + (UE E-UTRA receive-transmit time difference)

[0152] T ADV Type 2 = ng-eNB receive-transmit time difference

[0153] Meanwhile, AoA can be used to measure the direction of a UE. AoA can be defined as an estimated angle relative to the UE's position in a counterclockwise direction from a base station / TP. In this case, the geographical reference direction may be north. The base station / TP can use uplink signals such as a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) and / or a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) for AoA measurement. In addition, the larger the antenna array array, the higher the AoA measurement accuracy. When antenna arrays are arranged at equal intervals, signals received from adjacent antenna elements can have a constant phase shift (phase-rotate).

[0154] UTDOA (Uplink Time Difference of Arrival)

[0155] UTDOA is a method for determining the location of a UE by estimating the arrival time of the SRS. When calculating the estimated SRS arrival time, the serving cell is used as a reference cell, and the UE's location can be estimated through the arrival time difference with other cells (or base stations / TPs). To implement UTDOA, the E-SMLC can indicate the target UE's serving cell to instruct the target UE to transmit SRS. In addition, the E-SMLC can provide configuration settings such as whether the SRS is periodic or aperiodic, bandwidth, and frequency / group / sequence hopping.

[0156] Multi RTT (round trip time)

[0157] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a Multi RTT (round trip time) positioning method.

[0158] Referring to Fig. 3 (a), an RTT process is illustrated in which a TOA measurement is performed by an initiating device and a responding device, and the responding device provides the TOA measurement to the initiating device for RTT measurement (calculation). For example, the initiating device may be a TRP and / or a terminal, and the responding device may be a terminal and / or a TRP.

[0159] The initiating device transmits an RTT measurement request, and the responding device can receive it (1301).

[0160] The initiating device can transmit the RTT measurement signal at t0, and the responding device can obtain the TOA measurement t1 (1303).

[0161] The responding device can transmit the RTT measurement signal at t2, and the initiating device can obtain the TOA measurement t3 (1305).

[0162] The responding device can transmit information about [t2-t1], and the initiating device can receive the information and calculate the RTT (1307). The information can be transmitted and received based on a separate signal, or can be transmitted and received as part of the RTT measurement signal (1305).

[0163] Referring to Fig. 3 (b), the RTT can correspond to a double-range measurement between two devices. Positioning estimation can be performed from the information. Based on the measured RTT, d1, d2, and d3 can be determined, and the target device location can be determined as the intersection of a circle centered at each of BS1, BS2, and BS3 (or TRP) and having each of d1, d2, and d3 as a radius.

[0164] NG-RAN positioning architecture and procedures

[0165] Figure 4 illustrates the positioning structure of a next generation (NG) radio access network (RAN). The NR RAN may be referred to as an NR RAN or a 5G RAN.

[0166] The AMF may receive a request for some location services related to a particular target UE from another entity (e.g., a GMLC or a UE), or the AMF itself may decide to initiate some location services on behalf of a particular target UE (e.g., in case of an IMS emergency call). The AMF may then send a location service request to the LMF. The LMF may process the location service request, which may include sending assistance data to the target UE for UE-based and / or UE-assisted positioning and / or positioning the target UE. The LMF sends the location service result (e.g., a position estimate for the UE) to the AMF. If the location service is requested by an entity other than the AMF (e.g., a GMLC or a UE), the AMF sends the location service result to that entity.

[0167] NG-RAN nodes can control TRPs / TPs such as RRM or DL-PRS only TPs to support PRS-based TBS.

[0168] LMF can be connected to E-SMLCt to access UTRAN information.

[0169] LMF can be connected to SLP, which is responsible for positioning with respect to the user plane.

[0170] Figure 5 illustrates an example of location services supported by NG-RAN.

[0171] When the AMF receives a Location Service Request while the UE is in CM-IDLE state, the AMF performs a network triggered service request to establish signaling for connection with the UE and allocation of a specific serving gNB / ng-eNB. In Figure 5, it is assumed that the UE is in connected mode.

[0172] A location service request for the UE may be triggered, and the location service request for the UE may be any one of 1101, 1102 or 1103. For example, an entity of 5GC (e.g. GMLC) may request some location service (e.g. positioning) for the target UE to the serving AMF (1101), or the serving AMF may itself trigger some location service (e.g. to locate the UE for an emergency call) for the target UE (1102), or the UE may request some location service (e.g. positioning or assistance data forwarding) to the serving AMF at the NAS level (1103).

[0173] AMF forwards the location service request to LMF (1104).

[0174] LMF provides services to NG-RAN to obtain location measurement or assistance data and initiates a positioning procedure with a nearby ng-eNB / gNB (1105).

[0175] (Instead of or in addition to step 1105) the LMF initiates a positioning procedure with the UE to obtain a position estimate or positioning measurement or to transmit position assistance data to the UE (1106).

[0176] The LMF provides a location service response to the AMF (1107) (e.g., success or failure indication and a position estimate for the UE if requested and obtained).

[0177] (For 1101) AMF provides a location service response to the 5GC entity (1108) (e.g., location estimation for the UE).

[0178] (For 1102), AMF uses the location service response received in step 1107 to support the service triggered in step 1102 (1109) (e.g., providing location estimates related to emergency calls to GMLC).

[0179] (For 1103) AMF provides a location service response to the UE (1110) (e.g., location estimation for the UE).

[0180] SRS (sounding reference signal) for positioning

[0181] In a Rel. 15 NR system, periodic, aperiodic, and semi-persistent Rel. 15 SRS can be transmitted for base station UL RTOA (UL-Relative Time of Arrival), UL SRS-RSRP, and UL-AOA (UL-Angle of Arrival) measurements, thereby supporting UL TDOA and UL AOA.

[0182] In Rel. 16 / 17 NR systems, periodic, aperiodic, and semi-persistent SRS for positioning can be transmitted for UL RTOA, UL SRS-RSRP, UL-AOA, and gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements of the base station, thereby supporting UL TDOA, UL AOA, and multi-RTT.

[0183] To avoid confusion between Rel. 15 SRS and SRS for positioning, SRS for positioning will be referred to as SRS-p. In the new methods proposed in this specification below, unless otherwise stated, SRS can be interpreted to mean SRS-p.

[0184] When the upper layer parameter SRS-PosResource is set for SRS (i.e., SRS-p) and the upper layer parameter SpatialRelationInfoPos is set, the ID of the configuration field of the reference RS is provided. The reference RS may be an SRS, CSI-RS, SS / PBCH block, DL PRS of a serving cell, or DL ​​PRS configured in an SS / PBCH block set by the upper layer parameter SRS-Resource or SRS-PosResource.

[0185] A UE is not expected to transmit multiple SRS resources with different spatial relationships in the same OFDM symbol.

[0186] If the upper layer parameter SpatialRelationInfoPos is not set, the terminal may use a fixed spatial domain transmission filter for transmission of SRS-p set by the upper layer parameter SRS-PosResource across multiple SRS resources, or may use another spatial domain transmission filter.

[0187] In RRC_CONNECTED mode, the terminal transmits SRS-p set by the upper layer parameter SRS-PosResource within the active UL BWP.

[0188] Only one RS source is provided for the upper layer parameter SpatialRelationInfoPos per SRS-p resource.

[0189] For operation on the same carrier, if SRS-p collides with a scheduled PUSCH, SRS-p is dropped in the symbol where the collision occurred.

[0190] The terminal does not expect SRS-PosResource to be set on a carrier of a serving cell having a slot format consisting of DL / UL symbols that are not set for PUSCH / PUCCH transmission.

[0191] Depending on the UE capability, SRS-p resources related to the initial UL BWP can be configured, and the SRS-p resources are transmitted within the initial UL BWP during RRC_INACTIVE mode with the same CP and subcarrier spacing as those configured for the initial UL BWP. Depending on the UE capability, SRS-p resources for positioning outside the initial BWP in RRC_INACTIVE mode can be configured, and the frequency location and bandwidth, subcarrier spacing, and CP length for SRS-p transmission can be configured. SRS-p resources configured outside the initial BWP in RRC_INACTIVE mode are configured in the same band and CC as the initial UL BWP.

[0192] ISAC (Integrated Sensing And Communication)

[0193] Wireless sensing is a technology that uses radio frequencies to determine the instantaneous linear velocity, angle, distance (range), etc. of an object, thereby obtaining information about the characteristics of the environment and / or objects within the environment. Because radio frequency sensing does not require a networked device to connect to the object, it can provide a service for object positioning without a device. The ability to obtain range, velocity, and angle information from radio frequency signals can enable a wide range of new capabilities, such as various object detection, object recognition (e.g., vehicles, humans, animals, UAVs), and high-precision localization, tracking, and activity recognition. Wireless sensing services can provide information to a variety of industries (e.g., drones, smart homes, V2X, factories, railways, public safety, etc.), enabling applications such as intruder detection, assisted vehicle steering and navigation, trajectory tracking, collision avoidance, traffic management, and health and traffic management. In some cases, wireless sensing can utilize non-3GPP type sensors (e.g., radar, cameras) to further support 3GPP-based sensing. For example, the operation of wireless sensing services, i.e., sensing operations, may depend on the transmission, reflection, and scattering of wireless sensing signals. Therefore, wireless sensing offers an opportunity to enhance existing communication systems from a communication network to a wireless communication and sensing network.

[0194] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a sensing operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 6 can be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 6(a) illustrates an example of sensing using a sensing receiver and a sensing transmitter located at the same location (e.g., monostatic sensing), and FIG. 6(b) illustrates an example of sensing using a separated sensing receiver and sensing transmitter (e.g., bistatic sensing).

[0195] For example, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, referring to FIG. 9(a), the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver may be configured to be included in a single base station (i.e., the same base station) or a single terminal (i.e., the same terminal). Alternatively, referring to FIG. 9(b), the sensing transmitter and the sensing receiver may be configured to be included in different base stations, different terminals, or each terminal and base station.

[0196] In this regard, the following six types of sensing modes can be defined based on whether the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are included in the base station or the terminal, respectively.

[0197] - Mode 1: A mode in which the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are contained in a single base station (e.g., base station-based sensing mode in monostatic mode).

[0198] - Second mode: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in a first base station and the sensing receiver is included in a second base station different from the first base station (e.g., base station-based sensing mode in bistatic mode).

[0199] - Mode 3: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in the base station and the sensing receiver is included in the terminal (e.g., base station-terminal sensing mode).

[0200] - Mode 4: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in the terminal and the sensing receiver is included in the base station (e.g., terminal-base station sensing mode).

[0201] - Mode 5: A mode in which the sensing transmitter and sensing receiver are contained in a single terminal (e.g., terminal-based sensing mode in monostatic mode).

[0202] - 6th mode: A mode in which the sensing transmitter is included in a first terminal and the sensing receiver is included in a second terminal different from the first terminal (e.g., terminal-based sensing mode in bistatic mode).

[0203] In a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, one or more of the six types of sensing modes described above may be utilized independently / in combination.

[0204] In relation to the sensing operation in FIG. 6, the sensing transmitter may transmit a sensing signal for sensing one or more objects (and / or an environment around the objects). For example, the sensing signal may correspond to a radio (frequency) signal defined to be transmittable by a base station / terminal in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification. The sensing receiver may receive a signal scattered / reflected by one or more objects (and / or an environment around the objects) from a sensing signal transmitted from the sensing transmitter. In the sensing receiver, sensing data may be derived from the scattered / reflected signals, and sensing results may be generated / obtained through processing of the sensing data. Here, the sensing results may include characteristic information (e.g., location, distance, speed, angle, etc.) about one or more objects (and / or the environment around the objects). The sensing results generated / obtained in this way may be utilized for wireless sensing services (e.g., detection, tracking, etc. of objects and / or environments) provided in the wireless communication system based on the 6G network of the present specification, or may be provided / disclosed to a trusted third party.

[0205] Additionally, the sensing operation in FIG. 6 is described as a representative example of the operation in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network, but can be extended and applied to cases where terminals / base stations / signals based on networks of previous generations (e.g., 4G, 5G, etc.) are utilized.

[0206] Additionally, with respect to the wireless sensing described herein, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, time / frequency resources for sensing operations and time / frequency resources for general communications (e.g., UL / DL / sidelink-based communications, etc.) may be scheduled / configured separately.

[0207] The time / frequency resources (hereinafter, sensing resources) for the aforementioned sensing operation (e.g., sensing operation based on FIG. 6) can be set / allocated separately from the time / frequency resources (hereinafter, communication resources) for general communication.

[0208] For example, sensing resources can be set / allocated in units of symbols in the time domain and / or resource blocks in the frequency domain. Resources other than the resources for which the sensing resources are set / allocated can be utilized as resources for general communication. That is, sensing resources and communication resources can be set / allocated based on the time-division multiplexing (TDM) method and / or the frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) method in terms of the operation of the base station / terminal. Additionally or alternatively, unlike what is illustrated in FIG. 10, sensing resources can also be set / allocated based on other units in the time domain (e.g., slots, frames, absolute time (ms, us), etc.) and / or other units in the frequency domain (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, absolute frequencies (MHz, GHz), etc.).

[0209] Additionally or alternatively, in connection with the setting / allocation / scheduling of resources for general communication as described herein, the relationship between the resources and the aforementioned sensing resources may need to be considered. For example, when setting / allocating resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, the resources may be set / allocated to rate-match or puncture the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource. For example, when scheduling resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure, the resources may be scheduled so as not to overlap with the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource. If the resources for general communication according to the embodiment(s) of the present disclosure and the resource region corresponding to the sensing resource are set / allocated / scheduled to overlap, one or both operations may be dropped, skipped, or postponed based on priorities, predefined rules, etc. That is, in the embodiment(s) of the present specification, it may be desirable that resources related to general communication (e.g., resources for signals / channels related to UL / DL / Sidelink-based data / control, etc.) are set / allocated / scheduled so as not to overlap with the sensing resources described above.

[0210] Additionally, various channel modeling methods may be applied in connection with the wireless sensing described herein. Channel modeling related to sensing may refer to configuring a path for transmitting and receiving sensing signals and / or scattered / reflected signals, taking into account the object being sensed and / or the environment in which the object resides. Channel modeling may be related to the performance / requirements of sensing in wireless communication systems, and thus may be an important factor in validating the sensing function.

[0211] Channels related to sensing can be divided into channels between objects (e.g., targets of interest) and sensing transmitters / receivers, and channels between the environment to which the object belongs and sensing transmitters / receivers. In this regard, channel modeling related to sensing can be divided based on sensing mode (e.g., the six types of modes described above), whether there is an object / environment, and / or sensing scenarios. For example, channel modeling for a target in a base station / terminal-based monostatic sensing mode, channel modeling for a target in a base station / terminal-based bistatic sensing mode, channel modeling for the environment in a base station / terminal-based monostatic sensing mode, and channel modeling for the environment in a base station / terminal-based bistatic sensing mode can be configured and optimized differently. For example, when various sensing scenarios are classified, channel modeling for detection, location, and tracking scenarios, channel modeling for motion recognition, and channel modeling for imaging / environment reconstruction scenarios can be divided, etc. Additionally, channel modeling related to sensing may be based on statistical channel modeling techniques and / or deterministic channel modeling techniques. For example, modeling for sensing in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present disclosure may be based on stochastic geometric channel modeling techniques and / or hybrid with ray tracing channel modeling techniques. Here, the stochastic geometric channel model may be based on various statistical characteristics of the channel state. Furthermore, the hybrid channel model may be based on both ray tracing techniques and stochastic techniques.In the case of a hybrid approach, a method can be applied in which the channel for the object (e.g., the target of interest) that requires high accuracy and consistency is modeled using a ray tracing technique, and the channel for the environment is modeled using a probabilistic technique.

[0212] FIG. 7 illustrates a procedure related to a sensing operation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of FIG. 7 may be combined with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0213] For example, in a wireless communication system based on a 6G network of the present specification, in the case of a sensing operation in which a terminal participates, the base station can check the capability of the terminal for the sensing operation (705). In this regard, the terminal may be configured to report capability information on whether it supports the sensing operation to the base station. Additionally or alternatively, if the terminal is defined in advance in the standard as supporting the sensing operation, the procedure may be omitted. In addition, in the case of a sensing operation in which only the base station participates, the base station may be configured to report capability information on whether it supports the sensing operation to an entity that configures / controls its sensing operation (e.g., a network entity at an upper level / layer of the base station).

[0214] For example, the base station may perform signaling with the terminal to exchange configuration information related to the sensing operation (710). For example, the base station may configure / instruct the terminal about the mode of the sensing operation (e.g., based on the six types of modes described above), the subject of the sensing operation (e.g., sensing transmitter, sensing receiver), the resource of the sensing operation, the target of utilizing the sensing result (e.g., type of wireless sensing service based on 6G network, trusted third party), channel modeling for sensing (e.g., channel between the base station / terminal and object / environment), etc. For example, the base station may also configure / instruct such information from a network entity at an upper level / layer of the base station.

[0215] For example, the base station and / or the terminal may perform a sensing operation based on the set / instructed information (715). For example, the base station and / or the terminal may, as a sensing transmitter and / or a sensing receiver, perform procedures such as transmitting a sensing signal, receiving a scattered / reflected signal, deriving sensing data, obtaining a sensing result through processing the sensing data, and providing the sensing result, as in FIG. 6 described above. As an example, in the operation of the base station / terminal described herein, the sensing result provided through the sensing operation may be utilized.

[0216] SRS BW aggregation considering cell status

[0217] In wireless communication systems, the size or number of frequency resources used for signal / channel transmission and reception can be adjusted to improve performance. For example, transmitting and receiving nodes can simultaneously transmit or receive on multiple frequency resources to improve performance.

[0218] 3GPP NR Rel-18 will introduce a Bandwidth Aggregation (BW-agg) technique that improves positioning accuracy by simultaneously transmitting and receiving multiple reference signals (e.g., PRSs and / or SRSs) using multiple carriers (e.g., DL carriers / UL carriers) in the frequency domain. Specifically, BW-agg is a method of simultaneously transmitting and receiving PRS and / or SRS resources on different frequency resources (e.g., PFLs for PRS, UL carriers for SRS) while satisfying specific conditions. Specific conditions for BW-agg may include conditions regarding resource allocation, such as conditions for being located within an in-band contiguous carrier, conditions for period and location on the same time axis and RE mapping pattern on the frequency axis, and conditions for satisfying phase continuity between PRS / SRS resources.

[0219] As one example of the implementation of BW-agg, the transmitter can be configured to guarantee phase continuity for different frequency resources to which BW-agg is applied, and the receiver can be configured to regard different frequency resources for which phase continuity is guaranteed as a single frequency resource and apply processing such as FFT / IFFT to improve the resolution of signal detection.

[0220] Below, the BW-agg technology in the NR standard is described, but the meaning of the BW-agg term used in this specification is not limited thereto, and can be used as a term referring to a general technology that combines multiple frequency resources into one and utilizes them for signal / channel transmission.

[0221] Another aspect of the benefits of utilizing multiple frequency resources is data communication, such as Carrier Aggregation (CA). CA is a technology that enables data transmission and reception by utilizing multiple frequency resources. For example, in NR, a single PCell (Primary Cell) and one or more SCells (Secondary Cells) are configured in a terminal, enabling the transmission and reception of signals / channels.

[0222] Data communication and positioning can be viewed as independent functions, and the frequency resources used for them can be shared or configured independently, depending on the implementation.

[0223] - When frequency resources are shared, the transmitter and receiver can maintain the same resources without changing the frequency band used, which can be advantageous in supporting efficient frequency resource operation and low-latency operation.

[0224] - On the other hand, in some situations, it may be necessary to operate independently without sharing frequency resources. For example, some terminals or services may require high-accuracy positioning performance while requiring relatively low data rates for transmission and reception. In this case, the number and size of frequency resources required for data communication and positioning may differ. Furthermore, the entity determining / setting the data rate required for data communication may be different from the entity requesting / setting the positioning accuracy required for positioning. Typically, data communication requirements may be determined by a base station such as a gNB, while positioning operations may be determined by the LMF. Considering this, for example, a relatively small number of frequency resource activations may be sufficient for data communication, while a relatively larger number of frequency resource activations may be required for positioning purposes.

[0225] In the case of data communication, considering factors such as terminal power consumption, an operation may be used in which multiple steps are set / indicated for the activation of frequency resources and the expected operation of each resource. For example, the 3GPP NR standard allows for the setting of activation / deactivation states for each serving cell (including PCell and SCell, etc.), and also allows for the setting of dormancy / non-dormancy operations for SCells.

[0226] In general, activation / deactivation refers to the operation in which all transmission / reception and settings of signals / channels expected in the cell are activated / deactivated.

[0227] Dormant / non-dormancy operation may refer to an operation in which some of the transmission / reception and configuration of signals / channels expected in the corresponding cell are activated / deactivated. For example, the dormancy / non-dormancy operation defined in 3GPP NR can provide power-saving benefits to the terminal by configuring / instructing whether the terminal performs PDCCH monitoring in the corresponding cell. In this case, control over whether uplink signals / channels, including SRS, are transmitted / received for the corresponding SCell may be included in the dormancy operation.

[0228] According to the Rel-17 3GPP NR standard document TS 38.321, which is excerpted in Table 1, for SRSs to which BW-agg is not applied, it is defined that terminals and base stations do not expect transmission or reception of SRSs on SCells designated as dormant.

[0229] 1> If the BWP is activated and the active DL BWP for the serving cell is a dormant BWP: 2> If it is running, stop the BWP inactivity timer (BWP-inactivitytimer) 2> Do not monitor the PDCCH on the BWP 2> Do not monitor the PDCCH for the BWP 2> Do not receive the DL-SCH on the BWP 2> Do not report CSI on the BWP, and do not report CSI for the BWP except for aperiodic CSI reporting 2> Do not transmit SRS on the BWP 2> Do not transmit UL-SCH on the BWP 2> Do not transmit RACH on the BWP 2> Do not transmit PUCCH on the BWP 2> Clear the configured DL allocation and the configured UL grant type 2 associated with the Scell ​​2> Suspend the configured UL grant type 1 associated with the Scell ​​2> If set, perform beam failure detection and beam When a failure is detected, beam failure recovery is performed for the Scell.

[0230] Typically, in methods where frequency resources are shared for data communications and positioning purposes, if activation / deactivation of a serving cell is set / instructed, the setting / instruction can be applied commonly to both data communications and positioning. However, when combining multiple frequency resources, such as BW-agg, to improve positioning performance, and when the sizes of frequency resources suitable for data communications and positioning purposes are different, as mentioned above, the existing common frequency resource activation / deactivation method may be disadvantageous in terms of terminal power consumption and frequency resource utilization efficiency.

[0231] Considering these problems, this specification deals with the operations of a base station and a terminal and signaling methods related thereto for applying different operations and / or instructions to data communication and BW-agg-SRS when activating / deactivating multiple configured frequency resources for a terminal configured with BW-agg-SRS (hereinafter referred to as BW-agg-SRS) for positioning purposes.

[0232] Although one embodiment of the present specification focuses on a BW aggregation technique of a positioning SRS (hereinafter, SRS-p) for UL positioning, the application of the present disclosure is not limited to SRS-p and can be generally applied to BW aggregation situations of other UL signals or DL ​​signals. The methods proposed in this specification can be applied to all types of transmission / reception methods and positioning techniques expected by a base station and a terminal. The proposed methods can be used for the ISAC described above, in which case the SRS can be replaced with a sensing signal for the ISAC.

[0233] This specification describes a proposed method focusing on the SCell dormancy / non-dormancy operation and the Cell activation / deactivation operation based on the 3GPP NR system, but is not limited thereto and can be generally applied to the concept of radio resources and operations allocated / instructed to a terminal based on a cell or other radio transmission / reception resources. For example, the operation of cell activation / deactivation can be expanded and interpreted as the concept of a terminal activating or deactivating all transmission and / or reception operations on a specific radio frequency resource. In addition, the operation of SCell dormancy / non-dormancy can be expanded and interpreted as the concept of a terminal activating or deactivating some transmission and / or some reception operations on a specific radio frequency resource. Therefore, the proposed methods can be applied to all types of radio resource activation / deactivation operations expected by a base station and a terminal.

[0234] Furthermore, the present disclosure can be applied to communication systems such as LTE, NR, and / or 6G, where BW aggregation operations of various RSs, including SRS-p, are performed, or where similar operations are used. Therefore, the proposed methods can be applied to all types of wireless communication systems expected by base stations and terminals.

[0235] In addition, the present disclosure can be applied not only to a case where multiple signals / channels are transmitted and received through multiple frequency resources, but also to a case where one signal / channel is transmitted and received through multiple frequency resources (e.g., a case where one PRS / SRS resource spans multiple PFL / UL carriers).

[0236] Each method proposed in this specification can operate independently without separate combinations, or one or more methods can be combined to operate in a linked manner. Some terms, symbols, and sequences used for explanation may be replaced with other terms, symbols, or sequences.

[0237] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a terminal operation sequence proposed in one embodiment.

[0238] Referring to FIG. 8, a terminal can report its UE capability information to a base station (801). The reported UE capability information may include information related to the transmission of BW-agg-SRS.

[0239] Thereafter, the terminal can receive configuration information for UL signals / channels including BW-agg-SRS (802). The configuration information can be received through upper layer signaling transmitted by the base station, such as dedicated RRC signaling or SIB. The configuration information can include at least one of information about the UL carrier on which the SRS resources constituting the BW-agg-SRS are transmitted and information about activation / deactivation and / or SCell dormancy settings.

[0240] Afterwards, the terminal can receive instructions for each cell from the base station (803). For example, the terminal can receive instructions for activation / deactivation and / or SCell dormancy operations.

[0241] The terminal can determine the locations of UL carriers on which BW-agg-SRS is performed based on the information received in steps 802 and 803, and a specific method may be a combination of one or more of the methods proposed below. The terminal can perform BW-agg-SRS transmission on the locations of the determined UL carriers (805).

[0242] If BW-agg-SRS is a type that is activated or triggered by MAC-CE or DCI, the terminal may additionally perform a process of receiving MAC-CE / DCI information indicating such activation or trigger prior to step 805 (804).

[0243] Figure 9 illustrates an example of a base station / network (or other upper node such as LMF) operation sequence proposed in one embodiment.

[0244] Referring to FIG. 9, a base station can receive its own UE capability information transmitted by a terminal (901). The UE capability information can include information related to the transmission of BW-agg-SRS.

[0245] Thereafter, the base station can determine configuration information for UL signals / channels including BW-agg-SRS and transmit it to the terminal (902). The configuration information can be transmitted via, for example, dedicated RRC signaling or higher layer signaling such as SIB. The configuration information can include at least one of information on the UL carrier on which the SRS resources constituting the BW-agg-SRS are transmitted and information on activation / deactivation and / or SCell dormancy settings.

[0246] The base station may then transmit instructions for each cell to the terminal (903). For example, the base station may provide instructions for activation / deactivation and / or SCell dormancy operations.

[0247] The base station can determine the locations of UL carriers on which BW-agg-SRS is performed based on the information received by the terminal in steps 902 and 903, and can expect that the terminal will perform BW-agg-SRS transmission at the locations of the determined UL carriers. The base station can receive and measure the BW-agg-SRS transmitted by the terminal at the promised location (905).

[0248] If the target BW-agg-SRS is a type that is activated or triggered by MAC-CE or DCI, the base station can transmit such activation or trigger indication information to the terminal (904), and if the transmission is set to semi-static, step 904 can be omitted.

[0249] Hereinafter, in a situation where BW-agg-reference signal transmission is set for multiple frequency resources (e.g., UL carriers), when a specific frequency resource is instructed to be deactivated or transitioned to a low-power state, a method for transmitting and receiving a BW-agg-reference signal (e.g., BW-agg-SRS) and an operation of a terminal / base station for the same are proposed.

[0250] [Proposal 1] SRS transmission and reception when SCell dormancy is indicated for a specific frequency resource included in the transmission of BW-agg SRS.

[0251] When a terminal is configured for BW-agg-SRS transmission on multiple frequency resources and dormancy operation is instructed for one or more SCells among the multiple frequency resources, the terminal operation is proposed. For example, in a situation where BW-agg-SRS transmission is configured / instructed to the terminal on N UL carriers, M( <N)개의 UL carrier에 대한 SCell dormancy 상태가 지시된 경우를 고려할 수 있다. 상기의 SCell dormancy 지시는 RRC signal과 같은 상위 계층 신호를 통해 준-정적으로(semi-static) 설정되거나, 또는 MAC-CE 또는 DCI와 같은 하위 계층 신호(lower layer signal)를 통해 동적으로 지시되는 경우를 모두 고려할 수 있다.

[0252] Specifically, even if the UE has SCell dormancy set / indicated for a specific UL carrier, it can be determined to perform BW-agg-SRS transmission in the aggregated BW including the SCell with dormancy set / indicated. This means that if the SRS transmission for the UL carrier with SCell dormancy is included in the configuration of a specific BW-agg-SRS, the corresponding SRS transmission can be performed without being affected by the SCell dormancy. In this case, transmission / reception operations of other DL / UL signals / channels except for BW-agg-SRS transmissions (e.g., including SRS transmissions without BW-agg-SRS set) follow the existing operation (e.g., transmission / reception operations of other DL / UL signals / channels except for BW-agg-SRS transmissions follow dormancy) and can be determined not to be affected by the proposed method.

[0253] Proposal 1 may not always guarantee SRS transmission set to BW-agg-SRS on a UL carrier in SCell dormancy state, and if SRS dropping occurs due to separate conditions (e.g., SRS drop due to collision with a UL signal / channel with higher priority), SRS dropping may follow the existing behavior.

[0254] For example, if BW-agg-SRS transmission is set on three UL carriers, and if SCell dormancy status is indicated for a specific UL carrier, the terminal can perform BW-agg-SRS transmission on the three UL carriers unless other additional restrictions occur.

[0255] (Sub-Option 1) When Proposal 1 is applied, a UL carrier in a SCell dormancy state can be regarded as a UL carrier dedicated to SRS transmission where PUCCH / PUSCH transmission is not expected, and in this case, a retuning time including a guard period can be set before and after the transmission of the corresponding BW-agg-SRS. This may be for the purpose of supporting the UE to maintain a relatively narrowband RF for most of the time period in order to minimize power consumption for the SCell in a dormancy state, and to use a relatively wideband RF only for the time period when BW-agg-SRS transmission is required.

[0256] (Sub-Option 2) When Proposal 1 is applied, it may be determined whether or not to transmit SRS on a UL carrier in a SCell dormancy state according to specific conditions. An example of the specific conditions may include whether a phase continuity condition is satisfied between an SRS transmission on another UL carrier included in a BW-agg-SRS transmission and an SRS transmission on a UL carrier in a SCell dormancy state. A specific condition that may be used to determine whether the phase continuity condition is satisfied may include whether an SRS transmission can be performed on at least one adjacent UL carrier among the other UL carriers included in the BW-agg-SRS transmission. For example, if BW-agg-SRS transmission is set for three in-band contiguous UL carriers and SRS transmission cannot be performed on the middle UL carrier (e.g., if the corresponding cell is deactivated and SRS transmission is not allowed), the UE will not be able to maintain phase continuity for the SRSs targeted for BW-agg-SRS transmission. In this case, if one of the remaining UL carriers is indicated as SCell dormancy, SRS transmission can be determined not to be performed on the corresponding UL carrier. Another example of the above specific condition may include a case where SRS transmission is not performed on all UL carriers other than the UL carrier in the SCell dormancy state. In this case, since the SRS transmitted on the UL carrier in the SCell dormancy state cannot receive the benefit of the BW-agg-SRS form, it may be advantageous not to transmit on the UL carrier in the SCell dormancy state, similar to the existing SRS transmission.

[0257] (Sub-Option 3) The base station can configure / instruct whether to apply Proposal 1. This configuration / instruction can also be determined / executed by a higher-level node other than the base station, such as a location server like an LMF. This is expected to be beneficial in that it provides a method for higher-level nodes, such as the base station, to configure / instruct appropriate actions for each terminal, taking into account the terminal's power efficiency and positioning accuracy requirements.

[0258] While Proposal 1 is explained based on SCell dormancy behavior, the same concepts can be applied to cell activation / deactivation indications. For example, the proposed technologies can be utilized in response to cell deactivation in a state indicated by SCell dormancy.

[0259] Proposal 1 has the advantage that positioning accuracy can be guaranteed by maintaining transmission of BW-agg-SRS for positioning purposes even when SCell dormancy setting / instruction is performed on a specific UL carrier for purposes such as power saving of the terminal.

[0260] [Proposal 2] Individually set / instruct deactivation actions for cells according to their purpose.

[0261] Cell activation / deactivation settings / instructions for data communication purposes and cell activation / deactivation settings / instructions for positioning purposes can be separately set / instructed. In some cases, the scope of application of cell activation / deactivation operations for positioning purposes may be limited to the transmission of BW-agg-SRS.

[0262] In one specific embodiment, the field for setting / instructing activation / deactivation for each Cell can be independently configured between data communication purposes and positioning purposes.

[0263] The instruction of cell deactivation for data communication purposes does not affect cell deactivation for positioning purposes, which means that SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS on the corresponding carrier can be performed without being affected by the instruction of cell activation / deactivation for data communication purposes.

[0264] A cell deactivation indication for positioning purposes does not affect cell deactivation for data communication purposes, which means that SRS transmissions and related operations for BW-agg-SRS on the corresponding carrier may be disabled by the cell deactivation indication for positioning purposes. However, operations other than BW-agg-SRS (e.g., SRS transmissions not included in data communication and BW-agg-SRS transmissions) may not be affected by the cell deactivation indication for positioning purposes.

[0265] This can be advantageous in that it provides a high level of flexibility for applying cell activation / deactivation according to the situation by enabling the base station or upper node to control terminal operations for data communication purposes and terminal operations for positioning purposes.

[0266] In another specific embodiment, the field for setting / instructing activation / deactivation for each Cell may be configured with three states: (i) Cell active for all purposes, (ii) Cell inactive for data communication purposes, and (iii) Cell inactive for all purposes.

[0267] (i) If the base station has set / instructed Cell activation for all purposes, the terminal may determine that Cell activation including both data communication purposes and positioning purposes has been set / instructed and perform SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS on the corresponding carrier.

[0268] (ii) If the base station sets / instructs Cell deactivation for data communication purposes, the terminal performs operations only for positioning purposes and may include SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS transmission on the corresponding UL carrier.

[0269] (iii) If the base station instructs cell deactivation for all purposes, the terminal may determine that cell deactivation for both data communication and positioning purposes has been configured / instructed and may decide not to perform all operations on the carrier as promised, including SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS. This may be advantageous in reducing signaling overhead by omitting operation configuration / instruction for cell deactivation for positioning purposes (especially SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS), considering that it is generally not useful to individually instruct this.

[0270] [Proposal 3] Individually set / instruct SCell dormancy behavior according to purpose

[0271] SCell dormancy settings / indications for data communication purposes and SCell dormancy settings / indications for positioning purposes can be separately configured / indicated. For example, the scope of application of SCell dormancy operations for positioning purposes may be limited to the transmission of BW-agg-SRS.

[0272] In one specific embodiment, the field for setting / indicating SCell dormancy for each Cell can be independently configured between data communication purposes and positioning purposes.

[0273] The indication of SCell dormancy for data communication purposes does not affect the SCell dormancy for positioning purposes, which can be determined such that SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS on that carrier is not affected by the indication of SCell dormancy for data communication purposes.

[0274] The SCell dormancy indication for positioning purposes does not affect the SCell dormancy for data communication purposes, which means that SRS transmissions for BW-agg-SRS and related operations on the carrier can be controlled by the SCell dormancy indication for positioning purposes. Operations other than SRS transmissions for BW-agg-SRS (e.g., SRS transmissions not included in data communication and BW-agg-SRS transmissions) can be determined not to be affected by the SCell dormancy indication for positioning purposes.

[0275] As a specific example, if SCell dormancy indication is provided by DCI format 2-6, a first field indicating SCell dormancy for data communication purposes and a second field indicating SCell dormancy for positioning purposes may be provided as independent areas on DCI format 2-6. In this case, the sizes (i.e., number of bits) of the first and second fields may be set to be the same or different, and the indexes of the SCells targeted for each field may be configured differently.

[0276] The proposed method can be advantageous in that it provides high flexibility for applying SCell dormancy according to the situation by enabling a base station or upper node to control terminal operations for data communication purposes and terminal operations for positioning purposes.

[0277] In another specific embodiment, the field for setting / indicating SCell dormancy for each Cell may be configured with two states to distinguish between (i) SCell dormancy for all purposes and (ii) SCell dormancy for data communication purposes.

[0278] (i) If the base station indicates SCell dormancy for all purposes, the terminal may determine that SCell dormancy for both data communication and positioning purposes has been established / indicated and may decide not to perform all operations on the carrier as promised, including SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS.

[0279] (ii) If the base station sets / instructs SCell dormancy for data communication purposes, the terminal performs operations only for positioning purposes and may include SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS transmission on the corresponding UL carrier.

[0280] As a specific example, if SCell dormancy indication is provided by DCI format 2-6, a common indicator 1-bit may be added to DCI format 2-6 to distinguish between the two states (i) / (ii) above. If the common indicator bit indicates that all purposes are targeted, the SCell dormancy operation indicated by the corresponding DCI format 2-6 is commonly applied to data communication and positioning purposes, and if a specific SCell is indicated as being in a dormant state, the UE may determine not to perform transmissions including SRS for BW-agg-SRS purposes on the corresponding UL carrier. Alternatively, if the common indicator bit indicates that only data communication purposes are targeted, the SCell dormancy operation indicated by the corresponding DCI format 2-6 is applied only to data communication, and even if a specific SCell is indicated as being in a dormant state, the UE may determine to perform transmissions of SRS for BW-agg-SRS purposes on the corresponding UL carrier.

[0281] This may be advantageous in reducing signaling overhead by omitting the operation setup / instruction for SCell dormancy for positioning purposes (especially SRS transmission for BW-agg-SRS) given that it is generally not useful to individually indicate this.

[0282] [Proposal 4] Determination of BW-agg-SRS settings based on cell activation / deactivation or SCell dormancy setting / indication status

[0283] BW-agg-SRS settings can be configured differently depending on cell activation / deactivation or SCell dormancy status.

[0284] For convenience of explanation, the term 'sub-setting method' is used below to describe the structure that is configured.

[0285] Specifically, BW-agg-SRS configured for a terminal may be composed of one or more sub-configuration schemes. In this case, the combination of UL carriers used for SRS transmission may be different between each sub-configuration scheme. For example, if BW-agg-SRS with two sub-configuration schemes is configured on a frequency band where a total of three UL carriers can be operated, one sub-configuration scheme may be configured as BW-agg-SRS using UL carriers with indices 0 and 1, and the other may be configured as BW-agg-SRS using UL carriers with indices 1 and 2. The UL carrier index used in the above example is a term used for convenience of explanation and is not suggested in such a term.

[0286] In other words, a set of multiple BW-agg-SRS configurations may be used as multiple sub-configuration methods. In this case, the combination of UL carriers used for SRS transmission may be configured differently among the BW-agg-SRS configurations included in each set.

[0287] In a BW-agg-SRS configuration consisting of one or more of the above sub-configuration methods, one or a combination of the following options may be considered for determining the sub-configuration method actually used.

[0288] (Option 4-1) The base station (or higher-level node, e.g., LMF) can explicitly instruct the terminal which sub-configuration method of BW-agg-SRS to use through an explicit instruction. This has the advantage of enabling explicit and independent instruction from the base station, thereby providing a high level of scheduling flexibility on the base station side.

[0289] (Option 4-2) Depending on the status of Cell activation / deactivation, the sub-configuration method of BW-agg-SRS to be used by the terminal can be determined. For this purpose, the base station (or upper node, e.g. LMF) can pre-establish the correspondence between the possible Cell activation / deactivation states and the sub-configuration method and provide the corresponding information to the terminal. (e.g. using upper layer signaling such as RRC signal) This has the advantage of not requiring separate transmission / reception of instruction information to dynamically indicate the sub-configuration method, and at the same time, it can be expected to be advantageous in that it provides a mechanism for the base station to predict a suitable situation and pre-establish a corresponding correspondence. The Cell activation / deactivation of this option can be used as an alternative application using a method that utilizes SCell dormancy.

[0290] (Option 4-3) Depending on the status of cell activation / deactivation, the sub-configuration method of BW-agg-SRS to be used by the terminal can be determined, and at this time, the terminal can be determined to determine the sub-configuration method according to the promised priority rule.

[0291] - (i) For example, the above priority rule can be set so that a sub-setting method with a greater number of activated UL carriers has a higher priority. This may be because a greater number of activated UL carriers is advantageous in increasing positioning accuracy.

[0292] - (ii) As another example, the priority rule may include carriers capable of PUCCH / PUSCH transmission or may set more sub-configurations to a higher priority. This may be advantageous for the terminal to efficiently manage the required RF size by matching carriers for PUSCH / PUCCH transmission and SRS transmission.

[0293] - (iii) As another example, the above priority rule may use a method of giving higher priority to a sub-setting method including PCell or PSCell, which may be suitable for the purpose of maximizing SRS transmission for PCell / PSCell by considering the importance of PCell / PSCell based on multi-carrier operation.

[0294] In Option 4-3, Cell activation / deactivation can be replaced by SCell dormancy.

[0295] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining signal transmission and reception between a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device according to one embodiment.

[0296] Referring to FIG. 10, a first wireless communication device may receive at least one upper layer signaling from a second wireless communication device (A05). The upper layer signaling may include, for example, information for configuring multiple carriers for the first wireless communication device, information for configuring data transmission and reception, and / or information for configuring reference signal transmission and reception. The reference signal transmission and reception configuration may include configuration for bandwidth (BW) aggregation across at least two or more carriers.

[0297] The second wireless communication device can indicate dormancy or inactivity of at least one carrier among the plurality of carriers set in the first wireless communication device (A10).

[0298] The first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device can transmit and receive a reference signal via a first group of carriers including at least one dormant or inactive carrier (A15). The first group of carriers on which the reference signal is transmitted and received may be carriers for which bandwidth aggregation of the reference signal is set.

[0299] The first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device can transmit and receive data over a second group of carriers excluding at least one carrier that is dormant or inactive (A20).

[0300] The first wireless communication device may be a terminal.

[0301] The second wireless communication device may be a base station / network node.

[0302] The reference signal may be an uplink reference signal and / or a downlink reference signal.

[0303] The data may be uplink data and / or downlink data.

[0304] Figure 11 illustrates a flowchart of a signal transmission method of a first wireless communication device according to one embodiment. The first wireless communication device may be a terminal.

[0305] Referring to FIG. 11, the first wireless communication device can receive reference signal setting information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling (B05).

[0306] The first wireless communication device can receive control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers (B10).

[0307] A first wireless communication device can transmit at least one of a data signal and a reference signal over at least some of a plurality of carriers (B15). Based on the bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers set for the reference signal through the reference signal configuration information, transmission of the reference signal can be performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0308] Transmission of the reference signal can be performed without transmission of the data signal on at least one of the inactive or dormant carriers.

[0309] The above control information may include information on whether the inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier is for data communication management or positioning.

[0310] Based on the fact that the inactivity or dormancy of at least one carrier is for the purpose of managing the data communication, transmission of the reference signal may be performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0311] The above bandwidth aggregation settings may include multiple sub-settings, each related to a different set of carriers.

[0312] Transmission of the above reference signal may be performed based on specific sub-settings related to a set of carriers including at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0313] The specific sub-settings to be used for transmission of the above reference signal may be determined based on instructions from the network.

[0314] The specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the reference signal may be determined based on inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier.

[0315] The specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the above reference signal can be determined based on a predetermined priority rule.

[0316] The above reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0317] Figure 12 illustrates a flowchart of a signal receiving method of a second wireless communication device according to one embodiment. The second wireless communication device may be a base station / network node.

[0318] Referring to FIG. 12, the second wireless communication device can transmit reference signal setting information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling (C05).

[0319] The second wireless communication device can transmit control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers (C10).

[0320] The second wireless communication device can receive at least one of a data signal and a reference signal via at least some of the plurality of carriers (C15).

[0321] Based on the bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers set for the reference signal through the above reference signal setting information, reception of the reference signal can be performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0322] Reception of the reference signal can be performed without reception of the data signal on at least one of the inactive or dormant carriers.

[0323] The above control information may include information on whether the inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier is for data communication management or positioning.

[0324] Based on the fact that the inactivity or dormancy of at least one carrier is for the purpose of managing the data communication, reception of the reference signal can be performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0325] The above bandwidth aggregation settings may include multiple sub-settings, each related to a different set of carriers.

[0326] Reception of the above reference signal may be performed based on specific sub-settings related to a set of carriers including at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

[0327] The second wireless communication device can instruct the first wireless communication device on the specific sub-settings to be used for receiving the reference signal.

[0328] The specific sub-setting to be used for receiving the reference signal may be determined based on inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier.

[0329] The specific sub-setting to be used for receiving the above reference signal can be determined based on a predetermined priority rule.

[0330] The above reference signal may be a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

[0331] Figure 13 illustrates a flexible network topology to which some examples of this specification may be applied.

[0332] To compensate for incomplete network coverage areas, a network topology that allows for more flexible and resilient split radio access networks (RANs) may be considered. For this purpose, various nodes, such as IAB nodes, relays, and RF repeaters, as illustrated in the example of Figure 13, may be applied, or NTNs may be integrated. For example, an IAB node may correspond to a node that provides wireless backhaul. For example, a relay may refer to any intermediate point, or in the case of a sidelink relay where a terminal functions as a relay, it may collectively refer to a terminal-to-network (U2N) relay and a terminal-to-terminal (U2U) relay. For example, an RF repeater may correspond to a node that simply performs the function of signal amplification and forwarding, while a network-controlled repeater may not only amplify and forward signals but also adjust transmission and reception settings based on information provided by the network. For example, an NTN node may correspond to a satellite or aircraft that provides NTN coverage that is difficult for terrestrial networks to provide. In addition to these examples, various intermediate points can be introduced to improve the network topology.

[0333] Referring to Figure 13, a split RAN can support the division of a base station into a centralized unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs). The CU and DU can correspond to logical units. The CU can be further divided into a control plane (CP) portion and one or more user plane (UP) portions. Since a failure in the CU-CP affects not only the CU-UP but also the DUs, various intermediate points can be introduced to compensate for this.

[0334] An intermediate point may correspond to a terminal or a base station, depending on its relationship to other nodes. For example, an IAB node may include a mobile-termination (MT) portion and a unit (DU). The MT may connect the IAB node to a donor node. The unit (DU) of an IAB node may serve other terminals or connect to other IAB nodes to provide multi-hop wireless backhaul to the terminal. In other words, an IAB node may correspond to a base station in its relationship to a user-side node, and to a terminal in its relationship to a network-side node.

[0335] In some examples of this specification, the description of a terminal can be equally applied not only to a user-side endpoint, but also to an intermediate point corresponding to a terminal in a relative relationship with a network-side endpoint. Similarly, in some examples of this specification, the description of a base station can be equally applied not only to a network-side endpoint, but also to an intermediate point corresponding to a base station in a relative relationship with a user-side endpoint. However, in most cases where there is no additional description of the operations of three or more entities, the communicating entities in this specification are briefly described as terminals and / or base stations (or first nodes and / or second nodes), and the terms terminal and / or base stations (or first nodes and / or second nodes) are interpreted to include / replace any endpoint or any intermediate point in relation to other nodes.

[0336] That is, in some examples of this specification, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the subjects of the operation may be referred to as a base station and / or a terminal (or a first node and / or a second node). In addition, the terms base station and / or terminal (or a first node and / or a second node) may also be interpreted / replaced as in the following examples: For example, the base station (or a first node) and the terminal (or a second node) may respectively correspond to the first endpoint and the second endpoint; may respectively correspond to the endpoint and the intermediate point; may respectively correspond to the intermediate point and the endpoint; or may respectively correspond to the first intermediate point and the second intermediate point.

[0337] In this specification, there may be zero or more intermediate points between the base station and the terminal. If intermediate points exist, they may be IAB nodes, relays, RF repeaters, NTN (non-terrestrial network) nodes, or nodes supporting other functions. An intermediate point may be a node with a fixed location or a node with an unfixed location.

[0338] The communication system (1) of FIG. 14 applied to the present disclosure includes a wireless device (110), a network device (120), and a network (130). Here, the wireless device (110) refers to a device that performs communication using a wireless access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G), and may be referred to as a communication / wireless / 5G / 6G device. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device (110) may include a robot (110a), a vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2), an XR (extended reality) device (110c), a hand-held device (110d), a home appliance (110e), an IoT (Internet of Things) device (110f), and an AI (artificial intelligence) device / server (110g). For example, the vehicle may include a vehicle equipped with a wireless communication function, an autonomous vehicle, a vehicle capable of performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2) may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (e.g., a drone). The XR device (110c) includes an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) / mixed reality (MR) device, and may be implemented in the form of a head-mounted device (HMD), a head-up display (HUD) equipped in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, a digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. The portable device (110d) may include a smartphone, a smart pad, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses), a computer (e.g., a laptop, etc.), etc. The home appliance (110e) may include a TV, a refrigerator, a washing machine, etc. The IoT device (110f) may include a sensor, a smart meter, etc. The wireless device (110) may correspond to a terminal (or first node) or an intermediate point.The network device (120) may correspond to a base station (or second node) or another intermediate point. For example, the network device (120) may also be implemented as a wireless device (110), and a specific wireless device (120a) may act as a network device (120) to another wireless device (110).

[0339] Wireless devices (110a to 110f) can be connected to a network (130) via a network device (120). AI technology can be applied to the wireless devices (110a to 110f), and the wireless devices (110a to 110f) can be connected to an AI server (110g) via a network (130). The network (130) can be configured using a 3G network, a 4G (e.g., LTE) network, a 5G (e.g., NR), or a 6G network. The wireless devices (110a to 110f) can communicate with each other via the network device (120) / network (130), but can also communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the network device (120) / network (130). For example, vehicles (110b-1, 110b-2) can communicate directly (e.g., V2V (vehicle to vehicle) / V2X (vehicle to everything) communication). Additionally, an IoT device (110f) (e.g., a sensor) can communicate directly with other IoT devices (e.g., sensors) or other wireless devices (110a to 110f).

[0340] Wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can be established between wireless devices (110a to 110f) / network devices (120), network devices (120) / network devices (120). Here, the wireless communication / connection can be established through various wireless access technologies such as uplink / downlink communication (150a), sidelink communication (150b) (or D2D communication), and communication between network devices (150c) (e.g., relay, IAB (integrated access backhaul)). Through the wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c), the wireless device and the network device / wireless device, and the network device and the network device can transmit / receive wireless signals to each other. For example, the wireless communication / connection (150a, 150b, 150c) can transmit / receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, based on various descriptions of the present disclosure, at least some of various configuration information setting processes for transmitting / receiving wireless signals, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel encoding / decoding, modulation / demodulation, resource mapping / demapping, etc.), resource allocation processes, etc. may be performed.

[0341] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a wireless device applicable to the present disclosure.

[0342] Referring to FIG. 15, the wireless device (200) can transmit and receive wireless signals via various wireless access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A pro, NR, 5G, 5G-A, 6G). The wireless device (200) includes at least one processor (202) and at least one memory (204), and may additionally include at least one transceiver (206) and / or at least one antenna (208).

[0343] The processor (202) controls the memory (204) and / or the transceiver (206), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. For example, the processor (202) may process information in the memory (204) to generate first information / signal, and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signal via the transceiver (206). In addition, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal including second information / signal via the transceiver (206), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signal in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, the memory (204) may store software code including instructions for performing some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202), or for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. Here, the processor (202) and the memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement wireless communication technology. The transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via at least one antenna (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (206) may be used interchangeably with an RF (radio frequency) unit. In the present disclosure, a wireless device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0344] Hereinafter, the hardware elements of the wireless device (200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, at least one protocol layer may be implemented by at least one processor (202). For example, at least one processor (202) may implement at least one layer (e.g., a functional layer such as physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio resource control (RRC), and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP)). At least one processor (202) may generate at least one Protocol Data Unit (PDU) and / or at least one Service Data Unit (SDU) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. At least one processor (202) may generate a message, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document. At least one processor (202) can generate a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) including a PDU, an SDU, a message, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed in this document, and provide the signal to at least one transceiver (206). At least one processor (202) can receive a signal (e.g., a baseband signal) from at least one transceiver (206) and obtain the PDU, SDU, message, control information, data or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document.

[0345] At least one processor (202) may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. The at least one processor (202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), at least one digital signal processor (DSP), at least one digital signal processing device (DSPD), at least one programmable logic device (PLD), or at least one field programmable gate array (FPGA) may be included in the at least one processor (202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document may be included in the at least one processor (202), or may be stored in at least one memory (204) and driven by the at least one processor (202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and / or flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of code, instructions and / or sets of instructions.

[0346] At least one memory (204) can be connected to at least one processor (202) and can store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions and / or commands. The at least one memory (204) can be configured as a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard drive, a register, a cache memory, a computer readable storage medium and / or a combination thereof. The at least one memory (204) can be located internally and / or externally to the at least one processor (202). In addition, the at least one memory (204) can be connected to the at least one processor (202) via various technologies such as a wired or wireless connection.

[0347] At least one transceiver (206) can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., mentioned in the methods and / or flowcharts of this document to at least one other device. At least one transceiver (206) can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or flowcharts disclosed in this document from at least one other device. For example, at least one transceiver (206) can be connected to at least one processor (202) and can transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, at least one processor (202) can control at least one transceiver (206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to at least one other device. Furthermore, at least one processor (202) can control at least one transceiver (206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from at least one other device. In addition, at least one transceiver (206) may be connected to at least one antenna (208), and at least one transceiver (206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this document through at least one antenna (208). In this document, at least one antenna may be a plurality of physical antennas or a plurality of logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). At least one transceiver (206) may convert the received wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. using at least one processor (202). At least one transceiver (206) may convert the processed user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. from baseband signals to RF band signals using at least one processor (202).For this purpose, at least one transceiver (206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0348] The components of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 18 may be referred to by different terms in terms of functionality. For example, the processor (202) may be referred to as a control unit, the transceiver (206) as a communication unit, and the memory (204) as a storage unit. In some cases, the communication unit may be used to mean at least a portion of the processor (202) and the transceiver (206).

[0349] The structure of the wireless device described with reference to FIG. 15 can be understood as the structure of at least a portion of various devices. For example, the structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 15 can be at least a portion of various devices described with reference to FIG. A2 (e.g., a robot (110a), a vehicle (110b-1, 110b-2), an XR device (110c), a portable device (110d), a home appliance (110e), an IoT device (110f), an AI device / server (110g)). Furthermore, according to various embodiments, in addition to the components illustrated in FIG. 15, the device may further include other components.

[0350] For example, the device may be a portable device such as a smartphone, a smart pad, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses), or a portable computer (e.g., a laptop, etc.). In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an interface unit that includes at least one port for connection with another device (e.g., an audio input / output port, a video input / output port), and an input / output unit for inputting and outputting image information / signals, audio information / signals, data, and / or information input from a user.

[0351] For example, the device may be a mobile device such as a mobile robot, a vehicle, a train, an aerial vehicle (AV), a ship, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a driving unit including at least one of an engine, a motor, a power train, wheels, brakes, and a steering unit of the device, a power supply unit including a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc. that supplies power, a sensor unit that senses status information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, an autonomous driving unit that performs functions such as path maintenance, speed control, and destination setting, and a position measurement unit that obtains location information of the mobile device through a global positioning system (GPS) and various sensors.

[0352] For example, the device may be an XR device such as an HMD, a head-up display (HUD) installed in a vehicle, a television, a smartphone, a computer, a wearable device, a home appliance, a digital signage, a vehicle, a robot, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a power supply unit that supplies power and includes a wired / wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc., an input / output unit that obtains control information, data, etc. from the outside and outputs the generated XR object, and a sensor unit that senses status information, environmental information, and user information of the device or the surroundings of the device.

[0353] For example, the device may be a robot that can be classified into industrial, medical, household, military, etc. types depending on the purpose or field of use. In this case, the device may further include at least one of a sensor unit that senses status information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a driving unit that performs various physical actions, such as moving the robot joints.

[0354] For example, the device may be an AI device such as a TV, a projector, a smartphone, a PC, a laptop, a digital broadcasting terminal, a tablet PC, a wearable device, a set-top box (STB), a radio, a washing machine, a refrigerator, digital signage, a robot, a vehicle, etc. In this case, the device may further include at least one of an input unit that acquires various types of data from the outside, an output unit that generates output related to sight, hearing, or touch, a sensor unit that senses status information, environmental information, and user information of the device or its surroundings, and a training unit that trains a model composed of an artificial neural network using learning data.

[0355] The structure of the wireless device illustrated in FIG. 15 may be understood as a part of a terminal (or first node), or as a part of an intermediate point, or as a part of a base station (or second node). If the device illustrated in FIG. 15 is a base station (or second node), the device may further include a wired transceiver for front haul and / or back haul communications. However, if the front haul and / or back haul communications are based on wireless communications, at least one transceiver (206) illustrated in FIG. 15 may be used for front haul and / or back haul communications, and a wired transceiver may not be included.

[0356] The embodiments described above are combinations of components and features of the present invention in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented without being combined with other components or features. Furthermore, it is also possible to form an embodiment of the present invention by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present invention may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. Claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the patent claims may be combined to form an embodiment or may be incorporated as a new claim through a post-application amendment.

[0357] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in any respect, but rather as illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0358] The present disclosure may be used in a terminal, base station, or other equipment of a wireless mobile communication system.

Claims

1. In a method for transmitting a signal by a wireless communication device, Receive reference signal configuration information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling; Receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and Including transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, A method in which transmission of the reference signal is performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal setting information.

2. In paragraph 1, A method wherein transmission of the reference signal is performed without transmission of the data signal on at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

3. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the control information includes information on whether the inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier is for data communication management or positioning.

4. In paragraph 3, A method in which transmission of the reference signal is performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier, based on the inactivity or dormancy of at least one carrier being for the purpose of managing the data communication.

5. In paragraph 1, The above bandwidth aggregation settings include multiple sub-settings each related to a different set of carriers, A method wherein the transmission of the above reference signal is performed based on specific sub-settings related to a set of carriers including at least one inactive or dormant carrier.

6. In paragraph 5, A method wherein the specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the above reference signal is determined based on instructions from the network.

7. In paragraph 5, A method wherein the specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the reference signal is determined based on inactivity or dormancy of the at least one carrier.

8. In paragraph 5, A method wherein the specific sub-setting to be used for transmission of the above reference signal is determined based on a predetermined priority rule.

9. In paragraph 1, The above wireless communication device is a terminal, A method wherein the above reference signal is a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning.

10. A non-transitory recording medium storing instructions configured to cause the processor to perform operations when executed by the processor, the operations performed by the processor being: Receive reference signal configuration information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling; Receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and Including transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, A non-transitory recording medium in which transmission of the reference signal is performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on the bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal setting information.

11. In wireless communication devices, memory for storing commands; and A processor that operates by executing the above instructions, The operation of the above processor is as follows: Receive reference signal configuration information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling; Receiving control information related to deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and Including transmitting at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, A wireless communication device in which transmission of the reference signal is performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on the bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal setting information.

12. In paragraph 11, Including a transmitter and receiver, The above wireless communication device is a terminal, a wireless communication device.

13. In paragraph 11, The above wireless communication device is a processing device configured to control a terminal.

14. In a method for a wireless communication device to receive a signal, Transmitting reference signal configuration information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling; Transmitting control information related to the deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and Including receiving at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, A method in which reception of the reference signal is performed even on at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on a bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal setting information.

15. In wireless communication devices, memory for storing commands; and A processor that operates by executing the above instructions, The operation of the above processor is as follows: Transmitting reference signal configuration information related to multiple carriers through upper layer signaling; Transmitting control information related to the deactivation or dormancy of at least one of the plurality of carriers; and Including receiving at least one of a data signal and a reference signal through at least some of the plurality of carriers, A wireless communication device in which reception of the reference signal is performed even on the at least one inactive or dormant carrier based on the bandwidth (BW) aggregation across the plurality of carriers being set for the reference signal through the reference signal setting information.

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