Uplink Power-Limited UE Positioning With Serving gNB Relay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power-limited user equipment (UE) face challenges in achieving accurate wireless positioning due to limited uplink transmission capabilities, which hinder effective measurement and communication with base stations, especially in 5G networks.
Innovation Solution
Implement multi-round trip time (RTT) based positioning techniques that utilize power-efficient signaling methods, including uplink-assisted mobility procedures and beamforming, to enhance positioning accuracy for power-limited UEs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If uplink transmission power is increased to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but power consumption increases beyond available power resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a serving gNB as an intermediary relay node that receives, measures, and forwards UE uplink signals to neighbor gNBs. This mediator approach enables the UE to achieve accurate positioning without directly transmitting high-power signals to all neighbor gNBs, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and power consumption by using the serving gNB's higher power resources as a relay
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by having the UE transmit uplink signals only to the serving gNB with reduced power, rather than transmitting to all neighbor gNBs. The serving gNB then performs partial measurement functions locally and assists with the remaining positioning calculations, allowing the system to achieve adequate positioning accuracy with sub-maximal transmission power
2Area of stationary object
If uplink transmission power is increased to extend communication range with base stations, then coverage area expands, but power consumption increases beyond available power resources
Solution Approach 1:
The serving gNB acts as a mediator that extends the effective coverage area by receiving weak uplink signals from the power-limited UE and forwarding processed measurement data to neighbor gNBs. This intermediary approach allows the UE to maintain communication with distant base stations without increasing its own transmission power, thus expanding coverage area while consuming limited power resources
3Measurement precision
If multi-RTT positioning techniques are implemented to improve positioning accuracy, then measurement precision improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having the serving gNB automatically perform measurement coordination, signal forwarding, and positioning calculation functions without requiring complex UE-side processing. The network infrastructure handles the complexity of multi-RTT procedures while the power-limited UE simply transmits reference signals, thereby achieving high positioning accuracy without increasing device complexity at the UE side
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are techniques for wireless positioning. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may send, to a first entity, first information indicating a maximum number of positioning signal transmissions or a maximum power for positioning signal transmissions that the UE can support. The UE may receive, from the first entity, configuration information for changing a positioning mode of the UE to a positioning mode selected from a first positioning mode and a second positioning mode. The UE may perform a positioning operation according to the selected positioning mode. In some aspects, the first positioning mode is a normal positioning mode in which the UE sends UL positioning reference signals to a plurality of TRPS, and the second positioning mode is a UL power-limited mode in which the UE sends UL positioning reference signals to only one or a small number of TRPs.